Gold Country - California - page 859

Sidewinders CALIFORNIAN, MEXICAN
( http://eatatsidewinders.com ; 1252 S Main St; mains $6.50-8.50; 11am-8pm Tue-Sat; )
Choose from beef, chicken, pork, fish and veggie fillings for these tacos, bowls and wraps.
The guacamole-dressed, panko-breaded fish tacos are excellent with a local brew.
Crusco's ITALIAN
( www.cruscos.com ; 1240 S Main St; mains $14-26; 11am-3pm & 5-9pm Thu-Mon)
The class act in downtown Angels Camp puts out a serious, authentic northern Italian
menu. The owners regularly hit Italy for more recipes, like the Polenta Antonella (creamy
cornmeal with chicken and mushroom sauce).
Getting There & Away
Calaveras Transit ( 209-754-4450; http://transit.calaverasgov.us ; fare $2; office 6am-5pm
Mon-Fri) operates the most reliable public transportation system in the region from the
Government Center (891 Mountain Ranch Rd, San Andreas) in downtown San Andreas. You
can use it to connect to Angels Camp ($2, 30 minutes, several times daily) and other sur-
rounding towns. You can catch it mid-route, just flag it down. To connect via public trans-
portation to the rest of California you have to catch Route 1 to San Andreas, switch to
Route 3 to Mokelumne Hill, and finally transfer to Amador County Transit.
Murphys
With its white picket fences and old-world charm, Murphys is one of the more scenic
towns along the southern stretch of Gold Country, befitting its nickname as 'Queen of the
Sierra.' It lies 8 miles east of Hwy 49 on Murphys Grade Rd, and is named for Daniel and
John Murphy, who founded a trading post and mining operation on Murphy Creek in 1848.
They employed the struggling local Miwok and Yokut people as laborers. While some set-
tlers continued to persecute the tribes, John eventually married Pokela, a chieftain's daugh-
ter.
The town's Main St is refined with tons of wine-tasting rooms, boutiques, galleries and
good strolling. For information and a town overview, look to www.visitmurphys.com .