Riviera Supper Club takes nightclub entertainment into the New Year

The Turquoise Room dates its retro design to the mid-20th century. Longtime La Mesa residents may recall Jamar’s restaurant of 1962 from the blue walls and lights, neon and stonework still there. But the intimate bar adjoining the Riviera Supper Club’s dining room is bringing a lively mix of today’s quality on-stage music into East County nightlife.

The Turquoise Room dates its retro design to the mid-20th century. Longtime La Mesa residents may recall Jamar’s restaurant of 1962 from the blue walls and lights, neon and stonework still there. But the intimate bar adjoining the Riviera Supper Club’s dining room is bringing a lively mix of today’s quality on-stage music into East County nightlife.

Michael and Barbara Rammelsberg purchased the combined restaurant and bar a little more than three years ago, with initial thoughts of retooling the facilities through a complete overhaul. They envisioned remodeling the building’s interior structure and replacing the menu offerings entirely. After a month at the helm and listening to their patrons, the restaurateur couple rethought those plans, opting instead to restore the best old-school elements associated with the large, existing do-it-yourself steak grill at the center of the main dining room. They sought improved quality in entrée ingredients, partnered with stepped-up beverage service, including a more extensive wine list, more and better local craft beer taps and bottles, and revised twists on classic cocktail recipes.

Jason Rammelsberg handles entertainment and band bookings for the venue, in keeping with those guidelines of preserving treasures of the past with compatible quality upgrades, part of his role serving as general manager in his father Michael’s business. He has been doing this for the past two years at the Riviera, after being in the industry for 18 years, the first five in St. Louis at nightclubs and concert stages, then another 13 with his parents’ other bar, Rosie O’Grady’s, in San Diego’s Normal Heights community.

Jason Rammelsberg described his philosophy for this line of work.

“People should enjoy life, go out and have a good time, feel carefree, forgetting their troubles until tomorrow,” he said.

He learned that his East County patrons have somewhat different musical tastes from the “college-y, younger” set of listeners who drop by Rosie’s on Adams Avenue. Some of the same local bands play at both sites, but the Riviera features more blues and more rockabilly. Live music is on stage at the Riviera nightly from Wednesdays through Saturdays. The small stage, tucked into a corner of the bar area, makes for cozy, personal performances and close interactions between the band and the audience.

“We rarely book a national band or artist, because of the cost,” he said. He tries to mix musical genres, so that anyone can hear a favorite style sometime during the week. And he’s nixed loud rock bands, choosing instead music that pleases adjacent diners as background music as much as the avid crowd of listeners and dancers in the bar room. 

Rammelsberg prefers hiring local bands that bring along family members and fans. “This is a kid-friendly place,” he said. “Children are welcome everywhere except seated at the bar.” He notes how the regulars at the club are “cool locals,” and that this is “a good place to meet neighbors and make new friends.”

Jason Rammelsberg observes that East County is changing with growth, so that the area’s marketplace for dining and entertainment is shifting too.

“East County seems to be where everybody is moving,” he said. “Homes are cheaper in East County, with lots of young families and first-time homebuyers. And that increases demand for nearby social events.”

He commented on how shrinking budgets create challenging times for dining and drinking establishments.

“People can afford to go out for dinner maybe once a month now,” he said. “But they can come out for a few drinks and light menu appetizers a few times in a week or a month.” 

On Dec. 26, the Riviera’s featured band was Chickenbone Slim and The Biscuits, a four-man San Diego band, formed in 2012, playing “electric blues” so hot and tasty that the audience in the packed bar felt anything but blue over the Christmas holiday’s end. Lead bluesman “Chickenbone” (also known as Larry Teves for business purposes) describes the band’s music as “down home” in a traditional blues style, influenced by legendary blues players from Chicago, Texas and Mississippi, including Hound Dog Taylor, Johnny Guitar Watson, Otis Rush and Muddy Waters. The group’s big local influence has been Tomcat Courtney, the “Godfather of San Diego blues.” Featuring a mix of old covers and originals, the band appears about once a month at the Riviera and at Proud Mary’s, The Gaslamp Speakeasy, local festivals and “anywhere they let us.”

“They have a high quality of service, a fantastic menu and crowds that appreciate quality music. The atmosphere is comfortable and for an artist it’s intimate enough take risks with new material. The owners are committed to authentic roots music and are discerning about who plays there,” said Teves bout the attraction of playing at the Riviera.

The band is recording an all-original album set for release in the spring.

Solo bluesman Big Jon Atkinson will entertain New Year’s Eve partiers at the club. Two nights later, Jan. 2, will feature a rare national-presence artist, as Austin-based guitarist-vocalist-songwriter Jackie Venson brings one stop of her California tour to the Riviera. Is Jason Rammelsberg eager to see any other new performers who are being added to the nightclub’s entertainment roster? He mentions the Second Cousins band, a four-man group that plays alternative and folk rock. They will appear on Feb. 5.

And the retro nightclub also hosts a retro band as regular performers, the Westside Inflection, a West Coast quartet that plays jazz and mid-century pop music, with standards popularized by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Bobby Darrin. They play Wednesday nights, kicking off their first set at 7 p.m.

“They have a kind of jazzy James Bond sound that fits the setting really well,” said Jason Rammelsberg.

Attendance has been good, with a steady flow of customers coming for the music. “I am a big believer in music bringing new people in,” he said.

The Riviera Supper Club has 27 employees, seven of them bartenders for The Turquoise Room. Light menu bar fare includes sliders, wings, handmade meatballs and a selection of specialty burgers. Happy hour prices reduce costs for a night out, from 4-6 p.m. daily and from 9 p.m. until closing time Sundays through Thursdays. Nightly discounts and specials further sweeten the deal.

Jason Rammelsberg said with this assurance to people thinking about visiting the Riviera, “Come on out and you’ll always have a good time. There’s never a cover charge, and we’ve got plenty of space for you.”

The Riviera Supper Club is located at 7777 University Avenue in La Mesa and can be contacted at (619) 713-6777. The Turquoise Room bar is open daily, from 4 p.m., although the main dining room is closed on Mondays, and the companion wine bar along University Avenue is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. More information on band schedules, menus and reservations can be obtained at www.rivierasupperclub.com.