Written by Heather Irwin for BiteClubEats.
Shhh. Don’t tell anyone, but we’ve found a secret Santa Rosa breakfast spot.
Local cook Damon Gault slings hash from around 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Sunday mornings at Sprenger’s Tap Room (446 B St., Santa Rosa). And by “around” we mean as long as people are eating and his food doesn’t run out.
It’s mostly a word-of-mouth thing for his friends (and their friends and anyone else who shows up), but his house-smoked pastrami hash is so insanely good we had to at least give you a chance to try it. Made with diced potatoes, pulled pastrami, eggs to order and sautéed kale ($12), it was so good we literally licked the plate clean. Other dishes include chicken fried steak and potatoes ($11), biscuits and gravy ($6) and cinnamon walnut French toast ($8).
What inspired Gault, however, was his passion for competitive barbecuing and a love of food. An electrician by trade, his time in the kitchen (often with his son) is purely for the joy of it. Ask him about his smoked spices or his pastrami-making process and you’ll see what we mean.
We’re seeing more and more restaurant take-overs during off hours, when chefs “borrow” a kitchen during less busy times (like dinner for breakfast spots, or breakfast for dinner spots). It’s a great way to incubate a food idea without much overhead, or simply indulge a cooking passion.
Like we said, this is a labor of love, so we can’t really promise what will be on the menu, but go with a sense of adventure, grab a beer and enjoy the ride. (Update: Damon plans to expand the offerings to Saturday and Sunday)