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The View Restaurant at the Mirror Lake Inn offers new summer menu

07/19/2012

I have just come from the veranda outside the Wikoff Room, where Executive Chef Jarrad Lang and Chef de Cuisine Kirk Fiore introduced me to several selections from the new summer menu at The View Restaurant, AAA Four Diamond rated the past five years.

Jarrad and Kirk presented the Tomato Consomme, House Smoked Idaho Rainbow Trout, and their Pan Roasted New England Diver Scallops. The trio are pictured here.

Enjoying the new summer menu in the veranda of The View Restaurant

As someone who enjoys seafood and is fully aware of the talents of these two men, I knew what I was getting into. So did hotel owners Ed and Lisa Weibrecht, who joined us.

The Tomato Consomme originates locally from Fledging Crow - Chef Lang calls it "Kirk's dish" - and is accompanied by a local camembert melted over brioche. Very tasty combination!

The rainbow trout is marinated in white soy and maple syrup before hitting the smoker. Upon sampling, there is a perfect hint of all three with no dominating taste.

The vegetable medley alongside "the catch" actually bears elements of ratatouille. However, instead of tossing the zucchini, red peppers and tomato, they are sliced, roasted and prepared en papier (parchment) and allowed to stew in their own juices. Very ingenious and healthy, but most importantly, delicious!

Jarrad and Kirk bring a Southern tinge to their Idaho rainbow trout, incorporating a jambalaya-based concept minus the stew but with all the individual ingredients.

The centerpiece of this plate is a helping of rice cooked in lemon zest, topped with lobster nuggets, but leaving plenty of room for The View's hearty diver scallops from New Bedford, Mass.

Intertwined I discovered that the kitchen borrows slightly from the Cajun with bite-sized selections of andouille sausage. Again, the jambalaya influence is evident, but with a light and creative presentation.

Just a sampling of our new menu

At the end, Ed, Lisa and I gave Chef Jarrad and his crew a big thumbs up. 

From the looks of it, Jarrad, Kirk and others in the kitchen may have stayed up late at night concocting this new menu.

But if you are going to lose some sleep, food is probably the best reason.