Hello, I like to drink on the river.

 It’s Springtime. And if tradition holds, Summer will probably follow. There can be no better time, then, to dust off the Big Eight, Summer Edition. This being my first post on Sac Rag, I could talk about what I do or where I grew up. But in my experience, the best way to get to know somebody is to get to know their bars. I’ve got eight of them. Eight summer bars, I mean.

I’ll start with the Virgin Sturgeon, since right now I feel like a beer and cigar on a deck overlooking the Sacramento River. If you’ve never been to the Sturgeon, it’s unlikely you’ve ever walked a jetway onto a floating barge-turned-seafood-shack-and-bar. And that would mean you’re missing out.

Don’t take a first date here and don’t wear your clubbin’ shirt (or clubbin’ skirt, ladies). The Sturgeon’s no place for putting on airs. And the only dress code, as far as I can tell, is the sign outside kindly asking that you wear a shirt and shoes.

But the Sturgeon serves some great seafood by day and extremely reasonably priced drinks by night. Its floating patio beckons a Dawson’s Creek moment as you enjoy your libations and calamari on the river. And if you’re a boater, you can pull right up to the Sturgeon’s marina and walk right in river-side without being a landlubber.

Is the Sturgeon number one in the Big Eight? Not sure. It’s not really a contest. And even if it was, I’m not sure the Sturgeon would want to win. This is a special spot with no desires to get in your face and impress you.

Check it out on a warm day. And tell ’em JR sent ya. No, actually don’t say that. Because they don’t know who I am.

More on the Big Eight in future posts.