Culinary Corner, Week of February 12-17

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience." - James Beard

Hello! Thank you to all who have offered congratulations on my promotion. As of Monday morning my new title will be Director of Food and Beverage. So now the real work begins. David is of course in charge of the kitchen still and Susan is running the Dining rooms. I will be overall in charge of both areas and making sure that the two departments work hand in hand on the overall dining experience.

As of right now, I will still be running the Monday Morning Culinary Corner meeting, with David joining me when time allows. I will still be doing the Sip and Savor events of course, and will be more visible at meals and events. The challenge for me will be trying to stay out of the kitchen while I learn more about our front of the house functions and help both departments work together.

So some of you may have seen a flyer about reservations taken before 8 am. So what happened? Well, for reasons that are not clear, the reservation system was allowing some reservations to slip through the cracks before the official time of 8 am-- which is when we officially start taking reservations for the dining room. No one knew this was happening before last week, and we are unclear if it can be fixed, thus the flyer. What does this mean? It means that if a reservation is submitted before 8 am, it will be cancelled-- even if there is a confirmation that it was accepted. This is the only way to be fair with the reservations system and will result in more residents getting a fair shot at open tables. I think that some of the recent frustration with people being unable to get a table will be eased and we will be monitoring this closely. We do of course still take reservations over the phone as well. If you have questions about this or any part of our reservations system please give me a call at 720 348 7810 or e-mail at gstrickland@viliving.com.

Anna and some delicious King Cake from our 2023 Celebration

On Tuesday this week, we are celebrating Mardi Gras with a Buffet. Come and join us for a classic Crawfish Boil, Jambalaya, Blackened Redfish, Red Beans, and Duck Etoufée. Susan will be pouring lots of Hurricanes, and of course we will be finishing with King Cake and Beignets. For those who do not partake in alcohol but like to have fun, we will be also offering a special non-alcoholic Hurricane.

Some residents have expressed interest in more non alcoholic drinks or "Mocktails", if you think that this is something that you would like to explore, please let me know. We did just get in a new non-alcoholic brand of beer this week from Guinness, and of course we already have non-alcoholic wine. We are experimenting with a non-alcoholic sparkling wine but there are other options out there. I don't have a lot of experience with this but as with many things I am willing to learn.

In the Hive Market this week, Check out the Cheese Calzone and the Meat Lasagna-- both with extra marinara sauce. We also have a Lobster Roll on a Baguette, Grilled Artichokes, and Fried Chicken.

As discussed at the Food Forum in January, we are working with the Food Committee to expand the offerings in the Hive Market. Nothing concrete yet but keep following this blog for updates as we explore their ideas.

In the Dining Room this week, check out the Halibut with Chard Scallop Mousse and Velouté. The Mousse is made with scallops, heavy cream and Swiss chard all whipped together and baked. It will be light and airy, and will complement the velouté which is really just a fancy French word for gravy but "Halibut Gravy" sounds very strange. This is served with roasted asparagus and puréed parsnips. Try the Helfritch Gewurztraminer with this one, I think you will be happy with the way the flavors work together.

We have a Bleu Cheese and Chive-Crusted Filet Mignon this week with baby carrots, and a twice baked potato. This is simply a version of our regular Filet Mignon, but with an exciting, new twist. Pair it this week with the Portillo Malbec that we tasted last month, it's not on the menu but there are a few bottles left.

Try the Pork Porterhouse, served with Quince glaze, roasted Broccoli and Viola Rice. A porterhouse is very similar to a T-bone chop, with the loin on one side and the tenderloin on the other separated by bone. It's a nice cut because you get a little of both and the bone keeps it from drying out. Quince is a fruit closely related to apples and pears, which are also closely related to roses. This fruit has aspects of all three, with a sweet fruity flavor and a bright floral aroma. Viola rice is an Italian variety not seen very often in this country with a nutty flavor and a purplish color. As the rice is whole grain, it is higher in nutrients and fiber as well as being a more complex carbohydrate than white rice which is stripped of most of it's goodness. Great one to have with Riesling, we have two on the menu that would be great.

The light special is a bit whimsical, it's an Edamame Hummus and Avocado Sandwich on hand cut whole grain bread with pickled onions, baby greens and Yellow tomatoes served with a salad of Quinoa and Radish. Crazy healthy, right?

The Pasta this week is Gemeli with Grilled Chicken, lemon, garlic and fresh herbs. Gemeli means "twins" in Italian, and this is just one curly strand of pasta twisted over itself to look like it's doubled. The shape of this pasta is nice for light dishes, as there is no heavy sauce to coat the noodles but only some really nice Extra Virgin oil. The whole thing is topped with shaved parmesan and would be nice with Pinot Grigio.

For specials check out the Roasted Cod, The Duck Confit, Grilled Ribeye, Guava Barbecued Ribs and the seafood Bouillabaisse.

At lunch try the Salmon Meuniere, the Beef Chili, Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, Fish and Chips, and by request Soft Shell Crabs.

I will be seeing you all tomorrow morning at the Culinary Corner, without the Chef coat but ready to work together like always.