A new “accessible fine dining” restaurant will open in the
former spot of The Patio in Manette. That’s what executive chef
Timm Higgins calls the soon-to-open Orion.
The restaurant will feature local, seasonal foods, and Higgins
plans to change the menu monthly. Higgins, who was trained in
french technique at Le Cordon Bleu Collage of Culinary Arts in
Portland, has created an opening menu that includes such dishes as
scallops in brown butter with Brussels sprouts, bacon, apple and
champagne; chicken with roasted garlic gnocchi, peas and carrots
with hunter sauce; or wild mushrooms with Parmesan risotto
croquette, blue cheese and Marsala.
The full opening menu is posted below as well as in the window
of the restaurant. Continue reading →
Kitsap has two new venues to celebrate today and Saturday.
Today, Valhöll Brewery, 20186 Front Street, celebrates the
grand
opening of its taproom to the general public. Some locals got a
taste of Valhöl’s beers at the Kitsap Oktoberfest this summer,
where they served up a Smoked Cherry Rye and a Licorice IPA, both
of which quickly disappeared. I tried one, the smoked cherry, at
the suggestion of Charles Keating, who suggested rightly that it
went well with the Popcorn
Chef’s dark chocolate and chipotle flavor.
Reporter Tristan Baurick will have had
a story on the brewery in Monday’s paper. He says the beers all
pack a punch, (though apparently it was too early in the day for
him to taste-test it) and are brewed to be full of flavor.
The grand opening is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. (sorry for the late
notice). Their beer also is on tap at Tizley’s and Hare &
Hounds.
On Saturday, the trio of ladies from Bella Bella, who we
met last spring, have opened a retail location for their
cupcakes at 10726 Silverdale Way, Suite 107, in Silverdale. Their
celebration goes from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and they’ll serve cupcakes
(of course), kolaches, Blue Bird Coffee and Espresso, Viking Feast
Ice Cream, and Smith Brothers Farms Milk.
For much of the past year, they had been making cupcakes at a
commercial kitchen in Bremerton for parties and for special order.
They started baking in their new kitchen today, according to a post
on their Facebook page.
This brings to a close our look back at the new eateries that
have graced Kitsap in the past year, according to the the Kitsap
County Health Department. If you missed any, you can read
Part 1,
Part 2 and
Part 3. If I’ve missed any, please let me know.
Seabeck Pizza (Silverdale) – The locally famous
pizza chain that offers delivery by boat opened a sixth shop in
Silverdale. The new spot is a bit more landlocked near the corner
of Myhre and Ridgetop. I’m still waiting for the day when they’ll
deliver to the city of Bremerton. Location: 9919 Trident Lane, Silverdale
Seoul Korean BBQ – Kitsap now has two Korean
restaurants with this more recent addition to the local food scene.
(The other being Suzy’s Kitchen near Sixth and Callow in
Bremerton). It offers Korean barbecue shared and cooked at the
table,
tried it over the holidays, and said the place did not
disappoint. Location: 10408 Silverdale Way NW, Silverdale
Shima Express – Though they’ve offered such and
other Japanese fare on the Island for quite some time, Shima last
year opened an addition for sushi and bento boxes on the go. Location: 112 Madison Ave. N, Bainbridge
Island
Taqueria El Huarache – This Mexican restaurant
opened during the summer. They offer standard fare like fajitas and
burritos that you’d expect at an American Mexican restaurant, but
they also offer a few more authentic dishes, such as menudo and
lengua as well as homemade Horchata. Location: 19424 7th Ave NE, Poulsbo
The Daily Dish: I have to say this nearly every
time I talk about this place. Pasties. It’s pronounced pass-tees.
They’re not the things you find at local espresso stands. They hail
from the midwest and they’re like pot pies you can hold in your
hand in beef or veggie with a side of gravy for dipping. Plus, the
Dish offers early morning breakfast muffins and fresh mini
doughnuts with a variety of dipping sauces, such as strawberry
cream cheese or chipotle chocolate. Doughnuts also are offered in
“Donut Offense” size to serve about 10 shipyard workers (60 donuts)
who forgot their badges, got promoted, engaged, etc. I’ve been
looking for something with character to fill the old home of the
West Side Burrito Connection, and early last year I did. Location: 208 First Street (near the ferry
terminal), Bremerton
Last week, I started taking quick looks at the new restaurants
and eateries that opened their doors to Kitsap customers in 2010.
This weekend, I’ll finish those glances with a look at the rest of
places (one more post after this). I’d love to hear your takes on
any of the new eating establishments. Here’s the post on
restaurants that start with the letters
B through E, and the last one with letters
G through L.
Mirracole
Morsels Granola Factory – Local granola maker Nicole
Matheson (whose product you may have seen at area farmers markets
or at Central Market) opened a factory and cooperative bakery in
the old Kingston Hotel early this year. Offerings go beyond granola
with cookies and trail mixes and bread from the Borrowed Kitchen
Bakery, which shares in the co-op. Location: 25931 Washington Blvd. NE (Corner of
Highway 104 and Washington)
Paella Tapas Bar – An offshoot of Burrata
Bistro, this Front Street Poulsbo restaurant offers wine and tapas,
the “small plates” that sustain Spain’s Madrileños until their
late-night dinners. Food reviewer Bernard Jacobson gave it a
9 out of 10 for food quality and 10/10 for service. Location: 19006 Front Street, Poulsbo
Pane D’Amore – After finding artisan bread
lovers in Lynwood with it’s bread truck — which was briefly shoo-ed
away by city for
violating city codes against mobile businesses — Elliott
Yakush, as planned, set up a retail location in a less-mobile
fashion next to the Treehouse Cafe, which let him sell his breads
at a table. Location: 4569 Lynwood Center, Bainbridge
Island
Papa’s Bar and Grill – Todd and Lisa Arnold
opened this locally flavored spot in the Perry Avenue Mall in the
spot where Ammirato’s used to be. They offer fresh soup, pizza and
burgers. Some of the local flavor literally comes in the form of
Minder meat used in its burgers, but in the aesthetic sense, it’s a
wall of East and West High photos. Customers can add their own. Location: 2901 Perry Ave Suite #5, Bremerton
Pho Tai – This small establishment offers both
Vietnamese pho and teriyaki. But it’ll be tough to compete with
Poulsbo’s other locally loved pho restaurant, Pho T&N, which is
right around the corner. Location: 19367 7th Avenue
So, so much to eat and try. In 2010, nearly 30 new eateries
opened in Kitsap County, and nine got new owners.
Some new eateries were highlighted in various Kitsap Sun
articles and blog posts throughout the year, though some we
admittedly missed. I plan to visit the new restaurants in more
detail in the coming months and invite you to share your
impressions on any of the new eateries of 2010.
I’ll be stretching this blog post out into four parts through
this week because that many restaurants makes for one awfully long
blog post and — let’s be honest — so I can get as many eyeballs
back to the Food Life blog as I can.
We’ll go alphabetically based on a list of new restaurants
provided by the Kitsap County Health Department:
John Strasinger the owner/ chef
at the new Bay Street Bistro cooks zucchini at the downtown Port
Orchard location.
Bay Street Bistro – I talked with chef and
co-owner John Strasinger about
his new restaurant a month and a half after it opened in late
July. Strasinger tries to procure as many ingredients as he can
from local farmers, and has worked to build up the restaurant as a
neighborhood dinner spot. Recently, they’ve started serving lunches
and this fall put a savory gorgonzola-laced cheesecake that’s just
as good as a mouthful on its own or on a cracker.
Boogaloo’s – The name filed with the health
department is “Boogaloo’s Shrimp Shack”, but the sign out front
says Boogaloo’s Bar-B-Que. I’ve also seen it referenced on
sandwich-board signs around town and in a
Kitasp Sun sports story as Boogaloo’s BBQ and Boogaloo’s
Barbeque Pit. Whatever it’s called, it opened this summer in a tiny
building on Bremerton’s waterfront boardwalk. Owned by Tony Thomas
of the former
Soul Brothers restaurant chain in Bremerton, which had its
local heyday in the late ’90s. I was away in college, so I missed
it the first time around, but word is that the brisket is just as
heavily smoked and tender as it was back then.
Burger Me Now – This spot on the plaza at
Highway 303 and McWilliams, between Safeway and Toad House is
exactly what the name would imply: a burger joint. Burger Me Now offers a
variety of burgers, from a $6 standard to a $7.45 teriyaki chicken
burger as well as seafood and chips. I’ve not tried it yet. I can’t
seem to go near the Toad House without wanting a beer, and get
distracted. We’ve been talking about it for months, but someday
Mike Moore and I are going to put out a roundup of burger joints —
including this one — on the Kitsap Peninsula and immediately
surrounding areas.
Chet’s Place – This is the latest offering at
610 Callow Avenue in Bremerton, spot to a former Mongolian
Grill/Nightclub, the Ponderay Cafe and Lounge (gosh, I loved the
Ponderay’s German sausage and potato pancakes), El Camino’s and
others. Chet’s Place serves up soul food including grits, hush
puppies and fried okra. It also has a lounge because there has to
be some place to get a 9 a.m. beer on Callow Avenue, right?
Deane’s Pizza a& Subs – I feel that I almost
have to like this place since I almost share a middle name with it.
That said, I haven’t actually tried it, but if you want to, it’s
across from Fred Meyers in that plaza with the 24-hour fitness
place and Emerald City Smoothies. They offer — you guessed it —
pizza and subs and opened in May. The pizzas offerings seem to go
beyond the standards with things like taco pizza and alfredo
pizza.
Der Blokken Brewery – This Manette brewpub
opened in spring to fanfare from the local brew geek community.
In addition to a hard-to-find-on tap lineup of beers, such as Old
Rasputin Imperial Stout, 90 Minute IPA from Dogfish and Der
Blokken’s own Black stout, they offer a lineup of pub fare
including a gorgonzola burger, chicken wings, occasional steak
special and a personal favorite poutine, the gravy and curd
smothered fries of French Canadian fame.
El Pueblito Mexican Restaurant – This Gig
Harbor-based restaurant opened a Port Orchard branch on Lund
Avenue, near Bethel, this spring. It’s family-style Mexican with
dishes such as arroz con pollo, burritos, enchiladas, etc. The
handful of online reviews for this place are mixed.
In case you missed it, Tristan Baurick offered up
an article in today’s paper about Viking Feast Ice Cream, which
some of you may have seen this summer at local farmers markets.
Viking Feast Ice
Cream
The low-fat, but tasty treat uses an ingredient called skyr, which is similar to
yogurt.
I met them at the
Kitsap Oktoberfest, where they served up Hale’s beer flavored
ice creams, as well as summery raspberry, key lime, blackberry and
other flavors. Eggnog and gingerbread flavors were on tap this
month. Viking Feast currently has no more beer offerings, though
people keep asking them and they’re thinking about it, Tristan
said.
If you don’t want to wait until the next beer fest or farmers
market to try it, you can find out where it’s sold on Viking
Feast’s
Facebook page. Locations currently include the Port Gamble
General Store, Real Foods on Bainbridge Island, CBC Chocolates and
Crimson Cove in Poulsbo and at Aldrich’s Market in Port
Townsend.
And just in case you read the story but missed the video,
Tristan offered a quick look at Viking Feast’s factory, the process
of making the ice cream and talked with Thormod Skald:
Picture this: a dollop of tartar sauce atop three golden
triangular Dungeness crab cakes. And nestled between those is a
crisp, fin-shape tuile flavored with chili and black bean. And all
of this atop a thin spread of black bean puree and drizzled with a
creamy corn sauce.
The dish, created by 17-year-old Dustin Buchholz, also tastes
pretty good too.
So said a panel of judges from the Washington State Chefs
Association.
Buchholz, who bested a group of college-age culinary students,
was the youngest competitor in the Association’s annual Best of the
Pacific Northwest last month.
Buchholz, a South Kitsap High senior and culinary arts student
at West Sound Technical Skill Center, has been interested in
cooking since taking a course in high school.
Well, that course wasn’t the first kind of cooking he’d done. He
started by making breakfasts with his grandfather.
“We do hashbrowns, eggs, toast and bacon,” a favorite thing to
do, he said. And he claims to be pretty good at it, too.
He now works as a dishwasher and prep cook in the Clubhouse at
McCormick Woods.
Initially, he hadn’t even planned to enter the competition.
But his boss, Clubhouse Executive Chef Bruce Bonholzer, had
regularly pushed Buchholz to push him to learn more and believed
Buchholz could do well in the competition and paid his $35 entry
fee into the student category.
Once entered, Buchholz had to develop a recipe and decide how to
plate it.
“You just kind of make them and start adding different things,”
he said. He toyed with recipes from work, got ideas from his boss
and his skills center instructor and crafted a recipe all his
own.
Aside from taste, the dish has to look good.
“You want it to have a variety of colors and be eye-appealing to
whoever is judging it,” he said.
The morning of the competition, Buchholz and assistant Alex
Radovich went to the skills center, putting together all that they
could of their Mexican-themed dish ahead of the competition.
From there, they took the mostly prepared crab cakes to Le
Cordon Bleu School in Tukwilla, where they breaded, cooked and set
all the parts on glazed, green plates, chosen specially for the
competition. They made extra for other attendees to taste.
Buchholz was confident as he prepared the dish. That was, until
he finished and got a chance to see and taste other students’
dishes.
“I was actually doubting myself toward the end,” he said.
One girl created a layered crab cake that looked almost like a
wedding cake. Others had beautiful tasting dishes and “really neat
flavors.”
But come decision time, the judges loved most of the dish and
suggested he sell the tuile. They didn’t care for the large amount
of tartar sauce, though, and suggested he use more cream of
corn.
He received a first-place plaque and a $350 prize.
For Buchholz, a career in culinary arts may depend less upon
whether this honor can launch it and more upon the U.S. Navy, where
he hopes to follow in his grandfather’s wake.
“I’ve always wanted to go and serve my country,” he said.
And with a fleet of ships’ messes, he may just get that
chance.
So what is the recipe for these award-winning crab cakes?
“I’m going to keep that one to myself,” Buchholz said.
With Valentines Day on it’s way (on a three-day weekend, no
less), local wineries and chocolatiers are gearing up for the
coming buying frenzy.
And it’s not just about bringing home the box or the bottle.
Looks like some regional and area proprietors are offering a little
experience as well. Cost is a few dollars at each winery.
Here are a couple that are closer to home. The state’s
tourism website has a few more:
On the Olympic Peninsula, six wineries from Port Townsend to
Port Angeles will host a
Red Wine and Chocolate weekend. Cost is $25 to taste at all
wineries or $5 each. Most of the wineries are in Port Angeles, so
you might consider making a weekend of it so you don’t have to risk
getting tipsy for the drive back.
