I am so excited to share this post with you! I had not ever had an opportunity to have a meal at The Herbfarm restaurant in Woodinville, WA, and (embarassingly) I had not even stepped inside before. When I finally did go visit a few weeks ago, I was there to pick up the truffle box dinner for an at-home date night. This was an exquisitely packaged and presented dinner, that included two bottles of wine and a PNW Oregon Truffle themed meal.
I drove to Woodinville and pulled into the parking lot for The Herbfarm, (located next to The Willow’s Lodge and Spa) to pick up my dinner kit. Once there, I was invited inside for a brief (masked) tour while I waited for my kit to be packaged up. Having never experienced a dinner at the Herbfarm when they were open to their typical capacity (before current virus restrictions), I really didn’t understand the level of care and local sourcing is involved there. I needed to see this incredible venue in person in order to grasp how gorgeous it is and learn about their history.
Despite these current indoor dining limitations (click here for Governor Inslee’s roadmap to recovery updates), Chef Chris Weber and the awesome Herbfarm staff have been busy creating incredible PNW sourced dinners for you to enjoy at home. Ours was themed, The Truffle Hunter dinner and was a multi-course meal that was paired with two bottles of Washington and Oregon produced wines. There is something extra special about dining on foods that you know have been grown locally.
Everything about this experience was memorable, from the friendly sommelier who offered me geranium/rose infused herbal tea while I waited, to the jaw dropping wine cellar with over 26, 00 bottles of wine to select from. Wow!! I was mind blown by the amazing library of Woodinville Wine. Within a few minutes, our dinner was presented in this stunning crate and carried outside to my car.
Once I got home and took a closer look at the dinner kit, I was thrilled with the presentation! Everything was packaged with a flair that corresponds to the entire Herbfarm mission to produce delicious food and wines from the Pacific Northwest. Look closely here and you can see the thoughtful charm in the paper wrapped sourdough bread, the labels, and the dessert jars. There was even an aromatic candle included, to set the romantic mood.
We started our meal with this Oregon Truffle and chive dumpling soup, made with a spiced chicken and bone-in ham bouillon, this Renan sourdough bread and an Herbfarm house churned herbed butter. It was the perfect starter to warm us up for the rest of our cozy, romantic date-night meal!
Our first wine pairing of the night was enjoyed chilled, with our truffle dumpling bouillon and sourdough. We opened a beautiful bottle of 2012 Belle Ponte Estate Chardonnay from Oregon’s Willamette Valley and I was in heaven! Those of you who know me will realize that I typically don’t fawn over many bottles of Chardonnay, but this one (aged sur lie style for 12 months) was was a beauty.
The second wine was paired with our main course, and was a 2015 Latta Wines “Dana Dibble” Syrah from Walla Walla, WA. This was such a smooth pairing with our savory meal, James and I both loved it.
Our dinner was the January themed, Truffle Hunter, based on the native “Oregon Truffle”. Despite this name, black and white Oregon Truffles are also found here in Washington and located by trained truffle dogs! Check out the gorgeous Hunter’s Upland Game Pie, with decorative pastry cutouts and fresh rosemary. This was super simple to heat in the oven and was served over a delicious Perigourdine truffle sauce. It was paired with roasted winter vegetables, roasted Hazlenuts and sage. I literally wanted to lick my plate, it was that good.
Here is a shot of our main course; the game pie and winter veggies and a frost sweetened bitter greens salad with an apple-bacon-thyme vinaigrette. We opened this lovely bottle of Latta Wines Syrah and sat back and enjoyed the rest of our night. As we ate, I thought about how different things have felt over the past year, and how date nights are few and far between. James and I both felt like this dinner from the Herbfarm was a special memory. Bonus points for being quick and easy to heat and plate with simple, clear instructions. There was zero stress or mess, just a great night.
We were all smiles as we made a toast to this wonderful evening together with amazing wine and food! I can’t wait to visit The Herbfarm someday in person to experience their full, 9- course meal experience. For more on that, click here.
Last but unforgettable, was our dessert; a Douglas-Fir white chocolate cream with Oregon coastal cranberry marmalade. It was a perfect mixture of sweet and tart, and I adore these reusable jars and wooden spoons!
I was incredibly impressed with this take home dinner, in every way. The meal was priced at $125 per person, and was perfect for a special, romantic evening at home. Preparation and plating was simple and the wine pairing was perfect. Our favorite part after the flavors of course, was the Locally grown foods that were used.
The Herbfarm is offering this dinner kit through January 31st, for pick up or delivery Thursday through Sunday. After that there will be a completely new theme called the Cabin Fever Dinner which will be offered January 21 through February 7th. Get in on these while you can!
Order info can be found here.
Cheers ~ Jen
Resources:
The Herbfarm : A Celebration of the Food and Wines of the Pacific Northwest
