Part of staying at a time share is going to the mandatory presentation where the salesperson tries to sell you more point (if you're an owner) or tries to sell you points (if you're not). We opted to do ours on the first morning of
our trip so we wouldn't forget about it. The magic word during these presentations is "NO" no matter how good of a deal they try to sell you (unless you actually are interested in it then go ahead and say yes!). If you make it through this little presentation (maybe an hour or so) you get your reward. For us there were 2: #1 Fresh HOT Bagels and Coffee [that I snarfed down in .2 seconds] and restaurant vouchers for a local restaurant, these weren't you're average 15% off your meal voucher, these were $25 off your meal vouchers, and they gave us FIVE of them which meant we had $125 to spend at our choice of 5 different restaurants. The best part was that another couple that was with us went to the presentation as well which meant between the two couples we had $250 to spend. We felt like we'd won the lottery. Since we didn't know much about the town, we asked the concierge for restaurant suggestions from the five and he suggested a place called
Laundry. Don't let the name fool you, this place had AMAZING food and a 3 page tiny font, wine, beer and spirits menu.
It's not a typical family style place. Their specialty is shared plates. Most of the entrees are meant to serve 4 people, so you typically order a menu item or two per person and as they bring out the items (one at a time) each person gets a portion of the item. You have a small plate in front of you that you put your portion on, but our food didn't sit long because it was soooo good! Since we had 8 of us dining (and $250 burning a hole in our pockets), we passed the menu around and picked out a couple of items each.
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| This is their entire menu. The red stars are the things we ordered. We definitely made an effort to try as much as we could. |
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1.Our Cure and Cheese Patter (probably my favorite part of the meal). We told our waiter to pick for us because we hadn't heard of most of the items. He selected Wild Boar Salami, Bresaola (beef), Tea Hive Cheese, Queso de Mano, and Smoked Cheddar. It also came with grainy mustard, a variety of pickled veggies, a delicious walnut chutney, and flat bread. I would have been happy eating several of these babies.
2.Wild Mushroom and Chevre Jar...spread with flat bread.
3. Shoestring Potatoes....french fries with rosemary and duck fat powder (it tasted like funnel cake sugar) with an aioli for dipping that was amazing.
4. Crispy Pig Ear Fries....pig ears like you give your dog, but they'd been brined for 18 hours so they were fit for human consumption. Eric likened them to pork rinds which is why he loved them so much. I thought they tasted like really airy bacon. They were served with an ancho ketchup.
5. House Cured Pastrami....These were amazing and another one of my favorites. Flat bread topped with pastrami, onion jam, and smoked cheddar fondue.
6. Chicken Fried Quail served with wild mushroom bread pudding, huckleberries, and bacon bourbon syrup
7. Shrimp Pow Pow....I liken this one to Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish Grill, but the sauce was spicier and it came with sesame powder to dip it in which completely changed the way it tasted (in a good way). |
The boys were a little concerned about getting full at the beginning because they only got a bite or two of each thing, but everyone was completely stuffed by the end of the night. I have decided that shared plates is my new favorite way to dine. Try a little bit of everything?! Yes Please! That is right up my alley!
There was one plate, however, that rose above the rest. It was one of the first ones they brought out and we dove right into it so I didn't have a chance to snap a picture, plus to be honest I didn't think I would like it. At All. But it blew me away and I told everyone at the table I was going to recreate it when I got back home. It was the Brussel Sprout Hash that consisted of roasted winter vegetables, bacon, tobacco onions, and whipped goat cheese. My inner 10 year old had her nose turned up from the beginning, and I only tried it because it contained bacon and goat cheese, two items that make my world go round. It only took me 3 days back home before I was scouring
pinterest for recipes and Sunday night I went to work in the kitchen. About an hour later it was done, but I was anxious about how it would taste because I honestly didn't think I could come close, and my goat cheese did not whip, it creamed (I'm still not sure what went wrong). I served it up and was once again pleasantly surprised by how good it was! According to my taste testers (who both tasted the original), it was definitely a cousin of the original dish. Eric even told me I should make it next time people come over. Since I changed a few things to the
original recipe this one is as much for me as it is for you.
What you need:
Brussels Sprout Hash
4 slices thick-cut bacon
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 lb fingerling potatoes, quartered
1 cup Brussels sprouts, cut into thick slices
1/2 sweet onion, chopped in large pieces
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP butter
1/4 bunch parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup French fried onions
"Whipped" Goat Cheese
4 oz goat cheese
1 TBSP whole milk
1 tsp honey
fresh herbs (I used a couple of sprigs of thyme)
salt and pepper to taste
How to make it:
In a large skillet,
cook bacon on medium heat. When done, set bacon aside, and
drain half of the grease.
Add thyme, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and onions to bacon grease. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook until potatoes are tender about 15 -20 minutes.
While veggies are cooking
place all ingredients for the whipped goat cheese in a food processor and
blend until cheese is fluffy. Like I said, mine did not fluff it creamed, but the flavor was great.
Add chicken broth and
cook until it has evaporated and veggies are tender.
Add balsamic vinegar and toss to coat. Once vinegar has reduced,
stir in parsley, butter. and bacon.
Cook until butter has melted.
In a small skillet
heat French Fried onions until they are warm.
To serve:
Place hash into a serving bowl,
top with onions and goat cheese mixture and serve immediately!
This is seriously one of my new favorite side dishes ever. My only complaint was all of the chopping, especially the pearl onions, those were a pain in the you-know-what to peel, but it was completely worth it.
Do yourself a favor, if you are ever in Steamboat Spring, Colorado, please go eat at
Laundry because it is just so darn good! And if you aren't making a trip out there anytime soon, make yourself some Brussel Sprout Hash at home.
