Foothill Flavours 669 words

At Eddie’s: Service Comes with a Smile

By Antoinette May Herndon

Wendy Goode loves her job. She does it well too, very well. Maybe “fabulous” is an overworked word, but I’ve got to use it. Wendy Goode is a fabulous waitress.

Charles and I have sometimes visited Eddie’s Grill in Valley Springs when Wendy was all alone. There she was smiling like she really, really meant it, circulating smoothly from table to table, leaving in her wake table after table of satisfied customers.

Wendy’s boss, Ray Jursnich is a lucky guy to have her, but then maybe Ray deserves some luck. His father, the late Eddie Jursnich, died three years ago. Eddie’s Grill is his memorial.

Most would agree that 2009 was not a good year for Ray. A casualty to the economy, he was terminated from his job at the Rancheria. Today he can say in retrospect that if it had to happen it could not have happened at a better time. Rays remembers, “The lay off enabled me to spend every day with my father—the last month of his life.”

Eddie Jursnich was a native of Butte, Mon., where he attended college and graduate school. As a young man, Eddie moved to Davis where he taught elementary school, later becoming a grammar school principle. Ray believes that Eddied lives on as the spirit of his namesake eatery. Ray opened the grill in his father’s honor in February 2012.

Many will remember Ray from his

days behind the bar at the Hotel Leger in Mokelumne Hill. Working with him as one of the chefs is Clay Major, another Leger alum.

Charles and I first visited the restaurant when it was only a few weeks old. We knew even then that Eddie’s was destined for success. We’ve been back a number of times over the last two years, most recently with “our” daughter and son-in-law, Marion and David Lauter.

After studying the many photographs of Eddie’s growing up years in Butte, nostalgic depictions of the 1940s, we settled into a comfortable corner booth ready to move on to the menu. It had a cartoony sketch on the cover, a smiling man who looked like he’d be fun to know. Of course it was Eddie.

There’s lots on the menu to choose from, but I’ve pretty well worked my way through it. On this particular evening, I chose pillow ravioli. ($12.75) “Pillow” was an apt description. The ravioli was jumbo size and plump. I ended upon taking enough home to build a dinner around the following day. A choice of soup or salad came with the ravioli. I picked the soup, which turned out to be chilli—not the wisest choice for a hot summer day, especially when paired with a heavy entre. (Oh, why doesn’t someone start serving gazpacho or cold cucumber soup!)

At the table were three gorgeous dinner salads selected by Charles, Marion and David. Who was it that wrote “Wise Women; Foolish Choices”? What was I thinking of!

Charles ordered

homemade meatloaf covered with Eddie’s signature BBQ sauces. ($12.75) Marion had an old favourite of mine, St. Louis ribs with pasta. ( $14.75) David had Eddie’s signature mushroom burger. It comes smothered in mushrooms that have been sautéed with garlic and covered with melted Swiss cheese.

Ray is especially proud of Eddie’s burgers. “They’re specially ground and made from home made ingredients,” he explains. “Comfort food is what we do and we aim to do it right.” But I think there’s more than that—just try the crisp garlic toast. I’ve never tasted better.

I also loved the house white wine, a blended sauvignon blanc. It’s surprisingly good.

As we were leaving, I chatted some more with Wendy, our wait person extraordinaire. “I dropped out of college because I really liked restaurant work better,” she told me. “I’ve never regretted it. This is what I love and I love doing it at Eddie’s.

VITALS: Eddie’s is located 10 Nove St., Valley Springs. Phone: 772-3322. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Credit cards accepted.

PICTURES

Ray Jursnich, owner of Eddie’s Grill in Valley Springs with a star asset, Wendy Goode.

Eddie’s Grill in Valley Springs has an eye on 49. The interior of Eddie’s Grill in Valley Springs invites casual dining pleasure.