A Pastoral Brunch

(labor day weekend. number 8.)

food:

Cher Mikkola Cream Scones

A famous recipe from the mother of Secret Restaurant close-associate and often ice cream maker/auxilary baker/shopping helper Aria, adapted to perfection over the years. Recreated here and topped with fresh blackberry compote. Served with local and organic watermelon, pears, strawberries. English Stilton cheese.

Roasted Potatoes De Provence

Pink-centered red fingerling potatoes, roasted with whole cloves of fresh garlic and chopped golden beets. Tossed with mexican rock sea salt, hydrated red rose and hibiscus flowers. Topped with a pureed spinach sauce, made with white onion, shallots, garlic, basil, and lavender. Served on rainbow chard leaves.

Home-made brioche with home-made sweet cream butter and a slice of yellow heirloom tomato.

Fluffy Egg Tartlets

Golden Oregon Wild Chanterelle Mushroom Soufflé (from farm fresh, market eggs) in a rosemary whole wheat pie crust, topped with a Stilton-infused Irish butter hollandaise sauce. Dusted with grated Italian black truffle and lavender flowers. Garnished with Ficoîde Glaciele– "an unusual French green. Delicate texture & lemony, salty taste."

Fried green heirloom tomatoes with a French Batard breading.

drink:

Bloody Mary's

Fresh heirloom tomato juice, hot peppers, organic bottled tomato juice, house-pickled pickles, rainbow chard stocks, Russian potato vodka, and plenty o' secrets. Sel gris rim.

Two Featured Coffees:

from Olympia Coffee Roasting Co., Olympia, WA

Guatemala Huehuetenange CODECH Cooperative. The rather accurate description from Olympia Coffee Roasing Co.'s website: "Aromas of ripe fruit and brown sugar perfume the sweet tangy acidity and well- structured body. Heady flavors of honey, strawberry, and orange are reminiscent of baked summer pastries."

from Espresso Roma Café, Eugene, OR

A mysterious bean known to many friends and acquaintances who have spent much time in Eugene, Oregon. My best answer to the often-asked question "how the hell do they make this midnight mind-slam coffee?" is that it is probably Mexican beans, done in a vienna roast and brewed very strongly. We decided to serve this coffee as a distinct contrast to the Guatemalan, and tried to recreate the intensity of the Roma experience with each cup.