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Amy Edgett/Sierra Sun
Chicken Margarita is a house specialty at the Rustic Table restaurant.
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Step into the newly-opened Rustic Table, located in the Sierra Woods Lodge, 43440 Laing Road, near Emigrant Gap for fresh, farm to table food and an ambiance of country comfort. The family owned and operated restaurant, headed by Chef Adam Ornellas, is a combination of culinary excellence with attention to detail and philanthropic philosophy.
Chef Ornellas, who trained with the current senior chef at CIA Culinary Academy in Napa, also worked in fish markets and butcher shops to gain first-hand industry knowledge, and has appeared on NBC morning shows. He cooks from the heart with the freshest ingredients. He believes in fresh simplicity, such as the sunflower sprouts his wife discovered in the farmers market to garnish an award-winning appetizer: Christy's Spanish Spicy Mussels, which garner their “heat” with a special Vietnamese chili pepper and won Best of Show at the Fandango Association for Children's benefit tasting competition.
“You have to cook with your mind and your heart,” said Ornellas. “When you put the two together, you can't go wrong.”
The Ornellas family's heart is in the right place: a priceless community side dish. Three upcoming programs demonstrate their dedication: Truckee Tuesdays, Alta Dutch Wednesdays and Winter Coat for Soup. The first two will donate 20 percent of the evening's proceeds to each school district, respectively. Funds will be used for field trips and supplemental school supplies. Or take in a winter coat, to be donated to local charities, and receive a free bowl of soup or $5 off the restaurant bill.
The menu is moderately priced and changes weekly, serving seasonal delights. Look for butternut squash, turnips, stews, French cassoulets and a healthy dose of garlic. Apples from son A.J.'s tree, newly harvested tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant are preserved for chutneys and desserts. Choose the freshly-made pasta, such as chorizo tortellini or the Crab Pico de Gallo Pasta. As the holidays approach, Ornellas' Spanish-Italian fusion will present special themes, including a Mexican-style Christmas.
Designer hot chocolates, from Spanish, Italian and Mexican will complement the drink menu. The cozy semi-circle wood bar also serves Toasted Head Chardonnay, Wild Horse Pinto noir and Sam Adams October Fest, Newcastle ale and more.
In keeping with a strong commitment to family, Ornellas serves Chicken Margarita, a dish from Teresa's Mexican heritage family. “It's the house specialty, and highly recommended,” said daughter Christina Ornellas, who at 17 is a waitress in the restaurant, learning customer service skills and getting grounded in small business operations.
The dish explodes with flavor, with textures from crisp tequila chili-marinated chicken, smooth ancho chili crusted potato medallions, organic tomato salsa, a margarita marinated cabbage slaw, all served on crunchy corn tortillas.
Friends told Ornellas he must be crazy to open a restaurant in this economy. Ornellas feels differently: that it's time to get back to the American Way, where a small business with a good product can be built from the ground and family run. “I want to bring that back,” said Ornellas. The Ornellas view Sierra Woods Lodge owners Michael and Stephanie Woods as their guardian angels, good people who offered them the right place in the right time.
The opportunity to escape the city life, spend more time with their three children at Emigrant Gap proved to be a blessing.
Rustic Table is a dream for dining out families — easy on the wallet with a chef who caters to and cares about the children. Ornellas will leave the kitchen to create a designer $7 “kids meal,” asking the children what their preferences are. It could be mac and cheese, a fruit plate, or a down-sized meal from the regular menu. He wants the young ones to feel important, develop their culinary instincts and ordering independence.
Better yet, Mom and Dad can finish their meal while the tikes loll in the lounge, on a plush couch with board games and a widescreen TV. The Ornellas children, Aayliyah, 6 or A.J., 13 just might join them.
Savor T's individual Spanish flan, or Fia's Italian style cherry cheesecake. Last weekend's special feature was a brandy walnut bread pudding.
If you want to make more than an evening of it, book a room at the newly renovated Sierra Woods Lodge. Recycled materials give the bar, lounge and restaurant area a warm, inviting ambiance. Adjoining rooms are an option for the family. Sierra Woods Lodge and Rustic Table accommodate the dressy, the casual, the romantic and the outdoorsy. Take a little trip, you'll be pleasantly refreshed.
Chef Ornellas, who trained with the current senior chef at CIA Culinary Academy in Napa, also worked in fish markets and butcher shops to gain first-hand industry knowledge, and has appeared on NBC morning shows. He cooks from the heart with the freshest ingredients. He believes in fresh simplicity, such as the sunflower sprouts his wife discovered in the farmers market to garnish an award-winning appetizer: Christy's Spanish Spicy Mussels, which garner their “heat” with a special Vietnamese chili pepper and won Best of Show at the Fandango Association for Children's benefit tasting competition.
“You have to cook with your mind and your heart,” said Ornellas. “When you put the two together, you can't go wrong.”
The Ornellas family's heart is in the right place: a priceless community side dish. Three upcoming programs demonstrate their dedication: Truckee Tuesdays, Alta Dutch Wednesdays and Winter Coat for Soup. The first two will donate 20 percent of the evening's proceeds to each school district, respectively. Funds will be used for field trips and supplemental school supplies. Or take in a winter coat, to be donated to local charities, and receive a free bowl of soup or $5 off the restaurant bill.
The menu is moderately priced and changes weekly, serving seasonal delights. Look for butternut squash, turnips, stews, French cassoulets and a healthy dose of garlic. Apples from son A.J.'s tree, newly harvested tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant are preserved for chutneys and desserts. Choose the freshly-made pasta, such as chorizo tortellini or the Crab Pico de Gallo Pasta. As the holidays approach, Ornellas' Spanish-Italian fusion will present special themes, including a Mexican-style Christmas.
Designer hot chocolates, from Spanish, Italian and Mexican will complement the drink menu. The cozy semi-circle wood bar also serves Toasted Head Chardonnay, Wild Horse Pinto noir and Sam Adams October Fest, Newcastle ale and more.
In keeping with a strong commitment to family, Ornellas serves Chicken Margarita, a dish from Teresa's Mexican heritage family. “It's the house specialty, and highly recommended,” said daughter Christina Ornellas, who at 17 is a waitress in the restaurant, learning customer service skills and getting grounded in small business operations.
The dish explodes with flavor, with textures from crisp tequila chili-marinated chicken, smooth ancho chili crusted potato medallions, organic tomato salsa, a margarita marinated cabbage slaw, all served on crunchy corn tortillas.
Friends told Ornellas he must be crazy to open a restaurant in this economy. Ornellas feels differently: that it's time to get back to the American Way, where a small business with a good product can be built from the ground and family run. “I want to bring that back,” said Ornellas. The Ornellas view Sierra Woods Lodge owners Michael and Stephanie Woods as their guardian angels, good people who offered them the right place in the right time.
The opportunity to escape the city life, spend more time with their three children at Emigrant Gap proved to be a blessing.
Rustic Table is a dream for dining out families — easy on the wallet with a chef who caters to and cares about the children. Ornellas will leave the kitchen to create a designer $7 “kids meal,” asking the children what their preferences are. It could be mac and cheese, a fruit plate, or a down-sized meal from the regular menu. He wants the young ones to feel important, develop their culinary instincts and ordering independence.
Better yet, Mom and Dad can finish their meal while the tikes loll in the lounge, on a plush couch with board games and a widescreen TV. The Ornellas children, Aayliyah, 6 or A.J., 13 just might join them.
Savor T's individual Spanish flan, or Fia's Italian style cherry cheesecake. Last weekend's special feature was a brandy walnut bread pudding.
If you want to make more than an evening of it, book a room at the newly renovated Sierra Woods Lodge. Recycled materials give the bar, lounge and restaurant area a warm, inviting ambiance. Adjoining rooms are an option for the family. Sierra Woods Lodge and Rustic Table accommodate the dressy, the casual, the romantic and the outdoorsy. Take a little trip, you'll be pleasantly refreshed.
When you go
Lunch time: Features Mexican Spanish cuisineTake your bike or hike: The North and East forks of the North American river are seven miles down the road. Excellent bike ride. Check out the fall colors and 30-foot waterfall.
Rustic Table: Farm to table comfort food, open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week
Sierra Woods Lodge: Nestled in a tree lined meadow at the base of Black Mountain. Redecorated rooms, most with walk-in slate showers. Rates include complimentary continental breakfast, check out reciprocal arrangement with Mount View Spa in Calistoga.
For More: 43440 Laing Road, Emigrant Gap, (530) 389-8900, www.sierrawoodslodge.com
Find photos at sierrasun.com/photos
