Juan Barajas still remembers the first time he tried milk from a store-bought gallon container 和 pre-packaged tortillas. “当我还是个孩子的时候，我就想， 我不知道这个他笑着说……. With a father in the crop-dusting business 和 a mother who made every meal from scratch, Barajas developed a love for extremely fresh 和 exceptional ingredients at an early age. “We’ve always been around agriculture,” he explains. “That’s one of the reasons we wanted to get into the restaurant business.”
作为的所有者和经营者 美味的咖啡 在他的家乡 林地, Barajas has turned his passion for fresh produce into a career. “在这个地区, you can’t turn around without bumping into fields of food with a variety of different products,他说. “Our wish is to have a restaurant that has a direct connection with the individuals growing our food, 和 also to educate people about what we use in our kitchen.“给巴拉哈斯, that means chilaquiles 和 huevos rancheros, just like his mother used to make with eggs fresh from a local boutique farmer, 和 daily specials with “whatever fresh is coming in the door.”
Barajas says that delicious food, 乡村农田, 和 a tight-knit community are only a few of the reasons he loves his hometown: “You’ll find a variety of things to do in 林地—the only limit is figuring out what you’re looking for.” With a downtown that has boomed over the last 10 years, Barajas says there’s nightlife, 体系结构, 博物馆, 事件, 和 award-winning wineries if you go a bit further afield.
尝一尝 Yolo县的意思 farm-to-fork lifestyle at some of Barajas’ favorite spots. For breakfast or lunch, Barajas is partial to 美味的咖啡, where you can sit al fresco in the 270-square-foot greenhouse “under little cafe lights 和 among some citrus trees.他还喜欢墨西哥玉米饼 玛丽亚的酒吧 (“my top two are their carnitas or their chile verde”); the Wednesday prime rib special from 厨房428; pastries from Zest Fresh (“I love their warm blueberry scones”); 和 wood-burning pizza from 主街酒廊.
Barajas says there’s plenty to do downtown—cocktails at 摩根在大街上 还有一个表演 伍德兰歌剧院 are two of his personal favorites. But don’t leave 林地 without soaking up some beautiful views. “I would highly recommend going up to Capay谷,他说, explaining that you can find a trail to hike or simply enjoy the scenery along Highway 16.
End the day with a glass of local wine. 巴拉哈斯享受 纸板火柴 和 Turkovich 在附近的 冬天. Or, calendar permitting, you might be able to spend an evening 在 appointment-only JDM房地产. He says, “That’s one of my particular places to go enjoy at sunset. It’s amazing sitting 在ir fire pit.”
五个最爱
Explore a few 更多的 of Barajas’ favorite spots to eat, sip, 和 play.
令人惊叹的景色:”I would definitely go up to the 高尔夫俱乐部 在 卡什克里克赌场度假村. They have incredible views with places to spend an evening with a glass of wine or an iced tea. It’s one of those little pockets that not a lot of people know about, but they have views of the whole Capay谷. It’s almost majestic when you go up there to spend an evening. Everything is so green, you get a little bit of breeze in the evening, 和 you can see for miles.”
真棒的古董!”There are a couple of antique stores that you can go to downtown. 我最喜欢的地方之一是 鸟巢 where you can find anything from cookbooks to h和-crafted soaps 和 olive oils. 也有 记住当商场 和 主街古董. I have an antique cream separator I bought at 鸟巢 that we use 在 restaurant when we get milk in from our cow share. It’s amazing to me that it’s 200 years old 和 still works great. ”
最佳野餐地点: “有一个 玫瑰花园 right next to the library with a manicured l和scape 和 little tags for people to identify the variety of roses 和 the different plants growing there. They have a couple of benches so you can bring a picnic 和 have a nice little evening.”
喝点东西: “One of my favorite places to get a drink is 父亲帕迪的一家爱尔兰酒吧. For an insider tip: Do not miss their whiskey vault. Ask for Pat 和 he will have you in that vault tasting different things—it’s a whiskey class basically.”
孩子们的乐趣:”速度岛公园 has a wakeboard park 和 a private beach. They have a specific area that’s kid-friendly. It’s one of the largest wakeboarding parks 和 they are open all summer long 和 a couple of weekends during the fall 和 winter.”
