From 1982 to 1999, the building at 2151 Market Street in downtown Redding was home to some recognizable names in the local restaurant scene: River City Bar and Grill, Tubby and Ann’s, and Kellie J’s. When Tom VonderHaar opened Eddy’s Grill last month, in the same location as these local culinary luminaries, he thought he would quickly join the ranks of his predecessors.
Instead, he’s had to overcome the image acquired in just the last 10 years. During that time, 2151 Market Street was occupied by two bars: the Rainbow Lounge and Top Shelf, and no one can seem to forget it. Despite new curb appeal, even neighboring businesses are reticent about checking things out at Eddy’s.
New plants give Eddy's a bit of curb appeal.
“It’s like a toxic landfill,” Tom said. “Toxic” isn’t the best restaurant reference, but it’s an accurate description of the re-imaging project Tom has taken on. “You have to clean it up before you can build a foundation,” he said.
Since he took the keys, Tom has been polishing both image and infrastructure. In the kitchen, idle since 2000, Tom uncovered a Wolf oven and Frymaster fryers — Cadillacs in the world of kitchen accoutrements — and gave them some much needed TLC. He was a passionate, driven, one-man toolbox, replacing a defunct ice machine, repairing leaks and installing mood lighting.
Tom VonderHaar with Eddy's burgers
The first image-revamping move he made was to abandon the restaurant’s original name: Eddy’s Gastro Pub. Tom, a veteran of the restaurant business and a former server and bartender at Maritime Seafood and Grill, said he realized that the term “pub” was aiding and abetting the building’s unsavory recent past. He changed the name to just “Eddy’s Grill.” New, prominent signs emphasize Tom’s vision: a casual, family-friendly dining experience; simply, good food at a reasonable price.
Tom brought on Jeff Milcheck, former chef at Riverview Country Club and Vintage Wine Bar & Restaurant, to command the kitchen. Jeff put his experienced spin on Tom’s comfortable menu – burgers, melts and fish tacos for lunch and beef, chicken and fish for dinner. Straightforward, sure, but Jeff’s take on sandwiches, meat, poultry and seafood is anything but standard.
Eddy's chicken parmesan melt
I still can’t get Eddy’s zucchini melt with feta (served open-face on crunchy, buttery sourdough), out of my head. The melt put me on a zucchini kick, so I tried a chunky, al dente zucchini planks appetizer that puts mushy, soggy-battered versions to shame. On another visit, I devoured a crazy-good chicken parmesan melt. The juicy, breaded chicken filet made the perfect landing pad for marinara and gooey, melted mozzarella cheese – again, on Eddy’s signature grilled artisan sourdough.
Jeff makes everything he can from scratch and the time and attention to the food is apparent. Melts and burgers snuggle on the plate with a generous side of warm, made-to-order potato chips (resist the urge to hide in a corner and devour them) and dinners are fully trimmed with soup or salad and bread.
The bar at Eddy's
“It’s a Midwestern thing,” Tom said of the well-rounded meals that are true to his Indiana roots. “You’ve got to have meat, starch and veggies” — an incredibly modest description of cod amandine and inventive chicken marsala, which apparently already have quite a following. Despite some upscale offerings, Tom is serious about family-friendliness. The $3.99 kids menu, plus the range of choices (from burgers to filets), make it easy to have a price-conscious family dinner. Tom kept things simple at the bar, too – beer on tap and an incomplete but growing wine list.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that Eddy’s is a little light on ambiance. But don’t let that deter you, because Tom is working on it. Phase 1 was to shed the space of everything that screamed “bar,” short of tearing out the attractive one that occupies the front of the restaurant. But he’s successfully separated it from the dining room, creating high seating in front and comfortable, private nooks in the back.
Eddy's new interior
The interior is still sparse, but it’s warm. Tom painted the formerly gloomy walls bright-white, emphasizing the wood and a groovy rock wall.
Talking to Tom about Eddy’s, a project that he told me has been in the works “longer than you can possibly imagine,” I realized how far-fetched my romanticized notions of small, independent restaurant ownership really are. Only someone with incredible determination and passion can handle the risks – not to mention broken freezers, derelict ice makers and leaky pipes – and still be as friendly and hopeful as Tom.
Tom opened Eddy’s against all odds in the middle of a recession. He opened Eddy’s in a challenging downtown location because he believes in the value of a lively, neighborhood-focused city core and is committed to being a part of Redding’s urban renaissance. And in his riskiest maneuver of all, this one-man show had to choose whether to jump out of the gate with either style or substance.
Eddy's zucchini planks appetizer
He chose substance – top quality food – despite the public’s style consciousness, which often prematurely makes or breaks a new venture like his. That in itself is a reason to frequent Eddy’s. Rather than food without feeling, I’ll have a great meal and be a restaurant owner, vicariously, through Tom and his passion.
Visit Eddy’s Grill, 2151 Market Street in downtown Redding, for lunch or dinner. Hours: Monday – Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Call (530) 242-6865 for more information.
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Adam Mankoski enjoys experiencing and writing about the people, places and things that embody the free spirit of the State of Jefferson. He and his partner own HawkMan Studiosand are the creators of Redding’s 2nd Saturday ArtHop. Email your North State weekend events to adamm.anewscafe@gmail.com.
A News Cafe, founded in Shasta County by Redding, CA journalist Doni Greenberg, is the place for people craving local Northern California news, commentary, food, arts and entertainment. Views and opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of anewscafe.com.
