Bishop’s Café Sol in the El Portal Plaza, 3361 North G’ St., Merced Ca., is starting to establish itself as a valley hot spot. With its growing popularity in mind, new Executive Chef/Owner Marshall Bishop, Proprietor Dane Bishop and their wonderful staff would like to welcome you to their humble establishment, The New Bishop’s Café Sol and Wine Bar. Hours of operation are 9am-9pm Monday thru Saturday with Friday and Saturday night dinner service and a light fare menu with nightly special Monday thru Thursday. Chef Marshall serves his lunch menu from 11am to 9pm Monday thru Thursday, attempting to attract customers who want to enjoy beer and wine to go along with a gourmet sandwich or salad for a light dinner instead of having to go out for a heavier meal to enjoy great beer and wine. Chef Bishop is a graduate of the famous Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Program at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco Ca. “I had seven years experience in a fast paced fine dining restaurant environment working my way from Pantry Chef all the way up to Sous Chef before enrolling in cooking school. I figured it was time to attend one of the best cooking schools in the world and learn the classical French Cooking Techniques.” Says Marshall. While attending cooking school, Marshall was also busy working in the finest four and five star culinary establishments of San Francisco, such as Restaurant Gary Danko, just voted the “Best Restaurant in America” by the prestigious Zagat Survey Group, and winner of the Mobil Five Star award for seven consecutive years. He has also worked in the Four Star Kitchens of Aqua, Farallon, Rubicon, and Masa’s.
Marshall has a background as a Private Chef, Catering Chef, Sous Chef, and Restaurant Manager, making for very well rounded Executive Chef/Owner. Along with his vast culinary training, Marshall brings his “American Tapas” or “Small Plates” tasting menu that has become the trend at the top restaurants around the world to the Merced community. “The tasting menu allows the guests to sample many different entrée items in small portions without having to limit their choices to one entrée. These different selections, served as courses, allow the guests to enjoy a beer or glass of wine and conversation with dining partners between courses to create a true dining experience. The seasonal fresh ingredients we use allow us the opportunity to change our menu daily, introducing new items and cooking techniques to the area. Bishop’s Café Sol carries only All Natural Range Feed Oregon Beef from the Painted Hills Region. “All Natural is the way to go, consumers want natural range feed beef, but it’s hard to find such quality in Merced.” Research shows that meat from animals raised on grass is generally lower in fat and often contains higher levels of omega-3 and other fatty acids that could reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and other illness. Bishop’s Café Sol also features Free Range Chicken and Turkey, organic lettuces, organic eggs, and organic vegetables. Chef Bishop believes in using only the best beef, seafood, produce and wild game available today. Something he learned while at Restaurant Gary Danko. Chef Danko said “That in order to be the best you have to buy the best, second class ingredients are found in second class restaurants. “I am very excited at the prospect of turning Bishop’s Café Sol into a true wine and dining destination.” Marshall said. Marshall and Dane Bishop are turning Bishop’s Café Sol from a small café into The New Bishop’s Café Sol and Wine Bar. They have rolled out a new breakfast and lunch menu, holding over a few of the most popular items from the previous menu and adding a few twists of their own. One such item is the Yellow fin Tuna Club with apple wood smoked bacon, butter lettuce, yellow fin seared and served rare and a Wasabi soy aioli on brioche. Bishop’s Café Sol now has Merced’s first Cereal Bar with 10 varieties of cereal on hand, 5 different types of milk including rice, soy, 2%, Whole, Fat Free as well as a variety of fresh fruit toppings and brown sugar, white sugar, and clover honey. Chef Marshall believes that young children as well as adults should be able to enjoy a variety of cereals at all hours of the day, not just breakfast time. The cereal bar will be available from 9am-9pm and is available during dinner service, the cereal bar will be open all hours the café is open.
Bishop’s Café Sol now serves a Saturday morning brunch with complimentary mimosa as well as green eggs and ham with a spinach and basil pesto, crème brulee French toast, stuffed Belgian waffles
Bishop’s Café Sol and Wine Bar began serving dinner October 1 st, reservations are now being taken, and Chef Bishop says the list is filling up fast. Bishop’s Café Sol also has a small VIP room that seats up to 10 and is available on a reservation basis only due to the large demand for the room. To make a reservation for dinner please call 209-726-6262.
Chef Marshall is joined by his brother and partner Jonathan Dane Bishop or Dane as his friends and colleagues know him by. Dane is the Chief Financial Officer at Café Sol and can be found daily roaming the dining area meeting and greeting new guests. The Bishop’s plan on turning Bishop’s Café Sol into a casual upscale café and wine bar with 25-30 different types of wine available by the glass and between 50-75 different types of wine available to purchase by the bottle. The wine list is comprised of local, regional, and top shelf wines from around the world. Café Sol also features over twenty varieties of micro brews available by the bottle, by far the largest selection of high-end beer in the city. Most of the micro breweries are located with in California, Oregon, and Montana. The Bishop’s are working with world famous Master Sommelier David Glancy of San Francisco, Ca., who has the distinction of being the youngest person in the world to ever pass the Master Sommelier test and be awarded the Master Sommelier Certificate. The wine list will be one of a kind, with no other restaurant in the area able to match the selections offered at Bishop’s Café Sol and Wine Bar. The Bishop’s plan on having monthly winemaker dinners featuring a different winery every month available on a reservation basis only. With seating in the café limited to 30 seats, plus 12 in the lounge area, and 20 seats available on the patio dinner reservations are highly recommended and walk-ins will be seated on a first come first serve basis.
The Bishop boys were born and raised in the Mc Swain area, both graduating from Atwater High School, so please stop in and savor the culinary magic at Bishop’s Café Sol and Wine Bar and be sure to say hi to two local boys living the American Dream. |
