New CRC blog- History and Cuisine come alive in the Gold Country

By Julie Cader

Julie is Finance & Administration Manager for the California Rice Commission, and a big proponent of trying new culinary experiences- especially if they feature California Rice.

Our long time friends, Russ and Marianne, recently ventured down from the snow-covered Sierra to the Auburn foothills for a weekend of blazing new trails. We had heard the Ore Cart Steakhouse and Red Dirt Saloon was under new ownership and decided to give it a try. Thirty minutes later we were in Foresthill. As we walked through the Saloon doors, we were warmly greeted by owner Joan Elliott and Executive Chef Don Hanley (right), formerly with Radisson Hotels.

Now back to swinging open the Saloon doors, just like they did in the Old West, sans spurs on our boots and horses tied to hitching posts, we felt like we had stepped back in time. Built in 1852, the Steakhouse is the oldest standing building on the Foresthill Divide, surviving the test of time, Indian attacks, earthquakes and fire. Originally a mercantile and one of the first Wells Fargo Stage Stops, the brick walls, wood ceiling with a layer of sod op top and another layer of brick on top of that, were structural oddities designed to fend off Indian attacks and fire. The city of Foresthill has burned to the ground several times and this particular building has remained standing.

The hardware on the doors was stamped-forged in Ohio in 1856. There were shelves for ware from floor to soffit, the length of the building, all fitted together without the use of nails. The wine rack (my favorite spot) in the dining room is the old Post Office boxes. The ore cart, where your steaks are broiled, is from a mine above Colfax, and the rails it sits on as well as the foot rail in the Saloon are from the Mayflower mine above Foresthill. The back bar in the Saloon was the original counter for the mercantile where miners would weigh the gold to pay for their goods.

We ate baskets of salty peanuts in the Saloon, whimsically tossing the peanut shells on the wooden floors (which I've been told makes it easier to keep wooden floors clean from dirt and dust), while admiring all of the Old West treasures displayed from local residents, including mining equipment, shotguns, lumberyard tools, a hangman's noose and much, much more.

As we did the "John Wayne cowboy walk" into the Dining Room, we were welcomed by our server/pastry chef, Christine, who recommended the chicken and risotto dish made with California Premium Arborio, one of my favorite varieties. White Arborio is a medium grain rice that when cooked has a creamy texture around a slightly chewy center, perfect for use in risotto and rice pudding recipes.


Chef Hanley prepared an amazing risotto dish that was a unique, classic gourmet experience. The chicken breast was cooked to perfection and the vibrant green asparagus was equally delicious.

Chef Hanley promises to create other unique dishes, and so as we rode off into the sunset, or rather drove away with our bellies full, we were already making plans to return to the Old West and toss a few more peanut shells onto the floor.