Beef's Up at the Buckhorn

Friendly waitresses call people "hon," and old-fashioned, high-backed oak booths contain carnivorous diners watched over by trophy game heads from a bygone era. Have I stepped back in time? In a way, yes. I've walked into the Buckhorn Steak & Roadhouse on Main Street in the quaint Yolo County town of Winters.

This is a serious steakhouse, offering customers Certified Angus Beef, hand cut in the back by butchers who truly know their business. In fact, experienced waitress Kate Lovell holds an on-site "Cow School" so that servers can expertly explain the ins and outs of various cuts to customers. The restaurant has its own aging room, kept at 34 degrees to age meat to perfection. The Buckhorn's "broiling guidelines," or "doneness" scale, is about the most informative I've seen posted. For instance, the guidelines suggest that a medium rare steak has "a red center, pink edges," and medium well, "brown edges, pink center." This makes perfect sense and more restaurants should follow their lead.

Though the Buckhorn serves generous portions of chicken, pork, racks of lamb, game meats and seafood, beef is the star here, occupying two separate sections on the menu. The "Sirloin Menu" (each sirloin is aged 60 days) has choices such as the Taylor Sirloin ($21.95), Prime Medallions ($19.95) and other cuts. The "Steakhouse Favorites" side of the menu includes the popular Buck's Cut ($22.95), 20-ounce Rib Eye ($26.95), and assorted chops and ribs. All menu entrees come with bread, soup or salad, plus vegetables and fresh potatoes or rice pilaf. This is a deal, and many diners might be pleasantly surprised by a modest bill. All of these items can be ordered a la carte or as sides.

Starters are the usual suspects, but the Grilled Portobello Mushrooms ($7.95) were a savory surprise, cooked in soy mustard. Other appetizer favorites are the Fire-Roasted Artichoke ($7.95), Crispy Calamari ($8.95) and Roadhouse Onions ($5.95).

My soup du jour turned out to be a fabulous German potato soup, in a heavy beef broth which personified the word "hearty." If this house-made soup came in a larger bowl, it could be a full meal in itself. For an entree, I selected the Baseball Sirloin ($25.95), a round-shaped steak basted in a port wine cherry sauce. At 4 inches high, charred on the outside and pink throughout, the Baseball Sirloin was a home run. It was one of the best steaks I've had in some time, with plenty left over for a meal the next day. My baked potato and fresh asparagus harmonized perfectly with the sirloin.

Desserts are offered tableside, and I selected an excellent New York-style cheesecake ($5.95) drizzled with strawberry and Grand Marnier sauce, which provided a pleasing coda to an enjoyable meal.

The wine list is perhaps the only area where the Buckhorn is a bit weak. But word has it that the list is undergoing renovation and improvements are on the way. It now includes a series of Cakebread selections as well as a smooth, full-bodied Nichelini zin. The list also includes many regional wines from the North Coast, as well as some from Yolo County. The restaurant charges a $10 corkage fee if you bring your own bottle.

The Buckhorn's wait staff is crisp and friendly, serving up suggestions, along with plates. The adjacent bar area has an ample beer selection, plus it offers a number of signature cocktails such as the sweet and chewy Chocolate Martini. The bar action heats up on weekends, with an interesting mix of people mingling before hitting dinner.

The Buckhorn is an anachronism, to be sure, but a very good one. Housed in the DeVilbiss Hotel, a two-story brick building dating from 1889, this is a true destination restaurant whose average customer drives in from San Francisco, Marin County, Sonoma, Sacramento and all points in between. Winters has quite a few pleasant attractions, but topping the list is clearly this restaurant. I can't wait to return.

Buckhorn Steak & Roadhouse, 2 Main St., Winters. Call (530) 795-4503 for reservations. Open for dinner: 5-9:30 p.m. weekdays; 4:30-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 4-9 p.m. Sunday.

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Solano Magazine »