TASTE Restaurant and Cafes

“A Splash” of Bunnell Family Cellar
Bunnell Family Cellar hand-crafts two types of wine from grape
varieties native to the Rhone Valley of France.
VINS DE L’ENDROIT (wines of a place) are designed to capture
the terroir of the vineyard or appellation from which they originate.
VINS DE L’ESPIRIT (wines of the creative spirit) are traditional
and non-traditional expressions of the art of blending.

May 14, 2008
Dinner 6 p.m. – TASTE Restaurant    call 206-903-5291 for reservations   $79 per person plus tax & gratuity

vanilla bean poached prawns
|  beechers cheesy grits, cilantro oil
2006 Bunnell Family Cellar Viognier
2006 RiverAerie Viognier

potato-less gnocchi
|  tomato confit, brown butter, parsley
2006 RiverAerie Sangiovese

cocoa braised short ribs
|  caramelized squach, nibs
2005 A Pic (Rhone style blend)

local lamb chop
|  blue pave, ported figs, bing cherry demi
2005 Bunnell Family Cellar Clifton Hill Syrah

blanc de blanc panna cotta
|  roasted rhubarb, rhubarb sorbet, almond paper
2006 RiverAerie Riesling

Sunday Suppers are about making connections, great food and engaging conversation. A featured farmer or artisan will be on hand at each Sunday Supper to share his or her story and products. On May 4, meet ranchers George and Eiko Vojkovich. Chefs Craig Hetherington and Elise Fineberg present a five-course meal inspired by Skagit River Ranch’s organic beef, eggs, pork and poultry from Sedro-Woolley, WA. The cost is $90 per person (including paired NW wines), plus tax and 20% service charge.

Sunday Supper – featuring Skagit River Ranch
May 4, 2008 l 5:30 p.m.

oxtail consume
2006 Covington Cellars Semillon

herbed gnocchi l glazed baby beets, lardons & melted spring onions
2005 Bunnell Family Gewurtztraminer

sweet italian sausage l potatoes, grilled green garlic, prunes, ancho chili jus
2003 Willis Hall Merlot

pulled chicken popover l wild mushroom ragout, fiddleheads
2005 Ryan Patrick Vineyards “Rock Island Red”

rhubarb pie with thyme l balsamic, crème fraîche ice cream
Apex ll Late Harvest Semillon 2004

TASTE Restaurant at the Seattle Art Museum
To make reservations call 206.903.5291 | e-mail tasterestaurant@tastesam.com | online at www.opentable.com

We’re coming up on TASTE Restaurant’s one-year birthday and I have been reflecting on the past twelve months.  I had recently moved from San Francisco when I started here and was thrilled to find a restaurant where I could cook the way I knew how: seasonally, locally, and simply. What does that mean? We cook with the best ingredients we can get our hands on from local and sustainable resources. When you’re using the best ingredients, cooking simply makes sense and translates into great food. In fact, everyone shares this philosophy at TASTE, which makes for a seamless meal – a dining experience that flows effortlessly from one course to the next.

After a year into this gig, I find that I’m working with outstanding food, creative and talented people, and the full support to cook the best way I know how. TASTE and I — we’re a perfect match.

Please join us for the next Sunday Supper on March 30 at 5:30 p.m. which features Fishing Vessel St. Jude tuna. For reservations, call 206.903.5291.

Sunday Suppers are about making connections, great food and engaging conversation. A featured farmer or artisan will be on hand at each Sunday Supper to share his/her story and products. On Sunday March 30, meet fisherman Joe Malley and his wife, Joyce. Chefs Craig Hetherington and Elise Fineberg present a five-course meal inspired by Fishing Vessel St Jude’s sustainably caught, environmentally friendly albacore tuna.

The cost is $85 per person (including paired NW wines), plus tax and 20% service charge.

MENU

amuse l smoked albacore canapé

albacore au naturel
l sashimi - extra virgin olive oil, lemon / lox – pickled daikon / kippered smoked - niçoise

leek consommé l albacore quenelle

tuna melt l toasted brioche, tuna tartare, gruyère fondue

lemon grilled albacore l puy lentils, mâche, smoked paprika “caviar”

albacore: a sweet interpretation
l sashimi, grapefruit three ways, asian inspired tapioca

Here’s our Valentine Day’s menu. We hope you’ll join us!

salad & soup shot | arugula, shaved fennel & pine nuts, grapefruit vinaigrette
puree of red beet, herbed chevre crema

st. jude albacore | cauliflower gratin, watercress, chimichuri

classic duck confit | savory polenta, bittersweet & ancho jus

trio | chocolate caramel mille feuille
port granité
bitter chocolate soufflé cake

Optional wine pairing will be offered
The cost is $49 per person ($98 per couple), plus tax and 20% service charge
Vegetarian options available.

The PINK wines that are available to pair with the menu include:

Rosé (Merlot-Zinfandel) — Cedergreen Cellars “Viola”  | Columbia Valley AVA   2006
Rosé (Grenache-Mourvédre-Cinsault) — Syncline   | Columbia Valley AVA   2006
Rosé (Barbera) — McKinley Springs | Horse Heaven Hills AVA 2006

TASTE Restaurant at the Seattle Art Museum
To make reservations call 206.903.5291 | email tasterestaurant@tastesam.com | online at www.opentable.com
www.tastesam.com

The Sunday Supper for Jan. 27 has been postponed until further notice. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Hi! Happy New Year!

This past year has been one of great excitement and opportunity here at TASTE. We saw the opening of TASTE Café @ OSP (Olympic Sculpture Park, for those of you not keen on acronyms), the growth of our incredible TASTE Events and, not least, the opening of our flagship, TASTE Restaurant @ SAM.

Launching TASTE Restaurant compares, in a way, to raising a child. We had hopes, dreams and fears for our “baby” when it opened to the public seven months ago, and we tried to anticipate every potential issue that might affect the success of TASTE. We wanted to build a place that would give more than it took from the world around it.

These past seven months have laid the groundwork for the path to TASTE’s future: When TASTE was conceived, its mission was to showcase foods from local producers who have committed themselves to sustainable practices and to nourishing the stomachs and souls of our community. The names of farms or fishermen are on the menu not because it’s trendy. We walk the walk so that our customers can enjoy a meal in good conscience as well as take pleasure in the flavors.

Our focus on regionality applies to the wine list, too: All the selections come from only Washington and Oregon. We also categorize our wines by flavor profile instead of varietal. This allows diners to choose a wine based on its herbaceousness, fruitiness or jammy qualities, which we believe makes the ordering process more approachable.

While we are grateful to be a part of the Seattle Art Museum, we do want to encourage people to consider TASTE a destination. Our regular events include the quarterly Splash! Winemaker dinners as well as the Sunday Suppers, which feature some of our favorite local producers. Happy Hour (3-6 p.m.) is a great way to transition from the work day to evening, especially since all the snacks from the bar menu are $5.

Our ultimate goal is always to bring people together around the table to savor the great cooking of executive chef, Christopher Conville, and the dessert stylings of pastry chef, Elise Fineberg. We’d love it if you would share a meal with us.

Cheers,

Alex Van Amburg

Director of Restaurant Operations

Splash! Winemaker Dinner featuring Brian Carter of Brian Carter Cellars
Feb. 13, 6 p.m.
$79 per person (plus tax and gratuity)

Winemaker Brian Carter handcrafts wines in the styles of the southern Rhône, Bordeaux and Tuscany. During dinner, Carter and chef Christopher Conville will discuss how they achieved the menu pairings. Splash! Winemaker dinners are held four times a year. Call TASTE to make a reservation, 206.903.5291 or e-mail tasterestaurant@tastesam.com.

MENU

spiced domestic prawn
| polenta cake, pear-arugula salad, lemon crema
2005 ORIANA – (Latin-Golden Lady)
White Wine Blend

roasted alaskan salmon
| potato gratin, herb-tomato confit
2005 TUTTOROSSO – (Italian-All Red)
Super Tuscan Style Blend

braised rabbit popover
| willamette valley fontina, parsley salad
2004 BYZANCE – (French-Luxurious)
Southern Rhone Style Blend

snake river hangar steak frites
| pan jus, blue butter
2004 L’ETALON (French-The Stallion)
Bordeaux-Style Blend

roasted asian pear tart
l humboldt fog, candied fennel, orange zest
2004 Apex II Late Harvest Semillion

Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a good holiday.Our Sunday Supper this month features Skagit River Ranch, which is farmed by George and Eiko Vojkovich and their daughter, Nicole. (Read a story about them.)This family is dedicated to growing the best beef, pork, chickens and eggs — oh, the eggs — and grass. Why grass? The livestock are pasture-raised and to maintain a high organic/sustainable quality, it means the grass needs to be nurtured, too. The ranch is located in Sedro-Woolley, which is about an hour and a half north of Seattle in the Skagit Valley. If you’re ever in the region, stop by the ranch for a visit.Here’s the menu that executive chef Christopher Conville created:

Sunday Supper — featuring Skagit River Ranch

Jan. 27; 5:30 p.m.; for reservations, call 206-903-5291 or e-mail tasterestaurant@tastesam.com. 

oxtail onion soup

2006 Covington Cellars Semillon

herbed gnocchi   |   butternut squash, lardons & caramelized onions

2005 Bunnell Family Gewurtztraminer

sweet italian sausage   |   potatoes, prunes, ancho chili jus

2003 Willis Hall Merlot

pulled chicken popover   |   wild mushroom ragout

2005 Ryan Patrick Vineyards “Rock Island Red”

apple pie with thyme   |   glazed bacon, crème fraîche ice cream

Apex ll  Late Harvest Semillon 2004

SAM members: Are you a frequent diner? You should have a TASTECARD. Click on the link below and print out the card. After 10 visits, you get $10 off your dining experience (in addition to the members’ 10 percent discount).

tastecard-postcard.pdf