samuel horne's tavern

i've got to admit. whenever i go to folsom to visit ryan, i always end up planning a day trip to san francisco to satisfy my food cravings and not really giving the restaurants in folsom/sacramento a chance. ryan has always wanted me to try some restaurants around the area but i subconsciously end up going back to just a few tried places in folsom that i liked. he has been doing some food tasting/exploring around his area and found this place, samuel horne's tavern and fell in love with its burgers and insisted that i give it a shot during my next visit.

after his mom picked me and his brother up at the airport (we tried to plan it so we could land in sacramento at close enough times so his mom didn't have to make two trips to the airport), we picked ryan up from his apartment (he had some work to do so he couldn't pick us up) and headed to our lunch destination located in the folsom historic district. 

when we got there, i honestly thought i stepped onto a cowboy town movie set as the backdrop. this also reminded me of old town sacramento where they have similar building structures.

walking into samuel horne's tavern, it felt like i just went back in time with the its classic decor that mimics a vintage tavern. apparently the beautiful ceiling is the feature of the restaurant. apparently, they've restored and kept the ceiling just as it was first built. there was a bar with an extensive selection of beers lining the back wall and we sat at a booth just across two leather couches at the front of the tavern.

ryan was rather surprised that it was a quiet afternoon. my guess was because it was a friday and it was a lil past lunch time when we got there. the july 4th weekend could also mean most of the regulars are out of town. he said that the place was usually pack around that time.

so the way this place works is you would place an order to the counter and then pay for your food to get a table tent where they would serve the food to you once it is ready.

ryan has been raving about the johnny cash burger and craves for it whenever he wants burgers. after the first time he brought his mom this this joint a few weeks ago to try the burger, she's also now a huge fan. yeah i definitely need to try this burger for myself.

 

johnny cash burger ($8.50) | topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, grilled onions and bourbon-espresso redeye sauce.

ryan usually orders the burger with the onions on the side. not quite sure why though. a single bite and i was pretty much hooked. the meat was moist and juicy where all the natural yummy juices is absorbed by the bun and paired with the cheesy cheddar.. well, the bacon was a no-brainer since everything goes well with bacon except we both thought the bacon could be a tad crisper.

i would have to say what makes it was the bourbon-espresso redeye sauce - a sweet bbq sauce but with a special kick from the espresso. his mom usually orders extra sauce and i'd say it's 50 cents well spent. it brought all the flavors of smokiness, juiciness, sweetness and savoriness together in a single burger. the fries that came with were alright. some of them were crispy which by the way went well with the sauce. i liked it so much that i wanted more bites of the burger than what i ordered although we agreed to share our sandwiches.

the dobbie ($11) | all our favorite stuff on one french roll: shaved beef, swiss cheese, bacon and two fried eggs.

this sandwich has like almost all my favorite ingredients between the a soft french roll.

is it a heart attack waiting to happen? perhaps.

great ingredients between the bun but it is a tad hard to eat without utensils. in fact, one of the eggs had runny yolk and it reminded me of eggs benedict. although the sandwich itself was good and hearty with the savoriness and smokiness of the beef and bacon, eventually the taste started to be almost one note. would have really loved to have a sauce tie and round all the flavors together or even some caramelized onions to add some sweetness to it.

steak and pepper ($8.75) | shaved sirloin topped with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, spicy cherry peppers and melted provolone.

i immediately thought of philly cheesesteak sandwich minus the cherry peppers of course and i was actually torn between this sandwich and the dobbie. but since his brother decided to order this, i went with the latter. i didn't taste it but ryan had a bite and told me that it tasted like a philly cheesesteak. the one thing that his brother wasn't a fan of was the spicy cherry peppers because they were pickled and it gave a vinegar-y taste through the sandwich but other than that he said it was a really delicious sandwich.

samuel horne's tavern has shown me that folsom has its very own tasty foodie spots that i need to take the time to find and try them. it offers an extensive beer selection to go with the fantastic food that the chef has to offer. yummy! well, think i'm going to be craving for that burger for a while. :)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others