AuburnGOES Uptown


Auburn—once viewed as a spot to pull off the highway for a quick bite en route to Tahoe—is now setting a gold- standard for wining and dining in the foothills.


City revitalized to enhance wining and diningJoanne Neft The palapa bar is one of our favor-


ite outdoor patios in the foothills. 805 Lincoln Way, Auburn 530-888-8492, MonkeyCat.com. Club Car Bar & Restaurant This


dinner house, open for lunch and din- ner seven days a week, offers a lively bar scene, a stage and live musical entertainment. The cuisine is gourmet American


THEAREA'SBEAUTYANDLAID-BACK lifestyle has attracted chefs from all over. The restaurateur of Monkey Cat and tre Pazzi Trattoria (see page 1) comes from the San Francisco dining scene. In Old Town, the owner of Carpe Vino restaurant—latin for "seize the wine"—is a respected wine con- noisseur and offers a wine club. "Auburn has enough good eats,


fromupscale to down home, to take up an entire weekend—with excellent wine to wash it down," observes a reviewer in The San Francisco Chroni- cle, a critical culinary source. A revitalized downtown is helping


to draw more visitors for dining and entertainment. "Today's Auburn is no longer a 'pit stop' on I-80 but the place for fine dining and entertainment," says Gary Capps, a partner of tre Pazzi and owner of The CappsGroup real es- tate firm(see page 34).


cycling race, which draws interna- tional attention. Stage 3 of the racewill begin in Auburn on the way to South- ern California. Next May's race will bring further visibility toAuburn's bur- geoning culinary and entertainment scene, complimenting its status as an "Endurance Capital of theWorld." A new streetscape project—whose


centerpiece is a new town square at Lincoln Way and High Street—also is helping to revitalize the downtown. The first phase, costing $2.2 million, includes a fire pit and benches, art pedestals, a living Christmas tree, a four-way intersection and new under- ground utilities. A second phase will extend sidewalk improvements along LincolnWay. Tre Pazzi Auburn's newest upscale


restaurant, is located just steps from the new town center. Some other fine dining restaurants


in downtown Auburn are: Monkey Cat The restaurant, open


for lunch and dinner, is named after an exotic and elusive creature with pierc- ing green eyes. "With a name like Monkey Cat, we can serve a wide range of entrees, from exotic to com- fort food," says JimBril,who owns the restaurant with his wife, Trish. The menu has a continental flair,


Auburn is receiving more wide-


spread notoriety as well. In October, it was named a host city for the 2011 Amgen Tour of California professional


with some exotic items. Examples in- clude rack of lamb, chicken picatta, and blackened mahi-mahi. Other items include build-your-own pasta and vegetable risotto.


with an emphasis on upscale comfort food. The menu offers "something for everyone"with extensive appetizer se- lections, entree-sized salads, hearty steaks, seafood, pasta and vegetarian and gluten-free items. Club Car's entertainment calendar


is just as varied,with jazz, blues, dance bands and a regular Wed. night duo. 836 Lincoln Way, Auburn 530-887- 9732, ClubCarAuburn.com. Diners also come to downtown


Auburn forAsian cuisine. Examples in- clude Hanami Sushi, just off the new square, for Japanese food; Royal Thai Restaurant for authentic Thai cuisine; and Sum's Mongolian BBQ, among others. The main drag on Lincoln Way is


also home to PlacerArts, the nonprofit that is a catalyst for arts and humani- ties in Placer County. Many of the retail shops exude


small-town charm. Auburn Drug Co., dating back to 1896, has an old-fash- ioned soda fountain. Roper's Jewelers, opened in 1956,


offers a full line of custom jewelry, watches, clocks as well as watch and jewelry repair. It also is "dog friendly," offering biscuits to your furry friends, according to the second-generation owner. "During the past eight years we've


been in business, we've witnessed downtown Auburn's transition," says Club Car owner Sarah Sanders-Nolivo. "The recently completed streetscape improvements have added exponen- tially to the burgeoning nightlife."


FoodWineArt 3 |


“Try not to eat alone.”


Michael Polan


GAVIN SUTTER


Food KEITH SUTTER


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