Amador City, CA — At 0.3 square miles, this Gold Country town is indeed the smallest in the state by size.

It amounts to roughly 6 blocks.

What it lacks in magnitude, though, it more than makes up for in its rich history and present-day charm.

Jose Marie Amador, a wealthy rancher and gold miner, founded this Gold Rush town that’s one hour east of Sacramento. By the time its most famous mine closed in 1943, an estimated $24 million in gold had been mined, according to Visit Amador City.

The downtown is teeny, all of a block and a half, made up nowadays of wine tasting rooms, home-ware shops, cafes, and the Amador Whitney Museum. At its heart is the Imperial Hotel, a historic brick building originally built in 1879.

Last fall, Kevin Carter and his partner Cassie Davis took over the hotel, refurbishing it, before reopening it this spring. Two weeks ago, I was invited as their guest to check out the redone property, which includes a 130-seat, on-site restaurant headed by an executive chef who will be familiar to South Bay folks: Max Benson, whose family operated CB Hannegan’s in Los Gatos for 37 years. When Benson’s mom moved to Amador City, he eventually decided to follow suit.

The Imperial Hotel is part of Carter’s Banded Hospitality Group, which includes Break Even Beermakers, a brewery just yards away, and the 90-acre Banded Family Ranch perched on a hilltop between Amador City and the Shenandoah Valley, which supplies garlic, herbs, and other provisions to the restaurant and brew pub.

The boutique hotel, with six guest rooms upstairs, has a hip, vintage-chic vibe reminiscent of trendy Brooklyn digs or an HGTV show. There are soaring ceilings, wood beams and floors, antique mirrors, and reupholstered mismatched chairs to sink into.

Nurse a cocktail or a Break Even beer at the long, wood bar or on the patio. Or settle into the Snug, a lounge at the front of the dining room, to enjoy noshes such as scallop crudo ($13) or a buttermilk crispy chicken sandwich ($21), as well.

Chef Benson, who externed at the now-shuttered Michelin three-starred Manresa in Los Gatos, oversees the food offerings in collaboration with Consulting Chef Michael Evans, formerly of Michelin three-starred Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, as well as the now-defunct Bar Tartine, and Commonwealth.

The dining room has a pass-through window, so you can often get a glimpse of Benson and his team cooking.

Choose a $75 six-course tasting menu ($45 wine pairing) or order a la carte, as my husband and I did.

House-baked focaccia ($7) is a perfect way to begin, especially since the crusty-on-the-outside and pillowy-within slices come with zesty and chunky sun-dried tomato tapenade to slather on.

You might read right past the “Seared Imperial Cheese” ($15) on the menu, as the name doesn’t do it justice. That would be a mistake. Thankfully, we had inquired about it beforehand with the server, who enticingly described it as “like a savory S’mores.”

That alone sold us on this first-course of house-made ricotta that gets seared on the flattop, rendering it deeply caramelized and a little crispy on the outside, and fluffy and custardy within. It’s almost like a savory version of a more substantial cheesecake, garnished with oyster mushrooms, crunchy hazelnuts, puffed rice, sesame seeds, and a touch of black vinegar. The finishing touches add earthy savoriness to the natural, milky sweetness of the ricotta, resulting in a winning combination that I would easily return for again.

The prawn citrus salad ($17) is just what you want on a sultry summer evening. Chilled prawns seasoned with turmeric are the focal point of locally grown greens, thinly shaved fennel, creamy avocado slices, and a swipe of chili oil at the very bottom of the plate.

For entrees, the pork cheek is fabulous, taking on an almost char siu-like taste with its shiitake-orange jus. The succulent pork that’s crusty on the outside is dotted with pickled mustard seed, and served with seared bok choy, and artsy balls of Asian pear. The daikon radish that was supposed to be a part of the dish was accidentally left off, but the chef came out with a small dish of it after realizing the omission.

My husband opted for the blackened New York strip steak ($45) with creamy, smooth polenta, asparagus spears, and a tropical salsa with pineapple and jicama. Although cooked more medium than his requested medium-rare, the steak was still moist and delicious.

End with the cream puff ($11) that’s essentially a strawberry shortcake, only done with a choux puff that’s filled with basil-accented, sliced strawberries and a cloud of whipped cream with a touch of lemon zest. How good was it? Let’s just say that my husband, who initially said he was too full for dessert, handily and happily polished off half of this puff, which was the size of my entire hand, 2 seconds after it landed on the table. Even the server did a double-take.

The restaurant also offers brunch on weekends, as well as breakfast for guests on weekdays in the cozy lounge.

Start with Greek yogurt adorned with berries, crunchy Asian pear, granola and honey ($9). For those who prefer savory fare, there’s a Ploughman’s breakfast board ($18) that features smoked salmon, chive cream cheese, focaccia, capers, cornichons, cucumber slices, lettuce, and a fantastic jammy egg, split in half. Choose your own adventure by piling on a little of this, a little of that on the focaccia or enfolded into a lettuce leaf to enjoy.

Whatever you do, don’t pass up the scallion-cheddar-bacon pancakes ($14) that come with a fried egg and a crock of creme fraiche. Tender, cheesy, and just salty-porky enough, these are addictive. In fact, smeared with creme fraiche, these pancakes would be right at home on the dinner menu, too, with the a dollop of caviar or slices of smoked salmon.

Who would have ever guessed that a city this miniscule would have food that looms so large.

Coming Next Week: A Visit to Break Even Beermakers and the Banded Family Ranch