Back in January, after reading a New York Times wrote an article titled 10 Restaurants Worth a Plane Ride, I began plotting our trip. I figured, if it’s worth a plane ride, it must be worth a two-hour car trip. Looking at our calendar (and the hotel’s calendar), our first chance would be … September. Oh my, such a long wait. But again, if it’s worth a plane ride, it has to be worth waiting nine months.
Finally the time was here. Lummi Island is normally serviced be a car ferry, but for three weeks every September the car ferry is dry docked and the island is only serviced by a passenger ferry. If we had been staying more than night, I might have been disappointed not to have a car, but since ours was to be a very quick trip, and the hotel was very nice about picking us up at the car ferry, we decided to just go with it.
We arrived with enough time to relax in our room for a while before heading down for pre-dinner cocktails. It was a gorgeous sunny day so we decided to relax on the deck with cocktails and snacks.
My favorite of the drinks I enjoyed was the Spotted Owl made with Aviation gin, nettle purée, Douglas fir eau de vie, lemon, simple syrup.
Tangy and refreshing with a shocking green color. Our options for snacks were marinated cheese or turkey confit. Since I am mad for cheese, that is what we decided to have. I absolutely loved the simple presentation of the cheese presented in a jar.
Finally it was time for dinner. At our table we were greeted with menus detailing the five-course meal that was to come (and some sparkling wine). I am a strong believer that when you’re having a tasting menu, unless you have an actual sensitivity to certain foods, you should eat what the chef prepares. I may not be the biggest fan of fish in the world, but it just doesn’t make sense to me not to eat what the chef feels he cooks best. That being said, I was a little relieved to see that there was only one course that would have fish. Then I started looking over the back of the menu, where the provenance of the ingredients being used were listed. Salmon, clams and oysters were all listed but they were nowhere to be found on the menu. That’s when we found out about the snacks.
They started bringing out plate upon plate of one- to two-bite snacks. Many of them fish, most of them delicious (you never know what you might find out you like).
Snacks:
Smoked reefnet sockeye salmon
This was served in a closed wooden box with something burning beneath it so when the lid was taken off the box a delightful little puff of smoke came out and filled the air.
Salmon roe roll
Salmon I can live with, enjoy even. Salmon roe on the other hand is often a little too “fishy” for me. However, the crispy roll and the cream filling were very tasty.
Potato chip with homemade sauerkraut and black cod
Not much to say about this one. The title of the dish pretty much tells you exactly what it is. Didn’t love it or hate it.
Farm basket with herb emulsion
Basically a deconstructed salad with a basket of greens and vegetable tops, hazelnut “dirt” and herb dressing served in a little terra cotta pot. Fun, but a little messy. We got “dirt” crumbs everywhere.
Butter clam, cucumber, geoduck and potato, served with frozen horseradish
I liked all the components of this dish, but the horseradish “snow” that was served with it was my favorite part. It’s a little hard to describe, but picture a spicy snow cone and you’ll come close.
Kale toast with black truffle purée and rye crumble
My favorite of the snacks, the combination of crisp cooked kale (not sure if it was fried or baked) along with the truffle was fantastic.
Pickled oysters with garden sorrel
The presentation of this dish was just stunning. River rocks frozen in ice with the oysters atop. Unfortunately oysters are one of the flavors I really don’t like. I know I’m supposed to (it’s one of those things chefs are supposed to just like) but I have never met an oyster I enjoyed. But I’ll keep trying…
So, now we’re seven plates in and we haven’t even started dinner. Oh my.
First course
Organic grains with pickled mushrooms
The grains in question were emmer, barley, farro and spelt and they were in a slightly bitter sauce (made from watercress, I think). The pickled mushrooms added a nice counter balance.
Second course
Squid with kohlrabi and seaweed and an oyster emulsion
I’ve never had squid before in any form other than fried. I liked this dish (except for the oyster emulsion) but squid probably isn’t going to become a “OMG they have fresh squid I have to order that” kind of thing any time soon.
Just when we thought they were done bringing out snacks they brought out one more.
White anchovies with pickled elderberries in a brown butter sauce
The look on my husband’s face when a whole anchovy was sat down in front of him was priceless. While I’m not a huge fan of fish, my husband really doesn’t like it. But, being adventurous eaters we went for it. I was pleasantly surprised (and I really liked the brown butter sauce) while the husband, well, not so much.
Third course
Nettles farm hen’s egg with summer vegetables and lemon verbena sauce
This was described as every vegetable currently in season on the farm served with a poached egg (though technically it was a sous vide egg yolk not a poached egg). This was my favorite dish of the night. Perfectly ripe vegetables, some pickled, some cooked, some raw surrounding a perfectly cooked, creamy egg yolk. Each bite was a little different depending on which vegetables happened to be on the fork and the yolk and lemon verbena sauce made for a totally tasty dressing.
Fourth course
Slow roasted pork shoulder with grilled onions
There were at least three different types of onions surrounding a tender piece of pork shoulder. The pork had a slightly sweet, tangy barbecue type sauce as well as an onion au jus. Outstanding.
Before the dessert course they brought out a single paper husked cape gooseberry as a palette cleanser. So much better than sorbet.
Fifth course
Green apples with buttermilk and licorice
This had apple sorbet topped with buttermilk foam and surrounded by very (very) thin slices of apple and some kind of licorice gel chips. A very intriguing combination.
Finally, because we hadn’t had nearly enough, we were presented with flax seed caramels. Yes.
After dinner I was allowed to go into the kitchen and chat with the chef for a while. I am always amazed when I go in a kitchen and it turns out to be tiny (and without much special equipment). For most of the meal, the doors to the kitchen were left open so I got to enjoy watching the staff assemble all of our delicious plates. I’m always surprised when a kitchen is so calm and quiet when they are producing that kind of food. P.S. the chef said that my idea for sous vide paté was genius (which I have to say made me feel pretty darn good about myself).
Finally we made our way back to our room where we were greeted by chocolates on our pillows. The hot tub was calling my name but the bed called louder.
The next morning we returned to the dining room for breakfast and then the concierge gave us a ride up to visit Nettles Farm. I love that all of the vegetables, herbs, berries and flowers that we ate throughout our meal came from a farm less than a mile away. We spied on the chickens and pilfered a few tomatoes from their vines.
With that we walked back to the Inn and then got a ride back to the ferry. Our quick trip suddenly over.
So, was it worth the wait and the drive? I would answer with a resounding yes as this will get a place in my top ten meal list. Though I’m not sure I would make the effort again (I like to spread my fine dining experiences around a little).
The fish-hating husband, however. Well he had a different take. You can read all about how a non-fish eater with the palette of a five-year old copes with a meal like this right here.
