Ernie’s Food & Spirits hasn’t simply reopened.

It is bringing an entire new dining experience in an elegant contemporary setting to the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

The “new” Ernie’s is the result of an extensive one-on-one collaboration with everyone from boutique farms within an hour of their kitchen to mushroom foragers as well as pig farmers and cattle ranchers that aim for quality over quantity. The partnership has led to the creation of a menu that is steak centric with a focus on fresh seafood, lamb, pork, and chicken using the fresh and robust offerings produced in the world’s most fertile agricultural valley that is at both their front and back doors.

 “We’re not just providing substance but a dining experience,” noted Executive Chef John Gardner.

It’s a complete team effort to the point even the wait staff is schooled personally along with the culinary team on where the fresh ingredients come from on the plates they serve patrons.

That commitment to the cuisine they create and the experience they provide diners  took Ernie’s staff recently to the 17,767-acre Rancho Llano Seco near Chico spread where heirloom crops are grown and livestock raised on one of the last mid-19th century Mexican land grant properties. This is where Ernie’s — as well as numerous upper end restaurants in Northern California — rely on to secure the highest quality of pork products. Typically only 75 pigs a week are processed at Rancho Llano Seco driven by the emphasis on quality

Such excursions strengthen team collaboration. Not only do the growers understand the standards that chefs want but Ernie’s team gets a better understanding of the unparalleled quality and variety that comes from California soil.

Gardner noted people — including those that live here — often fail to grasp the great bounty California offers. No state produces more than 400 agricultural commodities offered. The fact California in 2019 produced $50 billion worth of farm products — $22.5 billion more than No.2 Iowa in terms of state agricultural output — often overshadows the fact that there is a large number of boutique or specialty farm operations that concentrate on growing produce that is top tier.

And given much of it is minutes from Ernie’s, the level of freshness and taste that Gardner and his team can incorporate on every plate served whether it is what accents or flavors Roasted Piri Piri Chicken to a mushroom risotto employing buttery Pt. Reyes blue cheese is unique.

The menu being predicated on freshness means guests are served only what is in season which — given Manteca’s location — is substantial year round.

“I can (prepare offerings) with items from my backyard,” Gardner said of the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

An while he counts a long list of local sources such as the Zinc House Farms and Lorena Edibles, both in the Escalon area, Ernie’s also grows their own herbs in a well maintained box gardener just outside their patio dining area,

Gardner recalled before the pandemic forced the restaurant’s closure a customer inquired about incorporating horseradish into an offering. Gardner couldn’t make it happen as it would detract from what one goes to Ernie’s to experiences.

“It (horseradish) was out of season,” Gardner said. “A horseradish is something you get from a root and not a bottle in a refrigerator.”

The only exceptions to the California sourced menu is the USDA Prime Certified Angus beef that meets 14 quality benchmarks obtained from a quality ranch near Omaha in Nebraska and truffles that make their way to Manteca from France.

Gardner’s connection with raising and preparing food is a life-long endeavor.

Raised on a cattle ranch in Hilmar where he also learned the art of butchering meat for the best possible cuts, Gardner worked as a chef for five years at the Canal Street Grille in Ripon before moving on to Table 26 in Turlock.

The pandemic afforded Gardner working with owner Dennis Williams the time to implement the connection and collaboration philosophy that has taken the Ernie’s menu to the next level.

“You can’t do something on this scale when you are working six days a week,” Gardner noted.

The fact Manteca is literally at the crossroads of California not only allows easy access to all sorts of agricultural bounty but it also provides a customer market bounded by the triangle of Modesto, Stockton, and Tracy with Manteca at the heart.

Finding the best and freshest California-grown offerings doesn’t stop at the food Ernie’s serves. Wild Bloom Farms provides the flowers gracing the dining room. At the same time in addition to a robust offering of various spirits, Ernie’s has secured the best of California craft beers.

 Ernie’s reopened Thursday night after being closed since mid-March.

For now they will offer dinner service from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.  Hours will expand as conditions warrant. Reservations are advised. They can be made by going to erniesfoodandspirits.com or calling (209) 239-3351. They will try and accommodate drop-ins.

Since opening in 2012, Ernie’s has succeeded in not just drawing a loyal clientele from within a 50-mile radius but also faithful patrons from San Francisco — a city that has over 1,000 dining options within its boundaries.

The unassuming exterior of Ernie’s and the adjoining Casino Real cardroom that is gearing up to open “outdoors” using a large tent, can be misleading.

The atmosphere inside Ernie’s — a soothing yet masculine design complete with booths and tables — is designed to complement the food that has an emphasis not just on quality but presentation as a whole.

 To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabuletin.com

 Ernie’s Food & Spirits hasn’t simply reopened.

It is bringing an entire new dining experience in an elegant contemporary setting to the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

The “new” Ernie’s is the result of an extensive one-on-one collaboration with everyone from boutique farms within an hour of their kitchen to mushroom foragers as well as pig farmers and cattle ranchers that aim for quality over quantity. The partnership has led to the creation of a menu that is steak centric with a focus on fresh seafood, lamb, pork, and chicken using the fresh and robust offerings produced in the world’s most fertile agricultural valley that is at both their front and back doors.

 “We’re not just providing substance but a dining experience,” noted Executive Chef John Gardner.

It’s a complete team effort to the point even the wait staff is schooled personally along with the culinary team on where the fresh ingredients come from on the plates they serve patrons.

That commitment to the cuisine they create and the experience they provide diners  took Ernie’s staff recently to the 17,767-acre Rancho Llano Seco near Chico spread where heirloom crops are grown and livestock raised on one of the last mid-19th century Mexican land grant properties. This is where Ernie’s — as well as numerous upper end restaurants in Northern California — rely on to secure the highest quality of pork products. Typically only 75 pigs a week are processed at Rancho Llano Seco driven by the emphasis on quality

Such excursions strengthen team collaboration. Not only do the growers understand the standards that chefs want but Ernie’s team gets a better understanding of the unparalleled quality and variety that comes from California soil.

Gardner noted people — including those that live here — often fail to grasp the great bounty California offers. No state produces more than 400 agricultural commodities offered. The fact California in 2019 produced $50 billion worth of farm products — $22.5 billion more than No.2 Iowa in terms of state agricultural output — often overshadows the fact that there is a large number of boutique or specialty farm operations that concentrate on growing produce that is top tier.

And given much of it is minutes from Ernie’s, the level of freshness and taste that Gardner and his team can incorporate on every plate served whether it is what accents or flavors Roasted Piri Piri Chicken to a mushroom risotto employing buttery Pt. Reyes blue cheese is unique.

The menu being predicated on freshness means guests are served only what is in season which — given Manteca’s location — is substantial year round.

“I can (prepare offerings) with items from my backyard,” Gardner said of the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

An while he counts a long list of local sources such as the Zinc House Farms and Lorena Edibles, both in the Escalon area, Ernie’s also grows their own herbs in a well maintained box gardener just outside their patio dining area,

Gardner recalled before the pandemic forced the restaurant’s closure a customer inquired about incorporating horseradish into an offering. Gardner couldn’t make it happen as it would detract from what one goes to Ernie’s to experiences.

“It (horseradish) was out of season,” Gardner said. “A horseradish is something you get from a root and not a bottle in a refrigerator.”

The only exceptions to the California sourced menu is the USDA Prime Certified Angus beef that meets 14 quality benchmarks obtained from a quality ranch near Omaha in Nebraska and truffles that make their way to Manteca from France.

Gardner’s connection with raising and preparing food is a life-long endeavor.

Raised on a cattle ranch in Hilmar where he also learned the art of butchering meat for the best possible cuts, Gardner worked as a chef for five years at the Canal Street Grille in Ripon before moving on to Table 26 in Turlock.

The pandemic afforded Gardner working with owner Dennis Williams the time to implement the connection and collaboration philosophy that has taken the Ernie’s menu to the next level.

“You can’t do something on this scale when you are working six days a week,” Gardner noted.

The fact Manteca is literally at the crossroads of California not only allows easy access to all sorts of agricultural bounty but it also provides a customer market bounded by the triangle of Modesto, Stockton, and Tracy with Manteca at the heart.

Finding the best and freshest California-grown offerings doesn’t stop at the food Ernie’s serves. Wild Bloom Farms provides the flowers gracing the dining room. At the same time in addition to a robust offering of various spirits, Ernie’s has secured the best of California craft beers.

 Ernie’s reopened Thursday night after being closed since mid-March.

For now they will offer dinner service from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.  Hours will expand as conditions warrant. Reservations are advised. They can be made by going to erniesfoodandspirits.com or calling (209) 239-3351. They will try and accommodate drop-ins.

Since opening in 2012, Ernie’s has succeeded in not just drawing a loyal clientele from within a 50-mile radius but also faithful patrons from San Francisco — a city that has over 1,000 dining options within its boundaries.

The unassuming exterior of Ernie’s and the adjoining Casino Real cardroom that is gearing up to open “outdoors” using a large tent, can be misleading.

The atmosphere inside Ernie’s — a soothing yet masculine design complete with booths and tables — is designed to complement the food that has an emphasis not just on quality but presentation as a whole.

 To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabuletin.com