I pan-roasted the portions skin on and basted it with butter, garlic and thyme. While the salmon cooks I heat up a stew that I made consisting of onions, garlic, fennel, fire-roasted tomatoes, cremini mushrooms and eggplant. I finished the mixture with chopped, fresh chives, Italian parsley and oregano. While it appears to be a simple dish, it is packed with flavor.

For some reason, I had citrus on the brain when I came up with my drink special because this one is chalked full of it. I combined cinnamon-infused tequila with fresh grapefruit juice, Tuaca (a vanilla and citrus liqueur) and orange bitters. It is as refreshing as it is potent!

Our other specials this week are:

Corn and Asparagus Flatbread with a white sauce and Havarti cheese

Sauteed Pea Vines

Curried Apple Soup

Apricot Almond Milkshake

Starting this Friday we will offer Blueberry Pancakes with a Lemon Butter and Caramel Poached Pears on our French toast. And don’t for get about the new frittata special: Eggplant, Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella.

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With no formal bar-tending experience (but plenty of practice…) I tend to approach the development of new cocktails with the mindset of a chef rather than a mixologist. This can lead to interesting drinks that you won’t find anywhere else. For example: the combination of peas and mint are a classic and a favorite of mine, but regular peas tend to be a bit too starchy so I used the pea vines from the seasonal vegetables portion of the menu. When muddled they release their wonderful flavor and color and the addition of mint and lime which is accentuated with the addition of Hendrick’s gin, which has lime and cucumber characteristics. After shaking vigorously and straining into a martini glass the cocktail is crisp and clean, with a beautiful green hue. All modesty aside, this is definitely one of the best cocktails that I have come up with.

Our other specials this week are:

Spinach and Feta Flatbread with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese

Sauteed Pea Vines

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Chocolate Toffee Milkshake

Starting this Friday we will offer Oatmeal Pancakes with a Blueberry Compote and a Sauteed Apples on our French toast. And don’t for get about the new frittata special: Peas, Ham and Parmesan.

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I really like taking advantage of the the similarity of ingredients used in Latin and Middle Eastern cuisines, and since I’m a huge fan of falafel I have made it several times. I realized that I could use another type of dried bean to make it, like black beans and the idea for a Southwestern-style falafel started to form. I soaked the dried beans overnight before blending them with onions, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin and coriander, adjusting the flavor profile to be heavier on the coriander and cilantro. While these fried I slathered a lightly grilled pita with Mexican crema (similar to sour cream), a tomato-chipotle sauce, queso fresco, lettuce, tomato and cilantro. I paired it with a slaw made with jicama, carrots and scallion dressed in a lime dressing. In the end I really feel like I hit the mark with this one.

As you probably know, we use jars in place of our water glasses, and another way that jars are used is to store moonshine. While true moonshine is illegal companies sell an un-aged corn whiskey which is essentially the same thing. So I thought that I would use that product in the same way by infusing it with sliced strawberries for a few weeks. It took on the fresh flavor of the strawberries while retaining the sweet grain of the liquor. I added it to a jar filled with ice and tossed in a lime wedge and topped it off with simple syrup and club soda. A real treat, especially on our patio!

Our other specials this week are:

Asparagus and Spring Onion Flatbread with a corn puree and mozzarella cheese

Sauteed Pea Vines

Spicy Seafood Stew

Lavender Milkshake

Starting this Friday we will offer Ginger Pancakes with an Orange Butter and a Strawberry Compote on our French toast. And don’t for get about the new frittata special: Corn Havarti and Fresh Herbs.

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One of my favorite tofu dishes is agedashi tofu, where it is tossed in cornstarch and deep fried, giving it a crunchy exterior while keeping the tofu itself soft and creamy. To add flavor to the tofu itself I seasoned it well with black truffle salt before tossing it in the cornstarch. I’ve found that this method is as good if not better than marinading because the tofu just draws in the flavor. I used the same salt to season sauteed baby kale, tomatoes and roasted cremini mushrooms.

And finally, now that we are in full blown asparagus season, I made a white asparagus puree as part sauce/part component, and to continue with the truffle flavoring I drizzled it with white truffle oil.

With the Kentucky Derby this Saturday I decided to make this week’s drink special a tribute to my hometown. A Mint Julep is a classic cocktail drank during the Derby festivities, but I made mine a little bit different: I muddle fresh mint in a glass, fill it with ice, bourbon, club soda and instead of the usual simple syrup I decided to go with Pomegranate Schnapps. It really gave the drink a whole new dimension.

Our other specials this week are:

Mushroom and Ricotta Flatbread with fontina cheese

Sauteed Pea Vines

White Bean, Ham and Kale Soup

Blood Orange Milkshake

Starting this Friday we will offer Banana Pancakes with Peanut Butter and a Blueberry Orange Compote on our French toast. And don’t for get about the new frittata special: Local Asparagus and Spring Onion with Fontina.

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Available right now are stinging nettles, which grow rampantly here in the PNW. The stinging barbs soften when cooked and they have a flavor like herbaceous spinach. One thing is for sure: they would make a terrible salad! I sauteed them down lightly with a little butter, onions and garlic. For more bulk I tossed in blanched fingerling potatoes (I wanted ozette potatoes but I just missed out on them).These together made a bed for a breaded all natural pork loin that came from Carlton Farms, the same place that I’ve been getting my pork belly. To make it more accessible I breaded it with gluten free breadcrumbs from the new bakery upstairs from the restaurant (though I have a hard time going in there and not getting one of their delicious cookies as well) and pan-fried it in
lard. Yep.

For the sauce I cooked onions and garlic in pancetta fat before adding cream, half and half and chopped local oyster mushrooms. An interesting northwestern take on a classic German dish.

I’m offering something a little bit different for my drink special. I really love the use of fresh herbs in cocktails. Other than mint, though, its not all that common. This week I have a pretty solid example of not only a unique herb, but an interesting way to present it: I call it a Thai Mojito. I muddled Thai basil and lime and stirred in silver rum, coconut rum, simple syrup and club soda. It’s sooo refreshing!

Our other specials this week are:

Coconut Curry Flatbread with tomatoes, peas and potatoes

Sauteed Pea Vines (one of my favs)

Bacon, Potato and Gorgonzola Soup

Caramelized Passion Fruit Milkshake

Starting this Friday we will offer Sour Cream Pancakes with Sauteed Apples and a Peach Compote on our French toast. And don’t for get about the new frittata special: Grilled Zucchini and Parmesan.

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My broth base is relatively simple: I cook onions and garlic along with fresh chorizo before adding Churchkey pilsner beer and clam juice. I simmered the broth with fresh herbs like oregano, thyme and parsley. I used the broth to gently steam open the fresh Washington mussels and finished them with freshly chopped cilantro and parsley, and, to sop up all that wonderful broth, added a side of grilled sourdough bread.

I don’t always repeat a drink special, but when I do it was an awesome one. After a recent menu change I found myself with some leftover cinnamon-infused tequila from the margarita that once adorned the cocktail list. I decided to go back to the drink that started the infusion idea. When I poach pears the resulting liquid is just as flavorful as the pears, so I realized that the poaching liquid would make a great base for a cocktail and I could turn the pears into a sorbet that I could finish it with. My favorite part about this is that not only does the sorbet help keep the drink cold but the flavor and texture of the drink changes as it melts. I plan on doing the same thing with flavored ice cubes this summer (or sooner).

Our other specials this week are:

Asiago, Avocado and Ground Pork Flatbread

Sauteed Pea Vines (one of my favs)

Sweet Pea and Mint Soup

Apple Pie Milkshake

This week’s Milkshake Menu choices are:

Banana Caramel

Ovaltine

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon

Chai Latte (currently the best seller with bourbon!)

Chocolate Brownie

Starting this Friday we will offer Cornmeal Pancakes with a Honey Butter and a Mixed Berry Compote on our French toast. And don’t for get about the new frittata special: Asiago, Tomato and Scallion.

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To go with the chicken I went with some spring flavors: sauteed local shitaki mushrooms that I tossed with farro . All of this was placed in a pool of pureed pea vines dotted with sliced breakfast radishes and a wasabi cream, both of which give an amazing little burst of flavor.

It’s rhubarb season, so I would be in poor form if I didn’t offer a strawberry rhubarb cocktail. A few weeks ago I infused slices of rhubarb in Absolut vodka. Now that it’s ready I blended it with a strawberry syrup, fresh lime juice and topped with club soda. Now all it needs is some sunshine and it would be perfect!

Our other specials this week are:

Chicken Flatbread with a Sriracha marinara and Gorgonzola cheese

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts (the last week for them!)

White Chocolate Banana Milkshake

This week’s Milkshake Menu choices are:

Banana Caramel

Ovaltine

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon

Chai Latte (currently the best seller with bourbon!)

Chocolate Brownie

Starting this Friday we will offer Ricotta Pancakes with a Strawberry Compote and Sauteed Apples on our French toast

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April 2, 2013 Specials
My first job as executive chef was in New York, and I worked for two brothers who were of Italian heritage. One Easter the introduced me to a wonderful pastry called “Easter Pie.” It is a salumi-filled savory pie consumed as the ultimate celebration for the end of Lent. The memory of that day has stayed with me for eight years, haunting me each year because I haven’t had the chance to try my hand at it. Well, I can’t wait anymore!

Instead of making a large, 12″ pie I used small molds to make individual ones for a nice presentation. The filling is a testament to how much Italians missed meat during Lent: coppa, salami, pepperoni, prosciutto, sausage, mozzarella, ricotta, Parmesan and a little egg to hold it all together. To brighten up such a rich component I made a sauce of fresh herbs like parsley, basil, chives, oregano and thyme. If you’re going to have Easter Pie then you better have some vegetables to go along with it. It’s a good thing that some really nice stuff is starting to become available. I did a simple saute of baby turnips, thumbelina carrots, breakfast radishes and scallions. I spooned the vegetables over a pool of sunchoke puree, the perfect finish to an amazing dish.

Since the dish is pretty rich we decided to keep the cocktail light and refreshing. The inspiration came from one of my new favorite liqueurs: Cedilla Acai liqueur. It is made from 100% of acai berries (the juice is fermented and distilled, then sweetened with more juice). For this week we added a splash of it to a tall glass of rum, a muddled lime, a touch of cranberry juice and topped with club soda. It goes perfectly with the Easter Pie and sunshine!

Our other specials this week are:

Bacon Flatbread with diced potatoes and ricotta cheese

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts (almost out of season, so get ‘em while they last)

Chipotle-Fried Okra with an Avocado Aioli (the last week for these)

Milkstout Milkshake

This week’s Milkshake Menu choices are:

Banana Caramel

Ovaltine

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon

Chai Latte (currently the best seller with bourbon!)

Chocolate Brownie

Starting this Friday we will offer Applesauce Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter and Sauteed Bananas on our French toast

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The key to a perfectly cooked duck breast is simply two things: score the skin in a cross-hatch pattern to allow for full rendering of the fat and ensuring a crispy skin, and secondly to leave it in the pan skin side down while roasting in the pan without flipping it over like I would with any other piece of meat. By the time it is a perfect medium rare the skin is divine. Like pork, duck is greatly enhanced by being paired with components that have a touch of sweetness. With that in mind I made a sweet and sour sauce with shallots, garlic extra virgin olive oil, raw apple cider vinegar and frozen cherries. It is a perfect balance of sweet, sour, savory and salty. I bridged the flavors with a local micro green salad dressed a vinaigrette made from the same apple cider vinegar as the sauce, and for a final touch I added a puree of roasted butternut squash and coconut milk.

One of the great things about having seasoned, experienced people working for me is the fact that I can learn vicariously from their experience, both on the job and off. My fellow Matthew wanted to make his own falernum by steeping 151 rum with lime zest, cloves, star anise and simple syrup. This, along with Kracken black spiced rum, is the base for a Caribbean cocktail called Corn ‘n’ Oil  that has become popular around town and he wanted us to be another spot to offer it. I’m game for anything new and interesting, especially when it comes to a tasty drink, and there’s a lot of love that went into this one!

Our other specials this week are:

Chicken Flatbread with a roasted pepper puree and fontina cheese

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts (almost out of season, so get ‘em while they last)

Chipotle-Fried Okra with an Avocado Aioli

Strawberry Rhubarb Milkshake

This week’s Milkshake Menu choices are:

Banana Caramel

Ovaltine

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon

Chai Latte (currently the best seller with bourbon!)

Chocolate Brownie

Starting this Friday we will offer Buttermilk Pancakes with Fresh Strawberries and Spiced Pears on our French toast

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This week’s special is a sort of deconstructed stew. I made the base with onions, garlic, smoked paprika and chicken stock, to which I added cooked chickpeas, dinosaur kale and chopped tomatoes and cooked the mixture to order. I wanted the flavors of each ingredient to be tasted separately. If I actually stewed the mixture it would be the flavor of one, not several. On top of this I added a large, pan roasted chicken thigh that I generously basted in butter, fresh thyme and garlic cloves. By doing this I keep the meat moist, just as if I had braised it in the stew, though much more flavorful.

Matthew and I started on this cocktail last week. We soaked raisins in Bacardi rum for several days to impart that raisiny flavor. I wanted to use it in the spirit of rum raisin ice cream so we came up with a cocktail combining the rum with the complex flavors of Virgil’s root beer and topping it off with a scoop of my handmade vanilla bean ice cream ,which I make custard-style.

Our other specials this week are:

Salumi Flatbread with white sauce and mozzarella

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

Chipotle-Fried Okra with an Avocado Aioli

Cherry Almond Milkshake

This week’s Milkshake Menu choices are:

Banana Caramel

Ovaltine

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon

Chai Latte (surprisingly good with bourbon!)

Chocolate Brownie

Starting this Friday we will offer Oatmeal Pancakes with a Blueberry Compote and a Peach Compote on our French toast

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