Bring on the Drinks!

Even though I'm just getting started with this, I'd like to begin this week's post in a new direction...

Those of you who are familiar with me know that I enjoy an alcoholic beverage or two (quit snickering, please...), so I decided to introduce a new dynamic for me and our restaurant: The Cocktail Special!! Each week we will feature a new concoction, and believe me, you can't wait to taste what's next!


Don't worry, though - my dinner specials won't lack enthusiasm or thought due to these; I still know which side of my bread is buttered (sorry, culinary pun; I'm full of 'em).


So, where do I start? Easy. You can't go wrong with the bubbly! So I decided to infuse my own liqueur by steeping blueberries, ginger, sugar, vodka, and a touch of lemon juice, then top it all off with some nice Spanish Cava and a pinch of candied ginger for some added punch...YUM!!

I could think up many clever and/or stupid names for this drink but for now I'll keep it simple and call it a Blueberry Ginger Spritz. Feel free to offer up your own name in the comment section below. Who knows, maybe there will be a prize for the best one.....

Now onto the business end of my gun - this week's dinner special:

One of my favorite types of fish to cook with is lingcod, and while it is ugly as hell to look at, nor is it even closely related to a ling or a cod, it is quite tasty, flaky and versatile, so I decided to pan sear it slowly in the oven to develop a beautiful, deep crust, then flipped it over to baste it in butter and onion confit and set it onto a bed of sauteed pancetta, spring onion, fava beans, and tomato; all laid in a pool of rich bourbon shrimp sauce.

Of course, even that description still doesn't delve into the levels of love that I put into this dish. But don't take my word for it. Why don't you come in to see for yourself?

With Love,

Cheffrey


P.S. - Those of you who enjoyed the weather here in Seattle last weekend can thank my last dinner special post below - evidently the sun gods liked my shrimp cakes with sweet pea and goat cheese puree; I, on the other hand, still prefer the offering of cocktails! ;-)

Dinner Special Starting March 31

This post is the first of an ongoing blog detailing my rotating specials. The funny thing about specials is that as a chef, you never can tell how well the dish will sell. Now, I have every intention to make each special as good (if not better) than the last, but sometimes I will sell out of the dish in the first night (like I did with this first featured dish), and it will only sell okay over the next few days, then sell out over the weekend, and so on and so on...

A lot of chefs offset this by having the same specials for several weeks, almost as if it was a hidden part of the menu, but to me that's not enough. I want every week to be something new, for me and for my patrons. For one thing, I believe that our customers expect something fresh, something new from me, not the same specials that they or their friends had a few weeks before.

Secondly, I like to think that my week is jump started every Tuesday morning with a new-found love for food by seeing these ideas come to fruition; and I am a firm believer that happy people make happy food.

So with that in mind, I have been wanting to do this plate (and the specials following) for a while now since it is lighter in style and more suitable for the warmer weather of springtime, and although it is technically spring, it doesn't look like it yet here in Seattle. So here, I offer to you, the sun gods a gift in exchange for sunshine and warmer weather:

Flaky Shrimp Cakes made with scallion, celery, and tomato aioli, with a Sweet Pea-Goat Cheese Puree, a mild, fresh-made Harissa, and Shaved Radicchio.

Enjoy Dios!!

Cheffrey