(From 12/20/2013)
An evening with
Proprietor and Baker,
Elizabeth McGuire along with Guest Chef and
Wine Maker, David Scheidt.
By Victor Meier
Date Night finally arrived for my girlfriend and I
in the form of an intimate evening spent with local Restaurateur, Baker, Chef,
Mother and Wife (to say the very least) Elizabeth McGuire.
Elizabeth is the proprietor of the East Side Bake Shop located at the McGee Creek Lodge. Friday night I was lucky enough to attend one of Elizabeth’s dinners which featured Guest Chef and Wine Maker David Scheidt from Mastro Scheidt Family Cellars of Dry Creek Winery, located in Healdsburg, Sonoma County, California.
The East Side Bake Shop has a very comforting
ambience and, though basic, it is very classy. While others may associate with the
Bake Shop as merely a bakery, this was my first visit to the East Side and as a
dinner venue I found the Bake Shop to be charming indeed. It is rustic and warm
with an upscale urban/mountain appeal that still can be inviting and
accommodating to families. The Bake Shop reminded me of restaurants I love from
Napa Valley and the Lost Coast. On the walls are striking photographs featuring
the work of local artist/photographer David Huebner.
The Menu was simple, elegant and filled with comfort
foods that I personally have come to love. Unless you are a vegetarian, (Spoiler
Alert!) how can you go wrong with slow roasted pork on the menu? Before you accidentally
mistake my description of “simple” as common or muted, the menu was far from either.
“Simple” simply means letting the natural flavors of one’s food shine without
masking over them with a lot of spices, breading, sauces and the like. Simple
in this case is much like Chef Jamie Oliver’s “Naked Chef” classification.
My girlfriend and I started with a delicious white
bean purée served with toasted baguette slices. I’m not always a fan of the
toasted approach, however, in this case I might have enjoyed it all a little
too much being that didn’t leave room for much else. My short-sided gluttony
was fully appreciated as the later courses arrived with favorites of mine like
flat pasta, pork shoulder and lemon cake…not all at the same time though.
The second course brought a deliciously simple
Italian soup done perfectly. If it were not for being the occasion that it was,
I would have been slurping down that broth like a child from Oliver Twist. Please
sir, may I have some more? It was only my respect for my lovely better half
that I refrained. The ravioli stuffed with cheese and spinach was the perfect creamy
accent to this wonderfully light and flavorful broth and the perfect addition
to the soup.
The third course was a Caesar Salad that I must regretfully
announce that I was not a big fan of. For my personal taste the salad dressing
was a little bit too sweet and lacked the amount of anchovy that I like from my
Caesar dressing. Therefore the salad did not meet my palette with the same
expectation that I had garnered for it. The presentation of our salad was done
interestingly and in an aesthetically pleasing way. The romaine leaves were
longer and required the use of a knife. I always enjoy using a knife when I’m
eating salad, though; it makes it easier to load up my fork. Everything was
fresh and the croutons were made in house. Sweet or not, that is a hard blend to
beat.
Dinner combined the fourth and fifth courses which
involved some classic Italian “working man” favorites. There was a Bolognese Sauce
served over handmade Taglitelli pasta and cuts of slow roasted pork shoulder
served over a perfectly executed creamy polenta. If your mouth isn’t watering right
now there is nothing more that I can say about these dishes to you. You need to
experience them for yourself one day. When done correctly, these dishes are excellently comforting on a cold night.
Dessert was a moist yet very lightly flavored,
double layered lemon cake separated by a limoncello butter cream and topped
with powdered sugar. Later Chef David informed me that he put limoncello in the
cake batter itself too. Again, personally speaking, I would have enjoyed a
little more zing from the lemon cake. Perhaps use more lemon zest in the cake and/or butter cream.
All told, the evening was quite special for me as I
enjoyed the company of a truly wonderful woman, while benefiting from the hospitality
of Elizabeth McGuire, immersed in the charm of the East Side Bake Shop’s
collaboration with the engaging and talented David Scheidt. My girlfriend and I
sat at the bar where we were permitted friendly access to both Elizabeth and
David, who shared intimate details about our experience. How else would I be
able to tell you that the pork shoulder was seared in a cast iron skillet and
then slow roasted for five hours?
Caretaker and Manager of the McGee Creek Lodge Jeff
Meadway attended dinner and even so reminded me of the way my mom ate most
dinners throughout my adolescence by consistently laying down his fork, mid
bite, to accommodate the needs of the lodge and its guests. Otherwise Jeff
provided great company and was a wealth of historical knowledge. Jeff also organizes
and along with Elizabeth, hosts a family friendly evening of bluegrass music at
the McGee Creek Lodge every Saturday night, starting around 4pm and lasting
until 7pm or so… you know... “Mountain Time”.
The East Side Bake Shop’s Saturday night dinners
offer al a carte options and support local businesses like Sierra Sundance,
Side Door and Black Velvet. Moreover, the Bake Shop is a culinary asset to the
Inyo/Mono Community and no matter the occasion I strongly suggest making
reservations or at least plans for an evening with Elizabeth. It is a short
distance to travel in order to feel like you are hundreds of miles away from
your cares.
Victor Meier is an experienced restaurant professional and writer.
Elizabeth McGuire-Owner and Chef - eastsidebakeshop@gmail.com,
https://www.facebook.com/EastSideBakeShop
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