Foothill Flavors Main Street has a New Flavor By Antoinette May Herndon

Isn’t fun to meet a new friend? The newness itself, the feeling of pleasure and possibility, the sense of added dimension. That’s how I feel about a new restaurant. It’s always exciting to discover one that’s new to me—I’m looking! I’m looking!—Please help by emailing your favorites. But what’s really fun to investigate is an eatery that’s really new—new to everyone. For weeks I’ve been eyeing Jackson’s Main Street Café with interest. Even in my limited time in the Foothills (nine years), the building has acquired history. First it was a house, then a failed business. Then it stood empty,empty, empty. Was it haunted, I sometimes wondered while whizzing by to “busy down town” Jackson. ` Then along came Agave. Suddenly, it seemed, I’d discovered my adobe hacienda. The new Mexican restaurant looked like a real winner. The owner, Adolfo Gomez, did a fabulous job of taking a beat up old house and turning it into a tasty, trendy restaurant. The walls were freshly painted, the stairs to the second floor broadened. Large windows introduced a new sense of space. It was a noble effort. I don’t know why Agave didn’t

make it. In less than a year the place was closed. Since then I’ve watched the old house with interest, was thrilled to see an intent to do business sign in the window a couple of months back. I surely hope the place isn’t jinxed because a Valley Springs couple, Sherry and Richard Cherney, have bought the building and morphed it into the Main Street Café. They’ve chosen to keep the old Agave décor so the place has the same light, bright and airy ambience. What’s new is the menu. Sherry, a former chef at the Rancheria, has placed her emphasis on American country cuisine. Every dish is made from a family recipe. There are no preservatives used. All dishes are made to order—nothing nuked at the last minute in the microwave. The burger buns are home baked. Gravy is made from scratch, meats baked or roasted on the premises. This is the real thing. Natasha Davis, the hostess -wait person, is a great ambassador. She met us with a pretty smile, led us upstairs (eating upstairs in the old restaurant is fun—like going to grandma’s house). Natasha is enthused about her bosses, their food and the bistro’s future—nothing bored or blasé about her. She’s proud of the new menu and I don’t blame

her—there are lots of good things to choose from. Charles, his daughter, Marion, and I visited the Main Street Café on a recent Wednesday night. We get together once a week to search out new raves and review old ones. We were all pleased with Main Street Café. Marion’s choice was a hamburger with all the trimmings. ($7.75) She was delighted by the freshness of each component. Entrees at the Main Street Café come with two sides. Charles selected spaghetti and meatballs for his main course and loved the homemade sauce. ($9.99) His sides were soup and veggies. That French onion soup! It was outstanding, really thick and flavorful. I, too, chose veggies for a side but selected chicken fried steak for an entrée ($12.99). The steak was a tad on the chewy side but had an excellent flavor. The three of us were all well pleased. With a blackboard advertising blueberry crisp in front of us all evening, we just couldn’t resist. One serving ($2.25) was enough for the three of us. How sweet it was!

VITALS: Main Street Café, 210 Main St., Jackson. Phone: 223- 3144. Open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Credit cards accepted.