We returned to the Herbfarm, and it was for a menu we had never tried. Yipee! on top of that it was our 1st visit after they hired a new pastry chef, sommelier, and executive chef. wow.i had bee wanting to try the 'of a feather' menu since i learned about it. i figured we'd get duck, pheasant, quail, and was hoping for pigeon, poissin, and grouse.
the punch that greeted us on that exceptionally warm early evening. it was really good. i've had mixed emotions about the punch. i love the cider they serve in the winter, always have. but this one was tops. i actually asked how they made it. it was crisp and refreshing yet not over-the-top sweet or acidic.
we were seated at the 'european table' - probably my favorite outside the library.
course 1: For the Birds served with 2007 argyle oregon brut rose w/ choice of summer herbs
the plating (-1 as i didn't have the mushroom item)
duck foie gras sandwich w/ strawberry-rose geranium jam and hazelnut butter
this was really tasty but the hazelnut butter was a bit strong for me.
my 'macaroon'
very good but a bit messy. it was kind of like eating a melting ice-cream sandwich
poultry rillette and mexican tarragon w/ handmade crackers and marigold mint
it looks like a soup but it was stiff enough you could scoop it with the little crackers. it was yummy, but felt like i was eating jello
candy cap mushroom macaroon w/ chicken liver mousse and savory
tony demas, the new head chef
the bread plate: sourdough, whole grain poppy and sesame
course 2: Chicken of the Sea served with 2007 vin du lac lehm sauvignon blanc, lake chelan WA
buttermilk poached bernie nash chicken in zucchini blossom with norton sound king crab, young celery, dill, baby zucchini and cucumber gazpacho
course 3: Skinned Scallop served with 2007 lullaby viognier, walla walla WA
there were only 3 barrels for this vintage
seared british columbia sea scallop on la ratte potato with romaine, walla walla onion, sugar snap peas and roasted chicken skin sauce
the sauce was amazing! it tasted just like a crispy chicken skin. oh and the scallop wasn't too bad either ;-)
course 4: Squabbles served with 2007 benson vineyards, sangiovese, estate, lake chelan WA
open raviolo of squab leg confit and wild boletus with tomato leaf pesto, seared squab breast, tomato butter and oregano, with heirloom poached tomatos
i usually really like squab but this was a bit on the red side for me. i ended up passing most of mine off to matt. otherwise it was really good.
coure 5: Duck in Black and White served w/2007 l'herbe sauvage pinot noir, ana cuvee, willamette valley OR
there's also a nasturtim leaf and 'tater tot' on the plate.
the duck was pretty good and i think that's probably the best cauliflower i've ever eaten. but the tater tot...OMG
course 6: Cheese Takes Flight served with tokaji esszencia chateau pajzos 1993 (by request)
the tokji was nice but not as good as the royal tokji 1999 esszencia. this one didn't taste as rich. but it was quite good
estrella wynonchee river blue with blue bird farm emmer funnel cake, roasted cherry compote and sage leaf
this was a pretty good funnel cake but the fact we were inside a nice dining room instead of walking through fairgrounds was just missing.
course 7: Egged On
chocolate mint bavarian egg with apricot coulis yolk and apricot confited in butterscotch whey
course 8: Under the Berry Spell
warmed northwest berry medly with salted duckfat crumble and duck egg-lemon verbena ice cream and just-warmed berries
course 9: Coffees, Teas and Native Beverages and a Selection of Small Treats
chocolate-rosemary biscoti, frosted currants, milk chocolate sorrel ganache, almond-sage sandies, apricot-basil pate fruit
i would point out that the new pastry chef, cory barrett, came to the herbfarm from chef michael symon's lola in cleveland. one of these days i'm going to drag matt back to cleveland to dine at chef symon's place but until then at least i can have some of the tasty goodness from chef barrett.
No comments:
Post a Comment