Tower of Power to Rock EDH Town Center September 5
Aug 19, 2015 06:29PM, Published by Style, Categories: Community, Arts
Celebrating Independence Day in El Dorado Hills
EDITOR: This year on July 3 I attended the Town Center Fireworks Jubilee with my Boy Scout troop. There were thousands of people at the celebration and it looked like they all had fun. Independence Day, or Fourth of July, is a holiday that I think a lot of people misunderstand. For many it is just an excuse to have a party to celebrate without thinking about why we are celebrating. For me the Fourth of July is a day to I think about our country, the U.S. flag and to honor those who gave their lives for freedom in all of the wars. I think of the national anthem and when I see fireworks I think about “the rocket’s red glare and the bombs bursting in air” and how hard we fought to be separate from England. Many kids my age think that Fourth of July is just a day to have fun but don’t stop to think: Why do we have Fourth of July? If we hadn’t have won that war against England we might still be under their rule. My Boy Scout troop is Troop 465 and we are a new troop in El Dorado Hills. We are chartered by the El Dorado Hills Rotary Club. The troop and the Rotary Club serve together at different events. At the Fireworks Jubilee we sold flags, bottled water and glow sticks. As a troop we had a booth near the theater end of Town Center and we went out in teams selling glow sticks all over to people at the event. We ended up selling out of all the products we were selling. It was a good fundraiser for the troop and we provided some fun for the people who attended the event. The biggest thing is that we were having fun ourselves. The fireworks show was great. We had a really good place to watch the fireworks from our booth. The fireworks were really loud and bright and lasted a long time. The best part for me was the grand finale. I love it when the fireworks all go off at once! When I was watching the fireworks, a thought occurred to me: It was that the fireworks represented the bombs bursting in air, like in the song “The Star Spangled Banner.” And it made me think about the verse after all those bombs: “The flag was still there.” The El Dorado Hills Fireworks Jubilee was a very fun and meaningful night. It gave me a chance to think about our country and our freedom. My troop did very well with our sales while having a lot of fun, but I think that the fireworks were outstanding and the best part of the night. The only bad part of the night was the parking and how long it took to get out of the parking lot after we cleaned up. I hope that you will always remember why we celebrate the Fourth of July and the birth of our country and remember all those who made sacrifices so that we can be a free nation. Cary Patterson Troop 465
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Set a Fire Community Concert Lights up El Dorado Hills Town Center this June
May 21, 2015 01:06PM, Published by Brenna McGowan, Categories: Community
Farmer’s Market Returns to El Dorado Hills Town Center This Weekend
May 12, 2015 04:36PM, Published by Brenna McGowan, Categories: Wellness, Community
Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons
Try this sampling of top dishes around the Sacramento Region
02/18/2015 5:50 PM
02/19/2015 9:11 AM
Best of the wurst: Before it closed in 2012, Capitol Dawg in midtown was the top dog on the wurst scene. Now that title goes to Ruffhaus, with 20 kinds of dogs (and a very good pork schnitzel). Among the best is the Wolfsburg, a fat, beer-steamed bratwurst aboard a perfect bun, with sauerkraut and German mustard.
Ruffhaus Hot Dog. Co., 4355 Town Center Blvd., El Dorado Hills; (916) 941-3647, www.ruffhaushotdogco.com.
Nothing but the best for Café C
Café C chef and owner Yvan Chalaye is more than comfortable in his new kitchen; it’s as though he’s been there for years though the new restaurant beneath the Regal Theater opened Feb. 2. Chalaye checks the oven, flips seasoned beef in a pan, then turns to sip on a pilsner and easily chat as an eclectic variety of music plays, from French disco to rock to country. Dressed in a Rolling Stones T-shirt and jeans, Chalaye is unfazed by his decision to revamp Café Campanile, moving to a smaller, bistro-like space that’s seen several restaurants over the years. “I’m a French chef,” Chalaye said. “It is who I am. This doesn’t feel like work to me.” Except when closed Sundays, Chalaye hasn’t missed a day of work since 1969. As delicious as his food is, it’s the atmosphere Chalaye’s created that keeps his loyal following coming back for food and friendship. A continuous, revolving door of patrons who have become dear friends pop back into the kitchen to chat or just to give him a hug. “We call him the hugging chef,” said El Dorado Hills resident and Chaleye’s customer of 25 years Dennis Gardemeyer. “I’m in here two to three times a week. We call his restaurant Cheers, where everybody knows your name.” Living stateside since 1972, and in El Dorado Hills since 1989, Chalaye is a proud American citizen. An American flag prominently stands in his kitchen and he flashes the French and American flag tattoos on his arm. Chalaye recalled how Café Campanile was the first Town Center business, opening its doors in December 2003. At the 10-year mark, Chalaye and general manager Jeff Watson took stock of things and decided a move would allow them to hone their craft and give customers more of what they want. “Half of the space went to waste,” Watson said of Café Campanile on Town Center Boulevard, which occupied 3,600 square feet. Café C on Vine St. is a cozy 2,200. “In the winter people wanted to sit by the fire or by the bar,” Watson continued. “In the summer they wanted to sit outside or by the bar. So we wanted something smaller and where the bar would be a focal point.” Watson called Café C a bar atmosphere that also has an intimate dining area. Guests may also dine outdoors and there’s a side room for parties or those wanting more privacy. “We’re surrounded by casual dining options, but there’s nothing like this where you can get a nice glass of wine before the movies,” Watson said. “The food being good here is just a plus.” The décor, which Watson described as Mediterranean, southern France and northern Italy-influenced, remains the same. This is Chalaye’s fifth restaurant, including the former Christophe’s in Folsom, but the first time he’s relocated. “We looked like a bunch of gypsies,” he said. There was no down time either. In fact, Café C opened before the lights went out at Café Campanile. A name change was in order for a couple of reasons too. “Campanile means ‘under the bell tower,’” Watson said. “But we’re not under the bell tower anymore. All our long-time customers started to call us Café or Café C anyway.” Chalaye said the menu remains the same, though they now offer “a lot of little dishes.” “You can’t say you’re spending a lot on French food,” he joked. He knows what works. “Everything’s been invented in 2015,” Chalaye said of searching for new influences. “French chefs always cook everything in a pan. Instead I like to play with things. I change the sauces.” There are starters like French onion soup, cheese platters and charcuterie, and his signature pate made with ham, veal, ground beef, garlic, herbs and pistachios. Main courses include coq au vin (whole chicken leg slow cooked in a red wine sauce with pearl onions and mushrooms), salmon and a grilled Niman Ranch hamburger topped with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese and house aioli. There are three steps to making the perfect hamburger, Chaleye said. “Grill, then pan fry, then oven. It keeps the meat moist.” Not only that, “It’s real meat,” he continued. “I buy nothing but the best. You can eat it medium rare. I don’t like when you go somewhere and you have to eat it well done.” “We’ve scaled down our big plates and have added more small plates,” Watson added. “Paninis will be coming soon. We’re offering more things for people to share. That’s how people dine now. They don’t want to spend $30 and that’s all they get. They want to share. Still, people would be up in arms if we changed the menu too much. We’ll always offer steak frites and beef bourguignon, things that make it French.” Chalaye is the sole chef at Café C, beginning to prep for each night’s dinner at 11 a.m. and he often doesn’t go home to his wife of 33 years until 2 a.m. “I take my work seriously, but it’s all about the people,” he said. “This is a new adventure. I love life. My friends come by; it’s like a big family.” Café C is open for dinner Monday through Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. ________________________________________________________________________________
Local restaurants optimistic about 2015
BY EDIE LAMBERT BIO
>>click here for the complete story. THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST TO SUCCEED IN. NEARLY THREE OUT OF EVERY FIVE NEW RESTAURANTS FAIL WITHIN THE FIRST THREE YEARS. BUT AS KCRA 3’S MIKE CARROLL FOUND, THERE’S A LOT OF OPTIMISM FROM TWO RESTAURANT OWNERS AND THEIR CUSTOMERS AS WE BEGIN 2015. AT THIS RESTAURANT, THIS FAMILY STARTED OUT WITH A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE. HAPPY NEW YEAR. WERE ON THE RIGHT TRACK. THE ECONOMY IS COMING BACK. HE AND HIS FAMILY OPENED A RESTAURANT TWO YEARS AGO. EVEN THOUGH THE COUNTRY WAS IN RISKED, WE DECIDED TO RISKED IT ALL AND DID WHAT WE KNOW HOW TO DO BEST, RESTAURANTS TREATED PAID OFF. — RESTAURANTS. IT PAID OFF. THEIR CUSTOMERS FEEL OPTIMISTIC AS WELL. THE ECONOMY STARTING TO COME BACK UP. A FEW BLOCKS AWAY, I HOP HOUSE OPENED THIS PAST AUGUST. THE TIMING SEEMED RIGHT. HE ALSO KNOWS THE PITFALLS OF THE INDUSTRY FROM WHEN HE OPENED A DIFFERENT RESTAURANT WITH A PARTNER IN 2007. READY FOR THE CRESTED WE GOT A GOOD DEAL IN THE LEAST. WE DID IT. THINGS HAPPEN. IT DIDN’T WORK OUT. THIS TIME, HE OPENED THE HOP HOUSE WITH A STRATEGY TO APPEAL TO A BROAD CUSTOMER BASE. SOMETHING MORE CASUAL, LESS EXPENSIVE, THAT HAS BEEN THE TURN IN THE BUSINESS OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. ‘S CUSTOMERS ARE FEELING GOOD ABOUT THE PLACE AND ABOUT THEMSELVES FOR 2015. NEW JOB, NEW HORIZONS, NEW EVERYTHING. GAS PRICES ARE DOWN. PEOPLE ARE WORKING. PEOPLE ARE OUT SPENDING MONEY. SOUND WORDS THAT WE CAN ALL LIVE BY.