Winters is a cool little town populated with old-timers and newcomers, blue-collar workers and artists, conservatives and free-thinkers, old farmers and new urbanists.

Visitors arrive from as far as Sacramento and San Francisco to see music shows at the famous Palms Playhouse, eat some tri-tip at Buckhorn Steak and Roadhouse, or to ride the area's scenic, winding, rolling roads on bikes or motorcycles.

Overall: 3 1/2 stars
Service: 3 stars
Ambience: 3 1/2 stars
Food: 3 stars
Value: 4 stars

But one thing I didn't know about until recently was the wonderful experience called Ficelle, where on Friday and Saturday nights this little restaurant started by two sisters and former stay-at-home moms becomes a magical place.

The gathering of people, the mood, the food, the feel of it all, is right out of a little town in Europe. This is the kind of thing the Slow Food movement has been trying to cultivate – enjoy good food with good ingredients from local farms and markets, and make an evening of it, preferably not while watching the NBA playoffs, "Lost" or "American Idol."

Ficelle is a prototype for a way of life that more and more Americans seem to want. I see it on the menus of places I visit. I see it at coffee shops, where people sit and chat, and read and write, and take their time.

Ficelle is art, not science. The sisters, Joanne Martin and Marianne Washabaugh, are ruled by feeling and spontaneity. They have set hours, except when something comes up and they don't open. They have a set menu, except when they feel like changing it.

The soups? They're determined by the mood of the cook. The recipes? A little of this, a little of that.

Add it all up and you get a singular experience that's well worth the trip, whether you're in Davis, Sacramento or Shingle Springs. The locals already know how lucky they are. Many are or have become friends with the owners. Some will even step in and work behind the wine counter when needed.

Their payment? Dinner and some sangria.

"We want people to come in and feel like they are in our home," Martin said when I caught up with her by phone.

Here, I'm focusing on the Friday and Saturday menu, when Ficelle serves tapas. The hand-written menu on the chalkboard has a dozen or more items ranging in price from $4 to $9.50. The focus in the early days of Ficelle was takeout dinners for commuters short on time. Those dinners are still available Wednesday and Thursday nights. There's also eat-in or takeout lunch Tuesday through Friday.

Tapas nights have a cult following at Ficelle. It's especially charming during pleasant evenings when you can sit outside. During our first visit, it was cold and rainy, and we had to dine inside, which is full of energy but can seem noisy to some.

At Ficelle, you'll likely arrive to find a line at the counter and notice that all the tables are full. Here, that's a good thing.

"People say you should expand, but that's kind of the beauty of it. We love it when it's crowded, loud and fun," Martin said. "People either get us or they don't. It's great that there is a line. That way, people can get to know their neighbors."

Indeed, when a woman sat down next to us at a table on the patio deck on our second visit, she promptly struck up a conversation and we all marveled at the wonderful spring weather as the sun dipped behind a hill just outside town.

All the tables were full. People laughed and talked and ate. Some looked up and said hello to others just arriving. Yes, it's a restaurant, but it's also a gathering place.

If you're a Ficelle regular, you probably already have your eye on certain tapas you've been craving. If you're new, I would suggest standing in front of the board and letting Ficelle's spirit of spontaneity take hold.

Call The Bee's Blair Anthony Robertson at (916) 321-1099.