Pacific Brew News

Just a quick follow up on Jeff’s post regarding the Sacramento area’s newest food destination, The Chef’s Table, located in Rocklin just off Hwy 65 (Blue Oaks exit). To begin, the place was everything Jeff said it was, and more. The menu apparently changes weekly, so much of what Jeff enjoyed was no longer available. Chances are, if you go there after this week, the menu items mentioned here won’t be around either. That said, if the quality of Jeff and my first visits is any indication, you’ll be certain to get great food no matter when you’re there.

Chef David Hill

To begin the place has a hi-brow appeal, but judging by the folks there, casual “California” attire is more than appropriate. The Chef’s Table features an open kitchen with a rough-cut wooden bar wrapping around the cooking area, a great spot to sit and watch your food being made while enjoying a lovely glass of wine, or one of six great craft beers on tap. The walls are strikingly bare, which allows the noise of conversation to reverberate around the room. I suspect this will be corrected in short order, likely with pictures hung on the back wall.

Chef David cutting lamb

While there I knew I would be in for a marathon of eating, hoping to try as many of the small plate offerings as possible – I made it through five plates in my extended stay. I arrived just before the kitchen was open and was able to watch Chef David and Mitch finish the day’s preparation. During this time Chef told me about the lamb chops he was cutting. “The lamb is from a farm in Dixon”, he said enthusiastically. He went on to say the ranch he bought the meat from was run by a fourth generation rancher, Martin Emigh. It struck me that the Chef knew the names of the people who raised the lamb he was about to serve – that’s always a good sign in my book. The meat, by the way, looked fantastic as he was cutting it – turned out I had no idea just how good it was.

Chef Mitch

Chef David was accompanied by a young chef, Mitch, who was diligently slicing a lot of garlic, cilantro, making sauces and rendering fat from duck breasts. Mitch is a young man, but seemed confident with his knife, his food and was incredibly easy to talk to. In fact, with David and Mitch being so personable, it made me realize how cool an open kitchen can be. I felt as though I was sitting at the chefs’ table, chatting it up with a proper pint and great aromas that filled the room. It was shaping up to be a great visit.

Green Lip Mussels

Our first plate of the day was Chardonay-steamed Green Lip mussels in a coconut curry sauce. The mussels were beautiful just to look at, the green edges accentuated with the backdrop of the green curry. The sauce had a slight kick to it, but the thick texture was masterful with the slightly saline mussels. The plate didn’t last long.

Shrimp & Humboldt Fog Rolls

The second dish came with spring rolls filled with poached shrimp, roasted onions and Humboldt Fog. While I love Humboldt Fog, I was a little worried the goat cheese may overpower the shrimp. Luckily, that wasn’t the case at all, as there was just a touch of the soft cheese noted. The presentation was great, the flavors and textures were easy to appreciate – not heavy or overwhelming whatsoever.

Martin Emigh Lamb

Now it was time to get serious, so out came the Martin Emigh lamb chops. Let me just say this, the presentation of this plate was far and away the most impressive of the night. Served atop fresh, steamed spinach and topped with a bright nectarine-mint chutney, it just looked like something you wanted to eat. I’d ordered the lamb rare, and it came just the way I’d hoped it would. The outter edges were charred, lovely, while the middle was red and juicy. I’ve had a lot of really good lamb in the past, and this was right up there with the best. It wasn’t gamey, wasn’t chewy, just a wonderful dish to savor slowly, taking time to enjoy each bite. Oh, the nectarine chutney rocked too, with bright acidic flavors that really made the lamb pop. I was in heaven.

Sonoma Duck Breast

The last planned dish of the night was Sonoma duck breast, roasted and served with grilled plum. The duck was slow roasted, clearly, and was so tender and sweet. I don’t go out of my way to find duck (a sin, I know), so I don’t have a lot of dishes to compare this to. That said, if duck was always this good, I’d be eating a hell of a lot more of it. The grilled plum was incredible too, the grill really pulling out the fruit’s natural sugars and making for a perfect combination with the meat.

Chef Mitch Preps Lamb

The night continued with friends that joined in for discounted drinks (if you go before June 17th all pints are $2.50, glasses of wine $2 off). The taps, like the food, gave a nice nod to our regional brewers, with Auburn Alehouse’s Scarlet Harlot featured alongside Racer 5, Deschutes Red Chair and a few other great offerings. The wine list was also impressive, several friends opting to snatch up some local selections.

Casual, Quality Dining

In all, the package just worked. There was live music, the place was clean, the servers seemingly genuinely interested in service and the crowd more than happy to shake hands with the strangers sitting in the next seat over. As a beer lover, it’d be great to see some of the dishes cooked with beer as an ingredient – like cooking the mussels in a saison over the chardonay. Don’t read that as a negative, however, clearly Chef David has a great thing going and it’s always best to play to your strengths.

More Info:

The Chef’s Table
6843 Lonetree Blvd. #103
Rocklin Ca  95765
www.ChefDavidsTable.com
www.twitter.com/TheChefsTable
Also on Facebook

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