Another Delta restaurant is gone
- Thread starter MarcJ
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BayAreaBoater
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Yeah, downtown Antioch, no matter what the city politicians would like you to believe, is pretty much a ghost town. One of my favorite jewelry stores that was down there for years was Meyer's Jewelry. They did a brisk business with Rolex and Gene was an avid boater and was always open to bartering or trading with his good customers. They closed that facility and moved to the mall and then after the (very sad) kidnapping of his wife, their son tried to run the place but it closed down for good shortly thereafter. I really enjoyed the old theatre that was down there too. It was a classic!
I was at Humphrey's for their grand opening and have eaten there quite a few times since. It was a crap-shoot as far as the service and the food went. You never knew how your meal might go... Overall, it was a popular place. I still preferred the Riverview Lodge though. It was old-school and we've been enjoying it since the early 70's.
The first operator's of Humphrey's included the fired manager from the old Sextant restaurant from Disco Bay.
For those that don't know or remember, the Sextant was Hoffman's feeble attempt at getting into the restaurant business and to stir up business at the yacht harbor.
First, he put Margo's restaurant that was located on the boardwalk where the yacht harbor office is now, out of business. All of the businesses on the boardwalk were on a month-to-month basis. No long-term leases. Margo's was a very successful business. As the grand opening of the Sextant approached, Margo's got the boot. That was back when the DBYC had its facility on the opposite end of the boardwalk, where Zaro's boutique use to be. We had BBQ's on the patio and all of the events were held there. I don't recall the number of members back then, but I think it was limited to 100. It was later increased to 500. But it was a very small space for an up and coming yacht club.
Anyway, Humphrey's had its ups and downs and went through quite a few management changes. I believe the last operator's of the place took it over around five years after it initially opened. They sold it a few times, but had to take it back each time as well (the city owns the property). The last operator's of it were bogged down in debt and actually stopped paying the rent quite some time ago. The place really went downhill fast. A bankruptcy was filed and as MarcJ posted, the place finally closed for good a few months ago. Hopefully, a new (and well experienced) operator will be enticed to open it back up again. The waterfront location is awesome!
I was at Humphrey's for their grand opening and have eaten there quite a few times since. It was a crap-shoot as far as the service and the food went. You never knew how your meal might go... Overall, it was a popular place. I still preferred the Riverview Lodge though. It was old-school and we've been enjoying it since the early 70's.
The first operator's of Humphrey's included the fired manager from the old Sextant restaurant from Disco Bay.
For those that don't know or remember, the Sextant was Hoffman's feeble attempt at getting into the restaurant business and to stir up business at the yacht harbor.
First, he put Margo's restaurant that was located on the boardwalk where the yacht harbor office is now, out of business. All of the businesses on the boardwalk were on a month-to-month basis. No long-term leases. Margo's was a very successful business. As the grand opening of the Sextant approached, Margo's got the boot. That was back when the DBYC had its facility on the opposite end of the boardwalk, where Zaro's boutique use to be. We had BBQ's on the patio and all of the events were held there. I don't recall the number of members back then, but I think it was limited to 100. It was later increased to 500. But it was a very small space for an up and coming yacht club.
Anyway, Humphrey's had its ups and downs and went through quite a few management changes. I believe the last operator's of the place took it over around five years after it initially opened. They sold it a few times, but had to take it back each time as well (the city owns the property). The last operator's of it were bogged down in debt and actually stopped paying the rent quite some time ago. The place really went downhill fast. A bankruptcy was filed and as MarcJ posted, the place finally closed for good a few months ago. Hopefully, a new (and well experienced) operator will be enticed to open it back up again. The waterfront location is awesome!
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I loved the place....great pace to tie up to and have a drink and a meal. Sorry to see it closed.......seems the watering holes at the Delta seem to diminish every year. Sad state of affairs but running a marina or a restaurant is tough even in good times...now....real difficult. Hal Schell would be very disappointed
DBH
DBH
ginman - what kind of gin are you into
I love a gin bloody mary
Used to have Bloody's at he place at the end of Victoria slouhg. Forgot the name. I'm sure it has changed owners by now. They used to say the secret ingredient was Delta water
I love a gin bloody mary
Used to have Bloody's at he place at the end of Victoria slouhg. Forgot the name. I'm sure it has changed owners by now. They used to say the secret ingredient was Delta water
BayAreaBoater
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^^^^^^^
You might be thinking of Union Point. It's at the east end of Victoria Canal rb2@gr5t the Highway 4 Bridge. Yeah, it's been through a few owners and even more managers over the years.
The place has been really cleaned up by the latest ownership. The previous ones really let the place go down hill. It looks a lot better these days, but it closed down some time ago and as of last weekend it was still closed. I went by there last saturday on my way to visit some friends at Tiki Lagun and drove there by vehicle. I noticed some kind of posting on the door and the place was closed.
I've hit the libations there in the past and we've stopped by there for burgers as well, but I'll never forget the 70's and the Middle River Inn. It was just south of Pop's Boats which is now Bullfrog Landing. Middle River Inn was a true Delta River Rat hang-out. A Dive, actually.
One night, while visiting the place with a guy that berthed with me at Tiki back then, we were more than a few sheets to the wind when he decided to head back to Tiki. It was my idea to just spend the night there in his boat and head back in the morning. His boat, his decision. He HAD a 22' Luger cruiser with a hardtop. Five minutes away from the Middle River Inn and his hardtop turned into a convertible! As we went under the train bridge, he managed to hit one of the beams and it took that hardtop right off the boat! Funny thing, his windshield didn't even get a crack, just the wood framing and the entire hardtop was all that was damaged. Or should I say destroyed.
We made it back to Tiki and I staggered back to my own boat and hit the rack. The next morning, I checked out the damage and was amazed that not only the windshield survived, but that he and I didn't get our heads chopped off! It was a clean break right along the top of the windshield frame from side to side.
He never replaced the hardtop, and about a year later moved the boat elsewhere.
Yep, I'll never forget the Middle River Inn... [
arty] [:-drunk] [:I]
You might be thinking of Union Point. It's at the east end of Victoria Canal rb2@gr5t the Highway 4 Bridge. Yeah, it's been through a few owners and even more managers over the years.
The place has been really cleaned up by the latest ownership. The previous ones really let the place go down hill. It looks a lot better these days, but it closed down some time ago and as of last weekend it was still closed. I went by there last saturday on my way to visit some friends at Tiki Lagun and drove there by vehicle. I noticed some kind of posting on the door and the place was closed.
I've hit the libations there in the past and we've stopped by there for burgers as well, but I'll never forget the 70's and the Middle River Inn. It was just south of Pop's Boats which is now Bullfrog Landing. Middle River Inn was a true Delta River Rat hang-out. A Dive, actually.
One night, while visiting the place with a guy that berthed with me at Tiki back then, we were more than a few sheets to the wind when he decided to head back to Tiki. It was my idea to just spend the night there in his boat and head back in the morning. His boat, his decision. He HAD a 22' Luger cruiser with a hardtop. Five minutes away from the Middle River Inn and his hardtop turned into a convertible! As we went under the train bridge, he managed to hit one of the beams and it took that hardtop right off the boat! Funny thing, his windshield didn't even get a crack, just the wood framing and the entire hardtop was all that was damaged. Or should I say destroyed.
We made it back to Tiki and I staggered back to my own boat and hit the rack. The next morning, I checked out the damage and was amazed that not only the windshield survived, but that he and I didn't get our heads chopped off! It was a clean break right along the top of the windshield frame from side to side.
He never replaced the hardtop, and about a year later moved the boat elsewhere.
Yep, I'll never forget the Middle River Inn... [
arty] [:-drunk] [:I]BayAreaBoater
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^^^^^^^
I couldn't even come close!
But I do enjoy sharing my Delta experiences that go back to '67, though some are "foggier" than others...
Hal was one of a kind and is still sorely missed. One of my favorite "hangout moments" with him was back when the NCMA was holding boat shows at the Moscone Center in SF and Hal was contracted to give seminars there during the show. After one of his talks, he seemed overly excited about something. When I made the comment about that to him, he said, "follow me". He took me to the booth that had the Golden Star Yachts in it. He took me aboard the same model (minus the cockpit) that he had recently ordered. He walked me through it and told me about the customizations that he was having done to it such as modifying the dinette to suit his needs better than the way that the factory had designed it. He could have been one of their salespeople!
His biggest asset (other than his heart of gold) was that he was a people person. A true gentleman.
Nope, I could never come close...
I couldn't even come close!
But I do enjoy sharing my Delta experiences that go back to '67, though some are "foggier" than others...
Hal was one of a kind and is still sorely missed. One of my favorite "hangout moments" with him was back when the NCMA was holding boat shows at the Moscone Center in SF and Hal was contracted to give seminars there during the show. After one of his talks, he seemed overly excited about something. When I made the comment about that to him, he said, "follow me". He took me to the booth that had the Golden Star Yachts in it. He took me aboard the same model (minus the cockpit) that he had recently ordered. He walked me through it and told me about the customizations that he was having done to it such as modifying the dinette to suit his needs better than the way that the factory had designed it. He could have been one of their salespeople!
His biggest asset (other than his heart of gold) was that he was a people person. A true gentleman.
Nope, I could never come close...
BayAreaBoater
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Oh, BTW, that Golden Star was his largest and final "Delta Dawdler" (well, cruiser anyway)that he kept at Turner's Cut for the many years that he owned it.
When he took delivery of her and made the trek up to the Delta from Oakland, he arrived at his new slip to realize that it didn't quite have enough height clearance for his new boat. Just under a foot. What did Turner's do? They took a saw to the beams that limited the height of the slip so he could use it.
That Golden Star was almost not his final Delta Dawdler.
Hal's use of that boat dwindled down quite a bit in his later years. Not because he didn't enjoy it. It was because Joanie, his loving wife, couldn't handle the multiple deck levels and interior stairwells that the Golden Star had. She was later in a wheelchair and her trips on that boat were pretty much over.
During one of our many phone conversations, he told me that he was looking at an older pontoon houseboat and a few other boats that would meet her needs. Boats that had a single height deck and were easy to maneuver a wheelchair around in.
He never did get that next Delta Dawdler, per se. He did purchase a smaller runabout to travel the sloughs in and to get more information and great photo's to share with his readers.
One of his previous Delta Dawdlers (and maybe the first) was a cruiser that was berthed at Windmill Cove for quite a few years. I recall last seeing it in its slip in the late 80's. I believe it was an Owens or something similar to that. It was a standard 1960's wooden cruiser designed like the Chris Craft Cavalier.
I don't recall which came first. His small houseboat that was always at Lost Isle or that small cruiser.
[:-captain]
When he took delivery of her and made the trek up to the Delta from Oakland, he arrived at his new slip to realize that it didn't quite have enough height clearance for his new boat. Just under a foot. What did Turner's do? They took a saw to the beams that limited the height of the slip so he could use it.
That Golden Star was almost not his final Delta Dawdler.
Hal's use of that boat dwindled down quite a bit in his later years. Not because he didn't enjoy it. It was because Joanie, his loving wife, couldn't handle the multiple deck levels and interior stairwells that the Golden Star had. She was later in a wheelchair and her trips on that boat were pretty much over.
During one of our many phone conversations, he told me that he was looking at an older pontoon houseboat and a few other boats that would meet her needs. Boats that had a single height deck and were easy to maneuver a wheelchair around in.
He never did get that next Delta Dawdler, per se. He did purchase a smaller runabout to travel the sloughs in and to get more information and great photo's to share with his readers.
One of his previous Delta Dawdlers (and maybe the first) was a cruiser that was berthed at Windmill Cove for quite a few years. I recall last seeing it in its slip in the late 80's. I believe it was an Owens or something similar to that. It was a standard 1960's wooden cruiser designed like the Chris Craft Cavalier.
I don't recall which came first. His small houseboat that was always at Lost Isle or that small cruiser.
[:-captain]
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Does anyone know if the Sugar Barge is open or will open for the summer?
DBH
DBH
BayAreaBoater
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We've given up trying to get a meal there.
I store our motorhome there in the enclosed storage units and I was doing some maintenance on it last week and everything was closed up tight when I drove by the ramp on my way out.
The last couple of years they have been serving "bar food" on the upper deck on an irregular basis. I think they had a BBQ rib type place there recently as well. The inside restaurant area has been mostly used for wedding receptions and such.
I'll ask the gal at the storage office the next time that I get over there.
I store our motorhome there in the enclosed storage units and I was doing some maintenance on it last week and everything was closed up tight when I drove by the ramp on my way out.
The last couple of years they have been serving "bar food" on the upper deck on an irregular basis. I think they had a BBQ rib type place there recently as well. The inside restaurant area has been mostly used for wedding receptions and such.
I'll ask the gal at the storage office the next time that I get over there.
"He took me to the booth that had the Golden Star Yachts in it. He took me aboard the same model (minus the cockpit) that he had recently ordered. He walked me through it and told me about the customizations that he was having done to it such as modifying the dinette to suit his needs better than the way that the factory had designed it."
He also had a custom refrigerated Heineken keg installed! He was so proud of that keg!
He also had a custom refrigerated Heineken keg installed! He was so proud of that keg!
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I remember them having a great restaurant there about 15 years ago. I launched my first boat, a 21 foot Chaperral there and stayed overnight. The place was packed and the food was fantastic. When I went back a few years later, that horrible BBQ place was there. It didn't last long and it's been terrible bar food and service on the top deck ever since.
It's really too bad because I still have memories of the nice place it once was. It has one of the best views on the Delta and you would think someone could make a go of it.
As for Union Point, that place is only open during the summer to service the steroid crowd that no longer has Lost Isle to go to.
BayAreaBoater
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He sure was!
I have a pic of him serving me up a mug of that fine stuff during one of the very memorable times that I was aboard. Unfortunately, it was on film (pre-digital days) and it is stored away along with a bunch of other cool old Delta (and my family) pic's that I have. I think that most of the pics with Hal and his boat were taken with a Polaroid instant camera (VERY popular back in the late 70's and well into the 80's) that I kept on the boat. I just hope they haven't faded out by now.
When he passed away, I thought about searching through the eighteen or so boxes of my old family pics (including my late parent's pics) that go waaaay back that would also have a few pics of him. Sadly, they were just stuffed into the various boxes and not categorized at all.
That is one of those "projects" that just never seems to get started...
As a side note, while rummaging through my file cabinet for some legal paperwork, I stumbled across an issue of the Bethel Island Beacon. I really enjoyed that paper. I used to pick it up while enjoying a meal at the old Gangplank (now La Villa) and then I eventually paid for a subscription to it (it was a free, weekly paper) because I didn't want to miss an issue.
[:-captain]
BayAreaBoater
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I remember them having a great restaurant there about 15 years ago. I launched my first boat, a 21 foot Chaperral there and stayed overnight. The place was packed and the food was fantastic. When I went back a few years later, that horrible BBQ place was there. It didn't last long and it's been terrible bar food and service on the top deck ever since.
It's really too bad because I still have memories of the nice place it once was. It has one of the best views on the Delta and you would think someone could make a go of it.
As for Union Point, that place is only open during the summer to service the steroid crowd that no longer has Lost Isle to go to.
[/quote]
Thanks for the scoop on Union Point. Yeah, the testosterone and silicone crowd. Fair-weather sailors at best...
Yeah, that was back when the Sugar Barge was taken over by the current owner. That was a hopping place back then! We would gladly made the trip from Disco Bay over to the Island just to grab a burger for lunch or a nice meal for dinner. And if you arrived by boat, they always had a few kids on the docks ready to give you a hand tying up. Just like Moore's Riverboat used to do.
I guess it's the curse of the very slow winter business atmosphere in the Delta.
I know we do our part by patronizing the businesses that remain open during the winter. We boat year-round and the folks that don't, don't know what they are missing. Heck, even if it is raining, we'll drive our vehicle to places like Guisti's, Wimpy's, etc... for a nice meal. In fact, if things go right, we'll be having lunch at Bob's at the Marina later today. The only sad part is that we'll be getting there by vehicle and not boat. [:-grumpy]
And a bonus for those of us that do it is that there are no crowds! [:-bonc01]
Yep, they don't know what they are missing!
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I try to get out on the water all year long if I can. Maybe most folks that go boating on the old swamp don't realized tha the two best months of all, in my opinion, are October and November. The weather is still warm but not hot, the crowds with their go fast boats are gone, almost never any wind, fishing is great and the sunsets are out of this world. You will always find me meandering around up there in October.
DBH
DBH
I docked my boat between Rusty Porthole and Sugar Barge, so went to both of them frequently. Of course without a boat I don't go there anymore and haven't kept up with the goings on. My life has taken a right turn that is for sure!
DBH, I must know who you are 'cause our histories in the Delta are so parallel!!! LOL A few years ago, after I had retired, I spent time going through old pictures of my family---some dating back to when my mother was a baby--- and scanned them onto my HD. Then I organized and copied them to CDs as Christmas presents for my adult children. I keep the "master CD" in my safe deposit box with the expectation it will be available for my descendents. The best ones are also on my Family Tree on ancestry.com. It was a worthwhile project and much appreciated by my kids.
I always loved November on the water. Most of my favorite dining places where still open on weekends and it was so gorgeous on the water! I loved anchoring out: quiet waters; migrating waterfowl arriving; early morning fog hugging the smooth water; warm afternoons and chilly nights! And if it rained, so what? My boat got a good soft water washing.
Ahhh, the memories.....
DBH, I must know who you are 'cause our histories in the Delta are so parallel!!! LOL A few years ago, after I had retired, I spent time going through old pictures of my family---some dating back to when my mother was a baby--- and scanned them onto my HD. Then I organized and copied them to CDs as Christmas presents for my adult children. I keep the "master CD" in my safe deposit box with the expectation it will be available for my descendents. The best ones are also on my Family Tree on ancestry.com. It was a worthwhile project and much appreciated by my kids.
I always loved November on the water. Most of my favorite dining places where still open on weekends and it was so gorgeous on the water! I loved anchoring out: quiet waters; migrating waterfowl arriving; early morning fog hugging the smooth water; warm afternoons and chilly nights! And if it rained, so what? My boat got a good soft water washing.
Ahhh, the memories.....
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Flutterby,
We do indeed have a lot in common. My first trip to the Delta was 65 years ago when I was 4 years old and my parents tied me with a rope to a tree and that rope allowed me to go to the waters edge and fish but kept me from going in. Fishing weights for cat fishing were too expensive so my folks got cheap little cloth pouches that tobacco came in and filled them with sand so it didn't cost so much when you got snagged. Boy could my mom cook fresh catfish.....lots of memories. The delta has been part of me ever since even though my boat and I reside in Fresno.
DBH
We do indeed have a lot in common. My first trip to the Delta was 65 years ago when I was 4 years old and my parents tied me with a rope to a tree and that rope allowed me to go to the waters edge and fish but kept me from going in. Fishing weights for cat fishing were too expensive so my folks got cheap little cloth pouches that tobacco came in and filled them with sand so it didn't cost so much when you got snagged. Boy could my mom cook fresh catfish.....lots of memories. The delta has been part of me ever since even though my boat and I reside in Fresno.
DBH