LOOMIS, Calif — Foodies, rejoice. Placer County's big restaurant week is here, and it's feeling very citrusy. For the next week, dozens of restaurants across the county will be getting creative to incorporate a local crop into their menu items.
This year, that local crop is the county’s famous Satsuma Mandarins and other local citrus.
"This is not mandarins out of a can," said Jacqueline Lostritto from Ill Pizzaiolo Woodfired Pizza. "This fruity, juicy, sweet, delicious. So much flavor — they’re wonderful."
Restaurants get to join in on Placer Citrus Restaurant Week for free. The only thing they have to do is have at least one citrus-inspired menu item customers can order, every day during restaurant week — from January 3 until January 12.
Lostritto said her Loomis restaurant jumped at the chance to take part because January is often a "very quiet month for restaurants.
So they’ve taken on the fun challenge of coming up with their own take on dishes starring the mandarins, including a salad with a mandarin vinaigrette, a mandarin pizza and mandarin mousse.
"[We] work very closely with our local farmers here, and so that has always been a high priority," Lostritto said. "To be able to incorporate that here in this Placer restaurant week, it’s perfect."
Other Placer County restaurants have also gotten creative in efforts to draw people in after the holidays.
"If it's something that’s unique themed, it kind of helps draw people in," said Tiffany McKenzie with Visit Placer.
All of the unique dishes have one goal — to shed light on communities and the impressive creativity they each offer.
"So much brightness that citrus brings in the middle of winter," McKenzie said, "It just highlights our crop and our culinary culture and uniting our restaurants together."
Follow the conversation on Facebook with Zach Fuentes.
Visit Placer is still excepting Placer County restaurant additions.
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