THE KITCHEN
January 2018 Menu
(Available January 3rd through January 28th, 2018)
Presented by Executive Chef Kelly McCown, Chef de Cuisine Allyson Harvie
and Chef Owner Randall Selland
Please call 916 568 7171 for reservations
We are happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions, allergies and preferences. Menus are subject to change due to seasonality and availability of the best quality ingredients.
first course
Still Here
Seared Day Boat Sea Scallop
“Sweet and Sour” Ginger, Poached Tangerine, Chili, Crispy Sweetbreads and Mint
Chef’s Notes: With the the New Year upon us, we reflect on the past as we look to the future. In celebration of this, we feature two ingredients that have seen quite a few New Years, where both the scallop and citrus have known fossil records dating back to the Pliocene. Now we thought it wise to bring these two back together with a dish of sumptuous pan roasted scallops paired with tangy, lightly poached local tangerines tinged with garlic, ginger, and a hint of spicy chili. Sitting atop crispy fried sweetbreads in a sweet and sour glaze, it’s a vibrant welcome to the New Year.
second course
Lucky Number
Dungeness Crab Tortellini
Carrot-Apple Nage, Butternut Squash and Crème Fraiche
Chef’s Notes: As Chinese New Year approaches, we keep in mind that the number eight is a significant and important number in the celebration of this lunar holiday. Playing on this idea, we though we should feature the very tasty eight-legged local culinary treasure, the Dungeness crab. We take rich crab meat, fold it into delicate butternut squash pasta, and set it atop silky squash puree. Butter-frothed carrot and apple nage adds another layer to this bright and vibrant winter dish.
Intermission
Walk around. Visit and sample at chef stations.
Enjoy our garden patio. Relax by the fire.
third course
I’m Your Huckleberry
Smoked Sonoma Pekin Duck Breast
Coastal Huckleberries, Endive Chutney and Almond Madeline “Bread Pudding”
Chef’s Notes: This famous phrase roughly means the “right thing for the right job,” and in this case it applies to our smoked duck paired with huckleberries. With just the right amount of applewood smoke and crispy skin, Jim Riechart’s beautiful Sonoma County Pekin Duck nestles comfortably among tangy huckleberries from the wild coast of Oregon. Playing foil is a delicately sweet and savory bread pudding with hints of Frangipane and gently stewed onions. All of this comes together, creating just enough richness and a perfect fit for our January menu.
fourth course
Cross Cultural Ambassador
Butter Poached Beef Tenderloin
Potato and Sauerkraut Latke, Calvados, Salsify and Winter Sage
Chef’s Notes: Boxty, Tattie, Gamja-Jeon, Rarkor, Ziemniaczane, Bramborak, Kuku Sib Zaminr – call it what you like, but almost every culture has a version of the Latke, or potato pancake. In celebration of food as the great unifier, here is our beef tenderloin. Gently poached in butter and then crispy seared, we place it lovingly on our Latke, mixed with onions and house cured Sauerkraut and griddled with duck fat. Accompanied by a delicate salsify puree and beef jus redolent with apple brandy, we know that we can always share the dinner table.
dessert course
One Man’s Tea Leaves
Thai Tea Pot de Creme
Tropical Fruit Compote and Coconut “Curry” Macaroons
Chef’s Notes: Tea drinking was introduced to Thailand during the reign of King Rama IV and King Rama V, where the workers, after brewing teas for the masters, took the spent tea leaves and mixed them with citrus peel and spices. With the addition of coconut milk or milk, Thai tea as we know it was born. With this in mind, here is our pot de crème, topped with a compote of mixed tropical fruits and served with spiced coconut cookies. We leave you with thoughts of a warm place, a lovely way to finish our first menu of 2018. Bon Appetit.