Classics are identified by the fact that they never go out of style. A bit of occasional modest tailoring here and there to suit changing tastes is the only alteration ever necessary for a quality favorite of lasting popularity.
Classics are identified by the fact that they never go out of style. A bit of occasional modest tailoring here and there to suit changing tastes is the only alteration ever necessary for a quality favorite of lasting popularity.
The Riviera Supper Club in La Mesa is a classic among East County dining spots, in tandem with its adjoining bar, The Turquoise Room. Proprietors Michael and Barbara Rammelsberg purchased the business on October 15, 2011. A restaurant has been located on the premises from the time of Jamar’s in 1962. The dining spot had been a do-it-yourself (DIY) grilling establishment since 2008. Initially the Rammelsbergs’ assessment for retooling the restaurant included refurbishing the bar along standard lines, removing the restaurant’s central floor grill, and expanding the available wine and craft beer offerings alongside revising menu recipes. Within a few days, the three meager draft taps at the bar had grown to 24, and the bar shelves featured more than 50 bottled brews. The four cheap wines offered were repurposed in cooking sauces, with the wine list strengthened, lengthened and now standing at 86 labels. The Rammelsbergs repainted the tired burgundy-color dining room walls in distinguished burlap beige.
However, Michael Rammelsberg’s basic business approach of examining customer tastes and adapting plans accordingly led to a different and impressive redesign than earlier envisioned. The plan for installing a mirror behind the bar was nixed, when he discovered a heraldic-symbols mural in a storage shed on the premises. And after a month of hands-on proprietorship, the Rammelsbergs decided to keep the DIY grill, because customers prized the friendly interaction and camaraderie during communal grilling.
The result? Swank re-imagined for casual diners in a family-friendly setting.
The Rammelsbergs are not newcomers to the hospitality sector, having owned Rosie O’Grady’s on Adams Avenue in San Diego for 12 years. Eight years ago, they opened an adjacent small wine bar behind the main bar and kitchen area at that facility.
The Riviera Supper Club now pairs East County’s natural relaxed style with a cool retro vibe. Michael Rammelsberg said that doing business is much easier in La Mesa than in San Diego, and that the changing demographics in La Mesa over the past decade have provided a younger customer base of very social adults 25 to 50 years old and young families.
With choice, hormone-free meat at the heart of DIY grill menu items, natural options from the kitchen, vegetarian selections, and fresh, local-caught “catch of the day” fish are available as well. The eight-ounce sirloin steak, for example, is a quality, low-cost selection at $9.50. Bands play live music five nights weekly. Sides include sweet potato fries and Turquoise Tater Tots topped with bleu cheese dressing, spicy chili oil, and bacon. Dessert can be as traditional as old-school Bananas Foster or as fresh as house-original Bacon Chocolate Cake. The bar offers as signature drinks such re-invigorated cocktail classics as cucumber-ginger ale Pimms Cup, a brandy-citrusy Sidecar, a blue-curacao-topped Turquoise Margarita, and a ginger ale plus Russian vodka La Mesa Mule. The majority of on-tap craft beers are local, several from East County breweries.
Michael Rammelsberg’s restaurateur philosophy for growing business is addition, not subtraction.
“You build on the solid foundation,” he said, “and grow out from there.”
His emphasis is on quality food and quality service, without downtown prices. The Riviera employs 26 workers, including part-timers. And the business is a family affair, with son Jason Rammelsberg serving as general manager, son Christopher D’Avignon functioning as an informal business consultant, and a daughter and grandson working as bartenders.
One impending addition to the Riviera is a wine bar on the University Avenue side, which had been slated for summer opening but was delayed when the Rammelsbergs’ contractor fell ill with heart disease. Now scheduled for opening within a month, the outdoor patio will have heaters and a fountain surrounding a central long bar for informal seating. New appetizers will appear to augment small-plate items.
The Riviera Club is freeway-friendly, with plenty of on-site parking. “This is the only joint in town,” said Michael Rammelsberg, and “this fills a void out here.”
The Riviera Supper Club, open from 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. Sundays, sits at 7777 University Avenue in La Mesa and can be contacted at (619) 713-6777 or www.rivierasupperclub.com.
