110 degrees magazine - Index

110 degrees magazine - magazine_08 - Index

GUSTO I BY ANDREA STUART I PHOTOS BY RUSSELL BYRNE
A LITTLE OLD
TIME FLAVOR
In 1986 Rick Carraher and his wife, Janise put on
their chef’s hats and opened Rick’s On Second.
They deliberated on the move for a mere three
weeks before embarking on their culinary journey,
and no one could have guessed the success
that would follow.
When Rick & Janise decided to become restaurateurs
their main goal was to create a quaint little
retreat in downtown Antioch where people could
peacefully lunch with friends or business
colleagues. They also wanted to add a little old
town spice to the establishment.
Rick and Janise complemented the country
décor by displaying photographs of historic
Antioch on the walls and by creating a unique
menu that honored the town in its glory days.
Some area residents may not be familiar with
the country-kitchen style eatery, but the place has
a near cult following. Rick’s On Second is anything
but obvious to the wandering passerby. The
restaurant is tucked in between small shops on
Antioch’s Second Street almost directly across the
street from El Campanil Theatre. In fact, many
diners admit to discovering this charming luncheon
house by mere coincidence.
Part of what makes Rick’s on Second in
Antioch’s historic downtown area so remarkable
88 www.110mag.com January/February 2008
INCONSPICUOUS, YES! FORGETTABLE, NO!
RICK’S ON SECOND SERVES WHOLESOME
FOOD WITH HISTORY AS A SIDE DISH.
is the quirk factor — little eccentricities, such as
short weekday lunch hours, unchanging menu,
and hidden location. These odd things have played
a role in popularizing the restaurant over the past
two decades.
With its proximity to the El Campanil Theatre,
the location is actually a major perk these days.
For one thing, it makes Rick’s other job as the
Theatre Manager much easier. The commute is
friendly, let alone convenient, enabling him to
come by the restaurant a few times a day during
lunch to greet customers.
When developing the menu, Rick and Janise
decided to only serve food that they felt was
healthy enough to feed to their own family, which
is why they serve fresh vegetables and creamy,
home-made dipping dressings in lieu of bread and
butter to whet the appetite.
Each sandwich is made to order and there is
not a single fried item on the menu. To boot, the
sandwiches are named after historical elements in
the area. You can order the Wyatt Street sandwich
in celebration of Second Street’s original name.
The sandwich boasts ham and melted Swiss
cheese broiled open faced on an English muffin,
topped with sweet pineapple, ranch dressing, and
onions. It is oozing with flavor.
Rick’s favorite sandwich happens to be a healthy
delight for hungry patrons. It features grilled
chicken breast served with Jack cheese, leaf
lettuce, tomato, avocado, sweet red onions and
creamy Italian Dijon dressing. There’s so much
flavor that the diner’s taste buds can’t tell that the
Rodgers Point sandwich is healthy and nutritious.
Although Rick’s is not open for breakfast, Rick
& Janise offer a rich quiche that will tempt any
breakfast enthusiast. Made fresh daily, Rick
created many of his quiche recipes over the years
through inspiration from other recipes and with
a bit of good ol’ kitchen magic.
I found delight in the easily overlooked soup
and salad combo; perfect for lighter appetites and
yet bursting with flavor. I had the cream of broccoli
soup, which has a rich, velvety broth with
chunks of firm broccoli. The house salad proved as
refreshing as it looked with crisp mixed greens,
juicy Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, thinly sliced
carrots, house made croutons, and parmesan
cheese. I topped my salad with the house dressing,
which is a complex blend of 17 ingredients
that pays homage to Thousand Island dressing.
Mum’s the word on the actual recipe.
Combo meals also come with a partial loaf of
fresh, homemade garlic bread in which a soft