Shelley Taylor
Alderwood Bistro
Published on Wed, Jan 13, 2010 by Shelley TaylorRead More Taylor
ALDERWOOD BISTRO
"Handcrafted Wood-fired Cuisine from the Hearth of Sequim"
139 West Alder Street
683.4321
www.alderwoodbistro.com
Tues-Thurs 11am - 2:30pm & 5pm - 9pm
Friday & Saturday 11am - 2:30 pm & 5pm - 10pm
Closed Sunday & Monday
$$$$
Alderwood Bistro is a twist on the name of the street where the little house which became a restaurant is located. I remember driving by the house many times in anticipation of the "new restaurant in town;" watching the young restaurateurs through the windows as they worked for months to renovate the space.
According to their handout menu: bistro: "a small, casual neighborhood restaurant, usually serving modest, down-to-earth food and wine."
Here is a restaurant heaven sent - especially for the adventurous with an educated palette who like to dine - and all that implies.
Husband and wife team Gabriel & Jessica Schuenemann are involved in every aspect. They grow food on the premises to use in their inventive dishes and worked together on the interior design as well. Seating includes booths and tables and a small bar made of an artfully shaped slice of polished tree trunk.
Where some restaurants (can you imagine!) actually play fast music and offer uncomfortable seating to get you to eat and run - with profits in mind, at Alderwood Bistro they encourage something you rarely hear today: "Take your time."
The interior design follows their "slow food" philosophy. Warm honey colors creates an intimacy that just makes you want to slow down and smell the coffee. The walls are hung with artwork from local artists and if something strikes your fancy, it's yours for a price. They're all about supporting local talent. And that includes the local farms like Lazy J and Nash's Organic Produce.
Did you catch that term "slow food?" It's a movement and a philosophy gaining momentum (www.slowfoodusa.org). The concept has to do with healthy eating and the art of sharing the experience with friends. It's motto is "Good, Clean, Fair" with an emphasis on local and organic whenever possible: "naturally delicious food created with care from healthy plants and animals, grown and harvested with methods that have a positive impact on ecosystems and biodiversity, produced by people who are treated with dignity and justly compensated for their labor."
My Hubby, Greg and I have dined there several times for lunch but recently good friends introduced us to their dinner fare. Since our friends are good friends with Gabriel and Jessica, Gabriel spent a little extra time with us discussing his love of food and his enthusiasm for passing the results of that love and attention on for his patrons to enjoy.
Gabriel has catered in San Francisco, cooked at Seasons in Davis, California, traveled in Europe, and followed his quest for culinary bliss to France and Turkey and Spain. When Gabriel came over to talk tableside, he brought with him an appetizer of salumi (salami), grilled pear and walnuts in a balsamic reduction. Now, I have to come clean here - whenever my friends who love to cook want to make me something special they just can't wait to tell me all the goodies in the recipe. And I tell them, "Please, don't tell me what's in it - because I'll tell you I don't like that kind of stuff!" And almost without exception...just like Mikey - I like it! So I would challenge you who are the "strictly meat and potatoes" type to take Auntie Mame's advice to Emma Gooch and, "Live a little." The appetizer was mighty tasty.
Also brought to the table was a basket of sour dough bread with humus. Humus is a spread made of mashed chick peas (aka carbanzo beans). Trust me, it's good.
Sooo, I decided to pinch my nose and jump into the pond and ordered "Tower" for my entree.
But first, soup. The evening's soup was Jerusalem artichoke also known as a sunchoke but really has nothing to do with artichoke. Got it? I swear it had milk in it - but it didn't. And the flavor was subtle and satisfying - despite the confusing moniker.
Next I had a salad of pears and pecans. It came with bleu cheese but I exchanged it for cheese of the goat. Gabriel likes slipping fruit in with his many interesting dishes and it really helps wake up those jaded tastebuds.
Okay, my entree - Tower. This has got to be one of the most delicious vegetarian dishes I've ever eaten. So good, I'll order it next time...while always keeping my option of sampling what everyone else is ordering. Capped with a huge fire-roasted portabella mushroom, the Tower this particular night consisted of some of my fav veggies: cauliflower, brussel sprouts, fingerllng potatoes, and Nash's mashed sweet potato in a balsamic reduction. A reduction is what is left when you cook down a sauce to a thickened consistency that concentrates its flavor. I was in carb nirvana.
My girlfriend, a chef herself who sometimes pitches in in the kitchen during peak hours, ordered a beet salad with mandarin orange, pumpkin seeds, goat cheese and mixed greens lightly tossed in vinaigrette. Being so familiar with the menu, she was having a veritable sampling orgy and savored Alder Planked Fish which this night was steelhead. And a serving of fresh sauteed kale. And squid and chorizo (a type of sausage) in a delicious light tomato broth - which we found is excellent for bred dipping. I held my breath and consumed at least part of a squid which looked to me like a tiny octopus. I felt just like Tom Hanks in "Big" when he tried caviar for the first time. But I hope I wasn't quite so obvious - I didn't spit it out. (Oh, and I just gotta make note here that I was astounded by the array of dinner choices my friend ate. No bigger than a minute, this girl can really pack it away, and at half my size - she puts my appetite to shame. You go girl!)
My friend's husband ordered meatloaf. But this isn't the kind your mother made with bread crumbs and Campbell's tomato soup. Wrapped in bacon with sauteed greens, buttermilk mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, it just seems plain wrong to call it meatloaf.
Greg had salumi salad and "Smokey" pizza from the wood-fired oven - again with that special salami called salumi. He evidently really really...really liked the flavor.
Their specially constructed wood fired brick oven is a work of art in itself and takes up a good portion of their kitchen. Once stoked, it runs for hours and this is where many of their dishes are brought to life.
Other items on the menu include several appetizers including fresh calamari and oysters, salads, soup, "artisan" (fancy) pizza and entrees such as grilled lamb, chicken paillard and steak frite; all combined with interesting varieties of fresh vegetables, nuts, fruits, herbs, broth and butters.
Their lunch menu includes many of their dinner items but also expanded pizza choices, a savory tart - both vegetarian and meat, and specialty sandwiches including hot grilled paninis.
For the "Sweet Finish" the table ordered the Chocolate Bliss, a flourless chocolate brownie with chocolate and raspberry sauces. But I horded a scrumptious carrot cake.
Beverages include hot and cold teas, organic coffee, sodas and sparkling fruit juices. I ordered decaf coffee which came in an impressive "French press" which squeezes the brew until it's nice and strong. Their beer is a rotating selection from (where else?) local brewers. And according to their menu, the wine list consists of far too many selections to do justice by listing them (but they include local and imported wines - some at excellent prices) - they encourage you to come in for a glass or a bottle. Bottoms up!
"Handcrafted Wood-fired Cuisine from the Hearth of Sequim"
139 West Alder Street
683.4321
www.alderwoodbistro.com
Tues-Thurs 11am - 2:30pm & 5pm - 9pm
Friday & Saturday 11am - 2:30 pm & 5pm - 10pm
Closed Sunday & Monday
$$$$
Alderwood Bistro is a twist on the name of the street where the little house which became a restaurant is located. I remember driving by the house many times in anticipation of the "new restaurant in town;" watching the young restaurateurs through the windows as they worked for months to renovate the space.
According to their handout menu: bistro: "a small, casual neighborhood restaurant, usually serving modest, down-to-earth food and wine."
Here is a restaurant heaven sent - especially for the adventurous with an educated palette who like to dine - and all that implies.
Husband and wife team Gabriel & Jessica Schuenemann are involved in every aspect. They grow food on the premises to use in their inventive dishes and worked together on the interior design as well. Seating includes booths and tables and a small bar made of an artfully shaped slice of polished tree trunk.
Where some restaurants (can you imagine!) actually play fast music and offer uncomfortable seating to get you to eat and run - with profits in mind, at Alderwood Bistro they encourage something you rarely hear today: "Take your time."
The interior design follows their "slow food" philosophy. Warm honey colors creates an intimacy that just makes you want to slow down and smell the coffee. The walls are hung with artwork from local artists and if something strikes your fancy, it's yours for a price. They're all about supporting local talent. And that includes the local farms like Lazy J and Nash's Organic Produce.
Did you catch that term "slow food?" It's a movement and a philosophy gaining momentum (www.slowfoodusa.org). The concept has to do with healthy eating and the art of sharing the experience with friends. It's motto is "Good, Clean, Fair" with an emphasis on local and organic whenever possible: "naturally delicious food created with care from healthy plants and animals, grown and harvested with methods that have a positive impact on ecosystems and biodiversity, produced by people who are treated with dignity and justly compensated for their labor."
My Hubby, Greg and I have dined there several times for lunch but recently good friends introduced us to their dinner fare. Since our friends are good friends with Gabriel and Jessica, Gabriel spent a little extra time with us discussing his love of food and his enthusiasm for passing the results of that love and attention on for his patrons to enjoy.
Gabriel has catered in San Francisco, cooked at Seasons in Davis, California, traveled in Europe, and followed his quest for culinary bliss to France and Turkey and Spain. When Gabriel came over to talk tableside, he brought with him an appetizer of salumi (salami), grilled pear and walnuts in a balsamic reduction. Now, I have to come clean here - whenever my friends who love to cook want to make me something special they just can't wait to tell me all the goodies in the recipe. And I tell them, "Please, don't tell me what's in it - because I'll tell you I don't like that kind of stuff!" And almost without exception...just like Mikey - I like it! So I would challenge you who are the "strictly meat and potatoes" type to take Auntie Mame's advice to Emma Gooch and, "Live a little." The appetizer was mighty tasty.
Also brought to the table was a basket of sour dough bread with humus. Humus is a spread made of mashed chick peas (aka carbanzo beans). Trust me, it's good.
Sooo, I decided to pinch my nose and jump into the pond and ordered "Tower" for my entree.
But first, soup. The evening's soup was Jerusalem artichoke also known as a sunchoke but really has nothing to do with artichoke. Got it? I swear it had milk in it - but it didn't. And the flavor was subtle and satisfying - despite the confusing moniker.
Next I had a salad of pears and pecans. It came with bleu cheese but I exchanged it for cheese of the goat. Gabriel likes slipping fruit in with his many interesting dishes and it really helps wake up those jaded tastebuds.
Okay, my entree - Tower. This has got to be one of the most delicious vegetarian dishes I've ever eaten. So good, I'll order it next time...while always keeping my option of sampling what everyone else is ordering. Capped with a huge fire-roasted portabella mushroom, the Tower this particular night consisted of some of my fav veggies: cauliflower, brussel sprouts, fingerllng potatoes, and Nash's mashed sweet potato in a balsamic reduction. A reduction is what is left when you cook down a sauce to a thickened consistency that concentrates its flavor. I was in carb nirvana.
My girlfriend, a chef herself who sometimes pitches in in the kitchen during peak hours, ordered a beet salad with mandarin orange, pumpkin seeds, goat cheese and mixed greens lightly tossed in vinaigrette. Being so familiar with the menu, she was having a veritable sampling orgy and savored Alder Planked Fish which this night was steelhead. And a serving of fresh sauteed kale. And squid and chorizo (a type of sausage) in a delicious light tomato broth - which we found is excellent for bred dipping. I held my breath and consumed at least part of a squid which looked to me like a tiny octopus. I felt just like Tom Hanks in "Big" when he tried caviar for the first time. But I hope I wasn't quite so obvious - I didn't spit it out. (Oh, and I just gotta make note here that I was astounded by the array of dinner choices my friend ate. No bigger than a minute, this girl can really pack it away, and at half my size - she puts my appetite to shame. You go girl!)
My friend's husband ordered meatloaf. But this isn't the kind your mother made with bread crumbs and Campbell's tomato soup. Wrapped in bacon with sauteed greens, buttermilk mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, it just seems plain wrong to call it meatloaf.
Greg had salumi salad and "Smokey" pizza from the wood-fired oven - again with that special salami called salumi. He evidently really really...really liked the flavor.
Their specially constructed wood fired brick oven is a work of art in itself and takes up a good portion of their kitchen. Once stoked, it runs for hours and this is where many of their dishes are brought to life.
Other items on the menu include several appetizers including fresh calamari and oysters, salads, soup, "artisan" (fancy) pizza and entrees such as grilled lamb, chicken paillard and steak frite; all combined with interesting varieties of fresh vegetables, nuts, fruits, herbs, broth and butters.
Their lunch menu includes many of their dinner items but also expanded pizza choices, a savory tart - both vegetarian and meat, and specialty sandwiches including hot grilled paninis.
For the "Sweet Finish" the table ordered the Chocolate Bliss, a flourless chocolate brownie with chocolate and raspberry sauces. But I horded a scrumptious carrot cake.
Beverages include hot and cold teas, organic coffee, sodas and sparkling fruit juices. I ordered decaf coffee which came in an impressive "French press" which squeezes the brew until it's nice and strong. Their beer is a rotating selection from (where else?) local brewers. And according to their menu, the wine list consists of far too many selections to do justice by listing them (but they include local and imported wines - some at excellent prices) - they encourage you to come in for a glass or a bottle. Bottoms up!
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