Pachamama's Crew has Worlds and Oceans of Fun

A group of hosts, servers, and cooks made the short trip to Kansas City to have some serious day-off fun.

And... New Summer Entrées.

Ladies and gentlemen, the stars of the show. (These aren't all the entrées; not pictured are Applewood Smoked Duck Breast, and Artichoke Crusted Clarks Farm Chicken Breast.)

Phyllo Wrapped Alaskan Halibut with arugula, serrano ham, and snap pea-marcona almond vinaigrette.




Coffee and Peppercorn Rubbed Beef Ribeye with gorgonzola and corn whipped potatoes, garden beans, and natural jus.




Farmers Market Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie with summer vegetable ragout, lemon-truffle whipped potatoes, and pastry.




Oaxaca Cheese Stuffed Thick Cut Pork Chop with crushed hominy, avocado, cabbage, radish, and chili rojo.



** As always, this photography is intended for educational, rather than artistic purposes!

Say hello to summer!

Our staff tasting JUST finished for the new menu. We'll post the starters now and the entrées tomorrow. (Plus a behind-the-scenes look at the meeting itself...).

Little Gem Wedge "BLT" with heirloom tomato, avocado, applewood-smoked bacon, and camobozola-buttermilk dressing.



Smoked Hawaiian Ono-Coconut-Tomato Salad with chilis, macadamia nuts, lime, grilled country bread, and coconut preserve.



Rock Shrimp and Mac & Cheese "Lollipops" with celery pesto and long pepper aioli.



Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with griddled johnny cake, maple, summer melon, smoked sea salt.



Sheep's Milk Cheese & Charred Corn Gnudi with local chanterelles, Moroccan-spiced blackberry brown butter.



And here's what it actually is like to be a server at Pachamama's -- tastings are fun, but they're also serious. Our servers read study guides, take notes, and listen to mini-tutorials from Chefs Ken and Brian to get to know our menu. (There's a written test over food and wine pairings in a week.) Study up, folks!

New Summer Dinner Menu on Thursday

A couple of sneak peeks from the new menu... These are Chef Ken Baker's and Chef Brian Strecker's notes from the staff study guide. (The staff has a tasting of all the dishes Thursday afternoon, just before dinner service, and a written test the following week.) We'll take pictures at the tasting and post them shortly after!

From Ken, who creates the starters:
Smoked Hawaiian Ono-Coconut-Tomato Salad
with chili, macadamia, lime, grilled country bread, and coconut preserve.

Ono is a Hawaiian mackerel -- a very fatty and flavorful fish that takes to smoke like a frog to water. Here, it is paired with coconut, toasted macadamia, lime, chili, basil, cilantro, and ginger. This is a dish of the South Pacific. Served in a rocks glass with some coconut preserves to spread on grilled bread with the salad.

From Brian, who creates the entrées:
Coffee and Peppercorn Rubbed Beef Ribeye
with gorgonzola and corn whipped potatoes, garden beans, and natural jus.

Bye Bye Tenderloin, Hello Flavor! Filet is good, but for true carnivores we need more fat. Here, we rub a 16-oz ribeye with a coffee and peppercorn rub before charring lightly on the grill. Sweet and salty components are folded into the potatoes. Various bean will come into play here as well like roma beans, green, yellow and purple wax beans plus more. They are blistered with a little bacon and onions just like grandma made and the dish is finished with a reduction of red wine and veal stock.

What's a shandy?

Our central topic of debate today. Some bartenders said a shandy was beer and ginger ale; others said beer and lemonade. (At least we agreed on the beer part.) But luckily, it's the year 2010, and cell phones can access the internet. So we quickly found out through wikipedia that a traditional UK shandy has carbonated lemonade, and shandygaff has ginger ale, and a German version uses carbonated lemonade as well, which they call a "Cyclist."

Why did we care so much? Well, right now we're serving up Free State Wheat State Golden for $2 a pint -- or, you can get a shandy made with it for $2. So when you come in to order a shandy, you can specify whether you want it with lemonade or ginger ale.

Or both. We tried it with both at the same time -- we're calling it "Pachamama's style" -- and it's worth a try at $2 a pop.

TGIF Wine Tasting: Loring Wine Company Pinot Noirs

Loring Wine Company is owned by Brian Loring, a self-proclaimed "Pinot Freak." He's a winemaker who carefully selects his grapes from fantastic vinyards in Oregon and California.

From his Web site: "My philosophy on making wine is that the fruit is EVERYTHING. What happens in the vineyard determines the quality of the wine - I can't make it better - I can only screw it up!"

Clearly, he makes serious wine without taking himself too seriously.

He'll be at the Pachamama's TGIF wine tasting on Friday, June 18 with his sister Kimberly. Come try five of his pinots, with paired appetizers, for $35 a person. Please call 785.841.0990 to make a reservation. You won't want to miss this experience!

Wakarusa Valley Farms: Mushrooms!

Wakarusa Valley Farm is a certified organic (since 1989!) local Lawrence farm that grows veggies and gourmet mushrooms. (You can get these goodies at the Downtown Farmer's Market, and at the Community Mercantile.)

We will sing the praises of the farm's mesclun salad mix another time. This post will glorify their beautiful, pale pink and yellow oyster mushrooms in a series of pictures. (We got in a big box of them yesterday.)


Looks like something in a coral reef, doesn't it?





*Please bear in mind that the person taking these photos is by no means a professional!

TGIF Wine Tasting: German Rieslings

SCHLOSS WALLHAUSEN│ 2008 P2 ‘TWO PRINCES’ RIESLING, NAHE
Schloss Wallhausen is one of Germany's oldest traditional wine estates. Prinz zu Salm, the estate owner and current president of the Association of Prädikat Wine Estates, can trace his family tree back to 932 and his vineyards to 1200. “Two Princes” P2 is the signature wine of Prince Michael and Prince Constantin zu Salm-Salm, members of the 31st and 32nd generation of winemakers at the family’s estate Schloss Wallhausen. Their winery is known for exquisite Rieslings.P2 displays a perfect balance between sweetness, acidity and minerality. Delicate flavors of apricot and nectarine, with a lovely, crisp finish.

JOHANNISHOF│ 2007 ‘V’ RIESLING KABINETT, RHEINGAU
The Eser family can trace back wine growing to the year 1685. Some of the very best vineyard sites like Goldatzel, Hölle, Vogelsang in Johannisberg and Berg Rottland in Rüdesheim e.g. belong to this estate. A small and compact region, the Rheingau runs from east to west parallel to the Rhine’s 20 mile deviation from it’s northern course. The vineyards line the slopes between the protective Taunus hills and the heat-reflecting surface of the Rhine. This Kabinett wine is a typical Rheingau Riesling with its fruity character and light cherry flavor.

DR. LOOSEN│ 2007 ‘BLUE SLATE’ RIESLING KABINETT, MOSEL
Kabinett is the lightest and most delicate style of Riesling in Germany. It is produced from the earliest picking in the best vineyard sites. This estategrown Dr. Loosen Riesling Kabinett embodies the racy, mineral-driven style of steep, blue slate vineyards in the famous middle Mosel villages of Bernkastel, Graach and Wehlen. Dr. Loosen Rieslings from these villages are some of the most elegant white wines in the world, with fine density and subtle power.

JAZZOO: 1,000 sandwiches in two and a half hours.

On Friday, June 4, a crew of Pachamama's cooks and servers went to Jazzoo, an annual fundraiser for the Kansas City Zoo. (Money goes towards feeding animals and funding children's educational programs.) It's a chance for restaurants and bars to show off a little.

Each vendor gets a little tent and a table to serve food and/or drinks at, and these tents line the sidewalks of the KC Zoo. We were next to Big Momma's Bakery, a KC establishment famous for its dinner rolls and cinnamon rolls. They proved to be great booth-neighbors (we got to end our evening with a midnight snack of rolls.) Be sure to check them out - this is a business with some serious history.

At Pachamama's booth, we were serving pulled pork sandwiches with blue cheese & red cabbage slaw, and smoked apple butter. We also had a white gazpacho that was refreshing and zesty: garlic and almonds, sherry vinegar and olive oil, a dash of buttermilk, and a few other ingredients were pureed up into a pretty off-white soup, and garnished with grapes and almonds.

Here's cook Avery, chef/owner Ken, and server Tiffany. Time is about 6:00 p.m. They don't know what's about to him them...


Ken and Avery cut up rolls. Almost 1,000 rolls, that is.


Tiffany sets out the first round of sandwiches and gazpacho.


This is what the sandwiches looked like -- and they are about to disappear at a rapid pace.


Okay, notice that the ABOVE picture is taken during daylight, and the BELOW picture is taken at night time. This transition represents THE LOST HOURS; that's how it felt to our staff, too! As soon as guests began to arrive, the Pachamama's tent was swarmed with people. "Heard you had pulled pork!" "Our friends told us we've got to come try some of that pulled pork!" "Back for seconds -- I just love this pulled pork!"

Between 6:30 and 9:00 p.m., Ken and Avery assembled nearly 1,000 little sandwiches, which Tiffany immediately passed off to the horde of people crowded around the booth.

And then ... as suddenley as the rush began, it was 2.5 hours later, the sandwiches were all gone, the air had cooled, and the staff could ladle out the last of the gazpacho in relative calm. Here's Ken, able to finally relax:


Tiffany and the lonely last tray of gazpacho:

Ono! I mean, Wahoo! I mean... yum.

Farmer's Market veggies destined for tonight's entrée special... with a cameo by Wheatfields' baguettes.

Today's blog is dedicated to our entrée special this evening: pan-roasted Hawaiian ono (a.k.a. wahoo - a type of mackerel.) Ono are big, strong ocean fish with short pointed noses. (They are less susceptible to over-fishing, because they tend to travel solo, rather than in schools like tuna.) These were allegedly Ernest Hemingway's favorite fish to catch, because they put up such a fight. The meat on these fish is beautiful and very white, flaky, and delicate, with a mild flavor profile (think antithesis of tuna).

Chef Brian went next door to the Downtown Farmer's Market and bought green tomatoes, snap peas, and kohlrabi. (Kohlrabi, if you haven't tried it, is fantastic; it's the purple veggie in the pictures with the green leaves. It's a cultivar of cabbage, with a super subtle cabbage flavor and a nice crunch.) He's going to purée the kohlrabi, fry the green tomatoes, and blister the snap peas. The dish focuses on the flavors of the fish and vegetables as the stars of the show; rather than having sauces or excess spices that overpower the fish and produce, the velveted kohlrabi will act as a sauce and the veggies' flavors will be loud and clear.

TGIF Wine Tasting: McLaren Vale, Australia

Australian winery McLaren Vale is a South Australian wine region with a Mediterranean climate where farmers have been growing grapes since the 1850s.

D’ARENBERG | ‘HIGH TRELLIS’ CABERNET SAUVIGNON
The nose is perfumed, juicy and ripe with fresh blackberry dominant before a complex background emerges of fresh mint and an earthy character reminiscent of summer rain. The palate is tight and focused with varietal blackcurrant forming the core. Given time to breathe, raspberry and blueberry emerge along with coffee bean and cocoa notes that are well balanced by the cedar character of the subtle toasty oak.

MITOLO | ‘JESTER’ CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Lifted peppery spice leads into an herbaceous mix of blackberries, currants and cloves, with hints of liquorice, tar and leather whilst remaining fresh and vibrant. The youthful tannin structure will evolve over the next few years to become soft, supple and smooth.

SHIRVINGTON | CABERNET SAUVIGNON
The wine was 100% barrel fermented and aged for 12 months in 70 percent new oak and 30 percent one year old oak (a mix of French and American oaks, at that.) The wine has a deep maroon red colour. The varietal nose is an intense display of wild black currant and dark cherry, intermingled with freshly ground cinnamon, crème brulee and a fresh leafy lift. The palate is vibrant with sweet fruit, developing into a fleshy, creamy mid-palate. Fine savoury tannins built into the wine give it structure and persistence with a raw silk feel.

River City Cook-Off, Blog #2: Excitement Mounts...

Mr. Ken Baker (a.k.a. "Kenny B") is gearing up for the cook-off. He got his picture in the paper and everything!

He says: "I don't really have a target audience in mind, so that kind of makes it interesting. Whereas at the restaurant, I know who I'm cooking for, for the most part. I guess I'm trying not to look at it like a competition. I'm just going to do what I do, put my heart and soul into it."

(Picture and quote from the Lawrence Journal World article "River City Cook Off: Top chefs compete in benefit for preservation of Kaw River", published today, June 2, 2010.)

Bringing together local chefs to celebrate local food and local resources is a really innovative way to raise money for a great cause -- the organization Friends of the Kaw, which focuses on preserving the Kansas River.

Another great reason to attend: the music -- again, from local musicians -- will be great. Here at Pachamama's, we're partial to the Danny Pound Band, but DJ Syrus, Ardys Ramberg and John Lomas, Congo Square and Approach are all amazing local talents, too.

You can get tickets at Pachamama's for $20 a pop; call or come in with any questions! 785.841.0990.

River City Cook-Off: Sun., June 6

Come join Lawrence's 1st RIVER CITY COOK-OFF at ABE & JAKES LANDING June 6th at 6:00pm to benefit THE FRIENDS OF THE KAW.

We are going to give five local chefs the opportunity to compete for the title of The River City Cook-Off Champion and winner of the Catfish Trophy. Food included with your ticket, free organic kids buffet & vegetarian options. The Chefs are:

Pachamama's - Ken Baker
Zen Zero - Subarna Bhattachan
Global Cafe - Rafael Gonzalez
Angler's - Jeff Lewis
Tortas Jalisco - Angel Alvarez

Whether you enjoy the sound of sweet jazz, folk, dirty blues or funky hip hop there is something for everyone. Ardys Ramberg & John Lomas, Danny Pound Band, Congo Square & Approach will be playing.

There will be educational speakers from The Friends of the Kaw, a film screening about the oldest living Kaw Valley fisherman, a silent auction from local businesses and more information on how you can get involved.

Hope to get a lot of people together for a great cause & a great night!

TICKETS ON SALE by way of www.kansasriver.org via the DONATE tab.
MAKE SURE after the payment portion to write in the "NOTE TO SELLER" column 'RIVER CITY COOK-OFF!' Your contribution will go directly to The Friends of the Kaw. Friends of the Kaw is a 501 c 3, not for profit organization and your donation is deductible to the full extend allowed by law.

The Friends of the Kaw will take pay pal and credit/debit cards there. Your receipt will be an E-Receipt.

One Adult $20.00 Includes Food, Kids Eat Free Organics, Vegetarian Options & Live Entertainment.

** Please note: This text is copied directly from River City Cook-Off's Facebook page by one very lazy blogger. Hey, it was well-written! Why mess with a good thing?