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Downtown Murphys is one of the brightest jewels of the Mother Lode. Right in the middle of it all is Grounds Restaurant and Bar featuring quaint rural dining, quality food and a diverse three meal a day menu. Grounds is owned by longtime Murphys restaurateur River Klass. In 1992 Murphys was much less developed than today. A parcel downtown had an old house on it that River purchased to build a coffee shop restaurant. He actively participated in the construction of the building. The word “grounds” kept coming up in its various forms during this time so he decided to call the facility Grounds. As Murphys grew, Grounds has grown and changed with it by the addition of dinner, an extensive wine list, and structural improvements. |
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Grounds is designed with a long narrow dining area that actually creates a different atmosphere in several areas of the dining room. Many regular customers who make reservations specify the section where they prefer their table to be. One of the most enjoyable places in town to have dinner is on their enclosed patio, which is both cozy and comfortable. Dining outdoors in the beautiful mountain atmosphere can’t be beat. We were seated by our server Ciera at a table in the dining room with a view of the courtyard. We started our evening by enjoying a Chocolate Martini created by the bartender Karina. It was a delightfully refreshing drink that we heartily recommend. If your taste in spirits leans toward the more conventional, Grounds has a fully stocked bar with a large variety of beer, wine and distilled delights. The extensive wine list features over 100 choices to meet the need for fruit of the vine. Grounds has the policy of waiving its corkage fee on wines brought in from one of the 22 local area wineries. If you’ve found a treasure while wine tasting you may bring it along to enjoy with your dinner. During our visit Grounds offered 3 classic appetizers ($8-11): Crab Cakes with dipping Sauce on Greens, Chicken Skewers with Thai Peanut Sauce, and Bruschetta. At our server Ciera’s suggestion we decided on Bruschetta. They bring the ingredients and you assemble your own! Grab a baguette and put on your cheese and quantity of fresh mozzarella, goat feta, roasted red peppers, pesto, and garlic olive oil to create your own tasty treat. Salads ($8) available include a mixed green, tossed and stacked on roasted red peppers, with your choice of house made walnut vinaigrette or Asiago peppercorn dressing. Another choice is the Crisp romaine topped with Caesar Dressing and garlic croutons. The Caesar is also available as a larger dinner salad with grilled chicken or grilled prawns. We ordered the dinner Caesar salad with grilled prawns and when it arrived at our table we saw what had to be the biggest prawns we’ve seen in California, like those jumbo prawns they have in Louisiana. The Caesar dressing had a light anchovy accent that gave it a marvelous flavor. Warm Artisan bread and butter added to the enjoyment of the appetizers, salad and wine. Grounds offers 10 dinner entrées ($14-$29) featuring beef, seafood, chicken, pasta and vegetable main courses. Steamed Mussels are prepared with Chardonnay, sweet butter, cracked pepper, fresh basil, shallots and garlic. The taste was very refined and the sweet potato fries were a wonderful complement to this commendable dinner. The selection that won the prize for presentation and melt in your mouth taste was Filet Mignon, the definitive cut of beef. Jumbo |
shrimp are wrapped in prosciutto to further treat the palate. Several delicate and mild cippoline onions added another layer of essence to the orchestra of flavor. Baby carrots were fanned out across the plate for color and style. Rosemary new potatoes and bordelaise reduction sauce rounded out this gastronomic masterpiece. We also enjoyed Large Four Cheese Ravioli that are bathed in their outstanding meat sauce from a homemade family recipe. After tasting them we wish we had been able to try that other Italian delight Cioppino, but I guess we will save that for next time. Grounds has a solution for those dining with children who haven’t developed an appreciation of fine cuisine. Kids (and some adults) don’t care how good the Steamed Mussels are, they’d rather have a burger or pizza! River Klass also owns Firewood Restaurant that serves less formal food and has arranged for customers to order Firewood food at Grounds. Firewood is located 21 feet to the west so the transfer is rather easy and payment is then added onto the Grounds bill for your convenience. Chocolate desserts are very popular with our readers so we always make the noble sacrifice of ordering them. It is a tough job but someone has to do it! Chocolate Lava Cake is topped with whipped cream, a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, and fancy designs on the plate in chocolate sauce. The cake center has rich chocolate fudge that will bring glee to any chocolate lover. They also have White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake with whipped cream, a dusting of confectioners sugar and topped with raspberry sauce. Priced at $4.95 these sweet delights have got to be the best deal in town! If you ask around you’ll find out that breakfast at Grounds is a local favorite in Murphys. Their signature must-try is their potato pancakes, made with a special variety of potatoes and custom processed to yield a terrific breakfast treat. They have a full lunch menu that has only one item in common with the dinner menu: Caesar Salad. When enjoying a meal at Grounds you may expect consistency. River Klass has owned it since it was an empty lot, Restaurant Manager Debbie Benton has worked there 10 years, and Chef David Boothe has 35 years of experience, the last seven of which have been at Grounds. Chef David has previously owned two restaurants in Sonora. His culinary specialties are Italian and California comfort foods and a focus on roasting and braising meats. All of this experience translates into a solid dining experience. Grounds Restaurant is located at 402 Main Street Suite A in Murphys. Dinner is served Wednesday to Sunday. See insert for complete Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner hours. Reservations can be made at 209-728-8663. Websites for both Restaurants are: www.GroundsRestaurant.com and www.FirewoodEats.com. |
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SCHEDULE OF HOURS FOR INSERT Grounds Breakfast
Mon. – Fri.
Lunch
Mon.-Fri.
Dinner
Wed.& Thurs.
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