Tasty Morsels: Pulled pork treat is worth the wait

I had such a fun morning on Monday. It started by taking all the holiday trash to the Meadow Vista Auburn Placer Disposal transfer station. It's such a great feeling to clean out the house! My friend Bob, who works there, told me he had tried the roasted green bean, shallot and walnut recipe from last week. He said it was easy and delicious and I love to hear that readers are actually trying these recipes!Then, having lightened the load in my truck, I decided to stop at the Café Vista in Meadow Vista for a latte, because I love their espresso drinks, and I rarely get into that neck of the woods — except when I go to the dump. While there, I started chatting with owner Patti Bertz, who told me she and her husband, Todd, are planning the restaurant's one-year anniversary celebration on Saturday, Jan. 10. It's hard to believe it's been a year since they opened the business. She also was very generous and gave me her pulled pork sandwich recipe for readers to try. I made it the next night for dinner and this recipe is a winner. It was absolutely delicious, and since the pork takes hours to cook, the house smells delicious, too!The Bertzs — who are restaurant veterans — saw the restaurant become available in late 2007 and they jumped at the opportunity."We always felt that this was a special place and necessary for the community," Patti said. "We have the greatest customers and the support has been incredible."To celebrate with customers, Café Vista will offer free coffee and sodas during the day Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and that night they'll be serving complimentary appetizers, along with beer and wine specials, from 5 to 8 pm. In addition to the regular daytime menu, which features Moschetti's espresso and coffee, breakfast pastries, muffins, breakfast burritos, soup, salads and sandwiches, Cafe Vista recently started serving dinner on Fridays. The menu is simple and changes weekly. It may consist of items such as New York Steak Kabobs, Fettuccine Carbonara, Cheeseburger, or Seared Chicken Breast with a Wild Mushroom Sauce. Entrees range from $8.95 to $13.95 with soup, salads, appetizers and desserts are available also. The restaurant also features free wi-fi.n Café Vista Pulled Pork Sandwich(Serves 6-8) 2 to 3 lb boneless pork roast with the fat trimmed off (shoulder or loin will do, but the loin cooks faster and is not as moist)1 cup ketchup1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar1/2 cup cider vinegar1/4 cup Dijon mustard2 Tablespoons melted butter2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce Salt and pepper to tasteFrench Rolls (or baguettes)Place pork roast in slow cooker, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together the rest of the ingredients and pour over the pork roast. Cook for approximately 4 hours until it pulls apart easily. (I don't have a slow cooker, so I cut the roasts in half and placed them in a roasting pan along with the sauce and covered all tightly with foil. Then I baked them in a 300-degree oven. The meat was ready in 3.5 hours for the shoulder roast and about 3 hours for the loin roast.)Pull pork apart with two forks and serve on warm French rolls. This a great dish on a cold day. Serve with coleslaw or potato salad.Susie can be reached at suziven@gmail.com.----------Café VistaWhere: 17100 Placer Hills Road, Meadow VistaPhone: (530) 878-6169Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday 5 to 8 p.m. - Friday night dinners 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday