Del Campo Alumni Look to Fill 'The Couch'

When a customer recently asked why a new Madison Avenue bar didn't carry an obscure type of brandy, the owner went and picked up a bottle. When another patron wanted a mixed drink with dry vermouth, the bar began carrying it.

"They appreciate the fact that we're responsive to what they want," said Justin Berenstein, a alumnus who opened The Couch Sports Lounge with his wife Brandie (also a Del Campo alum) this fall.

The bar and restaurant fills the space in Citrus Heights formerly occupied by the Fire Escape Bar and Grill and attempts to bring an upscale, midtown Sacramento vibe to the area, Berenstein said.

"When we go out there's not a place to go other than going to midtown or Roseville," he said.

Still, the former car dealership manager and Carmichael resident doesn't want the main draw of The Couch to be the neon lights under the bar, the flatscreen televisions or other pieces of the decor.

"What makes it different is the service (customers) get," he said. "Everybody can get a Jack and coke anywhere."

He also hopes the food will make an impression, and notes that the rise of food blogs and review websites have made patrons pay closer attention. Berenstein said he hired "a chef instead of a cook," and touted Executive Chef James Slaughter's hand-cut french fries–dubbed "Couch Potatoes"–and his pulled pork sandwich.

"I want to create a place where people have a buzz about the food," Berenstein said.

A local connection for bar owner

A few years ago, Berenstein and his family moved to Shingle Springs, but it just didn't feel like home. They soon returned, and now most of Berenstein's stories about his past involve places "up the street"–like the Dairy Queen where he and his wife worked, their first home or the middle school where they met.

He hopes his roots will also bolster his business.

"We're local people and we know a lot of people in this area," he said. "That's going to help us."

But they're also interested in helping others. A regular gathering of Del Campo alumni, which usually lands at another Fair Oaks sports bar, was held at The Couch recently, raising $500 for the Getty Owl Foundation, which spreads awareness of spinal muscular atrophy.

Although Berenstein says the Carmichael and Fair Oaks areas are more middle-class than they were when he was growing up, he's confident his more upscale atmosphere will draw customers.

"The environment we've created–there's nobody around us that offers that."

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The Couch is located at 7431 Madison Ave., Citrus Heights.