Spring menu is in full swing...

Turnip Vichyssoise Celery, Potato, Preserved Lemon, Yuzu Pebbles, Ossetra Caviar

Braised Pork Belly Roasted Plum, Wilted Arugula, Almond, Vanilla Port

Spring Garlic

Fiddle Heads

There are two seasons in particular that I love the most...spring and fall. Yea, summer has corn and tomatoes, crisp lettuces and beautiful melons and berries but spring has unique items that I find just absolutely amazing. For a hot second out of the year the sun shines, the spring rain falls and everything turns green. Wild Ramps poke up through the earth, fiddle heads begin to unfurl, green garlic is at its peak and the ideas start flowing to utilize these items in as many ways as possible before they disappear as quickly as they arrive. 

Pig legs, baby ducks and other random acts of kitchen madness...

Local Hind Legs for Proscuitto -

We are lucky enough to have an totally understanding Sommelier who graciously gave up a corner of her wine cellar to accommodate my most recent venture of charcuterie. We currently have house cured duck ham, 3 proscuittos, soppressatta, truffle cured local ham and country ham aging downstairs with much more to come throughout the summer!

Baby Ducks...yes swimming in the kitchen sink and living in my bathroom...

(its all part of a master plan, read below)

Making Pasta

Candy Cart

My Expo Mise En Place

The explanation for the ducks...

Growing up in rural western Pennsylvania and now cooking and running a restaurant here again presents the opportunity that I have been waiting for, for quite some time now. The plans are drawn up, the materials have been priced and the enthusiasm is at its peak for our new garden here at Nemacolin. Twenty Three above ground beds with crops ranging from heirloom tomatoes to every herb we can pack in, oh and did I mention my two ducks Mario and Robert (long story behind the names). 

At a past job at the Inn at Little Washington I split my time between Chef Patrick O'Connell's kitchen and his gaggle of Rhode Island Reds or his "ladies" as he so lovingly refers to them. Now, as I am not particularly ready to pursue my own group of "ladies" I figured I would start off small with a few ducks as we use duck eggs frequently in Lautrec. Ok, lets be honest, they are cute as shit and a total impulse buy at the Tractor Supply but it sounds good in the "master plan."  

So pushing on and trying to do nothing more than create a more unique and exciting dining experience for our guests. Every thing I do is a learning experience and if nothing else I have that. 

Good Press...

http://tribune-democrat.com/atrandom/x1281099391/Seasoned-master

It's always nice to be recognized by the people that mean the most, the ones who know you best.

Bison Tenderloin Kabocha Squash, Brussels Sprouts, Dates, Spiced Pecans

Ice Cream and Sorbet Chef's Selection of Seasonal Favorites

*This is a switch up of a dish we have had on the menu for the past year or so. We typically do a tasting of 3 sorbets and 2 ice creams in little glasses with spoons. After getting our hands on a waffle cone maker we decided to switch it up this spring and summer with some waffle cones.

Poussin Truffle Farce, Morel Mushrooms, Spring Garlic Dumplings, Peas, Sherry Cream

* Love this dish! We take local poussin out of Ohio and completely remove the skin. We then remove the breasts and thighs from the bird and make a truffle farce out of the dark meat. The breast then gets stuffed with the farce and wrapped back up in the chicken skin using transglutaminance to glue it together. We then wrap it in plastic to create a cylinder and cuvee it for one hour. When the chicken is finished being cuveed we then deep fry it until it is super crispy an slice it. Its served with morel mushrooms, spring peas, sherry cream sauce and these great little dumplings made from a puree of spring garlic from the Chef's Garden. We finish the dish up with garlic salt, black pepper and gold and green pea tendrils.