Hello! How is your summer going? That was some storm, huh? Still cleaning up around town but it looks like no one was hurt and that's the most important part. Several people have asked how the bees fared, so here goes.
I went and checked them on Thursday as soon as it was safe. Four of the five had lost the covers on top and had been rained in, the fifth one had actually been flipped over and had landed several feet away. I up righted that one and covered them all in case of more rain but they were pretty angry and were in no mood for me. On Friday I went up there-man it was so humid. Hive # 5 was the one that had flipped so I looked at that first, they are doing just great. They have only been there a little over a month, and they are already ready for a second layer of brood box-- plenty of babies, quite a bit of honey, they look like they are poised for a population explosion. The other four all looked good, three of them already had honey supers on top, and seeing that all three were nearly full I added a second super. This bodes very well for not only the health of the hives but for our honey production as we are still not even into July. If we can have at least six full honey supers we will end up with at least ten gallons of honey. I placed heavy bricks on top of the hives in case more weather comes our way.
OK. So things are going pretty smoothly with newer staff and all the hard work from Susan Jackson and Libby Winter. We are still able to do menu service, and will try to avoid buffets for the time being. Please be patient with the staff, as they are mostly learning on the job and might not know your personal preferences or dislikes. I do know that there were several discrepancies on the printed and posted menus. Sorry about that, I take full responsibility.
Thank you to all who attended the Sip and Savor event last week, we had a great time and I thought the wines were really good. some of you complimented the Cassoulet we served afterwards, I will try to get that on the menu soon.
The soup this week is Tomato Basil-just what it sounds like a classic tomato soup with plenty of herbs-- especially basil. For this of you who asked, most of our soups are done by two employees-Hsar Eh, and Lupe Garcia. They both have different approaches to food but good attention to detail and a good feel for the ingredients. If you see them, please tell them what you think of the soups.
The appetizer this week is Baked Brie, wrapped in pastry and served with French bread. This one is served warm, and is always a hit. On a side note, this appetizer doesn't lend itself to half portions, I suggest a hearty appetite or a good friend as this can be filling. Kendall Jackson Chardonnay would work great with the rich buttery flavor.
The cheese this week is a new one for me. It's called 5 Q's Sheep cheese and it's aged in a sherry cask. This sounds pretty cool, I haven't tasted it yet but Spanish cheeses are amongst my favorites. We are serving this with Solera Brandy from Spain (also one of my favorites) and fig jam.
At Dinner this week we have Broiled Haddock with lemon and caper sauce, steamed asparagus and gnocchi tossed in butter and cheese. Haddock is closely related to Cod, but smaller and with a bit finer grain to the flesh. This fish tends to be more popular on the Eastern side of the Atlantic, where the largest fisheries are and in particular the Scots love their haddock.
We have Peach-Barbecued Pork Ribs this week, with a bit of an Asian twist. The sauce is made from peaches and ginger, and it is served with Sesame Bok Choy and Soba noodles. We are definitely making the most of the nice weather and you can expect all kinds of variations on classic barbecue to keep things fresh this summer. We have Gewurztraminer in-house that is not listed on the wine list but that would pair beautifully with the sweetness of the pork and the saltiness of the noodles.
We're offering Pan-Seared Airline Chicken Breast with Marsala sauce. Now an Airline chicken breast is simply a chicken breast that still has the fist joint of the wing attached. In the 1920's this cut was called a Statler chicken breast as it was served at the Statler Hotel in Boston.
This in itself is a variation on the classic Chicken Supreme-which is the same thing but with the meat and skin removed from the bone. In the early days of Commercial flight, airlines were searching for items that were both popular and that held up well for several hours. The Statler cut became so popular for this purpose, that it became synonymous with airlines. Ours is also served with baby carrots, sweet mashed potatoes and would be very good with La Crema Rosé, ask your server.
Don't miss the Cajun Chicken and Sausage this week served over penne pasta in a light cream sauce. This one packs a bit of heat, but pretty tame by Cajun standards. This is served with garlic bread and I recommend a cold beer.
As a vegetarian option, check out the Butternut Squash Rosettes served with sautéed arugula and crispy red potatoes.
For Dinner specials this week, look out for Duck Pot Pie, Lobster Rolls, Crab Cakes, Fried Pork Belly, Beef Sirloin, Swordfish, Pot Roast, Chicken Parmesan and Grilled Jumbo Shrimp.
At Lunch we're offering Leg of Lamb, Seafood Newberg, Open-Faced Turkey, Shrimp Scampi and Grilled New York Strip.
As we move into July, we will be starting the new Quarterly Menu, so any requests or ideas you have are always appreciated.
I'm planning on starting up the Brewing again, probably Tuesday or so, and we have a new space to work with. Looking at a wheat beer, and I will try to get it in the bottle as soon as we can.
Looking forward to seeing you all at Culinary Corner on Monday at 10 am!~
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