Wonderful 40th Birthday Party for Ravenswood Winery

21 Tuesday Jun 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Anniversary, Avocado, BBQ Chicken, BBQ Pork, BBQ Veggies, Birthdays, Breakfast, Celebrations, Ceviche, Chicken, Classic Herb Blends, Comfort Food, Corn Bread, Dinner Reviews with Robin, Dinner With Family, Eggs Omelets, Ethnic Foods, Green Salad, Greens, Grilled Pork, Grilled Vegetables, Herbs, Herbs and Spices, Photos By: Bob Young, Pinot Noir, Ravenswood Winery Zinfandel, Salads, Special Dinners, Special Events, Vegetables, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?, Whats For Lunch?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners, Wines - California

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And such a great party it was! 80 people plus attended and we felt quite honored to be included. Robin did help start the winery back in the early to mid 1970’s. From their web page, “On a fall day in 1976, as ravens taunted from tree branches above, Joel Peterson worked doggedly to bring in four tons of grapes before a looming thunderstorm hit. The fruit he crushed that night was used for one of two single-vineyard Sonoma County Zins – the first wines to bear Ravenswood’s signature ring of ravens. The fledgling winery got off to a great start when those wines came in #1 and #2 at a prestigious San Francisco tasting in 1979. With the critical thumbs-up, Joel was able to gather a few wine-loving investors to help get his winery off the ground. He still didn’t have enough money to buy property, so he looked around for more grapes.” Ravenswood Winery, web page.
But before we get there, we had to travel. Here are some of the places we stopped. Donner Summit is the high pass before we hit the Sacramento Valley.

Here we are. See the snow?

And in case it snows too deep, one can always find the fire hydrant.

Robin enjoys some fried chicken.

And so does a chipmunk.

Such a great market to re-stock your supplies. Corti Brothers web page. If in Sacramento well worth the stop. But you can order online, also.

How about some really wonderful prosciutto?

Lunch. and Corti Brothers Red Potato Salad, melon and Verner's Ginger Ale.

Lunch. Prosciutto and Corti Brothers Red Potato Salad, melon and Verner’s Ginger Ale.

Mango ice cream and fresh mango. Slightly spicy.

How about a pork tamale?

Our motel in Sonoma.

Beautiful flowers.

Love the gardens in the motel atrium.

And the gargoyle.

Cat fountain.

And the night before the super Ravenswood birthday, we must eat dinner. Here’s what we had at the Sonoma Grille. Super patio eating, if you wish. Awesome meal!!

Patio area.

This dip was delicious. Garlic-Pesto-Butter. The two wines wwere piniot noirs. (L)

This dip was delicious. Garlic-Pesto-Butter. The two wines were pinot noirs. (L) 2013 Cline Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast and (R) 2013 Trecini Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley. I liked the Trecini best. Bigger, fuller. Wonderful.

Fresh oysters. They were delicious!

Robin had these

Lamb Chops in Curry Sauce
with
Crispy Polenta and Fresh Vegetables

I had

NY Steak
with
Pinot Noir Reduction
Potato Fingerlings and Fresh Vegetables

And to go with chocolate, (L) Riesates and (R) Sauterne

And to go with chocolate, (L) Rivessaltes, historic sweet wines of eastern Roussillon and (R) Sauterne

Awesome Chocolate Torte

Chocolate Mousse

And now to Ravenswood Winery. Happy 40th Birthday!!

The menu for the party and 80+ guests.

Library wines for dinner.

Light wines with the appetizers.

The special birthday wine. Very limited. At least were able to get 1 case.

Ceviche for an appetizer. A little spicy but good.

Some barrel storage.

A small barrel. That’s Chris standing there. He is 6′ tall.

Robin, Chris, Marnie and Joel Peterson, winemaker and known as the “God Father of Zinfandel”.

Winemaker Joel Peterson

Some of the crowd.

Winemaker in training Gary Sitton and Chris.

Also sitting at our table.

BBQ Pork. Yum.

BBQ Chicken

Grilled Cauliflower

Dinner plated

breakfast the next morning before departing at the Sunflower Caffe in Sonoma.

Joel was gracious enough to join us.

The patio.

California Breakfast Sandwich.

California Omelet

And now ………….. Back to Boise!!

Valentines Weekend – Meals Made For Robin

16 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Bearnaise Sauce, Blueberries, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Celebrations, Chef Lou, Classic Cuisines, Classic Sauces, Dessert, Dinner For Robin, Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Herbs and Spices, Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Béarnaise, Housemade Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Beef, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Wine, Kitchen Adventures, Lamb, Meadowlark Farms, Mushrooms, Onion, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Chef Lou, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Recipes - Breakfast, Recipes - Dessert, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Sauces, Snake River AVA, Special Dinners, Valentines Dinner, Vegetables, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?, Zhou Zhou Winery

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Boeuf Bourguignon, Chef Lou's Orange French Doughnuts, Parsnip and Celeriac Puree, recipes

Such a wonderful Valentines weekend spent in the kitchen making the meals for Robin and I to enjoy! And that we did! “And if you [read this article] in the next 5 minutes, we’ll include a link to the recipes!” where you can find some of the recipes for some of these treats. Boise Foodie Blog Recipes! Enjoy these photos and the recipes. And yes, the Hollandaise and Béarnaise Sauces were all made from scratch! Most of the items here are Idaho products. Zhoo Zhoo Winery Claret was served with the Valentines Dinner. 2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Rebecca’s Vineyard Pinot Noir was used in the bœuf bourguignon (French Beef Stew). Cheers!

Flowers for Robin. Loving her was the easiest thing I ever did!

Flowers for Robin
Loving her is easier than anything I’ve ever done before!

Weekend Appetizers Fennel and Celery Salad Cucumber Salad Chicken Pate Rye Toast Wedges

Weekend Appetizers
Fennel and Celery Salad
Balsamic Cucumber Salad
Chicken Pâté
Rye Toast Wedges

Saturday night Felzien Family Farms Lamb Chops with Bearnaise Sauce Steamed Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

Saturday night dinner
Felzien Family Farms Lamb Chops
with
Béarnaise Sauce
Steamed Asparagus
with
Sliced Almonds and Hollandaise Sauce

Sunday morning breakfast Eggs Benedict and Fresh Fruit

Valentines Breakfast
Eggs Benedict with Fresh Fruit and Sausage Links

Sunday dinner Boeuf Bourguignon with Parsnips and Celeriac Puree

Valentines Dinner
Bœuf Bourguignon
with
Parsnip and Celeriac Puree

Valentines Dessert Skillet Apple Pie [Modified] with Whipped Cream and Chocolate Strawberry

Valentines Dessert
Skillet Apple Pie
[Modified – I added blueberries and pear slices]
with
Whipped Cream and Chocolate Strawberry

Monday Morning Recovery
Scrambled Eggs
Bacon
Chef Lou’s Orange French Doughnuts

And as an added bonus, here is Chef Lou’s Orange French Doughnuts. I worked several years with Chef Lou at the Westside Drive-In in Boise. Great experience. Enjoy!

Chef Lou’s Orange French Doughnuts

Source: Chef Lou Aaron, Westside Drive-In, Boise, ID
Yield: 12 doughnuts

Ingredients:
5 T Butter, room temperature
½ c Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
1/3 c Milk
½ c Ricotta Cheese or Cream Cheese, softened
Juice and Zest from one orange
2 c All Purpose Flour
1 t Salt
1 t Nutmeg
¼ c melted Butter
1 T Cinnamon mixed w/1 T Sugar

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar; add egg and mix well. Add Milk and Ricotta, or cream cheese, to the mixture alternately w/dry ingredients. Mix in orange rind and juice.
2. Fill greased muffin cups to ½ full. Baked in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly and pop doughnuts out of pan.
3. Roll doughnuts first in melted butter, then in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
For variation, you can also garnish with strawberries & whipped cream.

Happy Birthday Sophia!

09 Saturday May 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Anthropology of Food, Boise Restaurants, Caesar Salad, Chardonnay, Classic Sauces, Coffee, Dinner With Family, Dinner With Robin, Herbs, Herbs and Spices, Ice Cream, Italian foods, Local Markets, Luciano's Italian Restaurant, Mother's Day, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Salads, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?

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Lucianos Italian

What a wonderful place to celebrate a birthday – Luciano’s Italian Restaurant in Boise. Every bit a 5-Star restaurant. Good and accurate service. Great and varied menu and a really super Waite staff. Asiago’s – Look out! We hope, Sophia, that you enjoyed your Birthday Meal as much as we enjoyed celebrating with you. Here are some photos that I took of the dinner. Sorry we missed you, Chris. This was also Robin’s Mothers Day dinner, but we’ll see what happens tomorrow.

Happy birthday, Sophia!!

The bar area that is also a waiting area. There is a shelter outside that the over flow can congregate.

The bar area that is also a waiting area. There is a shelter outside where the over flow can congregate.

The daily special board.

Wonderfully different light in the main dining room. Unique.

Table centerpiece.

Caesar Salad – Really good. “Chopped romaine lettuce, classic house made Caesar dressing, and croutons with fresh parmesan, lemon and anchovies.”

Pesto Pasta

Fettuccini Alfredo

Seafood Fettuccini “Prawns, sea scallops, clams, mussels and crab in our seafood alfredo sauce with garlic and fresh parmesan.”

Spumonti - Chocolate, Pistachio and Strawberry ice cream. Maraschino cherry juice in the bottom.

Spumone – Chocolate, Pistachio and Strawberry ice cream. Maraschino cherry juice in the bottom. “Rich cherry, pistachio, and chocolate ice cream, mixed with candied fruit and pistachios garnished with home made whipped cream, silvered almonds and a maraschino cherry”

Lemon Pudding

Tiramisu – “A classic Italian dessert with rum and espresso soaked lady fingers layered with sweet mascarpone cheese, cocoa then topped with rum sauce.”

Chocolate Cake – “Four layers of decadent moist chocolate cake filled with chocolate cream and a bittersweet chocolate ganache icing.”

Just a super party!!

Valentines Dinner – Chicken Marsala With Mushrooms

15 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Beans, Capers, Captain's Shack, Chicken, Chicken Marsala, Classic Cuisines, Classic Sauces, Dessert, Dinner With Robin, Ethnic Foods, Green Beans, Housemade Pasta, Italian foods, Mushrooms, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes - Sauces, Special Events, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Italian

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chianti, chicken marsala recipe, Frescobaldi Chianti Rufina, marsala

Oh, it was really soooooooo good! Robin and I really liked it. The recipe for the Chicken Marsala can be found in the recipe file above.

Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms
on a bed of
housemade angel hair pasta

Steamed Green Beans

dinner was served with a
2008 Frescobaldi Chianti Rufina

Strawberry Boston Chocolate Cake

A Visit To Da Vinci’s Italian in Eagle

06 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 3-Stars, Boise Restaurants, Capers, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, da Vinci's Italian, Dinner With Robin, Green Salad, Italian Food, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Salads, Salt, Tuscan Cuisine, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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Da Vinci, Tuscan cuisine, veal, veal marsala, veal picatta

Overall, a good visit and meal at da Vinci’s Italian in Eagle, ID last night. Overall good flavors in the food and good wines. My only negative comment is that there seemed to be an overuse of salt. Things were salty. But the layers of flavors – after you got by the salt – were very good. Had it not been for the overuse of salt, we would have rated da Vinci’s a 4-Star restaurant. Instead, we rate this as a 3-Star (out of 5-Stars) restaurant. You can see their menu at Yelp. From their website, “All Full Size Entrees Include Our Bottomless House Salad Bowl With Da Vinci’s Homemade Italian Dressing And Freshly Baked Tuscan Bread, Or Substitute A Caesar Salad For An Additional $2.95.all Chicken And Veal Dishes Are Complemented With A Side Of Angel Hair Pasta With Aglio Olio Or Tuscan Tomato Sauce. Add Extra Chicken $2.50 Add Extra Veal $4.50” Here are some photos from the evening. Enjoy!

The “party” area.

Art on the walls.

Table ambiance.

Robin had,

Veal Piccata
Veal scaloppini sauteed with lemon, white wine, capers and garlic

Bob had –

Veal Marsala
Veal scaloppini sauteed with sweet marsala wine and mushrooms

The 2010 Terra Nativa Cabernet Sauvignon went very well with this veal. The wine was light enough that it did not overpower the subtlety of the veal and the marsala sauce did not interfere with the wine. Good paring.

We shared –

Homemade Tiramisu
Coffee and rum-soaked chocolate sponge cake layered with mascarpone cream, dusted with cocoa, and garnished with chocolate pieces

Tailgate Food?

04 Sunday Jan 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Avocado, Bigwood Bread, Black Beans, Brunch, Captain's Shack, Chicken, Comfort Food, Dinner With Robin, Egg Salad, Eggs, Fruits, Italian Food, Meadowlark Farms, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Raspberries, Special Dinners, Vegetables, Watercress, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?

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avocado, Bigwood Bread, Bigwood Sourdough, black beans, watercress

Robin has made some awesome “tailgate” food in the past several days. Here is the Tiramisu recipe from Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network. Raspberry Tiramisu. The photo here is Robin wearing her new BSU Bronco hat! You can Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. Enjoy!

Robin constructing the tiramisu.

Completed tiramisu.

Want a slice? Left-Click to enlarge.

Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salad. Another yum offering.

Black Bean, Corn, Chicken and Avocado Salad. Another yum offering.

Egg Salad on Sourdough with Water Cress. Corn, Chicken, Avocado and Black Bean Salad. The Acme Bake Shop Sourdough was not available at the COOP when I went there, so I tried the Bigwood Bread Sourdough out of Sun Valley. This sourdough was a lot denser than the Acme sourdough. Not bad, but I prefer Acme Bake Shop. Hard to overcome that bias! Just a personal preference.

Two Great Cookie Recipes

23 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Cookies, Dessert, Local Farmers Markets, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?

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Basil Lime Cookies, cookie recipes, Pistachio Cookies

Robin found two really great and surprisingly different and good cookie recipes. These are really so very easy to make that you must give them a try. I ate one of the Basil Lime Cookies and immediately thought of a lamb dinner. Hmmmm. Oh well, make them and let us know what you think. Like them? Don’t like them? The recipe links are highlighted under the photos. I’m thinking that you might be able to get the herbs and maybe the flour too, from your local farmers market.

Basil Lime Cookies

Pistachio Cookies

Awesome Dinner For The Boise Farmers Market

06 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Appetizers, Beef, Beets, Boise Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Bread, Butternut Squash, Buy Idaho, Cheese, Classic Cuisines, Coffee, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Healthy Eating, Heirloom Squash, Heirloom Tomatoes, Idaho Beef, Idaho Breweries, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Wine, Interesting Information, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Organic Foods, Party Time, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Rice Family Farms, Saint Lawrence Gridiron, Salad, Soup, Special Information, Vegetables, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wines - Idaho

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beef short ribs, eat local, micro greens, neckar coffee

Yes it was! And many thanks to all of the Boise Farmers Market producers for supplying the awesome meal items and the Saint Lawrence Gridiron, at 703 W Bannock in Boise (208) 433-5598, for supplying the space, the Waite Staff and an awesome Chef! Just a super, super night!
I do believe that this was the first of dinners like this to raise funds for the Boise Farmers Market. And I do hope that they continue to do this Fund Raising Dinner next year and many years to follow. When you look at the menu and photos below, you will see the superb meal that we had. Congratulations to all who worked so hard to make this a success! Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

The flyer for this year’s event.

Delightful table center pieces added to the Fall theme.

The wonderful menu!

Butternut Agnolotti with Sage Beurre Monté

Fraiche Tartine open faced gougere chipotle fraiche cucumber

Fraîche Tartine
open faced gougére, chipotle fraîche and cucumber

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho heirloom tomatoes brown butter crouton

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho
heirloom tomatoes and brown butter crouton

Harvest Vegetable Salad seasonal root vegetables candied walnuts local greens

Harvest Vegetable Salad
seasonal root vegetables, candied walnuts and local greens

Short Ribs
smoked and braised short ribs, Carolina grits, salt roasted carrots, braised leeks and pan jus

Apple Galette cinnamon custard brulee with fresh grated nutmeg whipped cream

Apple Galette
cinnamon custard brûlée with fresh grated nutmeg whipped cream

Neckar Coffee added some delightful coffee to our dinner. Thank-You!

Snake River Winery offered wines with the dinner and beer was also available from Woodland Empire Brewery.

The Check-In table

The Chef for the meal and on the right owner Brian Garrett. Thank-You both for this delightful evening.

Robin enjoys some Neckar Coffee.

Thank-You everyone for this event. It takes a lot of hard work to arrange this. Karen Ellis – Thank-You!

Lamb Dinner with Chris

03 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Apple, Brussels Sprouts, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Celebrations, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Chris, Dinner With Family, Dinner With Robin, Herbs and Spices, Idaho Lamb, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipes, Special Dinners, Vegetables, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Italian

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Boise Farmers Market, Boneless Leg of Lamb, brussels sprouts, heirloom carrots, lamb

Yes, a full and complete Lamb Dinner with Chris. The occasion? I don’t know. Maybe “Just Because”. Here Oma Robin holds him the day after(?) he was born. Or is she still holding him after delivery? Anyway, a cute baby boy! And his birthday is just past. 24 years! So it makes this photo 24 years old! So on with the dinner. Enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed the dinner. Everything Chris – and us – like! Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. Cheers! Oh! And Yes. Most of the ingredients of this meal were grown or raised locally. The lamb was a Felzien Farms lamb. Veggies from the Boise Farmers Market. Etc.

Rolled and Stuffed Bonelessx Leg of Lamg Orange Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Oven Roasted Rosemary and Thyme New Potatoes Oven Roasted Heirloom Carrots

Rolled and Stuffed Boneless Leg of Lamb
Oven Roasted Rosemary and Thyme New Potatoes
Orange Infused Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Oven Roasted Heirloom Carrots

I boned the lamb and then rolled it with fresh oregano, fresh mint, salt and pepper and spinach. Then on the outside I dusted it lightly with Greek Spice. It was so yummy!

The dinner plated. We served this with a 2013 Honor Vera Garnacha. And believe it or not, it was just a little light with the Brussels sprouts. Other than that, it was a good match.

Skillet Apple Pie
with
Cinnamon Fresh Whipped Cream

This is so easy to make and so delicious. The only other thing, outside of the butter and brown sugar, to make this slightly better would be the addition of lattice designed bacon on top! Here is the recipe if you want it. Skillet Apple Pie recipe. (We added some fresh vanilla seeds to the mix too. Scrapped the bean to get the seeds.)

Robin’s 32nd Anniversary of her 39th Birthday!!

18 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Ahi Tuna, Appetizers, Beer and Food, Caesar Salad, Celebrations, Chandler's Steak House, Classic Cuisines, Classis Sauces, Dinner With Family, Dinner With Robin, Idaho Beef, Idaho Chefs, Joseph Swan Vineyards, Kobe Beef, Oysters, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Seafood, Spanish Wines, Special Dinners, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners, Wines - California, Wines - French, Wines - Idaho

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Chandlers, kobe beef, oysters, tuna

When one reaches a given year, let’s say 60 or there abouts, one really should celebrate ones birthday over several days. And one should have plenty of food and wine! I do believe that Robin had just that this year!! Happy Birthday, Honey! Let’s start the celebration on Sunday, September 14 with a dinner that Marnie and Mac made. Thanks to Sophia and Chris, too, for helping with this event. Look what we had.

Mac’s 2010 Mead!

Some pretty good IPA.

All the makings for some really good tacos. Pork, onions and tomatoes. Along with salsa and avocado.

And add some grilled flank steak and one has a delicious taco.

Stuffed Peppers for a side dish.

And Robin really likes Marnie’s Carrot Cake. (So do the rest of us!)

Then we had to rest for a while after eating all of this. This is the Birthday Rule: When it is your time to celebrate, YOU get to choose where you want to go for dinner. Any place in town. U-Pick-It! Robin chose Chandler’s Steak House this year. Good Choice. Look at this spread, and they knew it was her Birthday! Thank-You for a great dinner. The food, The Staff and the Wine were all super!

Robin at out table studying the Wine List.

We did have some great wine.

And it went very well with our dinners.

Start with these two delicious wines. Went very well with our seafood appetizers.

These two also went quite well with the appetizers.

Pacific Oysters
Freshly shucked oysters on the half shell, served on shaved ice with housemade mignonette sauce.
Kumomoto, Humbolt Bay, CA
Shigoku, Willapa Bay, WA

Tower of Tuna
Fresh ahi and hamachi tuna, diced and towered with avocado, tomato, red onion, red chili, ginger, and sesame seed vinaigrette with
Asian sesame crisps.

Now for these two awesome red wines with our entrees. Great choice!

Chandler’s Caesar Salad
Whole crisp leaves of romaine with our classic anchovy caesar dressing and garnished with parmesan cheese crouton and white anchovy.

American Kobe Beef
Snake River Farms crosses the premiere Japanese Wagyu breed with American Black Angus to create the American Kobe beef. This richly marbled beef is considered to be America’s best grade.