What’s New at the Vineyard

by Chris Mariscotti

Summer Special Salads

We have added 3 special salads to our menu. A Seared Ahi Tuna salad with teriyaki and sesame seed glaze. A salad of local heirloom tomatoes and Hector’s summer creation of broiled chicken breast with local fresh fruit over mixed greens. All are cooling and not too filling, just perfect for lunch or light dinner on a hot day.

Summer Fruit and Vegetables

This time of year we buy as much produce as possible from local farmers. We get beautiful produce from Valorosi Farms, Lone Willow Farms, Twin Pines as well as many farmers who bring their fruit and vegetables to us. Of course we use a great deal of vegetables from T&D Willey Farms all year long. On our new summer menus we feature these great local products on many of our dishes.

Two of our most popular summer dishes feature fresh figs from Specialty Crop Company. We serve an appetizer of Black Mission figs wrapped with pancetta and grilled then topped with balsamic vinegar. We also serve a roasted rack of lamb with a relish made of fresh figs, mint and jalapeno peppers that is wonderful.

Winemaker Dinners

We have two winemaker dinners scheduled this summer. On July 25 a dinner with winemaker Michael Levin of Cru and Mariposa wine company will be here. Michael makes wonderful wines including crispy, clean white wines and some killer Pinot Noirs. That dinner will cost $45 a person which includes the food, wine and tip.

On August 30th we will have Ray and Tammy Krause of Westbrook Wine Farm here. They will pour their newest creation, a dry Reisling from Madera County, a dry Rose and their Viognier. For reds we’ll pour their new Petite Sirah, and the intense, deep Bordeaux blend, Fait Accompli.

You can make a reservation for either or both of these dinners by calling 674 0923 or by responding to this e-mail.

The Village

After 56 years our friends and neighbors Lorraine and Phillip Wong will close the Village Restaurant on June 30th. I will miss the Black Mushroom Chow Mein with pan-fried noodles. I assume this means The Vineyard will no longer receive phone in orders for Pork fried rice and Village Specials. Lorraine tells me that they will be giving away pieces of the red and gold flocked wallpaper from the dining room as souvenirs.  We wish them a happy retirement and thank you for all the great meals.

Closed

As we have the past few years we will be closed July 1,2,3 4 and 5. It is a good time to paint, clean and do work in the kitchen. This year we have to move dishwashing equipment and will need to be closed an extra day. We’ll see you on the 6th.

Anniversary

This December 17th will mark our 30 year of being open for business.

Comment Cards

Many of you receive this newsletter because you put your e-mail address on a comment card. I appreciate all of the comments, even the negative ones. We cannot fix problems if we don’t know they exist. But the overwhelming numbers of comments are positive. One of my favorites was an appreciative remark that we “keep it fresh” That is the hardest thing to do and in my opinion the reason we are celebrating a 30th anniversary.

Thank you for your business and support.

Location

The Vineyard Restaurant is located on the northwest corner of Highway 99 and Highway 145 on the south end of Madera. Our address is 605 South I St. Madera, CA 93637 - Tel: 559-674-0923 (google earth: Lat: 36°57'14.57"N & Lon: 120° 3'28.48"W).

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