Knee Deep Taphouse and Grill, Folsom, CA
So, two old, retired guys walk into a bar….
Those two guys are myself and my friend Vic. And the “bar” isn’t exactly a bar, but rather a taphouse, which means it has a lot of beer on tap, from various different brewers, and if you’re lucky they have a decent food menu as well. Anyway, Vic and I had just finished buying several cases of beer at Total Wine (as I said, we’re old, retired guys) and figured we’d get us some lunch at the Knee Deep Taphouse and Grill which is just across the parking lot from Total Wine.
I won’t go into detail about what I considered the mediocre-to-poor service we received from the bartender/server. Suffice it to say that, by the time we finally placed our order, I was having second thoughts about coming there in the first place. My dad was a pro at this, by the way. From the moment he would enter a restaurant or ice cream parlor or even his dentist, he would be silently scrutinizing the place for some problem or personal slight or faux pas that he could seize upon a reason to turn on his heel and vamoose, shaking the dust from his feet and peppering my mom with rhetorical questions like “why couldn’t they seat us right away?” or “that cashier was on a personal call, wasn’t she?” And instead of our family enjoying a steak dinner at Sizzler, we’d drive home in silence and mom would make us sandwiches.
So anyway, Vic and I placed our orders and took a seat, and ten minutes later I was looking at Knee Deep’s Hoppy Pretzel.
This was a surprisingly good pretzel. And I say “surprisingly” because I was ready to write off the whole establishment due to its poor service. But, of course, the kitchen staff are a whole separate operation, and they, evidently, are this place’s secret weapon. They are the U.S. Army Rangers of Knee Deep’s staff.
For this pretzel was a thing of beauty. For starters, it was presented on bespoke “Knee Deep” serving paper. It’s a small thing, but a welcome, special touch in a culinary world that’s typically provisioned by Sysco. The pretzel itself was hefty, and of a toasty-brown hue that made my mouth water just looking at it. Though it doesn’t show up well in the photo, the pretzel had a distinct gloss, and the salt was distributed perfectly. (The salt itself also deserves praise– flaky and chunky without being overwhelming.)
I was in love at first bite. It had a good snap, and the inside was nice and chewy. This must have been freshly baked, and even toward the end it never seemed tough.
Even the beer cheese was exceptional. It had a distinct malty, beery flavor in the background, and the mouthfeel was creamy without being mayonaise-y. In fact, it resembled potted cheese more than the typical beer cheese, which can have the consistency of salad dressing. My only complaint is there wasn’t enough of it; the beer cheese ran out well before the pretzel did, which can frankly ruin your day.
I wish I knew the secret behind this amazing pretzel. But I was unwilling to interrogate the server, who clearly wished I would die or disappear or both.
This is a four-and-a-half star pretzel.
PRETZEL TRIVIA
In 17th Century Germany, wedding ceremonies would often include a ritual where the bride and groom wore stylized pretzel symbols and/or broke a pretzel to seal their union. Some say the pretzel’s association with weddings helped promote the saying “to tie the knot.” I’m not making this up.
The pretzel is also a good wedding symbol because it reminds us that a good marriage should be a little salty, and that it’s best accompanied by lots of beer.
