TASTE
Foothill Flavors
The spirit of Nevada County ’ s farm-to-table approach travels beyond the restaurant doors
STORY AND PHOTOS BY Scott Thomas Anderson
A Cirino ’ s Bloody Mary , made with South Fork Vodka , comes served with a blonde or dark beer chaser . Cirino ’ s Bloody Mary mix is now sold in 48 states and seven countries .
There ’ s a crimson monster lurking inside the bar of Cirino ’ s at Main . It ’ s a spicy behemoth — tall , ice-sweating and garden-swirled with enough greens on top to catch every set of eyes across the rustic dining room . This beast is known as Cirino ’ s Bloody Mary , and for a decade it ’ s been rising to legendary status in Grass Valley . The one just mixed has an added local dimension because it ’ s infused with South Fork Vodka , a distillery operating just up the road off Highway 49 . Ordering a Cirino ’ s Bloody Mary with South Fork is equal to drinking an emblem of Nevada County : Its vegetables come from nearby farms ; its sauce is mixed and bottled in-house ; and its alcohol is distilled at a small , bootstrapped business that ’ s recently become a community favorite .
Lately , Nevada County eateries aren ’ t just embracing a farm-to-table trajectory ; they ’ re finding small but meaningful ways to send their green-thumb dining experience home with their customers . Few destinations have mastered the trend as well as Cirino ’ s , a pioneer in tapping the region ’ s fruit and vegetable growers to guide its ultra-fresh seasonal menus . The Bloody Mary mix that Jerry Cirino invented was directly influenced by local farmers . Now , it ’ s become so popular that bottles are sold in 48 states and seven countries . It ’ s an example of how restaurants from Grass Valley to Truckee have found ways to bring a taste of their unique foothill appeal back to one ’ s living room .
“ I ’ ve been a frustrated farmer for probably all my life ,” Cirino
32 comstocksmag . com | November 2021