Old Millhouse – A Short Drive to a Lovely Locale

Femme de Joie isn’t sure if the Redding Old Millhouse Deli was ever really an Old Mill. She does recall in the late 1970s when she’d drive by on her way to Brandy Creek, Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra playing on the 8-track, and seeing the mystifying Shufflin’ Beaver sign out front. There were whispers about what kind of a place that was and being a hopelessly naïve young gal, M. de Joie never darkened that door, which she now deeply regrets.

Since those days, Old Millhouse Deli has become more decorous, if not quite mainstream. Situated barely half a mile west of Buenaventura on Eureka Way, it decidedly feels more Old Shasta than Redding. The interior is rustic wood with oddments of gourds, 20s-style wall paintings, and hackamores hanging on the walls. The spacious back room has a panoramic view and there's a pleasant patio for dining outside and large lawn available for parties, weddings, etc. Occasionally there's live music, as evidenced by the instruments set up.

Old Millhouse's menu is casual, mainly sandwiches and salads, with an occasional special like lasagna thrown in. Most of the food is good but sometimes the portions aren’t in keeping with the price.



Cream of broccoli soup and macaroni salad, $3.75 each

Side dishes are generous - for $3.75, they should be - and freshly prepared. The cream of broccoli soup was smoothly wonderful with good broccoli flavor in a light creamy base, topped with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheese. Macaroni salad would have been delicious if it had been made with real mayonnaise instead of Miracle Whip (M. de Joie is aware many people love Miracle Whip but she is not one of them).



Laurie's deluxe french dip, $9.25

Laurie's Deluxe, $9.25, a French dip with cheddar, jack, red onions, and chopped Ortega chiles on an onion roll. The sandwich was hot and freshly made with tasty ingredients, but onion rolls being the size they are, there wasn’t a lot of it.



Old Millhouse Deli double deluxe spinach salad, $9.25

Double Deluxe Spinach Salad, $9.25, was topped with avocados, crumbled blue cheese, tomatoes, bacon bits, hard-cooked egg, cheese, tomatoes, and croutons on a thin bed of fresh spinach, vinaigrette on the side. Again, what was there was fresh and tasty and attractively composed, but it really wasn’t a full meal salad.



Sides of potato salad and clam chowder, $3.75 each

Sides of potato salad and clam chowder, $3.75 each. These were very good - the hot chowder was comforting on a cold rainy day. Potato salad, accented with bits of celery and pickle and made with mayonnaise, was a good accompaniment to a sandwich.



Triple-decker club, $9.25 with soup or salad

A triple-decker club was good value for money - plenty of turkey, avocados and tomatoes on toasted wheat, with a choice of soup or salad for $9.25.



Old Mill Deli lasagna, $9.75 with soup or salad

Lasagna was a lunch special for $9.75, including soup or salad. It looked and smelled good was but disappointingly bland, with squashy overcooked noodles and not much flavor from the cheese and meat filling.

On the one hand, Femme de Joie loves the atmosphere at Old Mill Deli. On a cold rainy day it was warm and inviting inside, where a customer could sit in the back by the windows and listen to the rain, almost feeling like she was in a cabin at the coast. During good weather, it’s very pleasant to sit at a table in the garden and enjoy the shade of Japanese maples. There’s a good beer and wine selection, and it would be most enjoyable to sit with friends and have a drink or two in this relaxing café. Service is friendly and quick. On the other hand, some of the prices are a bit high for the portions served, and some of the food could be better.

Still, this is a unique local place and worth the short drive to have lunch. It really isn’t far from downtown Redding and you could find yourself calling back to work - “Yeah, got a flat tire. I’ll be back at the office in an hour … or two.”

Old Millhouse Deli, 4478 Eureka Way, Redding, CA 96001. 530-241-9011. Open Monday-Friday 10:30 am - 2:30 p.m. for lunch, 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights for homemade pizza. Beer and wine. Vegetarian and vegan options. On-site parking. Cash and checks only, NO CARDS.

Redding’s Taco Barn Serves a Tasty Bargain

Remember 10 or so years ago when a Sacramento-based taco shop blew into Redding? The one with the slogan, "Sometimes you just gotta have a real taco"? Well, Femme de Joie remembers; she remembers going into the one on Hartnell and experiencing a taco with a side of sleaze and sass from the staff ... It was memories of that place that kept her driving past that same little restaurant on Hartnell long after Jimboy's packed up their tents and stole off into the night.

Not so long ago, Amico del Signore asked if she'd ever eaten at Taco Barn, now the occupant at 66 Hartnell. M. de Joie filled him in on her tale of woe and grease, to which he replied that Taco Barn was really pretty good and she should try it. So the next time she was in the neighborhood, she did. He was right: it's pretty good. Order at the counter and wait - it won't take more than a few minutes - and then help yourself to salsa, limes and hot carrots.



Taco Barn's Fish Tacos, $8.99

Fish tacos ($8.99) were terrific. Deep-fried filets were not at all greasy or “fishy” tasting - though they had plenty of flavor - and were complimented with threads of cabbage and pico de gallo. These were some of the best Femme de Joie has tried locally.


Taco Barn's Taco Salad, $5.99

Taco salad ($5.99) was a light lunch plate with shards of beef on a large green salad. This wasn’t weighted down with a lot of sour cream or chips, so it was satisfying without being soporific. There are tastier and more flamboyant versions out there, but M. de Joie certainly wouldn’t send this one back to the kitchen, and the portion size seemed right for the price.



Taco Barn's California Burrito, $5.99, with a side of rice and beans, $2.99.

A delicious and freshly-made California burrito ($5.99, with a side of rice and beans, $2.99) is packed with niblets of slightly salty but crunchy crisp-fried carne asada, guacamole, cheese, tomatoes and whatever else is lying around the kitchen. This is tremendous value for money and will definitely fill you up; it might even be competition for the burritos served at Burrito Bandito, and that is saying something.



Taco Barn's Chile Rellano Combination Plate, $8.99

The chile rellano on this combination plate ($8.99) had a light puffy coating and was made with a fresh green poblano chile. Its partner, a cheese enchilada, was tasty but noticeably salty, and a puddle of oil oozed out beneath both the rellano and enchilada.



Taco Barn's Al Pastor Burrito, $8.99 with rice and beans.

Al pastor is kernels of pork tossed in ground chiles and other spices, then pan-roasted to crispness and served with cool contrasting flavors like guacamole. Here, an al pastor burrito ($8.99 with rice and beans) was properly spicy and bursting with chili flavor, though again a bit salty and oily.

Those rice and beans, by the way, are above-average for fast-food Mexican - not salty or reheated-tasting, and without that canned flavor you sometimes (often, even) find in this kind of restaurant.

Though she passed it by for who knows however many years, M. de Joie now is a fan of Taco Barn. It’s not elegant - those plastic plates squeak under the draw of a plastic fork - but the food is freshly prepared and mostly pretty tasty (though occasionally there's a heavy hand with the salt and oil), as well as good value for money. Next time you’re pawing through those claustrophobic racks at Book County or picking up some grow lights & hydroponic supplies across Hartnell for your geraniums and feeling a bit peckish, stop in.

Taco Barn, 66 Hartnell Avenue, Redding, CA 96002. (530) 221-6265, and 2727 Ventura Street, Anderson, CA 96007 (530) 365-1812. Open Monday- Saturday 7:00 AM- 10:00 PM (dining room to 9:45 PM), Sunday 8:30 AM-9:00 PM (summer, March-November). Winter hours 7:30 - 9:00 PM (dining room to 8:45), Sunday 8:30 AM-9:00 PM (December-February). Cash, cards, no checks. Beer. Drive-though; loads of parking. Vegetarian and vegan selections.