Dixon and Woodland
This installment of “The Foraging Angler” looks at eateries in Dixon and Woodland that I feel are worth visiting if you’re on your way to or from fishing, say, Putah Creek or exploring nearby valley waters (or just want a good meal off the nearby 505 and I-80 corridors). Each place offers great food at a reasonable price, and each is either a recommendation from friends or family, or a place that Kirsten and I discovered out of the blue.
I like having a wide variety of options for where to eat. I know some of you think all I eat are hamburgers. I like burgers, they include all the major food groups: bread, diary, meat, and veggies. What else do you need? Well, how about some spice, some home cooking, or just a nice, thick steak? You can find all that and more in Dixon and Woodland.
S&S Deli & Grill, Dixon
The authentic Mediterranean and Greek cuisine at S&S Deli & Grill in Dixon is so good that I order an extra entrée so I can take it home to eat later. Their food is fresh and cooked perfectly. I also like it when the owners come out to see me and I get a big hug every time I am there. I really do not eat hamburgers all that frequently. I love lamb. My kids raised lambs in 4H and FFA, the Future Farmers of America, but I love eating them. All I see when I look at a small lamb are lamb chops, loins, and stew meat. This place does great lamb.
My favorite, and I order it every time I’m there, is the lamb kabob platter. The lamb is marinated overnight in spices and Greek olive oil, then cooked until it falls apart on the kabob. It is served with Mediterranean rice, fresh veggies, and hummus that is creamy with garlic and lemon juice.
Kirsten doesn’t like lamb at all, and she hates it when I cook it. I’ve told her that she has had mutton, not lamb, but she doesn’t believe me. Her favorite dish at the deli is the chicken kabob platter. She loves the hummus, and we usually leave with some. She orders the platter with the rice, but she likes the juices from the chicken, so she always asks for what the folks at the deli call “drippings.” Kirsten is in heaven. She can never finish the platter, so there always are leftovers for me later.
S&S Deli & Grill, 115 East Dorset Drive, Suite B, Dixon. Phone: (707) 6933399; website, https://www.ssdeligrill.com. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Solano Baking Company, Dixon
Solano Baking Company is a fourth-generation, family-owned and family-operated business. Arnie and Donna Rubin started the bakery in 1981. Their daughter, Kendra Benz, and Robert and Jan Mitchell all are involved with the company, from the day-to-day baking to catering and serving the folks who wander into this great eatery.
The bakery serves breakfast and lunch only. They have a huge variety of pastries, breads, and cookies available. I haven’t had anything that I didn’t like at this mom-and-pop restaurant. Everything is baked daily, all the veggies are fresh, and the homemade soups are spot on.
Kirsten’s favorite is the Solano hot turkey sandwich: melted Monterey jack and avocado with a little aioli, all toasted on fresh-that-morning sourdough bread. They even serve it with a chocolate chip cookie. Kirsten usually just eats half the sandwich — again, more leftovers for me. One of my favorite dishes, one that I especially like on a cool day, is their homemade chicken tortilla soup. It’s thick and creamy, with lots of daily-cooked tender chicken. The soup comes in a 16-ounce bowl with a focaccia bread stick and chocolate chip cookie, all for $6.99.
Kirsten and I have purchased freshly baked breads there and enjoyed them at home. Solano Baking Company serves breakfast, but it seems we are never around that area early in the morning. This bakery is busy all the time. Great place with some excellent bargains!
Solano Baking Company, 1160 Pitt School Road, Suite B, Dixon. Phone: (707) 678-0950; website, https://www.solanobaking.com/home. Open seven days a week, 5:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Kitchen428, Woodland
Opened in 2012 by owner and operator Christy Hayes, Kitchen428 is a restaurant that believes in using local, seasonal ingredients. All of their ingredients are sourced from within 100 miles of the kitchen. Kitchen428’s motto is “Farms to your Forks.”
My favorite lunch is their seafood salad sandwich. It is awesome, loaded with a mixture of prawns and crab that includes Cheddar cheese, artichoke hearts, a little red onion, and a secret house-made “Mayo Sauce,” topped with butterleaf lettuce on toasted sourdough bread. This sandwich is one of my all-time favorites.
For dinner, Kirsten goes right for the rib eye. It’s a generous 14-ounce steak that is aged and seasoned perfectly. I have tried bites of it, and I don’t disagree with her assessment. The steak is served with freshly made garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. What makes this dish pop for me is the creamy and rich mushroom gravy that some wizard in the kitchen came up with. It is flat-out wonderful.
My favorite dinner entrée is the pan-seared salmon. Kirsten dislikes salmon. Long story short, she never had good fish while she was growing up, and she always stands clear of much of it today. She loves freshly caught stripers, ahi, snook, and many others that I have asked her to try, but she still doesn’t care for salmon. Even when I had an ice chest full of salmon filets fresh from the coast — nope, she wasn’t going to touch them. But I like salmon, and Kitchen428 does a bang-up job with this dish, serving it with quinoa cooked spot on and a squash succotash with an asiago cream sauce. It is a great light dish for both the winter and the summer months.
Kitchen428 Restaurant, 428 First Street, Woodland. Phone: (530) 661-0428; website, https://mojoskitchen428.com. Open Monday through Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday for dinner, 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Father Paddy’s, Woodland
I have never been to Ireland, but many of my friends and family members who have say that when they walk into this place, they feel like they are right back there, having a great time with all the pub’s patrons. Located in a corner building in downtown Woodland, this place is classy, with an authentic feel.
Patrick Redmond, the owner of the pub, wanted to make it a traditional community gathering place, and he did just that. The first time I visited Father Paddy’s was not that long ago, and I was welcomed as an old friend, with open arms and a shot of Irish whiskey.
This joint is laid back and easy-going, with a dedication to service and fresh, authentic Irish food and drinks. I’m not saying you can’t order a Rocket Fire and slam it down with the bartender, because you can. It offers a huge variety of whiskeys. I still order my usual drink, a Vodka Press, and am happy.
For food, they have a great clam chowder. Whenever I go to a place that has clam chowder on the menu, that is what I order, just a cup — a small sampling for my taste buds to judge. Paddy’s is definitely in the top five of clam chowders that I have had. For my main dish, especially on cooler days, I like their Irish stew. It’s prepared with Guinness-braised beef, potatoes, onion, celery, carrots and parsnips, and is served with house-made Irish soda bread. When it is warmer outside, I order the “Paddy Melt” — a half-pound ground beef patty topped with Jameson onions and the pub’s three-cheese blend (Jarlsberg, aged white Cheddar, and Comte cheeses) on grilled rye. Boy howdy!
Kirsten orders the “Weeds,” which is what the folks at Father Paddy’s call their salads. Her favorite is their wedge salad, crisp cold iceberg lettuce, topped with American bacon, crumbled blue cheese, croutons, and blue cheese dressing. I order the Paddy Melt, and then we split everything. It’s a great combination.
Father Paddy’s, 435 Main Street, Woodland. Phone: (530) 668-1044; website, https://fatherpaddyspub.com. Open Tuesday, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday. 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Birrieria Mooooy, Woodland
Birrieria Mooooy offers really good authentic Mexican food from a food truck, or rather, a food trailer. I find these little places by accident. I was doing something in Woodland and saw a crowd of people around a food trailer, so I stopped. All these folks couldn’t be wrong, I figured, and they weren’t. This traveling joint serves real, dependable food.
My favorite dish is the birria de res carnes plater. I had to Google what birria de res is, and I am glad I did. It is a Mexican dish from the state of Jalisco, a traditional soup or stew made from a combination of chili-pepper-base, garlic, cumin, bay leaves, and thyme, slow-stewed at low heat, and can contain beef, lamb, sheep, chicken, or even vegan meat substitutes. The one that Birrieria Mooooy makes is with beef, served with hot flour or corn tortillas, lime wedges, and a small turnip.
Kirsten’s favorite dish at Birrieria Mooooy is the chicken taco. She usually gets just three. They are covered with fresh salsa and served with lime wedges and a fresh turnip. They are really good.
The food at Birrieria Mooooy is simple, honest food that is served hot. I have had most of their menu, and on busy days, they will run out of certain items, which doesn’t bother me, because it means they prepare only a certain amount of food daily. I just order something else, or I tell them to choose for me. I’ve never been disappointed at this place.
Birrieria Mooooy, 801 East Street, Woodland. Phone: (530) 554-0193. Open Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Ranch Kitchen, Woodland
Ranch Kitchen is a family-owned and family-operated business that serves great food. These folks work. They work all the time, because this place is always busy. A table opens up, gets cleaned, and then somebody is already sitting down. Many times, it isn’t even cleaned yet, and folks are sitting there waiting to order with menus in hand.
Ranch Kitchen is small, seating 20 or so people. That’s it. There is a nice outdoor dining area located on the side of the restaurant, though. The place is located in a commercial area in an old house turned breakfast/lunch joint. If I am in Woodland early, Ranch Kitchen is where I have breakfast.
I love their chicken fried steak and eggs platter. I know, I know — I should be eating better. Their chicken fried steak is awesome, home made, and very good. What stands out is the gravy. It’s not the traditional white sausage gravy that you get in greasy-spoon joints. Ranch Kitchen’s is a brown gravy that has a hint of Hispanic spices, but not really hot — cumin and just a touch of red pepper. This gravy is smooth and creamy. The other unusual way the folks serve their chicken fried steak is that the steak is placed on top of the gravy. Trust me, it works.
Kirsten loves their garden omelet. This three-egg omelet is loaded with mushrooms, spinach, and onions, and she adds bacon to it. She orders it with fruit, rather than hash browns or home fries. The fruit comes in a big bowl, and it is amazing.
I love Ranch Kitchen. It has that home feel that welcomes everyone. A must if you are in Woodland.
Ranch Kitchen, 240 North East Street, Woodland. Phone: (530) 666-3543. Open Wednesday through Monday, 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.
