The Imperial Lives Up to its Name

By Antoinette May Herndon

Doesn’t everybody secretly believe his or her birthday should be a national holiday? I certainly do. (Nov. 21) So naturally my husband, Charles, and I wanted to do something extra special when his son, Jay, celebrated a big one.

After much debate, we settled on the Imperial Hotel at that picturesque bend in the road where old Highway 49 curves into (or out of) Amador City. We wanted something celebratory and elegant. The Imperial, with its historic past, seemed a perfect setting to generate some family history of our own.

The hotel, bar and restaurant, built in 1879, has seen enough action in 130 years to spawn a legion of ghosts. Mary Ann McCamant, who owns the Imperial with her husband, Jim, claims at least one. A gunslinger is said to have met his end there. When the one-time bad man occasionally forgets his place in the cosmic scheme of things, McCamant placates his restless shade with a shot of whiskey left in the room where he met his demise.

We selected Wednesday night for our birthday bash, unaware of the restaurant’s weekly happy hour. It was

spirited enough to make the Imperial ghost feel right at home. The tiny—but inviting bar—was packed.

Fortunately, the adjoining dining room, quieter by far, was equally tempting: original walls built from local timber combined with exposed brick, vivid paintings and silk hangings.

Jay, the solar celebrant, and I each chose the bistro steak, ($24), a bit chewy for our taste but the Gorgonzola cream sauce was divine, the garlic mashed potatoes orgasmic. Arguably the hit of the evening was the squash soup, thick with cream, laced with subtle tastes. ($6

Jay’s wife, Teri, loved her pork chop with sautéed apples, onions and balsamic vinegar ($23), describing it as “succulent and tender.” She also enjoyed and divided— (generous, gir1!)—the beet salad—mixed greens, with blue cheese, roasted beets, walnuts and honey-mustard vinaigrette. ($7) Delicious!

Charles went with the pre-fix menu, an Imperial special on happy hour Wednesdays. ($27) It included the same beet salad and duck breast with a spicy raspberry chile port reduction, mashed potatoes and mixed veggies. Charles was so delighted with his selection that he refused to share even

a bite. His dessert was a slice of chocolate mousse bombe ($10). It looked so good that Jay chose it for his birthday cake.

This brings me to the subject of desserts, a specialty at the Imperial. Each is a creation of the celebrated Ingrid Fraser, a Culinary Institute star known throughout Northern California for elegant and delicious cakes. Sunset Magazine features Fraser’s desserts and recipes and she teaches pastry classes for the Amador County Learning Network. Faced with such temptation, who wants to be strong? Teri chose a fresh fruit tart ($9); I picked the espresso cheesecake. ($10)

Restaurant servings are generous, food hearty. Our evening was truly imperial, fit for a king . . . or at least a birthday boy.

VITALS: 14202 Old Highway 49, Amador City. (209) 267-9172. Dinner: Wednesday through Sunday starting at 5 p.m. Lunch at noon on weekends. Credit cards accepted. Reservations desirable. There are six decorator-style bedrooms upstairs—views, large comfortable beds, antiques touches—each with a private bath.

aherndon@sierralodestar.com