madbaker | hey RAT, this one's for you

After cleaning up from the ballgame, I got mildly dressed up. The nice folks who do our CSA box were featured at a "grower's dinner" put on by Jack Falstaff, which is only ten minutes max from our place. What the heck, we thought.

It was lovely. Good chattage with Andy and Julia (who is now coming over Friday evening for dinner and cookbook ogling!) and an entirely pleasant meal. The outdoor patio was noisy - lots of traffic and buses going by, but what the hey. The dinner featured many more veg from their farm than we (or even the farmers) expected.

The menu:
Roasted Heirloom Eggplant soup, with lemon-thyme croutons
Seared Sockeye Salmon with baby summer squash, tomato confit, braised baby fennel, purslane, and a basil emulsion
roasted Duck Breast (or beef, but we both had duck) with crispy red and gold potatoes, chard, ricotta-stuffed Friarelli peppers, and baby beets, all in a red wine sauce
and an extremely tasty carrot pecan cake with strawberries and vanilla ice cream for dessert. I got the chef's card so I can request the carrot cake recipe. (He offered.)

The only off note was the Pinot Noir served with the duck; yes, it's traditional, but the flavors in the dish were so overwhelming that the pinot tasted watery. I mentioned it politely to the sommelier and he immediately brought out a cabernet and a zinfandel to replace it. He also mentioned that the sauce had reduced since they paired it earlier in the evening, which may have caused the disconnect. I'm not sure but it was very good service.

Darn, now I'm hungry again.
I'd definitely go back to the restaurant. It'd be a good place to try with friends, especially being so close.
I'd love to go to more of these - we suggested putting a bug in Traci's ear to do a grower's dinner at Jardiniere. Or Mijita. Either would be tasty.