Friday, December 23, 2005
Dinner at The Herbfarm in Woodinville, WA
Giao found The Herbfarm on a "most expensive restaurants in the US" list and wanted to try it. Since we were going to be in Seattle, we figured we should (despite the whopping $189/head price--although it did include 6 wine pairings). It was good, but we've certainly had better tating menus for less. And the service left something to be desired. There is only one seating per night and one menu, so there were only 7 servers for the entire resturant and thngs seemed to be served wedding style because of the lack of staggered ordering. We expected a bit more in terms of service, for the price.
The great thing about The Herbfarm is that they really are an herb farm, so all the herbs used are picked fresh for your meal. And all the ingredients are obtained locally and in season from the Pacific Northwest.
Celery Root Ravioli with Oregon White Truffle and Chervil Butter
Tender, beyond creamy, and full of celery root flavor.
Basil-Wood Smoked Black Cod with Savoy Cabbage, Quince, Bacon and Dill
The mustard sauce and sweetness of the quince complemented the saltiness of the fish very nicely.
Seared Duck Foie Gras with Carrot Blintz, Tri-Colored Glazed Carrots and Spiced Carrot Sauce
The slightly crunchy tiny carrots offset the richness of the foie gras, while the blintz mirrored its texture.
Douglas Fir Ice
This palate cleanser really did taste like a tree, and was an unexpected and amazing surprise. Apparently they soak the tree boughs in syrup to obtain the unique flavor. Unlike anything we had ever tasted.
Ribeye of Wagyu Beef with Truffled Leeks, Horseradish Potato Gratin, Chard Gratin and Black Trumpet Mushrooms
This American version of Kobe beef was tender and the little sides each added their own bent to the dish, with the exception of the potato gratin which was mediocre at best.
Quillasascut Goat Cheese Tart with Chestnut and Cherry Salad
The sweetness of the dried cherries added a nice balance to the tartness of the goat cheese. The chestnut flour crust of the tart was also a nice touch.
Spicebread Ice Cream iwht Carmelized Pear and Huckleberry Sauce
My least favorite of the desserts, this tasted like cold fruitcake.
Hazelnut S'more Cake with Armagnac Custard
Pretty good.
Chocolate-Jasmine Pot de Creme
Amazingly smooth, jasmine infused chocolate mousse. Very, very good.
Orange-Thyme Madeleines, Cardamom Pommiers, Lemon-Geranium White Chocolate Truffles, Raspberry Gel and Lavender Dark Chocolate Truffle
We aren't really candy people, but the dark chocolate truffle was pretty damn good.
Homemade Potato and Onion Rolls and Multi-grain Baguette with Herb-Infused Butter
Thir bread and butter was sooo good.
Ratings:
Food: 1 (the dishes were a mix of 1's (Ravioli, Cod, Foie Gras) and 2's (Fir Ice, Wagyu Beef), with the tiebreaker being cast because of the temperature problems resulting from the service)
Decor: 0
Service: 1 (refer to service notes)
Website
The great thing about The Herbfarm is that they really are an herb farm, so all the herbs used are picked fresh for your meal. And all the ingredients are obtained locally and in season from the Pacific Northwest.
Smoked Sturgeon and Quail Egg Benedict with Sorrel (top left)
Was oddly lacking in flavor. Needed salt or something.
Kushi Oyster with Juniper-Lemon Geranium Ice (bottom right)
Not as good as a Kumamoto, but pretty good. The ice cut the fishiness of the oyster well.
Paddlefish Caviar on Sea Urchin Flan (bottom left)
The caviar was tasty but the flan was distinctly lacking the sea urchin flavor.
Rosemary Mussle Skewer with Marjoram Aioli (top right)
The pan fried mussels had a yummy crispness to them and the aioli matched the flavors well.
Was oddly lacking in flavor. Needed salt or something.
Kushi Oyster with Juniper-Lemon Geranium Ice (bottom right)
Not as good as a Kumamoto, but pretty good. The ice cut the fishiness of the oyster well.
Paddlefish Caviar on Sea Urchin Flan (bottom left)
The caviar was tasty but the flan was distinctly lacking the sea urchin flavor.
Rosemary Mussle Skewer with Marjoram Aioli (top right)
The pan fried mussels had a yummy crispness to them and the aioli matched the flavors well.
Celery Root Ravioli with Oregon White Truffle and Chervil Butter
Tender, beyond creamy, and full of celery root flavor.
Basil-Wood Smoked Black Cod with Savoy Cabbage, Quince, Bacon and Dill
The mustard sauce and sweetness of the quince complemented the saltiness of the fish very nicely.
Seared Duck Foie Gras with Carrot Blintz, Tri-Colored Glazed Carrots and Spiced Carrot Sauce
The slightly crunchy tiny carrots offset the richness of the foie gras, while the blintz mirrored its texture.
Douglas Fir Ice
This palate cleanser really did taste like a tree, and was an unexpected and amazing surprise. Apparently they soak the tree boughs in syrup to obtain the unique flavor. Unlike anything we had ever tasted.
Ribeye of Wagyu Beef with Truffled Leeks, Horseradish Potato Gratin, Chard Gratin and Black Trumpet Mushrooms
This American version of Kobe beef was tender and the little sides each added their own bent to the dish, with the exception of the potato gratin which was mediocre at best.
Quillasascut Goat Cheese Tart with Chestnut and Cherry Salad
The sweetness of the dried cherries added a nice balance to the tartness of the goat cheese. The chestnut flour crust of the tart was also a nice touch.
Spicebread Ice Cream iwht Carmelized Pear and Huckleberry Sauce
My least favorite of the desserts, this tasted like cold fruitcake.
Hazelnut S'more Cake with Armagnac Custard
Pretty good.
Chocolate-Jasmine Pot de Creme
Amazingly smooth, jasmine infused chocolate mousse. Very, very good.
Orange-Thyme Madeleines, Cardamom Pommiers, Lemon-Geranium White Chocolate Truffles, Raspberry Gel and Lavender Dark Chocolate TruffleWe aren't really candy people, but the dark chocolate truffle was pretty damn good.
Homemade Potato and Onion Rolls and Multi-grain Baguette with Herb-Infused Butter
Thir bread and butter was sooo good.
Ratings:
Food: 1 (the dishes were a mix of 1's (Ravioli, Cod, Foie Gras) and 2's (Fir Ice, Wagyu Beef), with the tiebreaker being cast because of the temperature problems resulting from the service)
Decor: 0
Service: 1 (refer to service notes)
Website
# posted by Giao and Alexis @ 7:47 PM 
Features:
Alexis' Cookbook
Our Favorite Kitchen Tools
More Useful Kitchen Tools
SeeUsEat 2006 Awards
Roti Round-Up
Burger Battle
Fried Chicken Challenge
Video: Chupaqueso
Video: Zuchinni Lasagna
Cuisine:
Austrian
Chinese
Cuban
Dim Sum
Ethiopian
French
German
Indian
Japanese
Mexican
Middle Eastern
Noveau American
Nueva Latino
Pub Food
Regional American
Singaporean
Spanish
Turkish
Ukrainian
Vietnamese
