JOURNEY TO MERCED’S RAINBIRD Grub

JOURNEY TO MERCED’S RAINBIRD

PRE FIXE MENUS FOR BRUNCH AND DINNER

BY SARAH STEFFENS / D SARAH STEFFENS

California’s Central Valley is one of the world’s most bountiful sources of agriculture, and revealing its abundance of flavor and culinary innovation, paying homage to the Yosemite region, is Merced’s newest fine-dining restaurant, Rainbird, located in the Hyatt El Capitan

Hotel.

Rainbird was named after a bird known to sing before rainfall, its call announcing the coming of rain, enabling the farmland and agriculture to thrive. In that spirit, the restaurant keeps its focus on locally grown produce and its intention on building and sustaining community relationship with dinner and brunch pre fixe tasting menus curated by Executive Chef Quentin Garcia. Begin your evening with a pick from the artisan cocktail and wine list (mocktail lovers will appreciate the impressive RAINBIRD AT THE HYATT EL CAPITAN HOTEL 609 W. Main St., Merced zero-proof selection available) and perhaps the White Onion (209) 446-4026 Macaron, with pork pate,

RainbirdRestaurant.com chicken skin, lingonberry @rainbirdresturant jam, and shiso. Pair it with the Smoked Cauliflower Custard, made with black truffle gelee, olive oil, poached egg yolk, and cauliflower espuma, or move on to the Rye & Farro Country Loaf, sprinkled with flakey sea salt and served alongside toppings such as cultured sunflower butter, Bellweather ricotta, golden raisin marmite, and honeycomb. “We spent a year perfecting our sourdough recipe,” says Quentin; and it shows.

The Sauterne Poached Cod with stuffed morel mushroom, white shoyu glazed peas, walnut, and matsutake tapenade will expand your appreciation for fresh ingredients, and the coffeeroasted sweet potato with black apple caramel and preserved blueberries will drift you off to a food forager’s paradise. Who knew such flavor combinations existed?

If dining in the morning sunlight with a French press and pick from the notable morning cocktail list tickles your fancy, be sure to return to Rainbird for brunch. The menu boasts Strauss Yogurt Mousse with medjool granola, melon jam, and cara cara orange, and Anson Mills Grits, with savory pancetta, Calabrian chili, grilled prawns, and morel mushroom. The house-made malted beignets, with mango marmalade and wild honey, are warm and pillowy sweetened bites of delight.

Rainbird’s dishes, each carefully prepared with a deep understanding and enthusiasm for the wisdom found in the land, will feed your body, mind, and heart. When you’re in search of an experience more so than a meal, a visit to Rainbird will leave you closely knit and connected with the season’s memorable and abundant harvest—a destination surely worth the drive for San Joaquin residents.