Stepping out: The Independent Restaurant and bar is outstanding

“For a gourmet wine is not a drink but a condiment, provided that your host has chosen correctly.”

— French author Edouard De Pomaine

The Independent Restaurant and Bar

All upscale restaurants need a few weeks or even months to iron out their menu, service, etc. It is a normal part of the business; every restaurant goes through it. Therefore, I often wait some time before dropping in to talk with the owners

The Independent, which is located at 629 Main St. in Placerville, is the newest of these restaurants and has been open about three months. So when I was invited to a business lunch there, I jumped at the opportunity to see how things were going.

The Independent is operated by the same folks have the very successful Heyday in Placerville: Jeff and Judy Thoma and Ben Carter. A couple of days after I ate there, I sat and talked with Carter about the restaurant.

“We don’t want to be known as a steakhouse, but something more,” said Carter. “We serve regional American cuisine, with dishes from the east, the south, the heartland and even some Creole ones. And, to accompany this food, we stock quite a number of domestic wines and beers. I take care of the food and service, Jeff is in charge of the day to day operation and Judy adds the artistic element. We are very proud of the way the place looks. She did a great job.

“We are also very proud of our food. We use the best ingredients we can. The Classic Independent Burger you had a couple of days ago was made with prime Herford beef from Kansas. All our beef is prime Herford and you can taste the difference.”

I had to agree, the burger was different and very good, and the turnip (yes, turnip) fries that came with it were outstanding.

“We spent a lot of time training our help and kitchen staff to make sure the dining experience would be something special,” added Carter. “They spent a month working together and getting to know each other before we opened. It is well known that good service can save a bad meal, but a good meal cannot save bad service. Our goal is to make both excellent.

“We bake our own breads and even at our bar we make everything from scratch. We don’t buy flavored liquors, we make them, using real flavors, not chemicals. And, we make our own juices.

“Our executive chef is Matt Brown,” continued Carter, “he is industry trained and very creative. He was a sous chef in Sacramento and has 15 years of experience in the business.

“People like our menus. The burger and our grilled New York steak sandwich, along with the roasted chicken Cobb salad seem to be the lunch favorites, while at dinner the rosemary lamb rack, seafood Creole risotto and slow-roasted prime rib top the list. Prime rib is not a special at our restaurant, it is on the menu.”

Both the lunch and dinner menus start with a list of “Beginnings,” appetizers that are also an excellent accompaniment for people just meeting for a drink. Among other things it includes house-cured salmon lox, grilled artichoke halves, the turnip fries, and, at dinner east coast style crab cakes and a charcuterie board. There are usually two soups and the salads include duck confit, Belgian endive and the chicken Cobb (lunch menu). The menu continues with half a dozen sandwiches including the steak and burger selections and a vegetable Romesco at lunch and dinner, along with barbecued chicken, vegetable Romesco and focaccia Caprese at lunch.

Items from the grill include salmon, certified Hereford filet mignon and grilled polenta cakes at lunch and the filet, lamb rack and a certified Hereford New York strip at dinner. Also at dinner from the rotisserie is prime rib and herb chicken, along with buttermilk fired chicken (served with cheddar grits), the risotto and a different recipe grilled salmon.

Desserts include crème brûlée, gelato and at dinner the restaurant's take on ‘smores.

The Independent Restaurant and Bar is open for food Wednesday through Monday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on weekdays and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. It is closed on Tuesday. The bar stays open from 11 a.m. until the customers leave, or 2 a.m. They also serve “small plates” from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m. on weekends. Ask about them.

For more information call 530-344-7645.

Oakstone Big Winners Celebration

Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25 and 26, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., Oakstone Winery, 6440 Slug Gulch Road in Fair Play, will holding a celebration for its six gold medal winners in the 2012 Chronicle Wine Competition, two of which also happen to be new wine club releases.

The 2009 Reserve Zinfandel from the Cardanini Vineyard and 2009 Dolcetto from the estate DeCascabel Vineyard will be released as club selections. Four other wines that won gold medals in the same competition: Slug Gulch Red, Lot No. 25, 2009 Estate Zinfandel-West Side, 2009 Estate Reserve Petite Sirah and 2009 Estate Meritage will also be available for tasting. Some of these wines will not be poured again until much later this year.

The wines will be accompanied by Susan's gourmet snacks, and as always, everyone is welcome and there is no charge to attend. For more information call 530-620-5303.

El Dorado Brewers Dinner at Sequoia

Friday, Feb. 24, at 6:30 p.m., enjoy a fantastic meal at Sequoia, paired with beers from five of El Dorado County's breweries. The menu includes: hors d’oeuvres of grilled flat bread with a spicy chicken slaw, paired with El Dorado Brewing Gold Rush Lager; Tuscan white bean soup paired with Gold Hill 49er Red; a salad of butter lettuce with dried cherry dressing and California blue cheese, paired with Old Hangtown Beer Works New Zealand Pale Ale; braised farm stew with potatoes and vegetables in a whole wheat bread bowl, paired with Jack Russell Brewing Co. London Porter; and a dessert of chocolate brownie with mocha ice cream and stout caramel sauce, paired with Placerville Brewing Co. Vanilla Stout.

For more information call 530-622-5222.

Chili Cook-Off at Gold Hill Vineyard

Gold Hill Vineyard and Brewery, 5660 Vineyard Lane, off Cold Springs Road, is having its first chili cook-off and beer festival this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, FeBREWary 25 and 26 from noon until 4 p.m. It is a competition between staff and management and should be a great time. Only 75 tickets are available so get them early.

For information and tickets call 530-626-6522 or by e-mailing events@goldhillvineyard.com.

dkcellars at Zac Jack Bistro

There will be three wine dinners in March with dkcellars at Zac Jack Bistro, 3275 Coach Lane in Cameron Park. They will be at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, March 8 and March 15. This dinner is very popular, so the first two may be sold out, but call.

The menu includes: grilled quesadilla salad with grilled scallions and cilantro pesto, paired with 2008 Sauvignon Blanc; wood fired calzone with prosciutto, bacon, tomato, onion, mushroom, smoked mozzarella, and basil served with a roasted garlic marinara dipping sauce, paired with 2008 Short Bus Zinfandel; beef Wellington, a Manhattan filet wrapped in puff pastry with onion, mushroom, and spinach served with an asparagus béarnaise sauce, paired with 2007 Herbert Vineyard Zinfandel and a sweet finish of chocolate carrot cream cheese cake.

For more information call 530-676-2969.

By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea

On Saturday, March 4, at 1 p.m, Chef Greg Kemp, from the Gold Vine Grill in Somerset, will be the chef du jour at Miraflores Winery. He will create a delicious seafood menu and teach you a thing or two about some really sassy sauces. For more information call 530-647-8505.

Celebrate the day

Birthdays to celebrate today: German mythologist and author Carl Wilhelm Grimm (1786); American artist Winslow Homer (1836); commander of all Allied naval, land and air forces in the southwest Pacific during a portion of WWII, Admiral Chester Nimitz (1885); American baseball great John Peter “Honus” Wagner (1874); actors James Farentino (1938), Edward James Olmos (1947) and Abe Vigoda (1921); musician Rupert Holmes (1947), composer and conductor Michel Legrande (1932) and soprano Renata Scottto (1936). It is also the anniversary of the 1867 vote to impeach President Andrew Johnson.