Culinary Corner January 3-8

Happy New Year!! I really hope you all enjoyed the buffets and the party that Angie put on for the big event, she does such a great job. So we have a new year, and a new quarter, so we will have a new always available items.

The Cheese this week is Stilton with Dried Dates and Cherry Crisps. Stilton is one of the most famous blue cheeses, with a creamy rich texture and pungent aroma. It is wonderful when paired with the sweet dates, and the crackers have dried cherries in them as well. If you choose this, ask Laura at the Bar for a snifter of port.

The Appetizer of the Week is a Crab Cake, made with blue crab, and served with kiwi, lime and ginger salsa. This is a pretty classic Maryland-style crab cake, and the kiwi should be refreshing with the buttery crabmeat.

The Weekly Salmon is going away at Lunch, in its place we simply added a Steamed Lobster Tail with drawn butter, marinated cucumbers, and white rice. This will be available every day at lunch through March 31st.

The Filet Mignon has changed a bit, our beef tenderloin will now be served with Roasted Mushrooms and Garlic Mashed Potatoes along with our house Red Wine Bordelaise.

Instead of a Weekly Taco, we will be adding a Weekly Special. This week it will be Seared Airline Chicken Breast with Madeira Gravy, Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans. An airline breast is simply a skin -on chicken breast with the first section of the wing still attached. In the early days of air travel, a classic cut known as a Suprême or Frenched Chicken breast was used to convey a touch of class to the in-flight meals. A Suprême cut is when the meat around the wing is cut away leaving a clean, trimmed bone sticking out of the breast. Remember, there was a time that chicken wings were considered low class... but over time the cut evolved to simply have the wing with the yummy meat attached and the name "airline" stuck, although most airlines no longer serve such finery.

The Burger this week is of Wagyu Beef topped with Truffle Cheese and Mushroom Aioli (and sweet potato fries). Wagyu is a breed of cattle from Japan- also known there as Kobe, a cross between an ancient Japanese breed and European cattle. The breed is known for it's high level of fat marbling, leading to a very tender and flavorful meal. The cheese is of sheep's milk studded with black truffles and the aioli is a mayonnaise-type sauce with chopped, roasted mushrooms folded in. I really recommend you try this one.

The Pasta this week is a simple Macaroni and Cheese, but it's made with Gruyère, and full of Lobster Meat.

The Vegetarian Special is Quinoa tossed with Fava Beans and Wild Mushrooms in a warm Tamari and Lemon Vinaigrette. Quinoa (as you know) is an ancient grain prized in the Americas for its high nutritional value and ability to grow in marginal land. Quinoa is one of the few plant-based complete proteins, and is so good for you that you just have to order it at least once.

At Dinner, the grilled Atlantic Salmon now has a sauce made from winter squash, and is served with asparagus and roasted sweet potato, the Roasted Chicken now comes with baked potato and green beans (in addition to the gravy and stewed apples); the Entrée Salad now has a Crispy Chicken Breast available in addition to Salmon and Beef Tenderloin.

When we return to menu service in the Dining room (soon), we will also be featuring our Weekly Specials, as well as Daily Specials.

On the Buffet this week, look for Flank Steak, Orange Roughy Veracruz, Carved Rack of Pork, and Chipotle Braised Beef Short Ribs.

The cocktail this week is an interesting one; French 75 is a cocktail made from gin, champagne, lemon juice, and sugar. It is also called a 75 Cocktail, or in French simply a Soixante Quinze (Seventy Five). The drink dates to World War I, and an early form was created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris—later Harry's New York Bar—by barman Harry MacElhone. The combination was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm field gun.

The Wine this week is (a California blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, and Petit Syrah)-- it would go fabulously with the Wagyu Burger or the Rack of Pork.

I hope you all have a wonderful week, I look forward to seeing you all. Please remember that the Culinary Corner is at 10 am on Monday Mornings, in the Dad Clark Bar and I am happy to answer any questions you may have at any time.

Thank You!

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