1/2/10 John Howie Steak

For some reason unknown to me i didn't take my camera the 1st time matt and i went. it's too bad, it was a great meal. the good news for you is this is a steakhouse, and by looking at the pics here you'll know exactly what our dinner looked like back in october, too. well, with the exception of the wine (we had an argentinian molbec) and dessert (lisa graciously got us the cherries jubilee - quick story. while i was in the ladies she happened by and asked matt "if we were to set something on fire would you prefer bananas or cherries?" matt chose wisely. it was cool.) but that was last oct, and this is jan. no flaming fireside table prep this time, although i highly recommend it, especially if you've never had a tableside prep before. it totally makes one feel important.

we started the night with a prosecco that lisa chose. i've no idea which one. - i wonder if she'll let me get a pic of her way cool, very expensive wine-saving device? i'll have to ask next time. lisa also chose our wine - why shouldn't we trust her to pick something, i mean it's her job and she knows what we like. so she selected the Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon

now, i must admit we haven't hung out in bars in i don't know how long, but the bar menu has a few things on it that are not in the appetizers section of the dinner menu, so we had to ask lisa to order it for us. what might this delicacy be that we had to go to so much trouble to get? i'm so glad you asked, and i'll tell you. are you sitting down? you just might want to be. take the 2 things that make *anything* taste better and put them together. give up? 1 is to deep fry the item. the 2nd? BACON! you got it. tempura-battered, deep-fried, BACON! YUM!

the house serves an amuse bouche to every diner, to. it's a single bite of salmon mousse with cucumber on crostini. simple but tasty.

we did have a 2nd appetizer,
fried calamari and baby artichokes, roasted garlic- lemon aoli

it was quite tasty. most people think 'oh it's calamari, it's not hard to fix that...' but in fact, calamari, octopus and scallops are harder than one thinks. there's a very small window where it's "done". just shy and it's raw, squishy and rubbery, just past and it's hard, chewy and rubbery. but just right and it's fantastic.




for our main courses we had, gee, big surprise, steaks. matt had japanese kobe new york strip steak and ma had the japanese kobe filet mignon (i only took a picture of 1 of them).











one of the cool things about ordering the japanese kobe - and yes, they offer american wagyu if you prefer but you won't get the following - is a knife presentation. it's really kind of neat. if you ever wanted to feel like some big important person, here you go. they bring around a box and when they get to the person who ordered the kobe, open it and allow the customer to select their knife.

 

and for anyone wondering, yes it is a *very* sharp knife. if you're one of those who like to lick your knife, this is one meal where you want to abstain from it.

not sure if you can see it in the picture, but you can make out the layers of steel when they forged the knife.

i thought about having the kobe fillet mignon because they actually had a 4oz. on the menu but i opted out on it. i like my beef cooked to not bleeding, and kobe and wagyu really are best when prepared to just past raw, or 'still mooing' as some say. so instead i had the regular 8oz. fillet mignon. but still quite tasty. and good warmed over the next day for lunch, too!

something we like, and many people don't realize, is there are lots and lots of different types of salt. JHS provides a trio of salts in which to enhance your steak choice, and all result in a very different taste. it's kind of cool.

white = fleur del sol
pink = australian
black = hawai'ian
 

 yes, there were side dishes.

baby asparagus with a cheese sauce

could this perhaps be the best darn plate of hash browns you ever ate? there's a dollop of sour cream and chives on top

and my favorite, the 5 cheese, twice baked potato. YUM

all that's left was dessert. with coffee, of course.

both matt and ma had the 'classic vanilla bean creme brulee with crackling sugar crust'

this is the meyer lemon pie with white chocolate drizzle, graham cracker crust, vanilla creme and strawberry coulis.

12/31/09 The Herbfarm, New Year's Eve

Your dreams, O years, How they penetrate through me!

-Walt Whitman

our friends paul and katrin came up to join matt's mom, him and myself for dinner. it was a present to paul from katrin for his birthday. however i think he figured it out before the date.

as there were 5 of us, 1 town car wouldn't quite work, so matt hired a limo for us for the night! what fun!

New Year's Eve is a very festive event at the herbfarm, and one that is not to be missed if you are a foodie, IMHO. everywhere one looks decorations and celebrations surround you, as evidenced below from the wine cellar.

and if you've been to the herbfarm and have attended the 'garden tour' (held inside during inclement weather) it doesn't exclude you this night, either.

[above left: carrie giving the garden tour over paul's shoulder; right: bunches of herbs]

[above: our place settings and table marker;
below: the room, chefs Nakamura, Weber, and Luce at work in the kitchen]

 drum roll please.

A Menu For

The Moon and the Stars

New Year's Eve at The Herbfarm * Thursday, December 31, 2009 * 8 pm

course I:  Seashore & Trio of Caviars

Oyster with Fennel-Vodka Mignonette Granite, American Sturgeon Caviar

Braised Pacific Manilla Clams with Guanciale, Seabean, Arctic Char Roe and Chives

Dungeness Crab and Salsify with Osetra Caviar

served with:

Champagne: Krug Grand Cuvee

4 glasses later i'm surprised i'm still able to take pictures! so far the dinner's a hit, but OMG that crab cake... .  we always have the wine flights that come with, but if you are a tea-totaler The Herbfarm does offer non-alcoholic spirits.- are they referred to as spirits? we asked michael if it would be possible to get 1 glass for the table to try of these, and they start in the next course. but 1st, before we can move ahead, we have introductions of the staff, and learn a little more about our meal from our Chef and sommelier.

 

[above left: carrie introducing chef luce; above right: michael in his white jacket and chef luce discussing the menu; below left: paul enjoying the 1st course of his birthday/new year's eve dinner; right: tableware from the Herbfarm, er, Christofle Hotel??]

course II: Black Cod with White Truffles

Pacific Black Cod with a White Cauliflower Sauce, Fresh Sea Urchin Roe, Oregon White Truffles, and Mini Vegetables

served with

2008 Maison Couly-Dutheil, Chinon Blanc, "Les Chanteaux"

and then for the non alcoholic choice there was Peppermint and Jasmine Pearl with Elderflower.

our 1st bit of entertainment occurred after the 2nd course. Dame Jane Eaglen performed a few songs throughout the night. What an honor. She was there with her husband and another couple. her 1st selection was Lehar's aria "velia o velia"

course III: Sturgeon & Sweetbreads

Pan-roasted Columbia River Sturgeon with Crispy Sweetbread Cutlet, Creamy Blue Solaise Leeks and Micro Sorrel

served with

1005 Domaine Arnaud Ente, Meursault, "Les Petits Charrons"

the non alcoholic drink paired with this course was a Gewurztraminer Soda with Rhubarb and Ginger Syrup.

after this course we had another wonderful tune by Dame Eaglen. this time she sang "Santa Lucia" and Patricio accompanied her on his guitar. at 1 point through the night i went over to her table, introduced myself and of course let her know how much matt and i just loved her work. [for all who haven't a clue who she is, she's the top wagnerian opera soprano in the world. she has been seattle opera's brunnhilde in wagner's 'das ring der niebelungen' 2 of the past 3 productions i've seen, and she often takes various other roles in the regular seasons as she now lives here.] what i didn't tell her was that last spring when ron (owner of the herbfarm) posted that they had hired her for new years' eve i commented on his post letting him know to put us down for a table. THAT WAS 9 MONTHS AGO! we were the only ones on the NYE reservation list for probably 6 months. LOL anyway, i asked her if she'd mind coming over briefly at some point in the night and let us get a photo with her. She graciously thanked me and agreed.

course IV: Squab Duet

Seared Bernie Nash Squab Breast and Navarin of Squab Legs with Chestnut Honey, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Bacon and Juniper

served with

1998 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneauf-Du-Pape, "Le Crau"

 and the non alcoholic drink was a Bay Tea with Quince, Sour Plum and Sour Cherry syrup

 after the squab paul and katrin decided they wanted to feed the pics. ma decided she could skip that, and i didn't really want to go out in the cold, but matt went with.

blazing fireplace to warm your cold body

ever thoughtful, they give you directions not only to find, but to feed the pigs, Borage and Basil.

 

what they don't know, is that while they were gone, patricio stopped by our table. i thought he was on his way for a break, and decided to stop by to say hello and realized the others had actually gone out, but no. instead, and before i realized actually what he was doing, he had pulled pauls' chair out, set down his footrest, and leaned over to me. "I want to play a song for you". the next thing i know, he's playing her favorite, Tarrega's 'Recuerdos de la Alhambra'.

it was a very special moment, and i'm thrilled that i was a part of it.

course V: Dom Perignon 'Martini'

Lemon Geranium "Olive" on Rosemary Stem, 1999 Champagne Dom Perignon

(no non-alcoholic flight for this course)


am i allowed to say that i didn't care for something the Herbfarm served me? well, if not then nevermind :-) but if i am, this was probably my least favorite. call me a champagne snob, but i don't particularly like Dom. the Krug Grand or Bolly Grand Cuvee, yes. Dom, not so much.

we had another song at this point, George Gershwin's 'Someone to Watch Over Me'. this is one of my favourite songs. and by this point in the evening if (collective) we weren't enjoying ourselves before, we definitely were now.
 

[above: Paul being silly]

course VI: Wagyu Beef & Black Truffles

Kobe Beef of America Wagyu Tenderloin with Marrow Butter, Northwest Hoppin' John, Glazed Winter Vegetables, and Sauce Perigourdine

yes, there are 3 large slices of truffle on that dish










served with

1999 DeLille Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, "Harrison Hill"

or, if you had had enough wine, Hibiscus, Rose Petal and Chamomile with Blueberry and Black Elderberry syrup









Carrie came around the room with a basket of noise makers, too.

[above right: chefs plating the cheese course]
 
course VII: Foid Gras & Cheese


Cured Duck Foie Gras Torchon, Mt. Townsend Trailhead Cheese with Quince Membrillo & Housemade Cracker
















i took a picture from the top where you can see the quince a little better. and no, this time we did NOT order a separate bottle of wine for the cheese course.

Auld Lang Syne: Welcome 2010!

lead by Dame Jane Eaglen and Sung by All with Gusto at Midnight

Midnight Toast: Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose

[above left: ma taking in the moment (or was it the wine?); above right: paul and katrin; below left: matt; below right: libby]

 

[above: two scenes of the room; below left: neighbor table adding noise to already noisy crowd; below right: toasting in the new year]

 

[above left: paul and katrin's NYE kiss; above right: matt, dame eaglen,and libby. oh, and ma getting a corner piece of the action there :-) we got to speak with Dame Eaglen for about 10 minutes or so, and were invited backstage after 'Amelia', the opera she's appearing in this may; below left: our table cat joining the party; below right: table decor]

 

course VIII: First Sweets of Twenty-Ten

Persimmon and White Chocolate Souffle with Vanilla Cream

Douglas Fir-Yogurt ice Cream with Juniper Angelica Tuile

Dark Chocolate & Peach Ganache Torte with Peach-Creme Fraiche Mousse

Coffee, Teas & Native Infusions

 

[above left: paul being silly, again; above right: michael in his black coat] 

A selection of Small Treats (mignardise) 

Marzipan Masks, Lime Basil-Apple Pate-a-Fruits, Champagne Truffle, Gilded Milk Chocolate Star Anise, Chocolate Mint Tuxedo Cookie

served with

Vintage 1834 Barbeito Malvzia Reserva Madeira 

[above left: michael portraying the "snobby sommelier"; above right: the madeira; below: katrin, paul, libby, matt, ma]

[above left: matt and ma; above middle: matt and me; above right: my christmas present, and the earrings i wore with my new dress (hey, i had to put the pic somewhere...)