WOODINVILLE, Wash. — For a Catholic, it could be attending Christmas service at the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome.
For a golfer, it might be a skins game — then a dram — with a foursome of friends at the Old Course in St. Andrews.
For a lover of Northwest wines, there’s no doubt: It’s a decadent dinner for two at The Herbfarm in Woodinville, Wash.
“These days,” said Ron Zimmerman, standing in the middle of his showpiece cellar, “we have 25,500 bottles in various locations — about half of it here — and 4,247 labels, including the world’s largest selection of Pacific Northwest wines.”
The nine-course, four-hour experience is more than just a tribute to regional wine, though. National Geographic deemed the Herbfarm in 2006 as the No. 1 Destination Restaurant in the World.
And the famed creation of Zimmerman and his wife, Carrie Van Dyck, is held worldwide as a leading example of the Slow Food movement.
“It’s about the table, animals, plant products and dishes unique to each region,” Zimmerman said. “We want people to enjoy the food and spend quality time with family or friends or just reconnect. It so often doesn’t happen today because people are running around trying to catch prime-time TV or watch something on the Internet or play a game or go off to some other event.”
A date at The Herbfarm neither comes cheaply nor on a whim — bookings get filled months in advance at $159 to $189 plus tax and service — but the staff’s subtle efficiency makes certain each guest’s investment is rewarded.
“The restaurant has come a long ways, but we’ve really held steadfastly to what we’ve wanted to do, which was to be a showcase for the foods and wines of the Pacific Northwest,” Zimmerman said.
And while the evolution of The Herbfarm seems complete, it hasn’t been without catastrophe.
Zimmerman’s parents began growing The Herbfarm in 1974 as a plant nursery in rural Fall City. In 1986, Zimmerman and Van Dyck transformed a garage into a restaurant. Zimmerman was the chef until 1990, which he doesn’t always mention to current-day guests.
“Every night, we have a wine cellar open house for about 30 minutes before the garden tour,” Zimmerman said. “We give a little bit of history of the farm, how we evolved from Fall City, how it burned down (in 1997) and how we moved here.”
The Herbfarm stayed shuttered for two years before finding a temporary home at Hedges Family Estate in Issaquah. In 2001, The Herbfarm reopened in Woodinville. Neighbors include Chateau Ste. Michelle, Red Hook Ale Brewery and Willows Lodge.
Jerry Traunfeld’s 17-year acclaimed career as executive chef of The Herbfarm ended Oct. 1. His dream to open his place in the Seattle area signaled the arrival of Keith Luce, one of the country’s most decorated chefs.
Luce, 39, is “no flash in the pan,” a fear that fueled him during the 1990s. And while he’s still being introduced to the Pacific Northwest’s natural pantry, he’s admired the wines from afar.
His roots in the kitchen reach into childhood when he grew up on a Long Island farm, later working in his grandfather’s Italian restaurant in the Hamptons. Resumé-building began in New York City at famed spots such as La Côte Basque, Le Cirque and the Rainbow Room. Those led to two years of even more classic experience at Michelin-star restaurants in Florence, Monte Carlo and Paris.
A stint at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulfur Springs, W. Va., led to a government job — White House sous chef for President Clinton during his first term.
“It gave me a different appreciation for the term ‘hospitality,’ ” Luce said. “When welcoming guests into the residence, you are welcoming them into not only ‘America’s House,’ but more importantly, ‘The President’s home.’ That blew away everything I ever thought about food and restaurants. Now, I think of every person that walks through the door as a guest.”
Acclaim and magazine features came quickly.
“The media is very eager to learn more about you and hear about the ‘inner workings of the residence,’ ” he said.
Food & Wine ranked Luce in 1997 among the top 10 chefs in the country. The next year, his meteoric opening of Spruce in Chicago prompted the James Beard Foundation to dub Luce “Rising Star Chef of the Year.”
Next was The Little Nell in Aspen, Colo. And by 1999, his had become executive chef for PlumpJack Group.
Two years later, at the ripe age of 33, Luce returned to the restaurant world and launched another wildly successful project — Merenda in San Francisco. He sold, moved to Napa, and ended up as executive chef at Cosentino Winery.
“It would be great if I was a single guy,” Luce said. “There were lots of trips to Chicago and Europe, but I was ready to stay in one place.”
Now he’s putting down roots and enjoying wine in the Northwest.
“The decision to accept this position was an easy,” Luce said. “The Northwest is an amazing palate of products and producers, and The Herbfarm is a perfect platform to showcase them.”
Last fall, Zimmerman earned our Best Northwest Wine List for the seventh straight year. How much of his inventory is regional? About 75 percent. And to show he’s not one to rest on his laurels, he’s added more than a 100 labels and 1,500 bottles in the past six months.
“Can you have enough? I don’t think so, but our sommeliers sure do when they have to move it all around,” Zimmerman said with a slight smirk.
Just think what his cellar would be like were it not for the fire.
“We lost only about a quarter of the collection,” Zimmerman said with a developed level of detachment. “We had done an autumn remodel, so some of the wine that would have been in that (fire) area was in storage. A lot of things from the ’70s and early ’80s would have been lost.”
One of his prized possessions is a bottle of The Eyrie Vineyards 1975 South Block Reserve Pinot Noir. It’s signed by winemaker David Lett.
“This is the beast that put Oregon on the map,” Zimmerman said, cradling the bottle.
When asked how long he’s had it, Zimmerman deadpanned, “Oh, a few years. I have to fund David’s retirement program.”
That wine is on The Herbfarm’s famous 160-page Wine Library.
“It’s 347,000 keystrokes,” Zimmerman quipped. “The leather cover costs $50 apiece, and the (full-color) inside pages cost $30 for each set, so it becomes pretty pricey.”
And trip to the washroom takes patrons through part of the cellar, which holds more than 1,000 different Pinot Noirs.
“There are some good deals here,” Zimmerman said. “Since we have the wine list online, a lot of people have a hobby of eating their sandwich at their desk at work and searching. So they come strolling into the restaurant and immediately order something that makes me go, ‘Oh my gosh, why didn’t I raise price?’ Well, that’s part of the fun folks.”
The experience begins at 6 p.m. with a tour of the grounds and some history from Van Dyck, who comfortably uses the staircase behind the fireplace as a podium.
Moments later, guests are seated in the dimly lit dining room that combines a Victorian décor with a good-natured bit of Zimmerman’s kitschy fish-themed eBay wins.
Then, Van Dyck strolls under small spotlights. An evening at The Herbfarm is not unlike going to a theater performance. Van Dyck introduces Zimmerman, who then brings out Luce. The menu is described in detail by the new chef. Meanwhile, behind the heavy velvet dark brown curtain, Luce’s supporting cast busily yet quietly prepares the first of the nine-course meal.
“Everything that we pour in your glass or put on your plate has come from either our own farm or from the Pacific Northwest, essentially a region we’ve come to define as one where salmon used to dominate,” Zimmerman said.
* The Herbfarm, 14590 NE 145th Street, Woodinville, WA, 425-485-5300, theherbfarm.com.
ERIC DEGERMAN is Wine Press Northwest’s managing editor. Have a suggestion for a future Match Maker? E-mail him at edegerman@winepressnw.com.
JACKIE JOHNSTON, a freelance photojournalist, is a regular contributor and the page designer for Wine Press Northwest. Her Web site is WineCountryCreations.com
Roasted Emmer & Winter Squash Risotto
Serves 4
1 cup Bluebird Grain Farm whole emmer (farro) (See note below.)
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, separated use
1 tablespoon minced smoked bacon
3⁄4 cup blue hubbard squash, cut into 1⁄2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup crème fraiche
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1⁄4 cup fresh sage leaves
1. Roast emmer in a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium flame until the grain begins to lightly brown and a pleasant nutty scent is released. Reserve and cool.
2. Warm 1 teaspoon of butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add bacon, squash and shallots. Gently cook over medium heat, stirring often, until softened but still toothsome. Season liberally with salt and pepper and remove from pan and reserve.
3. Bring chicken stock to a boil, lower heat to maintain a simmer.
4. Place roasted emmer in saucepan that was used to cook squash with about 1 cup of stock. Bring to a boil and stir while grain cooks as if making a true risotto. Add remaining stock little by little, stirring all the while over a medium-high heat. When all stock has been incorporated add crème fraiche, cooked squash and season with nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all ingredients together well; fold in cheese and olive oil. Cover and reserve warm.
5. Warm remaining butter over medium heat in a saucepan and cook until it begins to lightly brown. Once butter has browned (a foam should appear at this stage), carefully add sage leaves as it will splatter. Once sage has crisped, remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. Lightly season with salt.
6. To serve, taste “risotto” and adjust seasoning. Spoon into serving dishes, then crumble sage leaves over top, garnish with a bit more Parmigiano if desired, and serve.
Note: You can purchase emmer online at www.bluebirdgrainfarms.com. And if you’d prefer using pork belly instead of bacon in this dish, you can find out how to purchase at www.woolypigs.com.
The PERFECT pairings
Wines for this unprecedented Match Maker project — Wine Press Northwest’s 10th Anniversary Dinner at The Herbfarm — came courtesy of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, its headquarters just a Tiger Woods 1-iron away.
“The thing that made it fun to cook these dishes was the firm acidity and the structure with all of the wines,” Luce said.
We asked Luce to share recipes for two of his six pairings.
He chose one entrée and a dessert: Roast Emmer & Winter Squash Risotto with Mangalista Pork Belly and Hazelnut & Rosemary Cracklings matched the Erath Vineyards 2005 Prince Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills.
Erath winemaker Gary Horner attended the dinner and described his Prince Hill project for Luce’s guests.
“It’s about 20 acres of Pinot Noir, and I’ve got eight different sub-blocks in there,” he said. “What I try to do is to build a wine that that is typical of Prince Hill, which tends to have a little bit of an earthy tone and brighter red fruits. I basically elect certain barrels from certain blocks. It tends to be in barrel for 13 to 15 months and away we go.
“The 2005 vintage was a little more classic vintage for Pinot Noir in Oregon — a really long, cool growing season and really bright refreshing fruits, lower alcohol and a little more elegant style,” he added.
Luce noted, “The earthiness really stood out to me. I thought it was important to pay homage to that with the dish. And that elegant texture really stood out, too.”
So he opted for a grain new to Washington state called emmer, which is known in Italy as farro.
“We toasted the whole berry of wheat and made a risotto with it out of blue hubbard squash to give a sweet earthiness to it,” Luce explained.
For his guests, he topped the dish with Mangalista pork belly, which he gets from Heath Putnam’s Wooly Pigs operation at Rocky Ridge Ranch in Reardan, Wash.
“It’s very close to what a wild boar would be like,” Luce said. “Mangalista is a type of pig that comes from central Europe, namely Hungary and Austria.”
The nectar for the dessert course was the succulent Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen 2006 Eroica Riesling Ice Wine from the Horse Heaven Hills.
Ste. Michelle enologist Kara Koh described the wine’s biography for the audience.
“Ice wines are always a labor of love. Sometimes you get them, and sometimes you don’t,” she said. “In 2007, we didn’t get one because it didn’t freeze. In 2006 and in 2004 — on Halloween — Bob Bertheau had to leave his daughter’s trick-or-treating and rush to the vineyards to harvest.
“It all comes from the Horse Heaven Vineyard, which is right by Columbia Crest Winery,” she added. “We save a draw of vines in hopes that the grapes freeze. It’s about a 12-hour pressing for these berries to press out their juice. It’s a nectar. It’s a lot of great apricot and honey characters. It’s just beautiful.”
Luce served it with his Gala Apple & Rogue River Blue Cheese Soufflé.
“It was a fun wine to pair a dish with,” he said. “Immediately, everybody on the staff who was tasting shouted out, “Blue Cheese!” “Honey!” So I was taking all the things that I was tasting along with what (sommeliers) Tysan (Pierce) and Lisa (Rongren) and Ron and Carrie were saying and sort of put it all into one — a apple soufflé with Rogue River blue cheese.
“The base of it is a Gala apple purée,” Luce continued. “When you are pairing a sweet course with a sweet wine, it’s important for the food to stay less sweet than the wine. You are toeing the line of not getting sweet enough, but I hope we got just the right sweetness.”
He nailed it, right on the sweet spot.
A dinner to remember
The complete lineup of wines and pairings included:
-- Domaine Ste. Michelle 2000 Luxe, Blanc de blanc, Columbia Valley: Montana Paddlefish Caviar on Quail Egg Benedict; Dungeness Crab Cake with Smoked Steelhead Caviar; and King Salmon Tartar with Beet Caviar and Douglas Fir Salt
-- Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Horse Heaven Hills: Puget Sound Shellfish Chowder, Scented with Herbfarm Kaffir Lime Leaves
-- Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 Cold Creek Vineyard Riesling, Columbia Valley: Riesling-Poached Breast of Guinea Hen with Liver Crostini, Ari Kara Bean, Leeks & Lemon Thyme-Scented Carrots
-- Erath Vineyards 2005 Prince Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills: Roast Emmer & Winter Squash Risotto with Mangalista Pork Belly and Hazelnut & Rosemary Cracklings
-- Spring Valley Vineyard 2004 Uriah, Walla Walla Valley: Grilled Oregon Wagyu Beef Savoy-Spinach-King Bolete Gratin and a Root Vegetable and Huckleberry Condiment
-- Next came a palate cleanser: Sorbet of Cabernet Franc with Warm Rose Geranium Syrup.
-- Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen 2006 Eroica Riesling Ice Wine, Horse Heaven Hills: Gala Apple & Rogue River Blue Cheese Soufflé.
Gala Apple and Rogue River Blue Cheese Soufflé
Serves 6
1 1⁄4 cup sugar, separated use
6 Gala apples, peeled, seeded and diced
salt
3 1⁄2 cups milk
6 eggs, separated
3⁄4 cup all purpose flour
butter and sugar for coating ramekins
12 teaspoons Rogue River blue cheese
1. To make the apple base, place 1⁄2 cup sugar in a non-reactive saucepan and place over a moderate flame. Bring to a medium-dark caramel stage.
2. Place apples in a saucepan for which you have a tight fitting lid. Carefully pour caramel over and season lightly with salt. Cover and bake at 375°F until apples are tender. Allow apples to cool to room temperature and purée in a food processor or pass through a food mill. Set aside.
3. To make the pastry cream, place milk in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil.
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together 3⁄4 cup sugar and six egg yolks, then whisk in flour.
5. Carefully and slowly pour boiling milk over egg mixture and whisk all the while.
6. Return milk mixture to heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once mixture nears a boil, remove from heat, mix above apple mixture in well, transfer to a shallow container and cool immediately. Reserve in refrigerator.
7. To prepare the soufflé, first liberally butter and sugar six 6 oz. ramekins
8. Whip six egg whites to a stiff peak.
9. Fold egg whites gently into 2 cups of the soufflé base from above. (Remaining soufflé base will keep well in freezer for about 4 months.)
10. Fill each ramekin halfway with soufflé mix, place about 2 teaspoons crumbled Rogue River blue cheese in the middle, then fill ramekin to about 1⁄2 inch from the rim.
11. Place ramekins on a baking sheet, place in a preheated 375°F oven, and pour about 1 inch of hot water onto pan and bake for about 30 minutes. Soufflés should rise and have a creamy but somewhat dry center.
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