By Allen Payton

After being in the catering business for 20 years, including handling crab feeds for political campaigns like Councilman Brian Kalinowski’s run for County Sheriff, last year and for the Deer Valley Youth Football, Michelle Robison and Oliver Hodges started thinking about opening a restaurant.

They began looking for a location, last year, and in July of this year, they found it. It’s on the corner of 9th and A Streets in Antioch, the site of the former, locally famous Panther Drive-In from years gone by.

First-time customer Carl Fill of Martinez, who stopped by after returning from his boat that he berths in East County, said “I love the location. In this county fish houses are hard to find.”

They call it Oliver Fish House – since Oliver is a family name on both sides. Oliver’s parents and grandparents are from Louisiana and Mississippi – which influenced his tastes. Michelle’s father Jimmy Robison is a part owner.

They serve fish, including catfish, oysters, prawns, gumbo, crab cakes and chicken wings, as well as salads and delicious desserts, including 7-Up cake, caramel cake, sweet potato pie, pecan pie and peach cobbler – all home made.

“This is the best I’ve had since I was home in Louisiana,” one patron told this writer.

“I like their gumbo,” said Antioch resident Cory Davis. “I’m here Friday or Saturday of every week.” But it was Tuesday, so he ordered fish and prawns, with hot sauce, instead.

Michelle’s background as a nurse for 27 years, gives her the personal touch when dealing with customers. Oliver likes to make people feel very welcome and at home.

“We want our customers to be satisfied,” he said. “We treat everybody just like they’re family.”
Oliver’s is a place to eat, watch TV and socialize. So stop in and have some good old Southern
cookin’ at Oliver Fish House, today.

Join the fun and your fellow 49er fans at Humphrey’s on the Delta and watch the Niners play (beat) the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs, on Saturday, January 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Humphrey’s is located at 1 Marina Plaza, at the foot of L Street, overlooking the river in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown. Get there early for the best seats, then stay for a victory dinner!

A variety of events are happening in Antioch for you to enjoy. Here are three of them:

HUMPHREY’S ON THE DELTA

Humphrey’s on the Delta invites you to enjoy New Year’s Eve! Come in early and enjoy dinner and then ring in the new year 2012. Party starts at 9 p.m. (D.J. Shaft on the 1’s & 2’s spinning the hits) Champagne toast at midnight. No cover charge.  21 and older. Humphrey’s is located at 1 Marina Plaza, foot of L Street, Antioch. For more information call 778-5800 or visit www.humphreysonthedelta.com

LONE TREE GOLF & EVENT CENTER

Lone Tree Golf  & Event Center is hosting an East Coast New Year’s Eve on West Coast Time on Saturday night, December 31. Watch the Times Square ball drop on two large screen TV’s, and get a jump on the celebration.  The event includes no-host cocktails and hand passed appetizers at 7 p.m., three-course dinner at 7:30 p.m., party favors and a champagne toast at 9 p.m. Price is $35 per person. For reservations and more information, click here or call 706-4232.

SCHOONER’S GRILLE & BREWERY

Enjoy New Year’s Eve at Schooner’s! www.SchoonersBrewery.com

Print, cut and use the coupons!

Kurt Derita will entertain with his singing and accoustic guitar at Humphrey's on the Delta this Thursday

Local singer and guitar player, Kurt Derita, the K in the local and popular TRAK band will entertain at Humphrey’s on the Delta this Thursday night, November 10 beginning at 8:30 p.m.  Enjoy drink and appetizer specials as you listen to the wide variety of music performed by this local legend.  You’ll laugh, you’ll hum, you’ll sing along! So bring a friend and have some fun while watching the Raiders vs. Chargers game on the widescreen in the lounge. Stop by before the music starts for a delicious dinner. Humphrey’s is located at 1 Marina Plaza, at the foot of L Street, overlooking the river, in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown.

Participants line up for sandwiches, soup and desserts at Big Kahuna Sandwich Shop.

Nine restaurants enjoyed a stream of 270 visitors during the 2011 Pride of the Delta Restaurant Tour in downtown Antioch. Over the course of four hours on a Sunday afternoon, participants traveled throughout Old Town, enjoying samples at each stop on the tour.

The event, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Antioch, began ten years ago and has since become a tradition. One of the club’s larger annual activities, it brings smiles to participating diners and restaurant owners alike.

“The businesses get people that would never know they’re there,” said Martha Parsons, a member of the Kiwanis organization. Meanwhile, the people are “all having fun eating their way through the city.”

Six of the nine restaurants were tour veterans. Rick’s on Second, one of the new volunteer eateries, treated tour-takers to soft cookies, tuna and turkey avocado sandwiches, and zesty pasta salad. Big Kahuna Sandwich Shop offered roast beef sandwiches with cream of potato soup, chicken sausage gumbo, moist bread pudding and chocolate lava brownies. The third first-time participant, El Porton Azul, appealed to more adventurous diners by offering hot bowls of menudo.

Humphrey’s on the Delta dished up smoked salmon penne alfredo. Carpaccio Ristorante also served pasta — spaghetti, pesto penne, and fusilli marinara — in addition to salads and sandwiches. Some diners at Carpaccio also took advantage of the $5 margaritas.

Celia’s Mexican Restaurant provided tacos, burritos, and two varieties of enchilada, while options at Little Manuel’s included beef Chile Colorado, tortilla soup and a creamy flan. Starbucks provided samples of various dessert breads, lattes and Frappuccinos, and, of course, two blends of hot, steaming coffee. Many participants opted to end their tour at Skipolini’s Pizza with filling slices of barbecue chicken or pasta primavera pizza and drinks of soda or sangria.

The Kiwanis Club uses the restaurant tour as a fundraising event to help sponsor their various charitable activities. The club regularly donates to Relay for Life, the Antioch senior center, and scholarship funds at both Antioch High School and Deer Valley High School. Kay Power, the Kiwanis Club adviser to AHS, shared that the club has also started a recent campaign to eliminate neo-natal tetanus in third-world countries.

Recognizing each other by their yellow tickets, tour participants shared smiles and laughter, chatting about the various foods and joking about how full they felt as the event drew to a close. “This was really fun!” announced a first-time participant at her second-to-last restaurant. “I think it’s wonderful!” The sentiment was echoed by others leaving with happy smiles and full stomachs.

The Pride of the Delta Restaurant Tour occurs every fall in downtown Antioch. The spring Restaurant Tour takes place in April in Southeast Antioch. Tickets are $15 each, and participants who visit every restaurant on the tour may enter a drawing to win prizes.