Dining at Taste Restaurant in Plymouth, CA
When we were in the trendy little down of Murphys, CA visiting the Old Timers Museum, we engaged the curator in some idle chatter, "where are you from", "where are you going", etc. When we mentioned that we were going further north on the 49 and we would be expecting to stay in Plymouth, not only did the curator immediately say we had to try a particular restaurant there, the other 2 ladies that hadn't been involved in any of the conversations also both chimed in and mentioned that we had to eat at Taste on Main Street in the tiny little town of Plymouth.
When we got to where we are staying (49er RV Village) it is actually outside of the town of Plymouth, so we really didn't know what to expect. With some of these old gold mining towns, sometimes they are still vital and well preserved and other times, it looks like they are on their last legs. We weren't quite sure where Plymouth fell, we only knew that they had a nice RV park there and it was centrally located to explore this end of the Gold Rush trail.
We checked out Taste on Yelp and immediately, you can tell that this is not your typical Yelp restaurant, where the 5star ratings often have more to do with portion size than the quality of the cuisine. For starters, there were close to 500 reviews and virtually all of them were 4 stars or more and not one of them mentioned "all you can eat" or "doggie bag". So we were kind of scratching our heads as to why a restaurant of this caliber would be out here and only 2 minutes away from where we are staying.
We decided to check it out. The reviews all pretty much suggested we had to have a reservation - especially on a Saturday night. We decided to take our chances without a reservation. The restaurant is not large, maybe 15 tables plus seating at the bar. When we arrived, the greeter was able to "shuffle some things around" and get us in and pleasantly not at a table right next to the kitchen.
The restaurant has a typical Napa Calif, upper end, bistro feel to it. The tables are neatly arranged in rows, the bar is fully stocked with a wide array of spirits, Napa wines, local wines and imports and not to mention some craft IPAs on tap. Its alway a good sign when you see the people at the bar eating as well as drinking. Our table was set to one side, but not in an overly trafficked area, you could tell that this was their "overflow" table. Lucky for us we were the overflow for the evening.
Upon inspection of their menu, Elisa asked our server about gluten free options. Fortunately, for us, virtually all of their dishes can be prepared gluten free. They even have their own in-house baked gluten free bread service. The dinner menu is not extensive, but it offers great variety. Their signature plates are the Mushroom Cigars - sort of a trio of mushrooms served in a filo dough pastry - we opted not to try it this evening and their signature entree is the rack of lamb.
Elisa elected to start her meal with the artisanal baked gluten free bread service - after all she doesn't get that many opportunities to order bread, being gluten free. I chose their smoked salmon served on grilled toast with pickled turnips and a Bagna Calda (Italian for warm bath) drizzle. A traditional Bagna Calda is made with garlic, olive oil, anchovies and capers that is heated and used as a dipping sauce. In this case the Taste Bagna Calda substituted a hearty smoked salmon in lieu of the anchovies. It was amazing. The Chef strolled by and I complimented him on the smoked salmon. He indicated that it was new on their menu and so far it has been a big hit. We chatted about the Bagna Calda with salmon instead of anchovy, it was a great touch. I'm sure it will find a permanent spot on the menu.
For our entrees, I ordered the Day Boat Scallops and Elisa the Rack of Lamb. I always wince when Elisa orders her meat "medium-well" and worry that it will come out of the kitchen dry and tough as shoe leather. I have to say the Chef did a great job searing those lamb ribs on the grill. There was barely a touch of pink in the center, but they were still moist, tender and flavorful. The lamb was locally raised and did not have an overpowering taste that sometimes accompanies lamb. It was very tender and as I mentioned excellently cooked.
It was served with a spiraled zucchini salad with a light vinigarette dressing, a yellow squash puree and kalamata olive puree. I though the kalamata olive puree might be too strong and compete with the flavors of the lamb - Elisa thought it went well together and was complemented by the delicate taste of the yellow squash puree. The zucchini salad was mostly raw and while tasty, it was not Elisa's favorite part of the meal. The fried squash blossom and zucchini fritter were a nice added touch as was the fact that all of it was prepared gluten free. Elisa gave this dish a 5 star rating, which is very rare for her.
I ordered the Day Boat Scallops that were served with fish cake, risotto fritters, baby boy choy drizzled with a delicate sherry/ginger sauce. The flavors were amazing and the scallops were perfectly cooked. It is sometimes difficult to get a good crusty sear on scallops without overcooking the whole thing. Once again the Chef did a great job. If I had one wish for the dish it would be that it came with one more scallop. It was served with 3 scallops and they were not huge scallops, but they were tasty. With the smoked salmon starter, I certainly wasn't going away hungry. The glass of Rombauer Sauvignon Blanc was a perfect compliment to the dish and to the warm summer day that we had - crisp and refreshing.
Elisa and I decided that this was one of the best dining experiences we have had this year and we would highly recommend any of you visiting Taste in Plymouth, CA. The reviewers at Zagat that rated it the best restaurant in the Sacramento Area, giving it a 29 out of 30 score, were right on the mark as was the Wine Spectator for giving it awards in 2018.
Go and enjoy.
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