Last night I had probably one of the best meals of my entire life. I took my mom to The Herbfarm restaurant in Woodinville, Washington. This was my second time there and it was even better than the first. The restaurant serves a 9 course meal, with wine pairings, concentrating on foods from the Pacific Northwest and using herbs (hence the name) in everything. The set menu changes daily based on what is fresh and available. The evening starts with a tour through their own herb garden and explanation of how the menu they have chosen came to be. The theme for the evening's meal was, A Summer Sketchbook. And because I know that no one would appreciate this as much as you all, here is the menu of what we dined on last night:
Treasures of the Tide Pool
Puget Sound Kumomoto Oyster with Wild Ginger Ice
Paddlefish Caviar on Crisp Salmon Skin with Wild Onion
Smoked Mussels with Local Artichokes and Oregano Aioli
Handkerchief Pasta
Filled with Quillisascut Goat Cheese and Asparagus
With Sage Blossoms and Early Summer Herbs
Slow Cooked Copper River King Salmon
With Snap Peas, Sea Beans, Walla Walla Onion and Basil
Roasted King Bolete Mushroom
With Green Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Fava Beans and Savory
Rose Petal Ice
Lavender and Spice Crusted Breast of Muscovy Duck
With Morel, Confit and Spinach Strudel, Golden Beets and Chelan Cherry Sauce
The Herbfarm Garden Salad
With Wild Ostrich Fern Fiddleheads
Strawberry Fields Forever
Strawberry Shortcake with Bay Cream
Strawberry-Rose Geranium Ice Cream Cone
Strawberry and Lemon Verbena Gelee
The Bolete mushroom dish (this is similar to a porcini we were told) and the desserts were my favorites, but the entire meal was absolutely outstanding. I was also able to get a copy of the Herbfarm cookbook signed for me by the auther, executive chef Jerry Traunfeld.
