Category: Farm-To-Table

Being on time is not my strong point, and apparently having good cell phone reception in Denver isn’t T-mobile’s strong point either. With no service or wi-fi to order an uber, I frantically flagged down a cab in an attempt to not be late to my first dinner reservation of the trip. As we pulled up to Fruition, I ran inside and was only five minutes late, but the service staff didn’t even bat an eye. I was greeted with friendly familiarity and was asked when I would be visiting the farm. Looking around, the restaurant itself was quaint and unassuming. It seemed like a great place for intimate gatherings and the atmosphere made you feel right at home. Instead of feeling isolated from the other diners, I felt a part of their experience and eagerly looked forward to seeing the results of their dinner orders appear on the table.

The server started us off with complimentary table wine while we looked over our drink menus to decide what would pair best with our chosen dinners. I ordered the ‘Easy Street’ cocktail (Silver Tree Vodka, Cocchi Americano, Grapefruit Tarragon Syrup) while my partner ordered a 2013 Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley.

Bread and butter was dropped off at our table, which was not unexpected, but the butter was topped with thyme and sea salt. This made it that much better and left me wanting to ask for a to go box to take the butter home. (I really wish I had! It was so simple, but it really left a lasting impression on me.) As we finished our bread, another complimentary chef starter was introduced to us; fruition farm’s sheep milk mozzarella stretched over corn and tomatoes with a white base and bread crumbs on top. Such a lovely and light dish to showcase the mozzarella; thinking about it as I write this blog post has me yearning for more, but I guess my block of goat cheddar will have to suffice.

It was less than halfway through the meal and I was already impressed, so when they brought out the two starters that we ordered I was floored. Mine was the ‘Chilled Rocky Ford Melon Soup’, with the base being Fruition Farm’s sheep milk skyr panna cota topped with baby heirloom tomatoes and a honey + ginger crumble. This dish was the embodiment of Summer to me; so light, sweet, and rich at the same time paired with the lovely refreshing taste of melons.

My partner ordered a starter that was quite the opposite: ‘Chicken & Pine Nut Terrine’ with roasted chanterelle mushrooms, pepper relish, and chicken skin. It was salty, savory, and umami. The comparisons between the two were night and day, which was fine by me because I was madly in love with my melon soup and would fly back to Denver to have it again if given the chance. (Although I wasn’t crazy about the pate, I did have a soft spot for the roasted chanterelles!)

Finally our entrees arrived and they were beautiful. I had the ‘Pan Roasted Icelandic Cod’ with shrimp stuffed squash blossoms, summer squash puree, and a tomato saffron broth. (All of the squash in this dish came from Fruition Farms.) The dish paired perfectly with my cocktail and summer-esque starters; it was all on the same flavor wavelength which made everything that much more perfect.

My partner stuck with the umami and savory street by ordering the ‘Grilled Bavette Steak’ (rare) with grilled spring onions, crispy fingerling potatoes, black garlic jam, and confit sweetbreads. I managed to steal a bite away from him and it was the best bite of steak I had ever had in my life (mind you though, I never eat steak). The steak comes from a farmer in Arkansas City, whom Alex Seigal has had a personal relationship with for the past ten years; the waiter emphasized that the cows were very happy as well.

Although I was completely stuffed by the time we finished our entrees, I couldn’t resist the dessert menu. Our waiter said that they were known for their lemon meringue pie and they also offered a cheese plate featuring a trio of Shepherd’s cheese from Fruition Farms. Although we were tempted by the cheese, we eventually settled on the ‘Strawberry & Rhubarb’ featuring citrus poundcake, lemon curd, and Shepherd’s Halo-Vanilla Mousse. The mousse also came from the creamery and was surprisingly not sweet; the sheep’s milk evident in its flavor. Overall, the dessert was an expected success for my palette, even though the mousse was a bit off key.

To conclude, Fruition was hands down my favorite meal in Denver and a great introduction to farm-to-table eating. Of course not all ingredients come from the farm, but instead they acted as supporting stars to the main dish. Generally proteins are sourced from elsewhere, but what was really unique about Fruition is the fact that all their cheese comes from their own creamery. In fact, Fruition farms is the only sheep milk creamery in Colorado.

http://www.fruitionrestaurant.com/

When picking and choosing what workshops/events I wanted to attend during the Slow Food Conference, the John Currunce takeover of Beast and Bottle caught my eye. Currunce is an amazing chef and author to two books; he often draws inspiration from New Orleans and Mississippi. Of course, when I tried to make dinner reservations, they were fully booked. With that opportunity lost I decided it was best to eat dinner at Beast + Bottle anyways, since they focus on locally produced food from 20+ purveyors. So my second day in Denver I arrived a little too early to the restaurant and wandered around a local market. (Although not late, my timing was still off.) After buying a ridiculous amount of chocolate, I meandered across the street to Beast + Bottle. The restaurant was buzzing with the chattering of an older like-minded crowd; a common theme for many of the dinners I had in Denver.  (The demographic of many of my workshops and dinners in Denver were a source of “interest” to me as well, but I’ll mention that in another post.)

As we took our seats and the waiter set the menus down in front of us, I marveled at the uniqueness of the dinner menu. Each entree was accompanied by a sketch of the animal that matched the protein. The drink menu was also interesting due to the fact that each cocktail was named after a famous pop song; I ordered the ‘Graparazzi’, a fun spin off of Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi. ‘Graparazzi’ contained aquavit, honey grappa, strawberry, sheep milk’s skyr, & lemon verbana. This was hands down my favorite cocktail in Denver, because of the unique flavor and mouth feel the skyr added to it. (If you hadn’t already guessed, the skyr was sourced from Fruition farms!) It really introduced me to the idea of adding skyr and other creamy substances to cocktails; something I hope to experiment with in the future.

For our starters, I ordered the ‘Rockfish Crudo’ with snap peas, persian cucumbers, yuzu (a citrus fruit), and trout caviar. The dish was light, fresh, and a bit tart; the caviar popped between my teeth and I was a big fan of the raw rockfish. Overall, it paired fairly well with my cocktail and was a good start to the meal.

My partner ordered the ‘Dungeness Crab Gnocchi’ with buttermilk-english pea nage, lemon, and tarragon. The dish reminded me of comfort food due to the warmth it radiated, but surprisingly it wasn’t that flavorful. I found it boring and not a challenge to my palette; easy to consume… but it left me feeling uninspired. Although part of this could be due to the fact I never really liked gnocchi in the first place. My critique? Add more tarragon and lemon, because it was unnoticeable in the dish.

Forever loyal to his steak, my partner ordered the ‘Coulette Steak’ medium rare with skordalia, tomato consomme, mushroom conserva, and pine nut. It was like deja vu from the night before, except less impressive. Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the dish, but the steak at Fruition was just an umami overload, while this one paled in comparison on the umami scale. My comparisons to Fruition were endless, but how could I not compare when I had eaten one of the best dinners of my life the night before?! Plus I had just discovered that I loved rare steak and this steak was medium rare…

Anyways, I’m done with the comparisons, because my entree was vegetarian and extremely unique. I know I was that obnoxious person who didn’t order meat at a restaurant that literally had the word ‘beast’ in their name, but the “Red Beet Panna Cotta’ with bbq beets, dandelion greens, faro, and charred lemon sounded like a symphony of flavors ready to explode on my tongue. And I was not disappointed. Sweet, savory, tart…it was the complete package. I cherished each bite of my bbq beets and swirled the panna cotta lightly in the accompanying tart yellow sauce (charred lemon). I love it when something is a challenge to my palette and creates a thought provoking meal for me, which is exactly what this dish did.

For dessert we ordered the petite three bites. Pictured above on the far left was the ‘sweet pea cake’ topped with basil whipped cream. In the middle were the ‘blueberry gumdrops’ with tarragon. On the far right, was the ‘cucumber + mint granita’ with sheep milk’s skyr. Each small dessert was unique and interesting, with perfectly balanced flavors. My personal favorite was the granita, because it was like a refreshing summer slushy with creamy skyr on the bottom.

All in all, Beast + Bottle was an excellent example of a restaurant that strives to provide local cuisine to high end consumers. Even though it didn’t wow me like Fruition did, I was still impressed and would recommend this place for their cocktail list or unique wine list.

After visiting Fruition Farms earlier in the day and seeing my partner off to the airport, I thought it would be a good opportunity to have dinner at Alex Seigel’s other restaurant: Mercantile. Located at the Union Station in Denver, it seemed to fit in perfectly with the vibe of the area and I called ahead to reserve a table. I was informed that the only spots open were at the chef’s table, so I reluctantly obliged not sure what that entailed.  When I arrived inside Mercantile, I was seated right in front of the kitchen…which was the best spot in the house. I daydreamed about food and reflected on my trip so far as I watched the chefs frantically cook. The dinner itself was a paused moment in time; no stress, no obligations, just existing to enjoy food in its finest form. A dinner alone at such a place was a rare occasion for myself and looking back I remember Mercantile fondly…

Farm to Table in Seattle comes in a wide variety of forms, many of which appear to be more laid back and casual than the places I dined at in Denver. The first restaurant I visited was unique and not necessarily even farm to table. Located in Belltown, Local 360 is a trendy spot where all the ingredients are sourced within 360 miles of the restaurant (except for lemons, limes, and coffee). The menu had a wide variety and the prices ranged from low to high. So this restaurant could easily be accessed by the majority of people. The cocktail list was also very interesting as well and we found ourselves ordering one made with local Communi-tea Kombucha and gin.

Although the foraged mushroom pot pie sounded intriguing, I decided to order their 3 course seasonal tasting menu while my partner decided to stick with a medium rare 14oz New York steak served with housemade fries.

The first course was squash blossoms stuffed with chevre. They were creamy, earthy, and somewhat bitter; a perfect pairing. Yet they were gone all too soon, since there was only three on my plate. Next came the main course, a cut of steak paired with grilled tomatoes and jalepenos. The steak appeared to be blackened or charred. The presentation was beautiful and it tasted delicious too. Their steak is sourced from Double R Ranch and they are wet aged for maximum flavor. (Pasture raised and grain finished as well.)

Finally, for dessert I was presented a lemon meringue creme topped with a macron, pistachios, and rhubarb chunks. Light, tart, and summer-y it was my favorite dish of the whole meal. Everything else was good and almost felt cliche. I was expecting to be wowed with creativity like I was at Mercantile and Fruition, but instead I found a place that is substandard. Local 360 is simply a casual dining area for the millennials and middle aged of Seattle; it gives us a peak of what all restaurants should be like and could be like if ingredients were sourced locally. A place you add into your monthly rotation, because it won’t break the bank and the food is good. For now though, it will appear trendy and innovative until locally sourced ingredients become the new norm.

Although our original plan was to eat at the King Fisher Restaurant at the Sleeping Lady Resort, which boasted their own organic garden, we were skeptical about a farm-to-table buffet. (side note: how is a buffet even sustainable…wouldn’t it generate a lot of food waste?) So we opted to eat at WaterShed Café in downtown Leavenworth instead. I was intrigued by their unique proteins and how they seemed to be sourced locally mostly from the Pacific Northwest, which was often not the case for some of the farm-to-table restaurants I had visited in Denver (in one case my fish had come from Iceland).

So once our reservation time rolled around, we eagerly walked a few minutes across town and were sat at a table by the window. We decided that the cocktail menu looked interesting enough to try and ordered our respective drinks. He ordered the Dreamsicle (what our server called the equivalent of a melted creamsicle popsicle); made with Bacardi rum, orange juice, local lavender simple cream, and soda. While I ordered the Wildflower 75 with gin, brut, WA local honey, and lemon juice. The honey aroma and taste was the most evident in those first few sips, yet slowly faded away the more I drank. The Wildflower 75 was my first cocktail made with honey and would certainly not be my last, as I intend to add honey into the ingredient rotation the next time I play bartender for my friends.

As we debated appetizers and googled what ‘carpaccio’ was, I selfishly wanted to order a bowl of the bison tortilla soup to myself. But I took a gamble and ordered an appetizer for the two of us, that was outside of my culinary comfort zone and was thankfully rewarded. The Oregon Bison Carpaccio was plated with baby arugula, radish, shaved fennel, champagne vinaigrette, and anjou crostini. For those of you who don’t know what carpaccio is, it is thinly sliced raw meat or fish. The bison was so savory, I felt like it could melt in my mouth and the radishes were the most crisp and fresh I had ever had. As I cherished each thin slice of carpaccio, I wondered how bison were raised and made a mental note to research that later on.

Our entrees arrived at the perfect time and I excitedly dug into my partner’s plate. Maybe this seems a bit rude to just dig into his food, but the truth was I was honestly more excited for his entree than mine. It is rare to see meatloaf at a more upscale establishment, so you already know it’s going to be delicious…not to mention all the Yelp reviews that openly praise the meatloaf online. The meat comes from Double R Ranch; the same place that Local 360 sources much of their beef. The meatloaf is served with a cabernet herb gravy, crimini mushrooms, and garlic whipped mashed potatoes. I swirled a mushroom around in the gravy and popped it in my mouth. Complete umami bliss, just as expected. Tender and moist, the meatloaf was utter perfection. After deeming my partner’s entree a success, I decided to move on to my own plate.

I went with the PNW Wild Ling Cod encrusted with walnut butter and served with a potato croquette topped with Tillamook cheddar, sour cream, and chives. The sauce was a tomato sherry cream and green beans were served on the side. The cod was light and delicate, providing the perfect base for the walnut butter and sauce. After I hit the halfway point in my dish, I came to realize I had ordered the plate with the most dairy in it. My plate was drowning in dairy; from the butter, to the cheese, to the cream based sauce…it was too much. I slowly sank into a food coma and declined dessert for the first time in my life. I suppose I should have been less surprised with the over the top use of dairy, the potatoes for every side, and large portions of protein…I was in a Bavarian town, so it only made sense to be served food in a Bavarian style. I suppose I just didn’t expect it from a farm-to-table restaurant. This situation reminded me of The Third Plate by Dan Barber, because this restaurant was still stuck on the metaphorical first plate due to their large protein sizes and smaller amounts of vegetables. Seems weird to complain about, but I wanted less meat and more local vegetables to be showcased on my plate.

I suppose each farm-to-table restaurant is different in the sense of how they view sustainability; do they look long term into the distant future or are they only worried about the now? If they as a restaurant care about the future, then it would be best to downsize and downplay proteins and put more of the focus on plant based foods. Surely there can be a way to do that without sacrificing the Bavarian cultural influence that they try to incorporate into the food.