Welcome to December! Man, there is a lot going on lately. Thank you to all who attended the Sip and Savor event last week, we had a great time, sampled some great wines and left very full.
In The Hive Market, let me introduce Anna's Ice Creams . As some of you know, Anna makes great ice creams, but it has been nearly impossible to keep up with demand over the last couple of years and we've been buying most of our creams for the dining room. Anna wants to get back into the ice cream game and so beginning this week we are featuring 12 oz. containers of house made offerings. We are starting with Egg Nog cream, and we will expand as we see what people like and what we can fit into our very small freezer in the market. Also in the Hive, check out the Duck Confit Cassoulet-- yes, the very same that we all sampled after last week's Sip and Savor. Many residents asked me to put this on the menu, and so we are trying it out in take home size. Also in the Market, Filet Mignon Au Poivre, New England Lobster Roll, Beef Chili, Pesto Pasta Salad with Chicken, Italian Deli sandwich, Cheese Cannelloni, Mushroom Risotto, Leicester Cheese, Ratatouille and more. The Market is getting busier, and the later hours seem to appeal to more people.
In the Mt. Rosa dining room this week, the Appetizer is Chicken Potstickers, with pineapple-chili sauce. A pot sticker is a dumpling filled with ground chicken and vegetables, wrapped in a thin dough that is steamed and then fried.
The Cheese This week is called Leicester From Snowdonia, one of my recent favorite dairies. Snowdonia operates out of the UK, and their Red Storm Leicester has won multiple awards there. This cheese is most similar to Cheddar, but with a longer aging period of 18 months. The texture is a bit crumbly, with a slight nuttiness that good aging brings. We are serving this with a good fig jam, and I really think that if you haven't had the red Zinfandel from Kendall Jackson on the wine menu then you can't pass up this opportunity. You can also get this cheese in the Hive market.
At Dinner, try the Ginger and Soy- Glazed Haddock with sesame asparagus and steamed rice. Haddock is a close relative of Cod, the meat is a bit more delicate and generally not as thick. The aroma of the ginger and the saltiness of the soy make this a good time to try Gewurztraminer-- we have two on the menu-- either would be great here. This wine is very aromatic, with a slight sweetness that is balanced by acidity and can stand up to the bold flavors without overpowering.
Try the Barbecued Pork Ribs, a Classic Kansas City-style sauce here is served with coleslaw and macaroni and cheese. Perfect for a good beer. This week we have a couple of local choices, there's Dry Dock Brewing Amber Ale, Lone Tree Brewing Vanilla Ale and from California we have Stone Brewing Hazy IPA. all good beers, all good choices for this dish. We are taking a closer look at our beer selection-- a topic near and dear to my heart. One of our newer suppliers has a few Colorado beers, and I really think that we should be working harder on exploring what our great state has to offer.
Check out the Roasted Cornish Game Hen, topped with charred tomato salsa, served with creamy pearl onions and crisp fried green beans. These birds are about 18 ounces whole, so we serve half a hen per order giving you both white and dark meat. A Game Hen is really just a small breed of chicken, not a separate species as the name implies. We tend to use 2-3 pound broilers for our regular chickens, although we have at times gone as high as 4 pounds when the bird will be cut up.
Foe a Vegetarian option, check out the Quinoa topped with Zucchini, cherry tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese. This dish is finished with olive oil and balsamic glaze.
The Pasta this week is a Grilled Steak Fettuccini Alfredo, with lots of vegetables and garlic bread on the side. This one is hearty, very good for a chilly December evening. Cabernet Sauvignon would be a good choice here: try the Josh label from California.
At Lunch, try the Carved Meatloaf, the Beef Tenderloin, Pork Stew, Salmon Kabobs, or the Chicken Club Sandwich.
Several people have asked us about New Year's Eve, as it falls on a Sunday. We will be serving our regular Sunday brunch, from 11-2, and then reopening at 4:30 for a special dinner menu just for the occasion. Angie has an awesome party scheduled that evening and her theme is Blue Suede New Year, so I would expect lots of 50's music, quite a bit of sparkling wine and great food. I hope you all will be there.
Come see me at the Culinary Corner tomorrow, 10 am in the Dad Clark Bar, I look forward to seeing you.
