The Selland’s Market Café “soft” opening Saturday evening was deliberately hard on the kitchen and wait staffs, practically overwhelmed by the crush of invited guests who packed the new family style restaurant in El Dorado Hills’ Town Center.

“We wanted the staff to see what it’s like when we’re overloaded. It’s to train them for when we’re really busy,” said Josh Nelson, 39, a member of the Selland family and a partner in The Selland Group, which also owns and operates another market café, The Kitchen

and Ella restaurants, all in

Sacramento.

Mission accomplished, as an estimated 175 guests packed the El Dorado Hills store for an introduction to the menu and service.

A long line waited to receive individual food orders and pay with script money at one of three cash register stations, where wine also was served.

“It’s a bit of a learning curve still,” Nelson said. “We had a great response Friday and Saturday evenings.”

A third soft opening was held Sunday evening.

“It’s kind of like the movie ‘Groundhog Day,’ with three nights we’re totally stretched, each one like the one before,” he said.

Compounding the food preparation and serving crunch was the absence of newly hired chef Jordan Davis, brought in from Los Angeles and now living with his wife in El Dorado Hills.

Nelson reported Davis phoned the restaurant at 4 p.m. Friday to announce his pregnant wife was in labor. A son arrived at 5 a.m. Saturday and the chef missed the soft openings to tend to new mom and baby. “Murphy’s Law,” shrugged Nelson.

Meanwhile, diners at the Saturday serving essentially were unanimously positive in their comments about the menu, the ambiance and the environment.

“Amazing,” was Jenn Bulotti’s one-word critique about a prosciutto pizza ($14.75) shared with husband Jim. “It was rich and delicious,” she said.

The Bulottis live in El Dorado Hills.

Jim Bulotti rated the pizza “very good, with a lot of interesting flavors.” He said Selland’s “is something El Dorado Hills has needed for a long time. It’s a great place for a business meeting. It’s smaller, and you feel like you’re going to get a home-cooked meal.”

One guest commented the menu was “a little pricey.”

For most everyone else the focus was on the quality of the food. Gail Gebhardt, vice president, development and community relations for the Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization and an El Dorado Hills resident, summed up the food as “fabulous.”

Derrick Fong, a shareholder in and operator of restaurants, including involvement in the Mikuni Restaurant Group and Sacramento’s Lemon Grass, credited the Selland family with being able to “keep a sense of environment. Eating here feels like you’re going to their house. They’re very good at making food but also an atmosphere.”

Diane Miller of El Dorado Hills gave a thumbs-up to her salad with a heart of romaine wedge, garnished with a blue cheese dressing, chopped tomato and green onion ($4.95), plus a slice of panko-crusted salmon filet with a soy citrus glaze ($8.95).

Her companion’s thick slice of meatloaf was priced at $7.75, with a medium-size side of mashed potatoes on the menu for $8.95.

“The food is freshly prepared and very tasty,” she said. A panna cotta dessert of Italian custard topped with maple syrup ($3.95) was a “refreshing change from crème brulee.” A glass of Edna Valley chardonnay cost $7. Miller ended her dinner with a “flavorful” cup of coffee ($1.50).

“The whole dining experience was delicious and a nice local treat,” she said.

The business officially opened to the general public on Monday.