From guest poster Paul Somerhausen of Sacramento Epicureans:
Nestled behind the mega movieplex on Eureka Road in Roseville, is a new row of faux Mediterranean town homes that appear to be urban dwellings but are actually several trendy new businesses. One of these is Paul Martin’s American Bistro. They generously extended an invitation to check out their new place during their soft opening and here is what transpired during my lunch visit.

The name of the establishment is not in honor of the last Prime Minister of Canada but is in actuality the main financier Paul Martin Fleming, most famous for his PF Chang's outlets. While Mr. Fleming brought his money and resources to this project, the idea was born with Brian Bennett and Peter Serantoni. They envisioned a place where the food was truly fresh, homemade, organic, locally grown, and from sustainable farms where possible. And to enforce the point, they even make their own ice creams and infuse their vodkas in their kitchen among many other interesting touches. This restaurant is the first of what the staff promised to be many more, the second already slated to open in LA in the near future.

When you arrive at the brightly colored “town homes,” you don't suspect what awaits you inside the place. Once the doors open, a very large open room spreads deep and wide to showcase a warm and welcoming casual chic environment. It is decorated with at least a dozen shades of wood, brick wall accents, soft brown leather booths, wide soft comfortable chairs, a long elegant bar, and seven large spherical lamps with a type of flame motif. The hostess booth was manned by half a dozen staff, which I was told later was due to the fact that everyone was in to practice one last time before the real grand opening on Monday, October 29. We got seated and felt immediately welcomed by the warmth of the staff and comfort of the place. Our server, Shayleen, was very friendly and knowledgeable and introduced us to the restaurant, highlighting the philosophy and recommending several dishes. We started the meal with a Butcher’s Board, which featured some coppa salami, a separate orange and fennel infused salami (the salumi here is primarily from Oakland-based Boccalone, owned by "Next Iron Chef" competitor Chris Cosentino), thinly sliced prosciutto, aged gouda, some Laura Chenel goat cheese (also marinated with some fennel seed), and finally some Point Reyes blue cheese. It was served on a wood board with stone-ground mustard, capers, and olives. I particularly loved the orange salami, salty with a tangy finish and a sweet undertone of licorice flavor. The blue cheese was fantastic, soft in texture and strong in flavor. The only selection I did not care for was the goat cheese, which was too soft in flavor and was completely overwhelmed by the other powerful choices. Also, this dish did not come with any crackers or bread, which I thought was odd. Some warm flatbread would have complemented this perfectly.