The Kitchen - November Menu - Book Your Seats Soon for This Menu!

Hello friends! Fall is in full, beautiful swing now, and we are excited to share some of the great bounty of meats, seafood, and produce available on our new November Menu. It's a great time of year for food, friends, family and fun - so leave your cares behind and come spend an unforgettable evening at The Kitchen with us this month. We can't wait to see you!

We have opened 3 Sunday Suppers in November that are filling up quickly, and we have a handful of seats scattered throughout the month still available. We are also open the Friday after Thanksgiving with some choice seats available.

Call Bobbie today to secure your seats.
Menu begins November 5th.



Don’t forget to sign up to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get advance notice of specials and some great deals. Plus, it’s fun!

Call Bobbie for reservations: 916.568.7171



The Kitchen - November 2009 Demonstration Dinner

- First Course -

Heirloom Squash and Pumpkin Soup
with Smoked Ham Shanks, Toasted Chiles,
Pepitas and Creamed Burrata

Every Fall, Randall and Noah do a different version of a Kitchen favorite - our Pumpkin and Squash Bisque. I have to admit I was never much of a fan of pumpkin or squash soups, but when I tasted one of Randall's versions nearly 7 years ago now, I became a convert, and have looked forward to this amazingly silky and flavorful bisque every year since. Randall says he can never quite remember what he did from year to year, and that’s why the soup changes ever so slightly. However, one component we always include is pork in some incarnation. Luckily, we’ve been getting the best pork products available for a while now coming to us right from locally-based Bledsoe Farms, an extremely high quality, artisanal family operation you can find every Sunday at the farmers market under the freeway selling shanks, ribs, chops, bacon and much, much more. For our Bisque this year, we are incorporating Bledsoe Farms smoked ham shanks, which are perfect - not too salty and with none of that fake smoke flavor you get with some products. Noah has also created a lovely, light Burrata Cheese Cream that has the wonderful Burrata Mozzarella flavor that Gioia is famous for and that you’ve gotten to know if you’ve visited us in the last few months at all. The creamed Burrata adds a nice cooling and lightening counterpoint to the richness of the ham shanks. We'll also have a smoky, toasty flavor component coming from the roasted New Mexico chili peppers and jalapenos, which we blanch three times and slow-roast so that the flavor comes through without the heat. We hope you enjoy this all-time favorite dish!



- Second Course -

Warmed Dungeness Crab
and Meyer Lemon-Curry Potato Salad
with Crème Fraiche, Endive, Fresh Turmeric
Arugula and Speck

Crab is so wonderful on a crisp Fall day, and this month we are featuring it in a warm and comforting potato salad with hints of Meyer lemon, kaffir lime, coconut milk, and turmeric that give the whole dish a feeling reminiscent of a Southeast Asian style curry. This dish is soothing and satisfying – rich, but with complimentary components of crispy endive, peppery arugula, cooling crème fraiche and salty, robustly flavored speck ham. Crab season is just beginning in California, and we can’t wait to share the juicy, succulent crustaceans with you. Our own house preserved Meyer lemons create the base for the light and delicate curry-style broth accented with turmeric. The endive we are using in this dish is a locally grown delicacy raised by Rich Collins of California Vegetable Specialists. This is the only domestically grown endive available, and we are fortunate enough to be able to source it virtually from our own backyard. The endive is crisp and delicately flavored with just a hint of pleasing bitterness. A final touch of crispy fried speck ham sets off all the flavors in the dish. Speck is a distinctively juniper-flavored ham that is salt-cured and smoked and originated in Tyrol, a historical region that lies between Italy and Austria. Not only is this a beautiful second course and a good bet for seconds, it also leads us seamlessly into the intermission of Sushi and Sashimi on the patio. Time to stretch your legs!



- Sushi - Sashimi - Crudo -



- Third Course -

New Zealand Salmon
and Seared Butter Poached Sea Scallops
Lobster-Veal Broth, Cauliflower-Salsify Pureé
and Bone Marrow Cream

Our seafood course this month is not-to-be-missed. Super-fresh and mild King Salmon out of New Zealand, simply grilled, accompanied by equally mild and fresh but deliciously sweet scallops and decadent Maine lobster meat all together in one dish! The wild salmon, which is sustainably fished when fully grown, is incredibly mild and delicate, without the very high oil and fat content you may experience with other salmon, yet still chock full of flavor. The scallops are sweet and creamy. The lobster will be poached down with a bit of butter and served with a robust lobster and veal stock for a unique flavor combination that is out of this world. We will serve a creamy, rich pureé of salsify and cauliflower mixed with a bit of potato - a seasonal vegetable combination that is at once roots-y and piquant, and with a hint of peppery flavor. Nancy and Randall, lovers of bone marrow that they are, are also working on just how they want to include an element of this rich delicacy on the seafood course. We may do a cream of bone marrow as an accent sauce or serve it traditionally, in the bone, to the side of the dish. As of today (10/26), we're still in the experimental phase...in any case, this dish has an intriguing marriage of fresh seafood flavors combined with deeper and woodsier flavors of veal and bone marrow that will linger on your palate and stay in your memory long after the last bite.



- Fourth Course -

Domestic Lamb Chop and Beef Tenderloin
with Walnut Gnocchi, Black Olives, Tarragon, Mint,
Goat Cheese and Roasted Duck Jus

We couldn't decide between lamb and beef this month because we love them both, and we had two excellent products we were considering using. So, our indecision is your gain, because we are going to prepare both lamb and beef this month. The lamb is from our all-time favorite lamb producer, the James Ranch near Nevada City, and it is mild, juicy and flavorful and not at all gamey. The beef tenderloin is all naturally raised, hormone and antibiotic-free Piedmontese Beef Tenderloin from Montana Ranch, another stellar purveyor. Month after month, we find our guests love these tenderloin cuts as much as we do. Sometimes we do use other producers like the Mishima Ranch Wagyu or the Five Dot Ranch tenderloin out of Susanville. But no matter which we choose, we almost invariably prefer to do the tenderloin because it is so moist and clean and flavorful, and because no one else in Sacramento is really providing diners these absolutely top quality tenderloin cuts. With the beef and lamb this month we have what may be my favorite thing on the menu, our house made walnut gnocchi! So rich and creamy, and so perfect for November, we'll balance the decadent dumplings with a light roasted duck stock that will cut the creaminess and add depth. The playful addition of house cured black olives and a soft and pillowy melted goat cheese cream (from Nicolau Farms in Modesto, of course!) up the ante on this amazing final savory course.



- Dessert Course -

Chocolate-Apple Bread Pudding,
Fresh Pecans, Caramel Crisps and
Maple-Caramel-Vanilla Ice Cream

Of course, apples are the way to go for desserts in the fall. It's a no-brainer. We made our Apple Hill pilgrimage a couple of weeks ago and got caramel apples, Dutch Crunch Apple Pie, apple donuts, apple cider, and for good measure stopped off at Jack Russell Brewery for a pint and to sit a spell. It was a glorious day and every place was packed, but it’s nice to visit the farmers and revel in the season’s touristy glory. Even though we are featuring apples for our November Bread Pudding (Pink Pearls and Wine Saps from Patrick Hoover in Placerville), Randall cannot bear to not serve chocolate on his desserts, so we are including decadent Scharffenberger Chocolate in this dish, with little pieces mixed into the pudding. We may do some cocoa nibs as well; we’ll see how the dessert evolves. Pecans are in season, so we will add some fresh pecans on the dessert and may make a brittle out of them as well. We’ve also got pomegranates that our very own Bobbie is bringing to us from her backyard that Noah will make a nice little brothy foam out of for the dessert. The best part of this dessert to my mind is the absolutely over-the-top delicious Maple-Caramel-Vanilla Ice Cream. Our house made ice creams are always a hit, but I have a feeling based on the demo versions I’ve tried so far that this one in particular will be flying out of the kitchen. Enjoy!



- Come Join Us -

Have a wonderful November!

Gina, Jennifer, Noah and The Crew

- November Dinner Menu -

Presented by Chefs Nancy Zimmer, Randall Selland
and Chef de Cuisine Noah Zonca

______

Heirloom Squash and Pumpkin Soup
with Smoked Ham Shanks, Toasted Chiles,
Pepitas and Creamed Burrata

~~~

Warmed Dungeness Crab
and Meyer Lemon-Curry Potato Salad
with Crème Fraiche, Endive, Fresh Turmeric
Arugula and Speck

~~~

Sushi ~ Sashimi ~ Crudo

~~~

New Zealand Salmon
and Seared Butter Poached Sea Scallops
Lobster-Veal Broth, Cauliflower-Salsify Pureé
and Bone Marrow Cream

~~~

Domestic Lamb Chop and Beef Tenderloin
with Walnut Gnocchi, Black Olives, Tarragon, Mint,
Goat Cheese and Roasted Duck Jus

~~~

Chocolate-Apple Bread Pudding,
Fresh Pecans, Caramel Crisps and
Maple-Caramel-Vanilla Ice Cream

______


Seats have been filling up quickly, so please make reservations soon.
Please contact The Kitchen at 916.568.7171

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