Ironwood American Bistro opens in Suisun City

Originally published in the Daily Republic on December 7, 2014 By Ian Thompson.

Diners now have the opportunity to taste the best in seasonal American heritage cuisine with the recent opening of Ironwood American Bistro next to the train station in Suisun City.
“I want to do very American food because I have lived all over the country,” owner Megan Smith said of what can be diverse fare due to the cultural diversity and richness of this nation’s food. “I want to create American heritage with an emphasis on seasonal, ethnically sourced quality ingredients.”
The Suisun Waterfront’s newest restaurant opened quietly three weeks ago and is planning its grand opening for some time in January, according to Smith, who said she has been involved with cooking since she was 15 and has wanted to open up her own restaurant since she was 28.
A Dana Point native “when it was still rural,” she has worked at restaurants that range from a Greek-owned diner to four-diamond restaurants and resorts on both coasts.
After working several years in Florida restaurants, Smith came to the area to work a chef de cuisine at The Lodge in Sonoma in April 2003 before moving on to work at Yabbies Coastal Kitchen in San Francisco and opening up Vin Antico in San Rafael.
She got the idea to open a restaurant in the Fairfield-Suisun City area two years ago and initially tried to open in a space in Fairfield that did not play out.
Smith started doing catering here in April and then moved into the restaurant space, which was once home to the Pane e Vino Italian restaurant when that business’ owners decided to downsize earlier this year and take over running the small cafe in the Suisun City train station next door.
She said she likes the location based on its proximity to both downtown Fairfield and Suisun City’s waterfront.
The Bistro’s fare is centered on what Smith calls seasonal American heritage cuisine that she fell in love with while she was working in different regions of the country. The seasonal aspect is because she wants to incorporate healthy regional produce that is as organic as possible in her menus, which will change seasonally.
Smith’s opening fare has included starters such as Wild Mushroom Flatbread, Kale Caesar Salad and Bloomsdale Spinach and Romaine Salad, followed by entrees such as Pan Roasted Pork Loin Chop, Brown Rice Risotto, and Wild Shrimp and Dungeness Crab Pot Pie.
She said she was initially concerned about leaving the community she grew to love in the San Francisco Bay Area, but added, “I found this amazing community here.”
That is everything from Suisun City residents who have helped her to get set up, to businesses such as Right Eye Brewing Company, which is partnering with Smith for a Dec. 9 four-course meal presentation that pairs Smith’s culinary creations with Right Eye’s beers.
Ironwood American Bistro is open from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at 203 Main St. For more information, call 759-4297 or go on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Ironwood-American-Bistro.