PLACERVILLE, Calif. — Several Placerville restaurants will be featured on a new Food Network show called "Best Bite in Town."
Guy Fieri is the host of a new show where he sends his friend, actor and television presenter Noah Cappe, to find the best bites in Placerville. Along with chefs Aarti Sequeira and Joe Sasto, the trio will visit two restaurants each but only choose one dish to serve up for the showcase.
Kathleen Dodge, the executive director of the El Dorado Lake Tahoe Film and Media Office, said it was an absolute pleasure to work with the crew and exciting to see people in the local community be part of the audience.
"They cared so much about our community and the story was about our community and about the wonderful restaurants that we have and the fun of coming to a town like Placerville and experiencing all the unique things," Dodge said.
The restaurants set to be featured include Amore Mio Italian Bistro, Enchanted Forest Dining Experience, Rocker Oysterfellers, Smith Flat House Cellar & Grill, Hog Wild BBQ and Placerville Public House.
Amore Mio Italian Bistro
For Federico Aquini, the co-owner of Amore Mio Italian Bistro, his wife Fimona Salvatori is the star.
"The core of everything is her. It's not me. It's her. For me, that's important because she created the recipes. She creates the dishes out of her mind," Aquini said.
Aquini said he and Salvatori also own a restaurant in Rome, Italy and they ship ingredients to Amore Mio directly from Italy which, besides their Italian accents, speaks to the authenticity of the bistro. The couple opened the bistro in 2021 and he said it's special to be recognized only a few years after opening.
Find the menu HERE.
Enchanted Forest Dining Experience
Kaitlyn Keyt, the creator and owner of Enchanted Forest Dining Experience, said if you enjoy Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, you'll enjoy their magical forest in Placerville.
"What a fun unique experience. So exciting when 50 of the Food Network cast and crew rolled into our little town. They made us feel very comfortable and walked us through the process, coaching us along the way. The extra fun part is they allowed us to experience the behind-the-scenes of how the Food Network filming magic works," Keyt said.
While it might not be the place for a quick bite, Enchanted Forest strives to transport its guests to a magical place with glowing river tables and flickering lanterns, according to Keyt.
Find the menu HERE.
Rocker Oysterfellers
Shona Campbell and Brandon Guenther are the co-owners of Rocker Oysterfellers and they said it was an incredible experience filming for "Best Bite in Town"
"We are a newer addition to Placerville, we're doing something that I think was kind of missing from Placerville — kind of wanting. There's not much seafood in Placerville proper," Guenther said.
Campbell said they offer seafood and other options that mix California freshness with Southern ingredients.
"It's a great experience for Placerville. It's really exciting they picked Placerville, it's such a fun little town. It's a town where you really know your neighbors," Campbell said.
Find the menu HERE.
Smith Flat House Cellar & Grill
Smith Flat House Cellar & Grill offers locally sourced farm-to-fork options, according to its Facebook page.
"We were so excited to be one of the restaurants chosen for the show. It was such a fun and unique experience to be a part of and a great opportunity for our little town of Placerville," Owner Mason Antonucci said in a statement to ABC10.
Find the menu HERE.
Hog Wild BBQ
Mary Fulmer owns Hog Wild BBQ with her husband and said it's a family business that's worth the drive to Placerville.
"It was a fantastic experience, we had a lot of fun and it gave us a great opportunity to highlight our team and what we do," Fulmer said.
Hog Wild specializes in low and slow-smoked meat as well as homemade sides and desserts.
Find the menu HERE.
Placerville Public House
Another husband and wife team also owns a restaurant in the competition called Placerville Public House. Al Griffin said it was an exciting experience and they had a blast.
"It was our first time doing any food show or anything like that so it was definitely a new experience. It was fun, they were great. The crew — the whole show was very accommodating," Griffin said.
Griffin said their restaurant is community-based and they sponsor local sports, hold fundraisers and more since opening nearly eight years ago, though they moved to a new location about four years ago.
Find the menu HERE.
"We are excited to have Placerville featured on this great new show. Placerville has fantastic restaurants and we should highlight all of them. It is hard to choose. Congratulations to those that were chosen to be part of the show. We look forward to celebrating with them," Placerville City Manager Cleve Morris said in a statement to ABC10.
The winner won't be announced until the show airs Friday, April 26 at 9 p.m. on Food Network. For more information, click HERE.
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