MAY 2009 ARCHIVES
This week's email
Tuesday, May 5, 2009 by Ben
Hey, friends. First off, I would like to thank all of you who wrote after last week's email with such positive words of encouragement and congratulations regarding our new restaurant/butcher shop that will be opening very soon, Laurelhurst Market. We all really appreciate the good wishes and look forward to sharing our new creation with all of you. We are really getting very close, and I will probably have some firm dates for all of you next week regarding opening.
As for now, I've got two really great menus to share with you from our man Scott Ketterman. Our local farmers continue to get the produce ball rolling, and we're starting to get our hands on some really beautiful and delicious early-season goodies. The asparagus from our friends at Viridian Farms is tender, sweet and delicious - so good it's on both menus! Let's not forget, though, that our local farmers don't only raise veggies. My good friend John Newmeister, from Cattail Creek farms will be dropping off some of his incredibly delicious lamb for all of you this week, which Scott will be working his magic on. If you've never had John's lamb, this is the stuff that makes people who don't like lamb change their minds - really clean flavor and very tender. Totally delicious.
Check out the menus for this week, I think you'll really like what's cooking. Just a reminder, too, there is no more Saturday Brunch - that ship has sailed. Maybe we'll do it again next year, we'll see. But for now, we still have Sundays. See you there.
Friday, May 8th
Seared Chicken Livers with Shaved Asparagus and Saba Dressing
Potato Gnocchi with Arugula Pesto and Parmesan Reggiano
Crisp Fried Oregon Razor Clams with Smokey Housecured Bacon and Braised Lettuces
Panna Cotta with Dried Cherry Sauce and Apple Mint
Price is $30 per person plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30 pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
Saturday, May 9th
Parma Prosciutto with Fresh Mozzarella and Plum Mostarda
Mache and Roasted Beet Salad with Preserved Orange
Sausage-Wrapped Cattail Creek Lamb Loin with Viridian Farms Asparagus
Rhubarb Frangipane Tart
Price is $35 per person plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVP or call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.
Sunday
Brunch
Brunch is served from 9am to 2pm, and no reservations are required. We are now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or more people. To make reservations, call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 or RSVP with your name, party size and the time you would like to come. Your reservation will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.
Have a great week, everyone. I hope the sun comes out to shine on all of us.
This week's email
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 by Ben
Hey everyone! I hope you've been loving this spring weather... at least it stays interesting. We've been working on tying up all of the loose ends over at Laurelhurst Market, our new restaurant and butcher shop. It's been a ton of busy work, a little bit of stress, and a lot of organization.
Just a few words of heads up before I get into this week's menus at the Dining Hall. At this point (barring catastrophe - in the form of permits and inspections) we plan on the following opening dates:
Butcher Shop: Monday, May 18th - 10am
Restaurant: Friday, May 22nd - 5pm
If you come by Monday morning for some fresh meats or some deli sandwiches, and you find a locked door - sorry - I'll be in there and hopefully I'll be able to give you an updated opening date. And if the restaurant date changes, I'll let you know in next week's email.
Okay, for this week's menus, Scott has (as usual) put together a really nice collection of goodies. Guess what we're getting from Viridian Farms? Give up? Fresh, local strawberries! I am excited! I love the seasons - the rotation of fruits and veggies seems to come around at just the right pace to keep you pumped up for each one.
I love food.
Here we go with the menus - we have one of our most popular items on Friday - Paella. Fantastic stuff. Bring some friends and treat yourselves to a fine meal. And we'll see you at the new butcher shop next week.
Friday, May 15th
Fried Smelt with Cardoon and Lemon Aioli
Viridian Farms’ Baby Lettuces with Sheep’s Milk Cheese and Honey Vinaigrette
Paella Valenciana with Rabbit, Chicken, Heirloom Beans and Saffron
Lemon Bizcocho with Fresh Oregon Strawberries
Price is $35 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30 pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
Saturday, May 16th
Claudio's Salami, Marinated Olives and House Pickled Vegetables
Pappardelle Pasta with Bison Bolognese, House Made Pancetta, and Pecorino Romano
Charcoal Grilled Young Chicken with Red Wine Braised Chicories
Rhubarb Crostada with Honey Rosemary Ice Cream
Price is $30 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVP or call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.
Sunday
Brunch
Brunch is served from 9am to 2pm, and no reservations are required. We are now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or more people. To make reservations, call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 or RSVP with your name, party size and the time you would like to come. Your reservation will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.
We'll see you soon. I can't wait to show you our new space. Wish us luck with getting this ship to sail. Love you.
This week's menu
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 by Ben
Hey, folks. Well, it's on. We opened the butcher shop yesterday at the new Laurelhurst Market, and it's been really great. It's been both a pleasure and an honor having so many of you come by to say hi to welcome our new business and to welcome us to the neighborhood. Thank you all so much for your kind words and compliments on our new space. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should come take a gander, and pick up a steak while you're at it. On Friday, the restaurant officially opens to the public at 5pm. We've been gearing up for the big day, and we're all really excited. We hope to see you there soon.
Before I move on to this week's menus for Simpatica, I would like to take time out for one sec to make a special mention, especially in light of the previous paragraph. A warm thank you and much, much love to our families who have been supporting us through this whole project. It has been a rough road, and there have definitely been days that were better than others (and others that were much, much worse). And the worst is probably to come - there are many long and stress-filleddayson the way, and they won't make us the easiest to be around (if we're around at all). So - thanks for your support and - we love you.
Okay, on to Simpatica. I promise that soon this whole other project will be off the ground and running, and you won't have to hear about it (as much). Scott has put two humdinger menus together for all of you - these will be hard to pass up. Spring has sprung and it is fantastic! OK - here's the goodies, I'll talk to you soon.
Friday, May 22nd
Hush Puppies with Cayenne Remoulade and Zucchini Pickles
Sheldon’s Arugula with Creole-Spiced Shrimp, Cornbread Croutons and Mustard Vinaigrette
Smoked Beef Brisket and Country Pork Ribs with Ozark BBQ Sauce,Long Cooked Collard Greens with Smoked Ham Hocks
Strawberry Shortcake with Chantilly Cream
Price is $35 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30 pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
Saturday, May23rd
Provencal Style Dungeness Crab Soup with Crostini and Saffron Rouille
Little Gem’s Baby Romaine with Anchovy Vinaigrette, Pecorino and Fresh Tarragon
Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Oil Poached Potatoes, Fennel and Green Garlic
Orange Crème Brûlée with Lavender Shortbread
Price is $35 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVP or call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.
Sunday
Brunch
Brunch is served from 9am to 2pm, and no reservations are required. We are now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or more people. To make reservations, call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 or RSVP with your name, party size and the time you would like to come. Your reservation will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.
I'm really tired. I'm gonna finish my work up and get on to bed. I hope to see you soon. Until then, take care.
This week's email
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 by Ben
Happy Spring, everyone! It has been a fantastic week - the sun has been out, the birds have been singing, and we have the first week of business at Laurelhurst Market behind us. Thanks so much to all of you who have come by the see our new project. The reponse has been overwhelmingly positive - we're really happy to be a part of our new neighborhood over there, and our new neighbors seem to be really enjoying what we've been doing. It's been a good week - we've been super busy getting rolling but I feel like we've got a good groove on. Our customers have been really pleased - the food that Dave, Will and the crew have been pumping out has been really fantastic. Definitely come by and check it out, we'd love to show you our new baby.
Speaking of Spring, very little says Spring to me like some Spring Lamb from Cattail Creek Farms. Located down in Junction City, just north of Eugene, our pal John Newmeister has some of the best lamb ever. Period. I've been cooking with his lamb since 1997, and this is the lamb that makes people who don't like lamb change their minds - definitely check out Saturday's menu. But first, on Friday, we've got one of my personal favorites, corned beef short ribs. Seriously, both menus for this weekend are really incredible, you will definitely want to check one or both out. But make your reservations early, these ones are going to go quickly.
Friday, May 29th
Sheldon's Savoy Spinach Salad with Buttermilk Blue Cheese, Warm Bacon Vinaigrette and Roasted Walnuts
House Smoked Ham, English Peas and a Soft Boiled Egg
Corned Beef Short Ribs with a Loaded Twice-Baked Potato
Rhubarb and Almond Trifle
Price is $30 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30 pm. PleaseRSVPor call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
Saturday, May 30th Smoked Black Cod with a Green Apple Mustard, Grains of Paradise and Breakfast Radish
Mussel Soup with Fennel and Saffron
Grilled Cattail Creek Leg of Lamb with Artichoke Swiss Chard and a Date-Almond Chutney
Polenta Cake with Strawberries and a Hibiscus Sorbet
Price is $35 perperson plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7pm. PleaseRSVP or call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 to make reservations.
If you find yourselves without any dinner plans late in the day on Fridays or Saturdays, it doesn't hurt to give us a call, we sometimes have some last minute cancellations or spots open up, and we'd love to have you come in and eat with us.
Sunday
Brunch
Brunch is served from 9am to 2pm, and no reservations are required. We are now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or more people. To make reservations, call the kitchen at (503)235-1600 or RSVP with your name, party size and the time you would like to come. Your reservation will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.
Come by and see me at Laurelhurst Market - I'm there every day (right now). I would love to show you what we've got. Swing by for a sandwich during the day or for a killer steak or some such during the night. Or come check out thecocktail stylings of our bartender, Evan Zimmerman, who's a whiz with the bottles and concoctions - he just tasted me on a chorizo-flavored tequila margarita he made with some of my chorizo - sounds crazy, I know, but it was really pretty tasty. Anyhow, see you folks soon. Until then, take care.
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