Restaurant Review: Rodz Grill in Angel’s Camp, CA

Rodz Grill

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

 

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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.

Restaurant Review: Camps Restaurant in Angel’s Camp, CA

Camps Restaurant

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

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

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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!

Kerala Style Beef Stew

Once you’ve added the coconut milk, 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.  Thank you to Chacko’s Kitchen for submitting this recipe.

Kerala Style Beef Stew
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Soups
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs beef
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 potato
  • 4 tomatoes
  • 1-1/2 c. shallots
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 c. coconut milk
  • 4-5 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2-1/2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2-4 green chilies
  • 4 cloves
  • 1-1/2" cinnamon stick
  • 6 green cardamom
  • 1 star anise
  • salt to taste
Instructions
  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 (cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, & star anise) & 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 chilies, & 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.

 

Pea and Leek Soup

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.

Pea and Leek Soup
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • 3 baby leeks, sliced
  • 1-1/2 c. boiling water
  • 1 c. petits pois (peas), frozen
  • 1 tbsp chives, chopped
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp cider vinegar
  • salt & black pepper
Instructions
  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.

Photo Courtesy of M. King on Flickr