“A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.”-Garrison Keillor
Please remember, The Mt Rosa Dining Room will be closed on Tuesday the 19th for Lunch.
Hello! Welcome to another chilly December week. I hope everyone is ready for the holidays. The 24th is a Sunday, we will be having normal Brunch with normal hours. The 25th is a Monday. We will offer a special Holiday Brunch with Carved Ribeye, Carved Ham and more. The 31st is a Sunday, we will be serving normal brunch at normal hours, but that night we're serving a special dinner with Lobster, Filet Mignon, Scallops and more. After Dinner, Angie has a great party with a Blue Suede theme that I think will be a lot of fun. Finally, on January 1st (a Monday), there will be a traditional Holiday buffet with Beef Tenderloin, Baked Halibut, and Lobster Eggs Benedict.
In the first week of January, we will debut a new Always Available Menu. Still working on details, but I think we are going to be replacing the Vegetarian Option with a "Light" option. Still plant-forward, lower in saturated fats, for those who have been asking for it. This item will not be vegetarian, but will have very little animal protien, often only as a garnish.
This week on Tuesday we celebrate our residents who have been with us here for all 15 years in Highlands Ranch with a special Luncheon. For residents who will be missing Lunch that day, we encourage you to take this opportunity to try the Hive Market.
Keep in mind that the Market now has warm entrees in addition to chilled ones to make your choices easier. In the Market this week, check out the Warm Pot roast-- we use Choice Chuck Flap for this one. I like it because it has better marbling and less gristle than tradiional top round. We also have Bacon- Wrapped Teriyaki Salmon, Chicken Caciatorre, Stuffed Shells, Bacon and Swiss Quiche, Chicken à la King, Spinach- Artichoke Dip and more. Don't forget we carry wine by the bottle, soft drinks, snacks, hand-crafted vinegars and unfiltered honey from our own hives. Please take notice that the Hive items are now listed on the Allergen Menu found on the Touchtown app under "Dining". We list the major common allergens: wheat, dairy, nuts, fish/shellfish, and eggs. Please remember that we don't list non-allergy items like onions, garlic, pork, cayenne, or red wine as these are not common allergens (and often specific preferences and we simply can't list everyone's).
In The Mt Rosa Dining Room, try the Split Pea Soup with Ham this week. Ours is really simple, warming and filling.
The Appetizer of the week is a Sausage and Cornbread-Stuffed Mushroom, served in our house marinara sauce.
The Cheese this week is a Mango and Papaya Wensleydale. Wensleydale has been made in northern England since at least the 13th century by monks who settled there from the Roquefort Region of France. The cheese was originally made from sheep's milk and was bleu, but in the 14th century it shifted to cow's milk and became the crumbly mild cheese we know today. During the Second World War most milk in the country was shifted to making government-issued Cheddar and when the restrictions were lifted in 1954 many regional cheeses like Wensleydale never regained popularity. The cheese had declined so much that it was in danger of being wiped out when in the 1990's a popular clay animated series called Wallace and Gromit began referring to the cheese, boosting its popularity. The writer of the show, said he simply used the name because he liked the sound of it and had no idea that he was promoting helping this great cheese bounce back from obscurity. One of my favorite Wensleydale references in modern culture, however, is in the Monty Python's Flying Circus' famous "Cheese Sketch" where a customer enters a cheese shop that inexplicably is out of all cheeses. The customer lights up when he hears about the Wensleydale but it turns out to be the shop owner's name by silly coincidence and they don't have any. Our Wensleydale is studded with tropical fruits and would be just great with Gewurztraminer.
At dinner, I suggest the Halibut. We are broiling it in Sauvignon Blanc, and serving it with steamed broccoli and sautéed edamames. Halibut is a great fish, very delicious but more importantly it is a cold water fish which makes it higher in fats such as Omega-3.
We have Hand-Carved Wagyu Beef Flat Iron Steaks with Madiera truffle butter, brown butter Brussles sprouts, and roasted potatoes. Wagyu is an native breed of cattle from Japan that was crossbred with more modern European breeds in the early 20th century to produce a beef that is luxuriantly marbled and delicious. Ours is produced in America, right here in the West and is garnished with fresh truffle shavings. The Flat Iron is a great cut for this one, selected from the center of the shoulder. It is high in fat but not heavily used, making it even more tender. Try this dish with the Josh Cabernet.
We'll be serving Grilled Sakura Pork Chops this week, with a reduction of honey and lemon, served over butter braised apples and roasted potatoes. Another Japanese name, this breed of hog comes from Iowa. Sakura is known for the beautiful color of the flesh, where it gets its name, which means "cherry blossom".
For a vegetarian option, don't miss the Roast Tofu with a nice tamarind and chipotle glaze, served over sauteed Swiss chard and sweet potatoes. Tamarind is a tropical fruit high in vitamins and absolutely delicious on meats. Tofu is the pressed curd of soybeans, high in protien, low in fat, somewhat bland but taking flavor easily from something like tamarinds and chipotles.
By request we are serving Lobster Raviolis this week in a saffron cream and topped-- of course-- with more lobster.
For nightly specials, check out the Lamb Barbacoa, the Spaghetti with Winter Pesto, the New York Strip, Seafood Stew [Siete Mares], or the Bronzed Grouper.
At Lunch, try the Leg of Venison, the Swedish Meatballs, the Fish Tacos or the Pot Roast.
I look forward to seeing you all at the Culinary Corner Monday at 10 am in the Dad Clark Bar. Invite your friends, we have a great time!
