Element of Taste...

roasted monkfish, squab breast, huckleberries, garlic chips, corn shoots
grilled lobster mushrooms

seared scallop, foie gras, fig jam, roasted figs, lehua honey gel, honeydew melon vinegar

chanterelle terrine, compressed pears, douglas fir, cassis shallots, banyuls dressing

mini bison burgers, shallot jam, fig confit, black pepper mayo
aged bleu, brioche

This thought can be so deep. Way deep. Some tastes are delicate and subtle...some are rich and robust...some are spicy and alive and some just crazy and profound. I enjoy the element of taste and how it reacts on one's palate. To create and build something that allows one to contemplate food and causes them to say "wow" and even moreso...have it be such an amazing impact that they recall that over and over throughout the years. That is something quite wonderful. What an amazing thing...taste. Flavor??? a whole different story altogether...

Put Up or Shut Up!...

To put up salumi in the end of summer for the fall harvest is an amazing and ethereal experience! We put up all kinds. Prosciutto...Lomo...Bresaola...Salumi & Saucisson...etc. To watch something age, transform and denature itself into that what is incredibly delicious and addictive. In a word...sexy! Some of our latest shots...

Need To Realign...

seared foie gras terrine, cacao nibs, chocolate gel, fig stuffed profiteroles, peaches, anise hyssop
bourbon-maple dressing

corn pudding, chanterelles, zucchini ribbons, savory spiced brisket ice cream
cappuccino emulsion, roasted corn

daurade, garden beans, truffles, green garbanzo beans, truffle mashed potatoes,
honshimejii mushrooms, fava bean emulsion

pluot sorbet, lemoncello celery, gains of paradise, lemon curd, black sesame-rice wafer

black and white "still life" of veal cheeks

veal cheeks in action...
lobster mushrooms, apples, polenta, farmer onions, huckleberry essence 

The summer is gone. A distant memory. Faint. Elusive. Shadowed in the darkness of fall. However...Fall cooking rocks! It kicks ass really. As our ingredients come bellowing in daily, I get the strong urge to realign. Realign with the season and the moment. To get into what is here and now. The summer is a fun time for cooking for sure. Posted within is a tribute to the final fallen. What will be next on the horizon? Who knows. Lets see where this leads me.

Goodbye to Romance...

heirloom tomato terrine

burrata,basil,tomatoes,white peaches

green zebra,indigo rose, crab,scallop,cacao nib wafer,tomato water

As Ozzy sang it so clearly...the lyrics sing out as clear as day and represent our farmed produce as we lose sight of our summer in seattle. The tomatoes, cucumbers, stonefruits, melons, corn, delicate squashes and blossoms, beans and the like. Make way for hardneck squashes, pumpkin, foraged mushrooms, peppers, eggplant, root vegetables, apples, pears, and so on. As we get excited for what is to come and become enamored with the wonderful, comforting and sexy fall cookery, which is to be noted is my fav...we see the beauty, flavor and fun of the summer only in our rearview. A soft slimpse...a whisp...a nuance...a memory! See ya next year.

Hodge Part 2...

~crab cakes~
corn griddlecake, yuzu & chili laced crab, chervil, golden caviar,
sriracha aioli, lemon-yuzu kosho oil

~tomato~
indigo rose napoleon, cider poached kusshi oyster, basil gel, apples, honey gelee
spanish inspired gazpacho, clam-chorizo-almond salad, lemon, evoo

~corn~
scallop, charred corn, squab, thyme, jus de poisson
corn pudding, smoked lobster, chanterelles, aussie truffles, truffle nage

~foie gras~
seared pave, nectarines, blackberries, whipped blackberry, walnuts, coffee sugar brulee
silky chilled tartine, grilled figs, banyuls vinaigrette, root beer foam

~spiced sword~
grilled steak, green chickpeas, brisket oil, tomato jam, charred baby octopus
piquillo peppers, pedro ximenez dressing

~cucumbers & tomatoes~
mexican pickled cucumber, shaved salad, elderflower compressed, sorbet
tomatocello compressed, couer de tomate, croustillant, sorbet, water boisson

~duck with fun flavors~
peaches, apricot mostarda, pecan-cacao nib waffle, chocolate, gianduja
huckleberry jus, caramel

~laaaaaaaammmmbbbbb~
sous vide tenderloin, fennel seared, tunisian cous salad, apricot, almond, curry, mint
eggplant  caviar, smoked onion salad, cassis sauce
~veal cheek~
syrah braised, lobster mushrooms, artichoke salad, polenta fries,
garlic 3 ways-black fermented, chips, caramelized parcel in zucchini

~strawberries & rhubarb~
buttermilk-rhubarb panna cotta, strawberry salad, strawberry-prosecco pates de fruits
pistachios, rhubarb sorbet

~an O Moment~
warm valrhona manjari coulant, verbena laced raspberries, smoked ice cream
salted pumpkin seed praline, caramel tuile, caramel-port-vanilla sauce

Enter...a vision revisited and taken beyond! The second round of tastes presented with passion, inspiration, dedication to the craft and the profession, commitment to excellence and taste and above all...for and in the love of cooking! Enjoy the journey. Stay hungry and eat well my friends...

Hodge Part 1...

~poached~
maine lobster, yellow taxi tomato,american sturgeon caviar, basil gel
elderflower-champagne-yuzu sabayon

~broiled~
mussels, clams, apple, chorizo, peanuts, chickpea puree, streusel
~grilled~
lobster mushrooms, monkfish, corn shoots, beets, hazelnuts, micro arugula

~marinated & pickled~
radishes, mexican cucumbers, tomato hearts, smoked lobster, golden beets
lehua honey gel, tomato sorbet, lobster oil

~sauteed~
sauteed diver scallop, house bacon, bulls blood, australian truffles, pears
root beer reduction, pedro ximenez

~bruleed~
seared foie gras, nectarines, candied walnuts, whipped blackberry, coffee sugar brulee

~roasted~
pan roasted squab, brown butter potatoes, garlic chips, huckleberries
farro "grapenuts", tasso spiced carrots, syrah sauce

~frozen~
chanterelles, savory brisket ice cream, charred corn, brisket spices, brisket oil

~sous vide~
lamb tenderloin, caramelized fennel, artichoke relish, eggplant caviar, black garlic, argan
~braised~
braised veal cheek sandwich, polenta, brioche, caramelized garlic, apples, aioli
house curry cous cous, beans, figs, almonds, curry oil

~compressed~
compressed watermelon, peaches, tomato, burrata, purple basil, prosciutto,
honeydew melon vinegar dressing

~smoked~
smoked ice cream, corn, corn pudding, blackberries, chocolate gel, chocolate torte
~baked~
coulant(mia), caramelized bananas, caramel, anise hyssop ice cream

Enter-a vision of taste...more than 30 courses encompassed at the chefs table for a special diner who appreciates fine cooking, intriguing preparations and interesting presentations, but above all...good food and exceptional flavor! He inspires me to cook, to create, to explore. We should all be so lucky to have such a dining guest for our inspiration!