Local Restaurateurs Offer Recipes for Success Jack Niemann focuses on all aspects of steaks
– their quality, aging, cutting, preparation and presentation
– at the Black Forest Steakhouse in Everson. Robert Fong fuses Asian and European cuisines
and offers many special events at the Pacific Café in downtown
Bellingham. Lee Eberhardt and Mauri Ingram combine a unique
menu with a “comfortable urban décor at The Calumet
in downtown Bellingham. Debbie Tino, dining room manager at Stars, says
its impressive wine list is topped by the 1996 Opus One, ranked
second among the top 100 wines of 1999 by Wine Spectator magazine
and available for $200. Pacific Prime Rib is located in Ferndale's
Douglas House, a restored Victorian home built in 1904.
by Robin Parks
What sets a fine-dining establishment apart (and above) the rest? Representatives of five of the best in Whatcom County agreed on some key characteristics: the highest quality of fresh, seasonal food, an inviting atmosphere, consistency and commitment. As well, these expert business owners and lovers of food discussed the particular focus of their restaurants, including menus, ambience and clientele. And finally, they answer the question, “What would you serve at home to an intimate gathering of friends? Pacific Café The menu We keep making it fresh, even though it's classic cuisine . . . because we've made it classic! We are a truly unique, Fong says. “We offer what has been called fusion, or east-west, or Pacific Rim cuisine. But for us, this is not a fad or an attempt to be trendy. I'm from Hawaii. There the cuisine is very varied, quite international and cosmopolitan, so at the Pacific Café we are going with our strengths. I also spent quite a few years traveling around the world. I've been to 70 countries over many, many years. My major interest in traveling was to sample international food and art. I've dined in so many places! Early on, we had a lot of explaining to do to our clientele, since our menu fuses Asian and European cuisines. French bread, Thai rice, black bean sauce, prawns and capers. The menu is eclectic! The ambience We are a special bistro with a fine reputation. Our New Year's dinner was a wildly exciting and successful event. We served a nine-course meal and a 15-course meal. We do many special events, wine tastings and winemakers' dinners with wines from Washington, Oregon and California. We're located in the Mount Baker Theatre building, which links us intimately with Bellingham and our community. The clientele We have very dedicated customers in Whatcom County. We receive complaints from customers if we change the menu! We cater to our customers because they are our friends. And our clientele has become more educated and refined in their tastes. We do not rely on tourists and travelers; we are here for the Whatcom County community. The key to success The staff are always trying to improve. We are always discussing with each other what happens every day in the restaurant. We all care about what happens to each meal that goes out, what happens with each dinner and each dish. We communicate with each other. Our staff makes a great effort to be very careful that we are, in fact, using and purchasing truly the finest and the best ingredients, from fish to organic vegetables. We pay a great deal of attention to consistency. With very few exceptions throughout the years, each meal has been a great success. The staff of Pacific Café are people who care, who are artistic. We all practice Tai Chi. One of the principles of Tai Chi is daily improvement every year, year after year. Sales have been very good. Expenses keep rising, whether they are rent, wages, products, etc., but overall we're pleased. It's been a great run. We're looking forward to the coming year. What to serve at home Because we're in Bellingham, I'd choose fresh and live seafood. For example, we could shuck local oysters such as the Belons from Skagit, or maybe have live crab or Alaskan spot prawns in the shell. “'d saute them lightly in ginger and garlic, herbs and wine. I'd serve a simple, healthful broth to help cut the richness of the seafood. And I'd add some Chinese green vegetables very healthful, dark leafy greens. Or maybe I'd serve a rack of lamb broiled with a special Hawaian red salt, with greens stir-fried in peanut oil with a little ginger, and some nice wines. The Calumet The menu We try to make it interesting, not esoteric, Ingram says. “We draw from different cuisines. We want to offer a variety, so that when a group gets together to decide what to eat, they can each find something great here. Our bar offers unusual choices like fresh juices. And we have a pretty impressive collection of liquor: an extensive Port list as well as single-malt scotches. We change the dinner and the cocktail menu seasonally; for example, in the fall, we offer hot drinks and coffee drinks. We offer a regular brunch (not a buffet). It''s a traditional brunch with a spin. For example, we're serving lemon ricotta pancakes, French toast made of bread pudding, Eggs Magnolia with tomato-infused Bearnaise sauce and grilled Portabello mushrooms, and Northwest Eggs Oscar with fresh crab. The ambience We put a lot of energy into the ambience. I think holistically. What I mean by that is obviously there is tremendous emphasis on the food, but it all matters. I personally think of the décor as comfortable urban – a little bit forward-thinking in terms of color and use of architectural elements. Also, we have music Friday and Saturday nights, starting at 9:30 p.m. – live jazz. It varies between locals and artists from Seattle and Vancouver, as well as places from as far away as New York City. The clientele We see the entire spectrum of customers in Whatcom County. Well, to be more accurate, we see people who are motivated by food. You know, for some people, food is fuel. Those people are probably not our target customers. Our customers care a lot about flavors and textures, presentation and ingredients. The key to success The important thing for us was to portray ourselves accurately to the public, so that potential customers know what we offer. The ultimate goal is to get customers who are going to be happy, who are going to leave satisfied with their experience. We have seen a 25-percent growth since we opened two years ago. We haven't done a lot of advertising.
What to serve at home We almost never entertain at home! No time! When we do, we mostly like to get an excellent piece of fish, say tuna or wild salmon. Then we'd do a light preparation. I love to go to the grocery story and find whatever is very fresh, at the peak of its existence. I just use my imagination. I let the ingredients speak for themselves. Black Forest Steakhouse The menu “'ve stuck to our forte, which is steak and schnitzel, a European entrée from Vienna. Neimann remarks. Basically, it's a cutlet, pounded very thin. We serve it in various combinations with seafoods and mushrooms and all kinds of things. We pride ourselves in where and what to buy. All our beef is from Nebraska. We serve only prime and choice – top grades. We do our own aging, too – no fewer than 27 days. We cut our own steaks to order. There are a hundred different advantages to this. We broil in live mesquite, which means it is without chemicals. All these little things go into the quality, making what we offer the one of the best steaks around. The ambience “'s unique! The building used to be a 1905 bank building. I got the entire building. It has a lot of nice old brick. We used a lot of natural materials, locally grown timbers for the beams and posts. Lots of cedar. It's all very natural, full of substance. It's the kind of place you want to wrap up and take home with you. And that's the stage we set for the food. We have professional wait staff who don't just deliver the food. They make an evening of fine dining. A festive occasion. It's a very special experience eating here. The clientele We get new customers here from the most surprising places. Definitely word of mouth is our strongest advertisement. The key to success I was a chef for 40-some years and obviously I am married to the restaurant business. So I pretty well know what I'm doing. You need a strong focus. If you have that, you can do what you're doing very well. And you please everyone automatically when you know what you're doing. A surprising percentage of our customers are loyal. It's a real love affair. What to serve at home The other day I served gravlax to friends. It''s a Swedish dish of salmon cured with sugar, dill and vodka or other spirits. I served it with cream cheese and capers on toast. It was more of an extended snack than a meal. When we have time, which is rare, and the weather is good, which is also rare, I like to barbecue fish. Stars Restaurant The menu In the year 2000, we will be renovating all the (Inn at Semiahmoo) restaurants, including Stars. Treat says. “We''ll focus on West Coast regional cuisine. There will be a pierside restaurant, which is now just in the development stages. But we envision it as a classic waterfront restaurant, focusing primarily on seafood. The menus will all be new. The resort will offer a range of dining choices to provide complementary restaurant experiences for our guests. The ambience Stars is elegant Northwest dining. On Friday and Saturday evenings, we feature renowned pianist Jon Mulcher. The dining room has a warm feeling, a nice Northwest woodsy, intimate ambience. The clientele We have guests from all over the country, but they share a desire to get a sense of what the Northwest is all about. The key to success Commitment to every single guest experience, day in and day out. Concentrating on what you do best, instead of trying to be something for everyone. A strong focus is really helpful and consistency is a must. Our customers may not come to eat here every single time they dine out, but when they are seeking fine dining and a Pacific Northwest feel, we'll be at the top of their list. What to serve at home I love to serve comfort food. We had six for dinner the other night and I served beef bourguignon over steamed potatoes that were tossed with salt and pepper. Really simple. I like to add fresh ginger to the bourguignon. A salad with light vinaigrette, goat cheese crouton, and lots of red wine! Pacific Prime Rib The menu If there are prime rib lovers out three, they need to come to check us out. No other place around holds a candle to our offerings. I purchase from a special company that has unbelievable quality products. And we have special preparations and seasonings. We cater to pretty traditional tastes. We probably change the menu about once a year but we have specials weekly. Usually it depends upon what's in season. We're not trendy. We're dependable. But I try to let my staff get creative with the specials. Being located in Ferndale, well, we are a meat-and-potatoes place. The ambience Part of what makes us special is the location. We're in an old restored Victorian home. We call ourselves casual fine dining. We try to make people feel people comfortable. Unlike many of the better restaurants around, we are family oriented. A lot of folks eat out now and both parents work, and we're sensitive to that. We have a children's menu. But we are also a place for people to enjoy a quiet, romantic meal. The clientele We want to be accessible, not exclusive. We are flexible in our vision and appeal to a broad spectrum of customers. If we were more exclusive, it would limit our range of customer base. We have to go after a broad base of customers, which includes families. The key to success The quality of the food is so important. I maintain some very high standards for the products we use. This was the biggest challenge when I took over the restaurant, raising the quality of the food and then letting people know. Word of mouth has been very effective, I think. What to serve at home We enjoy having potlucks, casual get-togethers. I like to prepare a main course – fish, salmon, halibut – and depending on the time of year, grilling it if possible. Just something simple and nice. |
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