"You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows."
-Bob Dylan
Well here we are. It's starting to get colder-- at least at night, and we are finally moving into the new dining room. We plan on opening the 1859 restaurant for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on Monday, October 7th. It has taken quite a while to get here and so I really want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding. Think about it: we successfully fed 340 people all summer with no indoor dining at all. Everyone helped and it sometimes got messy but we have made it through.
The biggest thing I need all of you to know is this; We are all learning a new system-from the cooks to the servers. We did not get as much time as I would have liked to train, practice and work out bugs so I do expect the first few days to be more difficult. Service time may lag as we learn a new routine. Your order may have errors. The servers may seem unsure and even a little frightened. Please show patience and understanding as we move through this.
For right now the 1859 is the only restaurant open. I passed out an updated Food and Beverage information sheet on Friday and they have more copies in The Hive if you need one. Basically breakfast and lunch do not need a reservation but dinner definitely does. If you do not have a reservation for dinner and you come to the dining room, I'm sorry to say that we won't be able to accomodate you. So, please plan ahead and make those reservations early and often. We'd love to have you-- we just need advanced notice.
The Dad Clark Bar will be staffed with a bartender and we will serve drinks but we will not be serving food. I do plan on opening the food service in that venue on October 14th (if everything goes according to plan) but please be patient.
The Appetizer of the Week is Baked Brie. This is a soft, ripe cheese topped with raspberry preserves, wrapped in pastry, baked until golden and served hot.
The Cheese this week is called Vlaskaas. This is made exclusively by Beemster, a Dutch company dating back to 1901. This cheese is a Gouda-style, buttery and soft with hints of almonds. We are serving it with Honey Crisp apples and salami. This would go beautifully with a glass of Easy Street Wheat Beer-- newly available at the bar on draft.
We are serving King Salmon Wellington, which is a variation on the classic Beef Wellington. The dish is commonly associated with Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. However, there's no proof that the dish was created specifically for him or that battle and anyway if that is true we really missed the chance to have a classic dish called Beefyloo and that ship has probably sailed. Anyway, ours is made with King Salmon, topped with finely chopped mushrooms, Boursin cheese, wrapped in pastry and baked. We add Dijon Cream and it is really good. Try it with the Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay and I think you will be happy.
Speaking of dishes topped with pastry we are also serving Beef Pot Pie. Ours is composed of tender beef sirloin braised with vegetables and potatoes in a rich broth then topped with pastry. I recommend the Iron and Sand Cabernet from Paso Robles. Very nice.
We are serving Roasted Game Hen this week with a cider gravy. This is half a bird so you get both White and Dark meat. You can't go wrong with the Helfritch Gewürztraminer here.
Steamed Lobster Tail is always a good bet, ours are cold-water harvested in Nova Scotia, served over warm couscous, butternut squash, cranberries and asparagus. This is the absolute perfect time to try the Quattro Theory Sauvignon Blanc-- it is hands down the best Sauvignon Blanc I have ever tasted. Really.
Or try the Creamy Bowtie Pasta, tossed with roasted chicken, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, the La Crema Rosé makes and ideal pairing.
The Social is back to Thursdays-only and will be in the Private Dining room.
We will be hosting an Open House from 2-4 in the bar and dining room TODAY (Sunday, October 6). This is wine and snacks but really it is an informal opportunity to take a look around and see the dining rooms. There is no set program or speech. It is just a good time so please join us. Know that 4pm is a hard-stop to allow our servers to start setting the tables for the next service period.
I will be in the Art room at 10 am on Monday to host Culinary Corner, David will probably not attend as he has a lot on his plate and he can't afford to lose any more hair so I will answer as many questions as I can. See you in the morning!
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