Madera County celebrates California Restaurant Month

MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Restaurants in Madera County are dishing up some of their tastiest entrees and drinks as a part of California Restaurant Month.

"Agriculture is the number one industry in Madera County. So it's no surprise that our chefs have an incredible bounty of ingredients to chose from," said Brooke Smith with Visit Yosemite Madera County.

Chefs at restaurants like South Gate Brewing Company are cooking up their best dishes.

Restaurant month encourages foodies to go on an adventure and stop by any of the eight eateries.

"Starting in the city of Madera at the Vineyard restaurant and going all the way up to beautiful Bass Lake and Duceys on the lake at the Pines Resort," Smith said. "Then there's a number of restaurants here in Oakhurst that are participating For Restaurant month."

Erna's Elderberry House is opening its doors as well as a vegetarian restaurant, the Love Cafe.

Over at South Gate, brewmasters are taking time to craft their latest beer.

"Because it's not really tourist season, we're able to Make more beers that take more time to brew and ferment, so we decided to do the James Blond IPL, which is a super awesome beer really crisp and clean because we use a logger yeast," said brewmaster Rick Boucke.

The restaurant serves eleven beers that it makes at its Oakhurst facility, making it a popular spot.

"People from all over the world come here and experience these restaurants, so we're encouraging locals to come and take their town back," Smith said.

Owners say Each visitor helps restaurants Stay busy during the offseason.

You can enjoy a locally brewed beer or handcrafted food. California Restaurant Month runs through January 31, but tourism officials say they're open for business all year round.