Northwest chefs pair their dishes with Hells Canyon's Chardonnay
The Inn at Langley,
Langley, Wash.
Condé Nast recently rated The Inn at Langley on Washington's Whidbey Island as one of the top five smaller resorts in the world.
It's not one of the Northwest's most accessible destinations, but that seclusion is just one of the hallmarks of this world-famous romantic getaway with sweeping vistas of the Cascades, Camano Island and the Puget Sound's Saratoga Passage.
"You are like a duck in the water. People can't see how hard you are working underneath the surface," said chef Stephen Nogal, who operates the Inn with his wife, Sandy. "Our success has been to create for people the notion of a sanctuary, and how you do that is you take away doubt."
The Nogals began operating The Inn at Langley in 1989, and Stephen quickly began to develop relationships with nearby organic farmers, purveyors and distributors with integrity whom he could count on.
"Power failures here on the island are common because we're on the end of what is essentially a 50-mile-long extension cord, so you have to become very resourceful," he said.
The Inn at Langley is the vision come-to-life for Seattle Mayor Paul Schell, who had it built near his home in 1989. The Nogals have been the innkeepers from the beginning. They help combine the elements of island living with architecture inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and made reality by Alan Grainger. The two cedar-shake buildings with Asian decor are set beautifully among peaceful gardens and fruit trees.
The dining room seats 32 people, so with 24 rooms and two cottages, the numbers don't add up to accommodating all the lodging guests. Many will dine in one night but not the next. And despite paying $199-$495 per night, some can go their entire stay without a Nogal-created dinner because of the intimacy and personal touch Stephen and Sandy take the time to share with each table.
"I literally try to seclude them and take them where I've gone to explain the flavors," he said. "Cooking is a fleeting art form. When it's consumed, it's gone. And it's immediate. You know where you are at that moment because you can see the expression on their faces."
The waiting list for dinner, which is served only on weekends (including Sundays from mid-May through September), stretches six to eight weeks during the spring. It reads 12-16 weeks in summertime. That's a long time to wait in anticipation.
It explains why Nogal's wine list only features those "of distinction," he said.
The Inn at Langley won acclaim by Wine Press Northwest for a wine list of 125 Washington selections that focuses on Chinook, Leonetti, Quilceda Creek, Andrew Will and Woodward Canyon. His vertical of Leonetti cabernet sauvignon dates to 1986. The Woodward Canyon cab goes back to 1988.
"I prefer verticals rather than lots of different labels," he said.
He doesn't offer wine by the glass, either. Instead, he's developed an affinity for 375-milliliter bottles — half the size of the standard size.
"Wine will mature sooner in 375s rather than 750s," Nogal said. "I lament there aren't more." Among his favorite 375 providers are Rick Small at Woodward Canyon in Walla Walla and Doug McCrea of McCrea Cellars near Olympia.
However, Nogal finds the escalating price of Washington wines as worrisome because those costs — along with the rise of the minimum wage — are passed along to his guests. That's not his only concern, though.
"Not all the consumers out there are super-premium consumers," Nogal said. "We need to develop relationships that handle the full spectrum of pricing in the state of Washington."
If not, Nogal warns, the Northwest will begin to lose out to quality midpriced wines from Australia and Chile.
Some of Nogal's long-standing favorite wineries have begun to address that market. He cited Woodward Canyon's Small and his Nelms Road label, L'Ecole 41's School House red and Quilceda Creek's production of a red table wine.
"That's a great attempt by those winemakers. There needs to be more of that," he said.
Nogal began to acquire his taste for Washington products while working at restaurants in Philadelphia and New Orleans. "Through the course of the summer, I'd work with fresh asparagus, applies, apricots and raspberries, and I began to notice that all the flavors and food I loved came from Washington," he said.
So he and Sandy moved to Seattle, where he began at McCormick and Schmick's Fish House. Sandy used her people skills and sales acumen to build an impressive resumé at the Alexis and Four Seasons Olympic hotels. Schell, himself a hotel management executive, envisioned The Inn at Langley and believed the Nogals were ideal to run his new venture.
"We cooked several meals for the Schells and their friends to earn the job," Stephen said.
It may seem as if the Nogals live at the office. If you call the Inn at Langley, most of the time it's Sandy's friendly voice you hear. Stephen can be seen mopping the kitchen floor and doing his own prep work.
Given his choice of the Hells Canyon's 1998 Idaho chardonnay and the 1999 Idaho chardonnay reserve, Nogal came up with a pairing for the 1998 chardonnay.
"The reserve is a little fattier," Nogal said. "The regular chardonnay is the one I went back to because it's a more food-friendly wine. The acid and the fruit in the wine lend themselves to shellfish, so I chose mussels with late winter vegetables and a stock."
The Inn at Langley, 400 1st Street, Langley, WA., 98260. 360-221-3033. www.innatlangley.com
MUSSELS WITH LATE WINTER VEGETABLES
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pint white wine
1 pint chicken stock, see recipe that follows
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1⁄2 bulb garlic, finely chopped
1 medium parsnip, peeled and diced
1 medium leek, washed, cut on bias
2 pounds mussels
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
Directions:
1. Caramelize onions in dry pan. Add pepper, wine and stock. Reduce by half.
2. Heat wok. Add peanut oil. Reduce heat and add garlic.
3. When garlic turns white, increase heat and add parsnips.
4. Once softened, add leeks. When leeks turn bright green, add mussels and place lid on wok.
5. When mussels are half finished, add stock and cover again.
6. As mussels finish, add parsley and toss, then serve immediately in warm bowls.
CHICKEN STOCK
Makes approximately 2 pints
Ingredients:
5 pounds onions, finely chopped
15 pounds chicken bones, backs and necks, fresh is preferred
2 bunches celery, finely chopped
2 pounds of carrots, the smaller the better, scrub clean but do not peel
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3 leeks, washed and finely chopped
1 large bunch of parsley
Directions:
1. Dry roast onions in stock pot over open flame, stirring until they color (caramelize).
2. Add chicken parts. Cover with celery and carrots.
3. Cover with water. Leave at least 3 inches of space at top of stock pot. Bring to boil.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer, adding peppercorns and bay leaves.
5. Remove fat from surface for first 3 hours.
6. Add leeks and parsley. Cook another 3 hours.
7. Strain stock and reserve.
City Beach Bistro, Sandpoint, Idaho
When Steve Robertson, owner of Hells Canyon Winery, recommends a restaurant, follow his lead.
The former Boise restaurateur and product of the Culinary Institute of America has City Beach Bistro in Sandpoint on his list of top places to eat in the Gem State. But you'd better call ahead to get in because Stephen Evans' place near Lake Pend d'Oreille and Schweitzer Mountain has only 10 tables.
"The menu is 100 percent French now, and business is going crazy," Evans said. "Our food is very expensive, high-end stuff that has to be shipped in because the local purveyors don't have things like foie gras, truffles or alligator."
Evans, 40, doesn't snow ski or water ski, which gives him more time to focus on the 3-year-old restaurant he operates with his wife, Taphne Lux. Living in a small town seems to suit the native of San Jose, Calif.
"I enjoy the people more than anything," he said. "I end up spending a half-hour at Safeway just buying a pack of gum because of all the people who come up to say hello and want to talk."
Remarkably, Evans nearly abandoned the area he was introduced to by his sister before his bistro got started.
"I had sold my restaurant consulting company in the Bay Area and came up here looking for a corporate chef's opportunity, but I was about ready to leave because nobody would hire me. I had to have a job. Then, I found this little place downtown. It's worked out really, really well. I can't imagine living anywhere but here."
Diners can expect to pay $40-$45 each, which much of North Idaho isn't accustomed to, but he's gathered a legion of fans.
"I've found that people like to rely on their local chef," he said. "I do a lot of special work, ordering special foods and answering questions. People like having a chef who's accessible. And it's nice when you have 10 tables because you can talk to people. I even have a database where I can see who is coming in that night and I'll know that so-and-so likes this and his wife doesn't like that."
It is a trend that he believes will catch on elsewhere.
"I think you will see more small teams or couples taking up smaller places and developing the bistro concept," Evans predicted. "There will be a chef on the corner, and they will cater to a five-block radius."
Although a native Californian, Evans considers "Northwest wines the best value out there. And Woodward Canyon and Leonetti are not just rivaling the best in California, but the best in the world."
He adds, "Unfortunately, a lot of the really good Northwest wines are allocated, and I'm one of the last guys on the list."
But he's on the ground floor of some up-and-comers in Idaho — Steve Myer at Pend d'Oreille Winery and Robertson's winery in Caldwell.
While our two other chefs chose Hells Canyon Winery's 98 chardonnay for this Match Maker, Evans opted for the '99 reserve chard.
"The floral front somewhat holds back the initial fruitiness, but as the wine warms, pineapple and melons come through," Evans said. "The slight steeliness at first is finally overwhelmed with earthiness and hints of birch wood. I chose a dish that helps bring out the highlights and base tones. I found truffles will do a fine job. The rose and lilacs help concentrate the palate and focus on some of the floral forwardness of this interesting wine."
City Beach Bistro, 204 N. First, Sandpoint, ID, 83864. 208-255-1018
Seafood in Rose Broth
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 baby carrots
1 zucchini
1 small black truffle
olive oil
16 fresh spot prawns (also known as Japanese sweet prawns)
4 large fresh scallops
8 ounces fresh sea bass or halibut
1 quart rose broth, see recipe that follows
Directions:
Prepare vegetables as garnish:
1. Clean and peel carrots, leaving an inch or so of the green tops. Par boil 4 minutes, then toss into an ice bath to set color and texture.
2. Using a small melon baller, get eight pieces out of the zucchini including the green skin. Par boil 2 minutes, then toss in an ice bath to set color and texture.
3. Slice a dime-sized portion of truffle into eight pieces. Dice the balance and set in olive oil.
Prepare seafood:
4. Remove the tail section of spot prawns. (Reserve shell and head and add to the rose broth.) Make a small cut on back to allow tail to flair when cooked.
5. Towel dry scallops and trim. If needed, cut in half then set aside.
6. Slice bass in four equal options, about 2 ounces each.
Assemble:
7. Bring the rose broth to light simmer in a braising pan or shallow saute pan.
8. Add fish and poach 2 minutes per side. Add scallops and prawns, and simmer for 2 minutes.
9. Add diced truffles and vegetables. Be sure not to overcook the fish. All seafood should be medium rare.
(Note: If any seasoning is needed, a touch of sea salt and cayenne would be appropriate. If the essence of rose water has softened too much, add a drop or two prior to serving.)
10. Remove the bass and place in the center of a preheated shallow bowl, then stack prawns to one side and scallops on the other followed by the vegetables surrounding the seafood.
11. Place a slice of truffle on the scallops and another slice on the bass. Add reserve truffle oil around the broth.
ROSE BROTH
Makes 1 Quart
Ingredients
1⁄4 cup olive oil
1 pound prawn "bones," taken from preparation of main dish
1⁄2 teaspoon coriander
1⁄2 teaspoon fennel seed
1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
2 bay leaves
6 juniper berries
6 peppercorns
1⁄2 cup white wine
2 quarts water
8 garlic cloves
1 shallot
3 ripe tomatoes
olive oil
1 pinch of saffron
1 teaspoon rose water
1 ounce dry vermouth
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Directions
1. Add olive oil to hot stock pot and sauté bones until well colored. Add coriander, fennel seed, paprika, bay leaves, juniper berries, peppercorns, wine and water and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, oven-roast the garlic and shallot (split lengthwise) with tomatoes that are split and drizzled with olive oil. Roast vegetables in hot oven (400 degrees) for 30-40 minutes.
3. Add roasted veggies and a good pinch of saffron to stock. Continue simmering another 30 minutes.
4. Pass stock through a fine sieve, then through cheesecloth.
5. Reduce the broth until one quart remains. Then, away from heat, add dry and sweet vermouth and the rose water. (You may substitute with orange flower water, both available at health food stores.)
The Resort at the Mountain, Welches, Ore.
They've built several traditions at The Resort at the Mountain, and Dale Rasmussen's cuisine has become one of them.
The grown-up playground in Welches, Ore., on the western shoulders of Mount Hood, prominently incorporates a Scottish theme. There are 27 holes of golf. The lodge and rooms are decorated in tartans and dark wood. The two dining rooms are called the The Highlands Restaurant and the Tartans Inn and Pub.
And on the menu, you won't find fancy French cuisine.
"Simple things done brilliantly," Rasmussen said. "We're not into extravagance. Just take a very good product and show what it's all about."
The Resort at the Mountain was founded in 1893 by Samuel Welch as a campground for travelers. By 1928, the transformation of a nearby hayfield made it Oregon's first golf resort.
Rasmussen, 37, has been in the kitchen at the Resort at the Mountain for 15 years, the past 11 as executive chef, so he's seen many of the traditions established. Then owned by American Guaranty and known as Rippling River Resort, the Scottish makeover began in 1989 when Oregon natives Ed and Janice Hopper bought the resort.
"I started out as a cook, and slowly they've gotten rid of people to the point where they said, 'Hey, there's Dale,' " he said modestly.
Meanwhile, he and Seaberg Einarsson — the food and beverage manager — have combined to raise the dining profile of the Resort at the Mountain. Last fall, they played host to the Wine and Art Festival for the 12th straight year.
"We thought it would tie in well with the wine and mountain," Rasmussen said. "We started with 12 artists, and we had to beg them and paid them to come up here. It's really grown. This year, we had to turn artists away."
Rasmussen, Einarsson and staff take a different twist with the food pairings for the Wine and Art Festival. "We'll try pairing three wines with a certain entrée," Rasmussen said. "We'll take a pheasant and see what the different nuances are between wine A, wine B and wine C. Now, it seems a lot of people come up just for the wine. And there are a few symposiums where the wine ties in with the art."
"Besides," he added, "isn't the whole point of food and wine to bring people together have a good time and really enjoy it?"
As for the wine list, which received an "Outstanding" rating last year from Wine Press Northwest for its Oregon representation, Rasmussen gives all credit to Einarsson, formerly at the Columbia Gorge Hotel.
"We let that be his baby," Rasmussen said. "He's passionate about it, and he loves doing it."
Rasmussen, an Eagle Scout who was part of Horst Negger's first class at Portland's Western Culinary Institute, doesn't plan to pack up his wife and children anytime soon.
"The grass is never greener," he said. "Driving up in the morning and seeing the sun rise over Mount Hood is better than a cup of coffee."
He arrived at a food-wine pairing with Hells Canyon Winery's 1998 chardonnay that fits the theme of his resort and the Northwest — Braised Oregon Rabbit.
"We found the '98 chardonnay to have a crisp, fruity flavor with hints of apple orchards, most noticeably Granny Smith varieties," Rasmussen said. "We found it to have a good balance with just the right acidity levels and a great backbone that we feel pairs well with the rabbit dish.
"Braising the rabbit with the vegetables allows the flavors to mingle and allows the natural juices to create a flavorful sauce. We like to keep it simple and serve this with good mashed russet potatoes that have a little goat cheese incorporated and some sauteed seasonal vegetables."
The Resort at the Mountain, 68010 E. Fairway Ave., Welches, OR 97067, 800-669-7666, www.theresort.com
ERIC DEGERMAN, an Oregon native who now lives in Richland, Wash., is Wine Press Northwest's associate editor. If you want to nominate a Northwest restaurant with great taste in wine to be a Match Maker, send your suggestions to Editor, Wine Press Northwest, P.O. Box 2608, Tri-Cities, WA 99302-2608
BRAISED OREGON RABBIT
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the marinade:
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cloves garlic
1 shallot
3 whole cloves
6 juniper berries
8 black peppercorns
2 ounces chardonnay
1 ounce olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the main dish:
4 Oregon rabbit hindquarters
1⁄2 cup flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1⁄4 cup diced carrots
1⁄4 cup diced onion
1⁄4 cup diced celery
8 Shitake mushrooms, stems removed
1⁄2 cup Hells Canyon chardonnay
1⁄4 cup demi-glace
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
On the day before the dinner:
1. Mince the thyme, garlic and shallot, then combine the remaining marinade ingredients, add rabbit and let marinate 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
On the day of dinner:
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Remove rabbit from marinade. Wipe off all spices and pat dry.
4. Dredge rabbit in flour, shake off excess and set aside.
5. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a brazier pan that has a lid. Brown rabbit in pan on both sides and remove.
6. Add diced vegetables and mushrooms and sauté for about 3 minutes.
7. Add the wine and return rabbit to pan, put on lid and braise in oven for 1 hour.
8. Remove rabbit. Reduce vegetables and liquid by half. Add demi-glace and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Place rabbit on plate, pour sauce over rabbit then pour yourself a glass of Hells Canyon chardonnay and enjoy.
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