What’s New at the Vineyard

by Chris Mariscotti

NEW MENU ITEMS

Our friend Mike Shakleford has worked with us to create some new menu items for lunch and dinner. He and Hector have collaborated to create a Pulled Pork Sandwich with Pomegranate Barbeque Sauce. We are using the same robust sauce to coat a locally grown Mary’s Chicken on the dinner menu. Mike also created a beautiful Roasted Red Pepper sauce that we are serving with local vegetables and goat cheese over penne pasta. This is delicious light pasta, perfect for a meal on a hot day. Now that fig season has started we are serving Mission Figs wrapped with Bacon and drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction. We get our figs, and much of our fruit and vegetables, right from the grower, and our figs come from local grower Kevin Herman of the Specialty Crop Company.

Other special summer dishes are a Seared Ahi Salad and Hector’s latest creation, Pork Loin stuffed with Apricots. Once again the fruit is local we get our apricots and a great deal more from the Valorosi family farm. Marci sells fruit, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers fresh from their orchards and fields. We are very fortunate to have such high quality produce within minutes of our restaurant.

JULY HOURS

We will be closed July 4, 5, 6 and 7. We will reopen on July the 8th @ 11:30. Our regular hours are Monday thru Friday from 11:30 to 10 Saturdays from 5-10 and we are closed on Sundays, except for private parties.

WINEMAKER’S DINNER

Madera’s newest winery is The San Joaquin Wine Company. Steve Schafer and Lee Nesbitt have collaborated to create a new winery here in Madera. Steve is a highly regarded grape grower and Lee has years of wine making experience. Together they are making some exciting wines. On Thursday July the 9th @ 6:30 we will be tasting 5 of their wines. Hector will pair a course with each wine.

The wine dinner costs $47 a person and that includes the food, wine and gratuity. Please call 559-674-0923 to make reservations or send an e-mail. Seating is limited so I suggest you make reservations now.

OPEN TABLE

You can make reservations with us, and 1000 or so other restaurants, on-line with Open Table. The benefit to you is convenience and the opportunity to earn Open Table points that are redeemed in gift certificates. Visit www.opentable.com for more info.

TWITTER

Follow us on Twitter. Get specials, special offers and other information on your phone or computer. Check it out at twitter.com/Vineyard_Resto

FIG FEST

Don’t forget the celebration of all things fig on August 8th from 9-12. The Fig Fest gets bigger and better every year. More information www.slowfoodmadera.org.

CELEBRITY SIGHTING

John Madden with his bus-load of buddies were here in early June. They enjoyed their lunch. No idea why they were in Madera there were no football games here that day.

GIFT CERTIFICATES

We issue Gift Certificate or Gift Card to The Vineyard for any amount.

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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