“After holding the show on Father’s Day weekend in 2009 and 2010, the move back to August in 2011 allowed our event to become the largest attended show in our 39-year history,” said Foundation president Dave Olson on last year’s show. “We are thrilled to have an agreement with Sierra Boat Company to keep the August date for 2012, which will feature one of the rarest and most elegant boat lines, Riva Aquarama. This promises to be our most successful show to date.”

In addition to the two-day show, the Foundation hosts a variety of social gatherings both before and after the main event in honor of those participants who make the Lake Tahoe Concours d’ Elegance one of the most prestigious wooden boat shows in North America. This year those events include the Opening Night Gala, exhibitor barbecue and award dinner, Ladies’ Luncheon, Men’s Grill and Mahogany Magic (produced by the Tahoe Yacht Club).

We inherited quite a tradition with Zorro and his legacy through the years in Placer County. We wanted to be able to capture the essential parts that had made Zorro and his food successful over the years. We also wanted to blend those in with a more modern take on not just Italian food but more specifically California Cuisine.

To us, this is what opened the door, California Cuisine can be just about anything we imagine it to be and has allowed us to run some creative menu items and specials over the past five years. We undertook a large interior remodel later in 2007 and properly launched the new Cafe Zorro in August.

By then we had upgraded the menu, hired new staff and hit the ground running — just in time for that lovely economic turmoil! However, thanks only to you our wonderful and faithful customers we have persevered and are now here to celebrate our 5th birthday.

We think that the quality coming out of the kitchen, the service, wine list and all are as good as we have produced in the last five years and hope you will come in this week to wish us a happy birthday.

“BURNAL EQUINOX NEVADA CITY – NEVADA CITY, CA – MAR 3-4
Burnal Equinox Nevada City

Saturday, March 3, 2012 noon to 1 a.m. (March 4)
Miners Foundry
325 Spring Street
Nevada City CA 95959

Burnal Equinox Nevada City will feature the funky music of ALBINO! a 10 piece Afro-funk band from San Francisco. The event will open at 12:00 noon and feature Burning Man related vendors, food, costumes, mini-theme camps & more. Everyone who’s interested in a certain huge outdoor music/art/set-stuff-on-fire festival which happens each Labor Day out in the god-forsaken desert…….get here!

Albino as the feature band and others (tba)
Fire Spinning Performance by Beyond Fire! (formerly BeOnFire!)
Chill Spot!
Mini-Theme Camps!
Full Bar!
Fashion Show!
Inclusive event! Accessible!
A percentage of proceeds will benefit: The Miners Foundry and Black Rock Arts Foundation.

Cost: $20 in advance http://www.minersfoundry.org/buy-tickets/ (available by the end of January), $25 at the door or $20 at the door in Burner attire.

This is a officially sanctioned Burning Man event.”

LASAGNA Tofanelli’s Lasagna is made in-house from a recipe handed down from generations, with layers of pasta, meat sauce, spinach and cheese. Simplicity Bistro’s vegetable lasagna is made from homemade pasta with mozzarella, grilled eggplant and zucchini in a creamy tomato sauce. In Auburn, Tre Pazzi serves an authentic home-made lasagna.

MEATBALL SANDWICH 151 Union Square in Grass Valley serves a meatball sandwich with fresh-shaved parmesan cheese and homemade meatballs and sauce. Kane’s is a classic meatball sandwich, akin to Original Joe’s in San Francisco.

PIZZA Lefty’s Grill in Nevada City has grilled flat-bread pizzas on oval, thin crusts. Some are unique: The Napa-style pizza features mozzarella cheese, sliced pear, Gorgonzola, balsamic syrup drizzle and fresh oregano and thyme. In Grass Valley: Kane’s stone-baked pizzas include Pizza Margherite (four cheeses, fresh tomato and basil), Pizza Napolitana and a Sushi Pizza (with seared Ahi tuna, cucumber, cilantro, ginger and carrot). Goomba’s pizza is cooked in an oven imported from Italy.

RAVIOLI Bear River Pasta Co. makes fresh ravioli daily. It is stuffed with cheeses, chicken, meat, Porcini mushrooms or crab and other items. No artificial flavorings or preservatives are used. Their lunch specials change daily. Example: Artichoke Gorgonzola Ravioli with sun-dried tomato cream sauce, garden salad and garlic bread. Kane’s serves a butternut squash ravioli. Villa Venezia has a cheese ravioli with roasted eggplant in fresh tomato sauce. All three are located in Grass Valley.

SEAFOOD PASTA In Grass Valley, Tofanelli’s Seafood Fettuccini is a sauté of large gulf shrimp and sea scallops with sun-dried tomato, asparagus, mushroom, fresh herbs and a splash of white wine. It also offers Smoked Salmon Fettuccini and Seafood Risotto. Matteo’s Public in Nevada City serves a Fettuccini with clams, tomato, green onion, shallots and garlic in a white wine sauce.

SPAGHETTI Kane’s offers three sauces: Bolognese, Napolitana and Al’olio (olive oil sauté with garlic and parsley). Goomba’s serves a classic spaghetti with meatballs. Bear River Pasta Co. offers fresh-made pasta and sauces “to go” or eat there.

(Photo: Peter Oaks)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a 10-12 inch frying pan over medium heat, stir onions and celery in oil until vegetables are very limp and golden, about 20 minutes. Stir in sage, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and bread crumbs. Remove from heat and add salt to taste. Lay lamb flat, boned side up between sheets of plastic wrap, pound with a flat mallet until meat is evenly 1 inch thick. Pat stuffing over meat to within 1 1/2 inches of edges. Roll up meat from a narrow side, and then tie snugly with string at 1 1/2 intervals, tucking in ends of meat. Place lamb, seam side down, on a rack in a shallow 12-15 inch roasting pan. Roast in 400 degree oven until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of meat indicates desired doneness, 140 degrees for rare, (55 to 60 minutes); 150 degrees for medium (about 1 hour); 150 degrees for well done ( 1 to 1 1/2 hours). Lift meat to a board or platter and keep warm. Tilt pan; skim off and discard fat. Add wine to pan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to loosen browned bits; pour into a serving dish. Discard string; garnish meat with celery leaves or parsley. Thickly slice roast lamb crosswise and offer sauce to season portions. Serves 8 to 10.

Source: PlacerGrown

LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE Ike’s Quarter Cafe in Nevada City, Simplicity Bistro and SummerThymes in Grass Valley, among others, specialize in food from local farms. More and more restaurants are jumping onboard.

LOCALLY SOURCED MEATS & SEAFOOD Nevada County Free Range Beef, Sinclair Family Farm, High Sierra Beef in Oregon House, and BriarPatch Co-op Community Market. BriarPatch carries Nevada County Free Range Beef.

COMFORT FOODS Stinky Mac ‘n Cheese at Matteo’s Public in Nevada City is for cheese lovers. In Grass Valley: pan-fried chicken from Kane’s; braised lamb shanks from Tofanelli’s; chicken pot pie and Italian-style meatloaf from Simplicity Bistro; Marshall’s Pasties.

SIGNATURE SANDWICHES Tofanelli’s in Grass Valley has creative, delicious sandwiches, ranging from French Dip to “Reuben Reuben” to a vegi-grill sandwich. Matteo’s Public in Nevada City has the Stinky
Grilled Cheese.

ETHNIC Mexican and Thai are hot trends. Maria’s Mexican restaurant (its recent expansion is marvelous) and Taste of Thai in Grass Valley; Las Katarinas in Nevada City; and Sopa Thai in Nevada City and Yuba City.

GLUTEN-FREE In Grass Valley: SummerThymes offers a wide variety of gluten-free items. Kane’s, among others, has gluten-free pizza. Matteo’s in Nevada City now has gluten-free bread. Seven Sisters restaurant in Citrus Heights has a gluten-free menu.

Sierra Meat Buyers Club
Sierra Meat Buyers Club offers locally grown meats to Placer and Nevada county residents from nearby farms and ranches. Customers order monthly from a list of cuts of beef, lamb, chicken, pork, and pasture-raised eggs. They pick up their orders at designated sites.
For more information: SinclairFamilyFarm.net or call 916-663-3990.

(Photos by Peter Oakes)

Sierra Vintners wineries that won medals included Avanguardia Wines, Lucchesi Vineyards, Montoliva Vineyard, Naggiar Vineyards and Pilot Peak Winery.

Montoliva won “Best of Class” for its 2008 Sierra Bella. “Now try to tell me this isn’t the best $15 bottle of wine on the planet,” says Winemaker/Owner Mark Henry, known for his effervescence.

Pilot Peak won three Golds (Petite Sirah, Syrah and Tempranillo, all from 2009). Naggiar won two Golds (for its 2009 Mistero and its 2008 Il Nonno), as well as two other medals (Silvers for Malbec and Syrah). Avanguardia won three medals (a Silver for 2007 Cristallo, and Bronzes for Premiato and
Sangineto).

In Placer County, Casque Wines, Ciotti Cellars, Fawnridge Winery, Lone Buffalo Vineyard, Mt. Vernon Winery, Pescatore, Popie Wines and Wise Villa all won medals.

Casque won a Gold for its Malbec and a Silver for its Calotte. Popie won a Silver for a dry Rosé and other medals. Ciotti won medals for its old-vine Zinfandel and Barbara. For a full list of winners, go to WineJudging.com.

LOCAL WINE ON TOP OF MT. KILIMANJARO
In December Brigitte Wilson and her son, Brian, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest free-standing mountain. The two carried wine labels from Pilot Peak Winery, pinned to their jackets, to the top. (A bottle weighed too much). Sierra Vintners’ wine reaching new heights. Brigitte is the sister-in-law of Lynn Wilson, co-owner and winemaker of Pilot Peak.

ART & WINE
The area’s wine tasting rooms are becoming art galleries in their own right, showcasing talented artists. Smith Vineyards is featuring colorful horses from Leslie Ann Webb (LAWebb.com) in its Grass Valley tasting room. “My work reflects the deep connection I have for these majestic animals” says Leslie.

The Grass Valley Wine Company in Grass Valley (Solune, Bent Metal and Pilot Peak) is showcasing the photography of Joseph Howard. “My wife says I see things other people don’t or can’t see,” says
Howard (Archive.JSHowardPhotography.com).

Popie Wines’ new tasting room at the High Hand Fruit Sheds in Loomis features “Vineyard Picnic” by Unni Stevens, whose artwork appears at the High Hand Gallery, HighHandGallery.wordpress.com. “My art is inspired by the mystery of nature and its seasons.”

WINEMAKER DINNER
151 Union Square in Grass Valley is planning a winemaker dinner on Valentine’s Day featuring Naggiar Wines and catering by Jim Eckardt’s Club 141. The menu will feature tapas courses and dessert, plus a fresh rose in a bud vase (151UnionSquare.com.)

(Photo: Naggiar Vineyards, by Dan Senkbeil)

THE TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON, a Tony-award winning comedy from the ‘50s, is coming to the Nevada Theatre in Nevada City on April 12-May 5. It is being produced by the Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra (CATS).

The play was adapted from the 1951 novel by Vern Sneider. It opened on Broadway in 1953, winning numerous awards, including the the Pulitzer Prize in drama. This comedy concerns the clash of cultures that results from the American occupation of Okinawa from 1945 to 1952 following World War II.

In the play, Captain Fisby is assigned to carry out “Plan B.” In a tiny Okinawan village, he is to begin the process of “Americanization” by instituting a local democratic government, establishing a capitalist economy and building a school for the children to learn English.

The play narrator is an islander named Sakini, who often speaks in verse. He serves as interpreter to Captain Fisby, informing him of island customs. His monologues encapsulate the underlying wisdom of the play: “We tell this little story to demonstrate a splendid example of benevolent assimilation of democracy by Okinawa.”

Visit catsweb.org for more information. Tickets at Nevada City Box Office at Miners Foundry (MinersFoundry.org or 265-5462) and BriarPatch in Grass Valley. For groups of 10 or more contact Jeannie (info@catsweb.org or 265-2990).

THE CAST
The show’s 19-member cast includes Dennis Yen (Sakini), Rodger Hoopman (Colonel Purdy), Danny McCammon (Captain Fisby) and Lyra Dominguez (Lotus Blossom)—who have all graced the Nevada Theatre stage. Dennis was last seen in Nevada City in 2006 as a member of Immortal Heart. Rodger Hoopman was in I Hate Hamlet (2011) with LeGacy Productions. Danny McCammon was in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (2010) and The Full Monty (2011). Lyra Dominguez was in CATS’ productions of Flower Drum Song (2009), Snow Falling on Cedars (2010) and The King and I (2010).

The gallery, in a newly renovated 19th-century building at 113 Mill Street, offers an eclectic collection of art: jewelry, ceramics, sculpture, furniture, wood, glass and mosaics, as well asphotography, collage, watercolors, drawings, acrylics and oil paintings.

Each artist offers a wide price range of items, from greeting cards to original paintings. All artists volunteer their time to staff the gallery, providing customers with a personal and educational experience.

The gallery spaces are rotated four times a year, and the windows facing Mill Street feature different artists monthly and also promote community events.

Art Works Gallery has a list of artists who have been waiting to join since it opened two years ago. A jury of seven artists interview applicants before they are accepted, ensuring that high-quality artwork is displayed.

This year several new artists have joined the gallery: Phil Bauer (wood), Eileen Blodgett (painting), Sheila Cameron (painting), David Mooney (painting), Jerianne Van Dijk (watercolor) and Katie Wolff (painting).

Art Works Gallery also supports community art. Last year they hosted events that sold work for Neighborhood Center for the Arts, the Bear River High School art program and the Kellerman Foundation to support the Batwa tribe in Africa.

The co-op’s artists also donate their work, and some of the proceeds have supported the Nevada County Food Bank.

Art Works Gallery
113 Mill St., Grass Valley, 530-477-1600
ArtWorksGalleryCo-op.com

(Photo credit: David Wong)