730 S. Main St.
Angel’s Camp, CA 95222
209-736-0170
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rodz-grill-angels-camp-2

Solid food, pretty good quality, friendly service, good prices. All of that warrants 3 stars easily.

I can’t give it more than that, in fairness, as I’m not a regular and wasn’t really blown away by anything here. I do appreciate that they have a “ground beef steak” and eggs meal, which I love and don’t get enough, and everything was cooked well. The hash browns were impressive though as they were the perfect balance between crispy and soft.

Will I go there again? Yes, I would. And probably will since it’s next door to the motel I’m staying at on this trip. It was quality food and I’d be happy to give them more chances to wow me on future trips to Angels Camp.Tweet

676 McCauley Ranch Rd.
Angel’s Camp, CA 95222
209-736-8181
CampsRestaurant.com

http://www.yelp.com/biz/camps-restaurant-angels-camp

Off the beaten path, but delicious! After frustratedly being unable to find the restaurant we were looking for in old town Angels Camp, I remembered seeing this place in our motel’s visitors guide and looked up directions on my phone. As we drove down the long, dark expanse that Angel Oak Dr. and then McCauley Ranch Rd. we were beginning to think Google Maps didn’t know where we were going again. But then we found it.

For a Saturday night it was active, but by no means crowded. We were seated right away. We’d decided against a different restaurant that boasted live music on Saturdays because I had a headache, so at first I was leary of seeing the live keyboard and sax players, but we were sat in a back corner of the restaurant far enough away from the speakers that it was still clearly audible but their jazz stylin’ was pleasurable as my headache subsided (thank you Excedrin Migraine!)

Anyway, the outlook was dicey at first… we didn’t see a waitress for 10-15 minutes, and when she did come over she went to a table that had been seated after us before us. Once she came over and we aired that we were a bit miffed at that, she apologized and the evening was delightful from there out.

We ordered the tempura battered asparagus appetizer, the hubs ordered prime rib, and I ordered fettuccine Alfredo. Delicious! We were pretty certain that the batter on the asparagus was not a true tempura batter at all and more of maybe a beer batter, but it was still good. The hubs liked the chili sauce they were served with and I was happy with the lemon aioli.

The hubs reported that his prime rib was perfect, and my pasta was perfect as well. I loved the bits of asparagus in the pasta and that the chicken in it was seasoned simply and didn’t overpower the light sauce and didn’t seem like an afterthought.

The little bread they brought to the table was cheesy and lightly garlicky, which I appreciate not being slapped in the face with garlic, and our desserts were good, but a little different. The bread pudding seemed to be closer to a cinnamon french toast – good in it’s own right, to be sure, but not exactly what the hubs was expecting. My vanilla creme brulee had a somewhat odd texture – almost more whipped than custard. If I had to hazard a guess I think it might have been made just with egg whites and not the yolks too, but the flavor was good. The bruleed sugar on top was a bit thick and a bit dark, but not burned.

The quality of the food was great, we’d go again when in this area, and it definitely made up for the lackluster lunch we had!Tweet

Main Ingredients

Garam Masala Ingredients

Directions

1. Clean & cut the beef into 1″ cubes. Drain.
2. Peel & finely slice the shallots.
3. Finely slice the tomatoes & store separately.
4. Peel, wash, & cut the potato & carrot into 1″ cubes.
5. Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in a non-stick pan. Add the Garam Masala ingredients & saute for 1 minute.
6. Add shallots (reserving about 1 tbsp) & saute until translucent, taking about 5 minutes.
7. Add the drained, cubed beef, potato, & carrot along with the turmeric, salt, & pepper. Saute until all sides are seared & lightly caramelized and browned.
8. Add the tomatoes, green chillies, & ½ the coconut milk. Transfer to a pressure cooker & cook on high heat until 1 whistle, reducing to a medium flame. Continue to cook for 20 minutes & then 10 more minutes on low flame.
9. In a separate non-stick pan, heat the remaining oil & saute the reserved shallots & curry leaves. Add the remainder of the coconut milk & bring to a boil on medium heat. Remove from heat.

Chef’s Note: Once you’ve added the coconut mil, be sure not to boil it too long or else the milk may curdle. You can substitute yogurt or plain milk for the coconut milk for health reasons.Tweet

Ingredients

Directions

1. Place the baby leeks in a small saucepan with the olive oli until the leeks are soft.  Add the rest of the ingredients except for the chives, setting them aside.
2. Simmer until the peas are cooked through.  Add the chives to the pan & use a hand blender to blend until smooth, or your preferred consistency.
3. Serve with warm bread.

Chef’s Note: If you prefer the soup to be 100% Vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.  I prefer to serve with toasted sourdough.  A swirl of cream will make this look nicer and taste richer.Tweet

Ingredients

Directions

1. On medium heat, melt butter & add flour.  Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to cook flour completely.
2. Add cream & broth together, blending well.  Add cheeses, parsley, garlic, & wine, stirring until cheese is completely melted.
3. Add salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Tweet

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Rinse the salmon well under cold running water & sprinkle inside the cavity with salt & pepper.
2. Stuff with half of the red onion slices, half of the lemon slices, & all of the parsley.  Lay the salmon on enough aluminum foil wrap to enclose fully.
3. Rub both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, & thyme.  Scatter the remaining onion & lemon slices on top & seal foil tightly around salmon.
4. Bake on baking sheet 40-45 minutes, adjusting time for size of salmon.  Cool salmon in foil on cooling rack, then remove onion & lemon slices.
5. Remove skin if desired & served baked salmon at room temperature.

Tweet

Ingredients

Directions

1. Bake the two gingerbread mixes according to the directions on the package.
2. Prepare the pudding according to the package directions & set aside to cool.  When fully cooled stir in the pumpkin pie filling, brown sugar, & cinnamon into the pudding.
3. Pour ½ of the pudding mixture over one gingerbread & add a layer of whipped topping.  Repeat with the remaining gingerbread & pudding mixture with the whipped cream.
4. Sprinkle the top with crushed ginger snaps if desired & refrigerate overnight.

Chef’s Note: An optional serving method would be to place the layers in a punch bowl.
Tweet

I will assign a rating to each review.  I call this the Star Fruit Rating System.  I’ll award the restaurant 0-1 star fruits based on how well I liked the restaurant as a whole.  Like this:

Then, of course, I’ll elaborate on why I rated the restaurant as such.

Want to submit a review?  Of course!  Just be sure to email info@foodaskew.net and include the following information:

• Restaurant Name
• Address
• Yelp Page URL
• Website URL
• How many starfruit do you rate it?
• Your written review.

Tweet

A simple and tasty chocolate snowman shaped cake is easy to make and highly festive. Best with Dutch cocoa, you can use coconut flakes to create the coating. You can use black licorice sticks for the arms, black licorice drops for the eyes and peppermints for buttons with gum drops on top. For the mouth, you can use a piece of red shoestring style licorice. Fruit leather makes a great decorative scarf.

Alternatively, or in addition to, you can create a Christmas tree cake with equal festivity. By creating individual cake squares, you can stack these to create a tree-like shape with green frosting and other colored frostings to your liking. You can use candies for ornaments and smaller cake squares decorated with colored frosting to make presents under the tree.

Gingerbread houses are a classic way of creating decorative treats. However, there are more creative ways to make artistic gingerbread treats. One less known design is the gingerbread lantern, created by four rectangular pieces of gingerbread connected by frosting. You can cut holes in the pieces to let the light out, such as stars or hearts. Once settled, you can place candles inside these and use them as actual lanterns.

Another creative design is the gingerbread train. You have a great amount of creative license with this, in that there is room to decide how intricate you want to get with the design. However, there is a minimum amount of intricacy involved. The frosting is used for piping and a combination of circular and rectangular gingerbread cookies create the body. You can use candies, licorice and frosting to decorate it anyway you like. Gum drops work well to top the train while licorice works well for the pistons. You can also decide how long you want to make the train.

If you are looking to go more gourmet than flashy, you can make chocolate espresso snowballs with fair trade coffee. Using cocoa, pecans and sugar you can have a treat both decedent and decorative. There are plenty of ways to brighten up holiday cheer just with culinary creativity.Tweet

Plan Ahead

Instead of rushing around the day of your holiday dinner, plan ahead. Since most of the stores in your area will be closed on the holiday, make sure you have everything you need a few days in advance. This can include spices, vegetables, condiments and beverages.

Making a few dishes ahead of time can also save you the hassle of preparing them on the holiday. Baked dishes, like pies and rolls, for example, can usually be made a day or two before your holiday meal and stored in airtight containers. Dishes like mashed potatoes can also be made up to three days before your meal and stored in a refrigerator or freezer.

Keep it Simple

Remember that the most important thing about the holidays is family and friends. While a huge, fancy, extravagant holiday dinner is nice sometimes, ask yourself if it’s really worth the stress. Prepare the traditional turkey or ham, but keep the side dishes simple. If your dinner guests will be arriving early, a simple vegetable or cold cut tray can also be put out as an appetizer.

Also, don’t think you have to go it alone. If one of your guests offers to bring a dish or help out, by all means, accept the help.

Have Fun

It’s the holidays, so have fun. No one ever said that cooking a holiday meal had to be boring. Put on some festive holiday music and rock out! If your kitchen is big enough, try to get your family to join you. Not only will you get some free helpers, but you’ll also have a blast.

Count Your Dishes and Cutlery

This may seem like an odd festive cooking tip, but don’t dismiss it. Always make sure that you will have enough plates, bowls, platters and cutlery for your holiday dinner. Running out of clean silverware or not having an adequate number of plates for your guests can be very frustrating.

Stash Extra Chairs and Tables

Even if you’re expecting only six people at your holiday table, always plan for more. Any number of things could happen and there is always a possibility of unexpected guests showing up. To accommodate them, borrow or buy some inexpensive folding tables and chairs and keep them stored until they are needed.

Make Serving Easy

Forgo passing the dishes around the table this year and opt for a buffet-style holiday dinner instead. Set up a long table with plates at one end and the food spread out in a line along the table. Doing this allows your guests to choose their own food in an orderly fashion and it keeps messy dishes off your table. Most food can be kept warm with the help of slow cookers, electric roasters and electric skillets. If you are hosting a very large holiday dinner and do so frequently, you may want to consider purchasing or renting some catering equipment, such as chafing dishes and serving platters.Tweet