Tag Archives: Restaurants

Cirino’s at Main Street, Grass Valley, CA

Cirino's at Main St. Grass Valley, CA
Cirino's at Main St. Grass Valley, CA

By Sherri L.Reynolds

This eating establishment provides and serves Mediterranean cuisine with an atmosphere of soft lights, colorful decor and the painted murals on the walls give you a feel for Italy. I especially like the colored flags of different countries in the main dining room. It allows one to imagine and to enjoy a meal, specially prepared from the Cirino family kitchen, to experience being somewhere else in the world.

The food here is carefully made from their time honored recipes. From “The Old World Butcher Shop” menus, which consist of Sicilian pork rostini with orange thyme sauce or wild plum sauce to Aldo’s char-grilled steak a’la gorgonzola ( locals love this) it’s a dish and recipe from Jerry’s father’s family in Napoli, Italy.

There are appetizers, soups, sandwiches and salads to generously choose from. The grilled Greek pita bread appetizer with spinach/artichoke dip is a wonderful choice to begin your festival of foods with. My salad favorite is the Tunisian Chicken salad, layered with grilled teriyaki chicken breast, fresh baby green lettuce, buckwheat, noodles, snow peas, tomatoes, cashews and tossed with a spicy North African dressing. The taste is amazing !

They also serve pastas, grains and delicious risotto dishes. I generally lean towards the risotto with fresh rosemary, red flame grapes and brie cheese. It’s a melt in your mouth meal to savor and to enjoy each and every bite. The complimentary bread basket is an aroma of fresh baked bread right out of the oven. Nice and warm.

Other dishes to explore are Tucher’s stuffed polenta, filled with fresh basil, marinated artichoke hearts, saute’ed red peppers, mozzarella, Italian Parmesans cheese set in a bed of red marinara sauce, also the rigatoni prosciutto balsamella, a soft creamy and comfort food at its best.

There is a wide range of wines and beer to pair with all the dishes and Jerry gives suggestions on his menu list to choose from. They also have a bar where you can sit and enjoy some great food and spirits. Plus, live satellite TV for the avid sport fan to watch.

Jerry and Tucker also have a kid’s menu to accommodate the younger appetite, so they too, can experience the value of fine dining.

Most importantly, are the friendly waiters and waitresses who provide impeccable service to help suggest and provide a pleasurable eating adventure. From my experience, after having a wonderful meal here, I always leave with a smile on my face.

Cirino’s At Main Street  located at 213 East Main St. Grass Valley, Ca. 530-477-6000
Open daily for lunch and dinner 7 days a week with your hosts Jerry and Tucker Cirino.

“Enjoy life and the taste for it”

Bon appétit,
Sherri L.Reynolds
sreynoldsjb@yahoo.com
freelance/poet/creative writer

For all your real estate needs

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker

O’Dell Realty
(530-263-1091
Email Email John>/a>

DRE# 00669941


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Diego’s Restaurant In Grass Valley

Outside seating in Diegos - Photo by John J. O'Dell
Outside seating in Diegos - Photo by John J. O'Dell

By Sherri L. Reynolds

Diego’s located in Grass Valley,Ca. at 217 Colfax Ave, (530) 477-1460

Hours:  Monday 4 pm to 9 pm , Tuesday – Thursday 11 am to 9 pm, Friday 11 am to 9:30 pm, Saturday 12 pm to 9:30 pm, Music provided on Friday nights.

For an authentic style of South American flavor, ” Diego’s ”  restaurant in Grass Valley, Ca. provides an experience for family and friends to gather for a very special meal of Chilean cuisine. Established in 2004, the owners, June and Diane have put together a place where dining is comfortable, affordable, fun and charming.

Their style of food ranges from starters, such as Empanadita’s (these are small fried empanada’s filled with mozzarella, jack and feta cheese) breaded and fried calamari to homemade mushroom soup. The salads are made fresh with organic greens and grilled seasoned veggies. The local favorite is the Ensalada Diego, served with your choice of grilled chicken, steak, pork, tofu or barbequed vegetables. All salad’s are served with homemade dressings. My favorite is the Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette…very tasty !

Sandwiches are made with fresh baked pan bread and served with seasoned grilled veggies or you can order a side of garlic or sweet potato fries.One I like is the grilled chicken breast with guacamole, tomato, mozzarella or you can choose to spice it up with their traditional South American spice paste with smoke and pepper flavors. They also have anything from grilled steak, Portobello, roasted pork, veggie, bratwurst to burgers ( Nevada County, Ca grass-fed/naturally raised).

Specialty dinner entrees include a diverse selection of filet tilapia, crab relleno’s, stuffed Portobello with sautéed tofu and savory crepes filled with chorizo pork with grilled pineapple. All fish dishes are wild caught and meat dishes are range-free with no hormones or antibiotics added. All breads and corn tortillas are house made.

Specialty dinner entrees include a diverse selection of filet tilapia, crab relleno’s, stuffed Portobello with sautéed tofu and savory crepes filled with chorizo pork with grilled pineapple. All fish dishes are wild caught and meat dishes are range-free with no hormones or antibiotics added. All breads and corn tortillas are house made.

Thursday’s are fish taco day and these are absolutely delicious ( a sure winner) and a choice I recommend highly. For drinks/beverages they have organic teas, coffee, sodas, wine and beer. They are known for making Sangria’s and their house favorite is the “Electric Lemonade” made with rice distilled vodka or agave wine.

There is an outdoor covered patio for dining and a chalk board that welcome’s you with a quote for the day. One quote I happen to read said ” God bless is all, everyone of us” by Tiny Tim. The patio is decorated with a water fountain, chimes playing in the breeze, soft colored red clay walls imbedded with flower planters, an evening light in the shape of a star to make it an inviting and pleasurable experience.

Diego’s provides great service, good quality food and friendliness. It makes you feel like you’re somewhere else having an authentic experience. As Diego’s puts it ” Love is everything” and they do put a lot of love into their cooking. Try it out and explore a whole new taste in exceptional food.

” Enjoy life and the taste for it ”

Bon appétit,
Sherri L. Reynolds
sreynoldsjb@yahoo.com
freelance/poet/creative writer

 

Want a list of bank owned properties?
Call or email:
John J. O’Dell Realtor®
Real Estate Broker
O’Dell Realty
9530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

Bits & Pieces Nevada and Sierra County

Bridge to Court House and the gallows
Bridge to Court House and the gallows

November 28, 2009

I was in Downieville last weekend.  Seems like the place is shutting down, at least the restaurants are. In Sierra City the Red Moose closed during the summer and we were there for the last meal at the Buckhorn. Seems like the Buckhorn is closing for the winter.  In Downieville, the Wooden Trout went bankrupt and is closed.  So if you want a meal at night you are out of luck. All that’s open is a pizza place called the Gallows and a little restaurant in the local  grocery store. By the way, the restaurant makes great sandwiches.  Oh, there is only one grocery store, so you don’t have to worry about which one has the place to eat.

Not much happened this week, first the grocery stores were so busy you had a long line at the cash register with everyone buying food for Thanksgiving and then with black Friday there were long lines at the department stores. Wal-Mart stayed open 24 hours, JC Penny’s opened at 4 or 5 in the morning and I slept until nine.  The heck with going to the store at 5 am, I can spend my money at a decent hour.

Scotts Flat Lake continues to drop, waiting for the upper lakes that feed it to fill up. With the way the winter is going so far, it doesn’t look too good. You can argue if we have global warming or not, but you can’t argue with the fact that we’ve had some mighty dry years lately. The last thing we need is another dry winter. Interesting that people don’t want any more dams to store water and create hydro-electric power, but they want drinking water and clean energy, doesn’t compute, does it?

Single lane bridge on Hwy 49, newly painted
Single lane bridge on Hwy 49, newly painted

Oh, here’s a picture of the newly painted bridge in Downieville. I understand it took six weeks to paint the bridge. They had to completely enclosed the bridge so when they sandblasted the old paint none of the debris would fall into the river. The natives are happy that the bridge is open again. The detour was a real pain going through the narrow winding streets of Downieville.   By the way, did you know that Downieville missed being the state capitol of California by 10 votes? Hopefully this adds your trivia facts in case you ever get into a trivia contest.

Have a great holiday season.

John O’Dell

The Willo

The Willo at Highway 49 and Newtown Road
The Willo at Highway 49 and Newtown Road

Driving out two and one half miles north on Highway 49 from Nevada City you might notice a non-descriptive building with a sign “The Willo” along with a small florescent martini glass. You may wonder why there are so many cars and trucks parked outside.  Your first thoughts might be, this must be a really great watering hole!  So unless you live in Nevada County or  a good friend has told you about this restaurant there is no hint that this has been voted the best steak house in Nevada County.   

Once you park and start to walk inside, you will notice a sign near the left hand door that finally tells you that this is a steak house. Walking in, you are in a different world, with dark paneling, cedar walls, pictures hanging in some kind of random order and a picture of the Bay Bridge with lights flashing on the wall. Once your senses have gotten acclimated to the scene, you are in for a treat with excellent service and good food. You have a choice of three portions of New York Steak, small, medium and large (16 ounces). You also have a choice of pork, chicken and three kinds of fish, or even a garden burger. You can cook the steaks yourself, but for an extra fifty cents, they’ll do it for you. By the way, the prices are excellent and won’t break your budget. 

The Willo is owned by a very friendly, very nice couple, Mike Byrne and Nancy Wilson. They have kept up the tradition of the Willo which started its history at its present location as follows: 

Beginnings of the Willo 1947
Beginnings of the Willo 1947

In 1947 Bill Davis purchased a surplus WW II Quonset hut from the U.S. Army.  The hut was located at Camp Parks in Sacramento and was disassembled and transported to the site of the Willo at the corner of Highway 49 and Newtown Road. It was re-assembled and opened as Bill Davis Hut, a popular watering hole for the lumber and mining work force. It was later sold to a local couple and it became The Hut. 

In 1963 Bob and Peggy Tucker purchased the Hut and renamed it Tuck’s Hut. With a truck load of lumber from a local mill they enlarged the bar and added a covered structure on the east side where they built a grill pit and served hamburgers through the window to the bar patrons. A “Gold Miners Special” (burger and beer) cost sixty cents. In 1969, the Tuckers leased the property to a local tavern owner, Frank Williams, who was forced to move from Grass Valley to make room for construction of the new “Golden Freeway”.

Together with Veda Folden who with the help of her husband and brothers, converted the covered structure into the main dining room and the Willo Steakhouse was born. The banquet room was added in 1973. How did the Willo get its name instead of the Willow?  What happened to the W on the end? Well, it’s a combination of one of the prior owners names, Frank Williams last name and his wife’s first name Lola.  I advise you to call ahead for reservations, for they are always packed. Their telephone number is  (530) 265-9902

Google shows two locations for the Willo. Don’t know why, but location B is almost the true location. You have to drive a little farther from Nevada City then point B, it’s at the corner of Newtown Road and Highway 49.


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