Friday, April 19, 2013

New Menu Ideas

The Kitchen has been working on some new menu ideas in the kitchen and has come up with some tasty and fun things.

We have created two burgers, both hand ground fresh in the kitchen. 

The first on is a steak burger.  This burger starts with fresh flank steak that is ground together with our own house cured bacon.  The burger is then pan-fried to seal in all of the juices and also crisp up pieces of the bacon.  The burger is served on a toasted pretzel roll with mixed field greens, sharp cheddar pub cheese, roasted onion rings, tomato confit and bacon jam mayo.  Ask for extra napkins when you order this one!!!

The other burger is a fun little twist; it is a lamb burger.  We grind fresh leg of lamb with a unique blend of seasonings that include cumin, allspice, cinnamon and chili flake (just to give it a little kick).  We then pan sear the patty and cook it with a balsamic vinegar and butter glaze.  This burger is served on toasted garlic naan bread with arugula that is tossed in lemon oil, an olive and feta cheese relish, Dijon aioli and drizzled with lemon oil.  Lots of flavor happening with this burger.



 Here are two new sandwiches we are playing with...

The first one is an egg salad sandwich that is served on naan bread with an anchovy-green olive tapenade, roasted asparagus, arugula, sliced heirloom tomatoes(if winter ever ends), red onion and sliced Farmer Gus's eggs.  It is then drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with smoked sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.  This is a delicious, fresh, light spring-summer sandwich.

 The second is a Chimichurri Steak Sandwich.  Chimichurri is an sauce that is mostly used for grilled meats is usually made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and white or red wine vinegar.  We add a bit of cumin to ours.  OK back to the sandwich...We start by thinly slicing flank steak and marinating it in the chimichurri sauce.  The steak is then grilled and put on toasted French bread with avocado, tomato, red onion, shaved cabbage and a roasted red bell pepper cheese.  the sandwich is the topped with more chimichurri sauce to really bring out the flavors.



New Pizza

Smoked Salmon and Shaved Asparagus Pizza.  This pizza starts with our house cured salmon that is smoked over grape wines that are pruned, chipped and dried straight out of our vineyard.  These add a nice gentle smoke flavor and work great when smoking fish.  We start this pizza with a lavosh flat bread that we brush with lemon oil, it is then topped with Gruyere cheese, grana cheese, smoked salmon, red onions, chili flakes and shaved asparagus.  when it is out of the oven we drizzle it with a little lemon oil and sprinkle it with fresh dill.

And finally a new Brunch item...

Chilaquiles with fried eggs and grilled pork belly topped with diced onion, radish, feta cheese and fresh cilantro.  Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish that is made with tortilla chips that are simmer in a salsa or sauce until they have softened.  I like to use tomatoes, jalapenos, red onion and garlic cloves to make my sauce.  These vegetables are roasted at a high temperature to add that charred flavor to them, then they are boiled in chicken stock and pureed until smooth.  Great traditional breakfast dish.

We will be adding these and others over the coming weeks...

New Desserts on the Menu


The Kitchen has been making some fun and fresh desserts for spring and because we can't wait any longer for it to arrive, they are now on our menu.

Strawberry Pound Cake

The Strawberry Pound Cake starts with vanilla pound cake that is buttered and sugared, then grilled.  Layered between the pound cakes is mascarpone cheese that is whipped with honey and vanilla.  It is finished off with macerated strawberries, whipped cream, orange zest and juices from the berries. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae is baked to order on a cast iron skillet and topped with vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, candied walnuts and a cherry.

Blue Cheese Cream Brulee

A Bleu Cheese custard with a classic creme brulee finish, sugar burned on top.  It is served with strawberry, basil, black pepper salad and balsamic caviar.

Key Lime Pie

Our key lime pie is made with a key lime mousse, toasted graham cracker crust whipped cream, candied lime and hibiscus flower syrup.

We are pretty excited to add these to our dessert menu.  Hopefully spring will follow!!!