Sitting down with chef Rick Manson a few weeks ago in the handsome dining room of the new Far Western Tavern in Orcutt, the respected chef shared something profound: “I don’t believe that simple food should be trusted to simple cooks,” he said.
“It’s a tough cuisine to master,” Manson went on to say, “and I’ve had the opportunity the last year to get in there and work with that.”
There’s nothing simple about Manson and his skill set. His boundless talents in the kitchen are well known across California; he has legions of fans from 20-plus years of delighting the Central Coast with his soulful American cuisine. The longtime caterer consistently impresses discriminating foodies at local wine events such as Hospice du Rhône and the Central Coast Wine Classic.
Last year after closing his Orcutt restaurant, Manson stayed true to himself even while taking over as executive chef of an acclaimed and historic steakhouse—the Far Western Tavern in Guadalupe.
On Oct. 29, three generations of the Minetti family will open the new 10,000-square-foot Far Western in the heart of Old Town Orcutt.
They succeed in staying true to their ranching roots through the upscale Western décor—cow hide covered benches, mounted longhorns, and their massive antique mahogany bar standing tall—all the while creating something fresh, beautiful, and exciting.
“We’re something different,” said restaurant co-owner Renee Righetti-Fowler, granddaughter of Far Western founders Clarence and Rosalie Minetti. “There are so many great restaurants in this little town, and yet we’re different than all of them. I hope that people will feel we’re bringing something very positive to the community.”
The owners and Manson also spent the past year deciding how to define the Far Western’s cuisine.
“It’s ‘contemporary California ranch cuisine,’ which to me just opens up everything,” Manson told me. “I love it! Instead of boxing ourselves into a barbecue restaurant or a steakhouse, it will be fresh vegetables, and seafood, and our beautiful famous steaks—all whooped up!”
Manson and the restaurant staff, which doubled in size with the move to Orcutt, will prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner out of the new state-of-the-art kitchen that Manson helped design for his longtime friends.
“When I first came to town, I met Susie Righetti [co-owner of the Far Western and founder of Susie Q’s Brand] almost immediately, and her dad Clarence, and some of my first jobs were with them,” Manson recalled.
He customized the kitchen’s equipment and the layout to fit the Far Western’s menu. There’s a sprawling stainless steel barbecue pit for oak-grilling their popular Santa Maria-style steaks.
In addition to the Bulls Eye Steak, the Far Western’s signature 14-ounce boneless rib-eye, the restaurant also serves filet mignon, the “Cowboy Cut” top sirloin, and other beef. The menu also includes items that have Manson’s signature written all over them: coconut beer shrimp; grilled chicken, lime, and tortilla soup; artichoke and goat cheese fritters; and ‘Black and Bleu’ steak Caesar salad.
Among the hearty breakfast options are grilled wild mushroom quesadilla; mascarpone and cream cheese-stuffed French Toast; Southern fried chicken and waffles; and the Far Western “Scramble” frittata.
If you loved Chef Rick’s ‘Ultimately Fine Foods,’ you will still taste his unique, up-tempo style here.
“He’s just a very gifted chef,” Righetti-Fowler said about Manson. “He has a knack. He’s an artist. The menu is going to stay primarily the same, but Chef Rick is going to add his flair with his specials.”
Manson’s longtime culinary influences include southern Louisiana, Georgia low country, and Southwest/California.
“That’s who I am; I can’t disguise that,” he said.
Manson grows constantly, finding the thrill in new ideas and in discovering new directions to take his cuisine. And he’s setting the bar high for the Far Western.
“My intention is to create the greatest restaurant in California! How ’bout that,” a playful Manson said.
The community has been calling for months, making reservations to check out the new digs and, of course, dig into the food.
“I think people will be pleasantly surprised when they walk in,” Righetti-Fowler told me during a private tour of the new place.
On the main floor, there’s the bar area, main dining room, a semi-private room for 16 people, and an outdoor covered patio with overhead heating. Upstairs there is an outdoor terrace overlooking Clark Aveune, a small tower room, and the large banquet room, which is already booked on weekends through the holidays.
Central Coast wines dominate in the new multi-level, 1,200-bottle wine cellar, with an emphasis on the fine wines from the Santa Maria Valley.
The original Guadalupe restaurant, established in 1958, closed on Oct. 7. The Minetti family didn’t have to look far for their new location: 300 Clark Ave. in Orcutt.
“This felt like Guadalupe. It’s a smaller community, lots of community involvement. It felt right to us,” Righetti-Fowler said. “My dad’s family has been in the Orcutt area since the early 1900s, so this is home.”
They expect more customers in Orcutt because of its proximity to highways 101 and 1, and to wine country. So they added breakfast service on Saturdays in addition to Sundays at 8 a.m.
The new Far Western Tavern will be open seven days a week starting Oct. 29. Lunch and dinner will be served daily.
Their newly designed website is farwesterntavern.com. The phone number is 937-2211.
Simply put, make your reservations now if you want a seat any time soon.
“Hey, take it easy on us for a while,” Manson said with a twinkle in his eye.
Sun food and wine writer Wendy Thies Sell is so excited and she just can’t hide it. Send her story ideas at wthies@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 25 – Nov 1, 2012.
