Stepping out: There is a burger for everyone at the Burger Barn

Happy Veteran’s Day. If you would like to do something nice for our military, ask the President to bring them home, not just those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, all of them. Our young men and women are not the world’s police force, they are our future.

— Yours truly

Burger Barn

First I would like to report that Laurie Tackett, the owner of Burger Barn, at 6404 Pony Express Trail in Pollock Pines, is not the same person who had the Burger Shack in front of CVS some time ago. She just purchased the equipment from there and opened this place in February. She says she gets this question all the time, including from me. So, there, now you know.

I sat down at the counter and picked up a copy of the to-go menu. I asked Tackett if it was up to date and she said, “No, we have a new one coming out next week.” Then she proceeded to write all over mine, adding things like her new big sellers, stuffed burgers, to the two page list of nearly 20 burgers, a dozen other sandwiches, half a dozen hot dogs, 35 flavors of shakes and a number side orders, including beer-battered fries, already on the menu. “There are other things like blizzards and freezes,” added Tackett, while continuing to add to my menu, “and if we have the ingredients, we will make anything you want.”

The double bacon cheese burger was the favorite, but the stuffed burgers are taking over first place. “They are made with a half pound of fresh hamburger,” said Tackett, “then stuffed with jalapeños and cream cheese, bacon and blue cheese or mushrooms and Swiss cheese, and, like all our burgers, grilled to your order. People love them,” Tackett said.

Before you say, “A half pound?,” they also have a one-sixth pound junior and one-third pound regular burger. All burgers are available in a combo meal with fries and a drink.

Tackett has been involved in the restaurant business since she was 14 and working at the former Pizza Hut off Missouri Flat Road. The next generation, her daughter Gabrielle, helps her at the Burger Barn. Gabrielle has been nominated for Best Customer Service in Pollock Pines, an award event held annually by the Community Economic Development Association of Pollock Pines, in conjunction with other local groups.

The Burger Barn has a sign that says, “Fresh Home Style Cooking and Atmosphere,” and it lives up to that by being very friendly and serving good food. Just ask the customers. There is inside and outside seating, weather permitting, and free Wi-Fi. The hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., Sunday 1 until 5 p.m. and closed on Monday. For more information call 530-344-7167.

By the way, be sure to check out the large Norwegian weather rock near the entrance. If it is warm, the weather is sunny; if it is wet, it is raining; if it is white, it is snowing and if it moves, it is windy. I haven’t seen one of those since I was a kid.

Senior Nutrition Services

A couple of weeks ago I joined some friends for lunch at the Senior Dining Center at the Mother Lode Lion’s Hall in Diamond Springs. Lunch is served on weekdays (excepting holidays) from noon until 12:30 p.m. but a number of seniors arrive early just to socialize, something as important as nutrition for their well being.

In addition to lunch, there are a wide variety of activities held at the Senior Dining Centers throughout the county which are located at Placerville, Pollock Pines, Greenwood, Somerset, El Dorado Hills, South Lake Tahoe and this one in Diamond Springs. For more information call 530-621-6160.

There are also scheduled day trips and more. Call the senior activities coordinator at 530-621-6158 for information on these.

Back to the meal, they are all prepared by the county nutritionist especially for the person over 60, the minimum age to participate. There is a suggested donation of $3 for the meal which was served on real plates with real metal ware (you have to bus your own dishes, like I did in the Army).

The meal that day was cashew chicken, brown rice, Oriental vegetables, a fortune cookie, juice and milk and it was very good. The monthly menu is posted in this paper or you can go to the Webpage at edcgov.us/HumanServices and click on Senior Services to download it.

The reason I am mentioning this program, which includes home delivered meals to shut-ins, is that it is always under fire when budget cuts come up.

We have a lot of senior citizens locally and many of them, including a number of veterans, are on a low fixed income in a crazy economy that doesn’t seem to be going well. They rely on this as their major meal for the day, or take home half of it for dinner, and, it isn’t that big a meal for someone of my size and activity level.

Thank you Board of Supervisors for again keeping this program.

Girls Night Out at David Girard Vineyards

Don’t forget, Friday, Nov. 11, at 6 p.m., David Girard Vineyards will be holding another of its Girls Night Out events. Enjoy tasty samples, shop for Christmas, and enjoy all the luxuries of being a girl: chocolate, jewelry, spa treatments, wine and more. It is free to attend.

For more information call 530-295-1833 or visit davidgirardvineyards.com.

Holiday release party at Holly’s Hill Vineyards

Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 12 and 13, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Holly’s Hill Vineyards, which is located at the top of Leisure Lane in Pleasant Valley, will be holding a special, five course cheese and wine pairing, along with Dedrick’s Main Street Cheese in Placerville.

Wines to be paired include: 2003 Sparkling Viognier, 2010 Counoise, 2009 Patriarche, 2009 petite Sirah and Mourvedre-Syrah dessert wine. Cheeses being tasted will also be available for purchase.

Pick up some wine for the holidays and some cheese to go with it. Local artisans Beads on Fire Jewelry, Mad Dog Mesa olive oils and Erin Dealy, children’s author, will also be there. This is a great opportunity to start holiday gift shopping.
For more information and cost call 530-344-0227.

Holiday Hits Party at Sierra Vista Winery

This Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 12 and 13, from noon until 4 p.m., visitors can sample an array of hors d’oeuvres and desserts paired with Sierra Vista’s delicious wines. Enjoy seafood ravioli paired with a light crisp Roussanne, pumpkin soup complemented by the 2007 Fleur de Montagne or 2006 Syrah, followed by pork loin with mango/peach salsa served on a crostini, paired with 2008 Grenache. Top it off with a scrumptious apple dessert paired with the sweet Viognier Doux. There will also be special discounts on some wines.

To RSVP and get more information and cost call 530-622-7221.

Harvest celebration winemaker dinner at Cielo Estate

Cielo Estate owner and chef, Carrie Nave Manson, along with winemaker Mark Fowler have put together quite a menu for a special winemaker dinner Saturday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m.

The menu includes: an appetizer of flatbread with grilled figs, caramelized onion and Gorgonzola, paired with 2009 El Dorado County Rose of Syrah; baked butternut squash soup with toasted sage and creme fraîche, paired with 2009 Sierra Foothills Marsanne; roasted Cornish game hen stuffed with apples and shallots, paired with 2009 El Dorado County Grenache; Carrie’s world-renowned boeuf Bourguignonne, paired with 2009 Pratt Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and more.

Space is limited and reservations are required. For reservations and more information call 530-672-8575.

Celebrate the day

Birthdays to celebrate today: American author and editor, Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836); Russian author Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821); one of America’s greatest soldiers George Smith Patton, Jr. (1885); actors Bibi Andersson (born Brigitta Anderson in 1935), Philip NcKeon (1964) and Demi Moore (1962); Senator Barbara Boxer (1940); novelist Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1922) and comedian, actor, Jonathan Winters (1925). It is also Veteran’s Day, honoring all of those who served and especially those who gave their lives for our country.