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Dear Friends,
Hoping this letter finds you all enjoying the summer heat, poolside, beachside or somewhere cool. August is the month we celebrate the summer with two annual special events, our spit roast and our clambake & bbq. Unlike in the past when the lone star of the roast was a delicious suckling pig, this year, with the help of some of our neighbor farmers, in addition to the pig we plan to roast a few other locally raised tasty specialties such as baby lamb, goat and more. Both of these evenings will be outside if weather permits, or inside the Carriage Room should the weather turn inclement. But they are definitely casual affairs, so please dress appropriately. And, of course, There Will Be Wine!
And speaking of wine, we are still having fun on a nightly basis with our wine by the glass program. As mentioned in last month's newsletter, we are pulling out wines from the cellar that we have only one or two bottles remaining in inventory and offering them by the glass, to extraordinary results. The reaction from those who have had the opportunity to try these well-aged and perfectly stored wines - most having been in our cellar since they were released by the winery - has been nothing short of fantastic. We all drink lots of young wine, so drinking older wines can be a revelation, particularly when paired with wine-friendly cooking such as ours. These carefully aged wines offer a more refined, subtle, nuanced personality that tends to combine with the nuances of certain ingredients in a dish to create a new and uniquely pleasurable taste sensation. Young wines tend to be a bit more aggressive and forceful with their flavors and textures, and can easily overwhelm the subtleties of an elegant and complex dish. The August issue of Westchester Magazine, which is their annual food and wine issue, has a very positive review on Crabtree's Kittle House (3 & 1/2 stars out of 4) and the reviewer waxes poetically about the wonderful older wines paired with our nightly chef's tasting menu, declaring the price "a steal in the fine dining arena". We are glad to know that they enjoyed this unique wine and food experience that we are offering and hope that you will come and enjoy it, too.
Looking forward to seeing you here soon.
All of us at Crabtree's Kittle House
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 Our Annual Backyard Spit Roast
Thursday August 7, 2008
$75 per person. Reservations (914) 666-8044
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 Our Annual Clambake and Barbeque
As the summer winds to an end we send it out with one last tasty hurrah. Lobsters, Clams, Oysters and Shrimp - Ribs, Steaks and Chops. Lots of Beer and as always, PLENTY OF WINE.
All you can eat and drink, and then its back to reality.
$85 per person. Reservations (914) 666-8044
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Chef Bertrand working on his Bluefin Tuna & Foie Gras Burger
"From Our Cellar and Our Kitchen'A Wine Tasting, Cooking Demonstration and Dinner Series
Two Thursday Nights Left - July 24 & July 31 - 7PM
We knew this was going to be a lot of fun. We have had great time pairing delicious wines with some of Chef Kevin Bertrand's unique dishes created just for this series. For those of you who couldn't make it, on our first Thursday night Kevin demonstrated to everyone how to cook a whole Pompano on a very hot piece of slate (thank you Eric Ripert) on the grill with fresh herbs and olive oil - just fantastic. Last week Kevin showed us his Seared Diver Sea Scallops with Lamb Ragout. Here is last week's menu and wines for our Surf & Turf with Big & Bold Wines dinner:
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Pinot Gris, Zind
Humbrecht, Clos Windsbuhl, Alsace 2002
Chef's Demonstration with Executive Chef Kevin
Bertrand
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Menu
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Chardonnay, Diatom,
Clos Pepe, Santa Rita Hills,
2006
Seared Day Boat
Sea Scallop & Lamb
Ragout
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Pinot Noir, Melville,
Carrie's, Santa Rita Hills,
2005
Sauteed Foie Gras with
Yellowfin Tuna, Nappa Cabbage, Caramel Soy
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Zinfandel, Martinelli, Giuseppe
& Louisa, Sonoma 2004
'The Classic'
Butter Poached Lobster
& Grilled Filet Mignon, Bacon Corn with
Porcini Mushrooms
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Crabtree's Famous Warm Chocolate Pastry, Crème a l'Anglaise
The next two Thursday evenings are destined to be just as delicious and just as much fun. Tomorrow's menu features three gourmet burgers to make at home - and some delicious wines to wash them down.
$85 per person. Reservations (914) 666-8044
NEXT UP:
July 24 - Interesting Burgers - Interesting Wines
July 31 - Fancy BBQ - Fancy BBQ Wines
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 Congratulations to
Sous Chef Amos Bigler!
Amos Bigler, our Sous Chef, recent Culinary Institue of America graduate and Executive Chef Keven Bertrand's right hand man, went to Kansas City, Missouri to represent the CIA and compete in the national Skills America competition, a prestigious cooking competition for young professionals. He received the honor of representing the CIA by placing first in the cooking competition held at the school, and then winning first place in the New York State competition. Amos came back from Kansas City with the SILVER MEDAL and a second place finish - among 36 participants. He missed the gold medal by .02 points! We have had a great history a young, talented CIA graduates pass through the kitchen of The Kittle House and Amos is one of the very best that we have ever had the pleasure to work with. We are truly proud of his great accomplishment and to have him manning a stove in our kitchen. Congratulations Amos!
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My Lunch with Jacques Lardiere
Winemaker Extraordinaire
Maison Louis Jadot, Burgundy, France
The Vibration of Life
All Wednesdays should be like this one. On this particular Wednesday - July 9, 2008, the legendary Jacques Lardiere would be passing through New York on his way to a big wine auction event in Nashville, Tennessee. Taking full advantage of the few hours he would be in New York, Kobrand, the national distributor for Louis Jadot, decided that they would put together a small informal tasting, discussion and luncheon for some of their own employees and a few invited guests from the trade. I was honored to be one of those in attendance.
Jacques Lardiere has been the winemaker for Maison Louis Jadot since 1970. He is a passionate speaker and a vocal ambassador for the wines of Burgundy and more specifically, the vineyards of Burgundy. He has had many years and many vintages to learn from with regards to the great terroir of Burgundy, as well as to figure out how to communicate such a complex and intricate relationship as is the one between the vine and the place where it grows to those who are interested in knowing such things. He speaks with excitement and enthusiasm, as if it was the first time he was saying these profound statements and as if we were the first to hear them. It is as much philosophy as fact, and he makes it clear that to understand the wines of Burgundy is to realize that what happens to the vines underneath the ground, below the surface of the vineyard in this hallowed and legendary soil, is what makes the wines of Burgundy so special.
He refers to the 'electric arc' and 'the vibration of life', an underground connectivity between the vine roots, the rocks and the soil and he draws a direct correlation between that electric activity that takes place there and the acid activity that takes place on your palate when you taste the wine. He speaks often of the 'burning' of the fruit, the process of maceration and fermentation and the great 'explosion' that this causes. He says that it is during this violent burning stage that the grape is transformed from the fruity berry it was to something no longer resembling that at all, no longer recognizable as pinot noir but instead, something that speaks of the place where it comes from and the very specific relationship between it's vine and the earth. He makes it clear that Burgundy is not about pinot noir, but about the place it is grown.
After the burning the rebirth begins, slowly and carefully in dark barrels in cool cellars. The life cycle starts and it begins to grow, the flavors and textures becoming more and more, a personality developing and a singular uniqueness being expressed. He says that the aging process to fully develop this personality takes four or five years, that it takes that long for the wine to settle down after the explosion, after the burn. He explains that the wines of Burgundy are special, at once both masculine and feminine, all things and everything. They are not a single element of the winemaking process - a grape, a place or a winemakers style - but instead it is something that embodies all of these now. And he asks that when we taste the wines of Burgundy that we feel the special grain of the wine on the palate and recognize it as the activity of the vibration - the vibration of life.
Being a bit passionate about Burgundy myself, I always find it comforting to know that I'm not alone. And everyone in attendance that Wednesday afternoon left with a special gift from Jacques. He had given us a little taste of the passion that is a special place called Burgundy.
GV
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Westchester Magazine's 
The Best of Westchester 2008
Crabtree's Kittle House was chosen the BEST in Westchester in four categories:
*Special Occasion Restaurant
*Sunday Brunch
*Wine List
*Nearby Bed and Breakfast.
Thank you to the readers and editors of
Westchester Magazine for these wonderful accolades. |
And The Dark n' Stormy Gets Prime Time Coverage
Also in this months Westchester Magazine, there is a feature on the top cocktails in Westchester and yes, the Crabtree's Kittle House version of the classic Dark n' Stormy gets major kudos. The secret to our success - homemade ginger beer.
Dark n' Stormy - Westchester Magazine August 2008
Raising The Bar
Westchester's hardest working mixologists
raid kitchen, pantry, and field.
By: Marian DeFrayne
Photography by Michael Polito
Dark and Stormy
Don't look for soda-gun
squirts of wan Canada Dry at Crabtree's. Instead, this centuries-old
Chappaqua landmark is concocting its own ginger beer from fresh ginger
root, brown sugar, and water-a process that results in a fiery, spicy
beverage that challenges the mixer's supporting role. To cool the heat
(and provide the buzz), Crabtree's adds darkly spicy Gosling's Black
Seal rum, and the labor doesn't stop there: this classic Bermudan quaff
is garnished with ginger stalks that have been candied in the Kittle
House's own kitchen.
Crabtree's Kittle House
11 Kittle Road, Chappaqua
(914) 666-8044; kittlehouse.com
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Coming in September -
Put this date on the calendar now!
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2008
It's an AUSSIE INVASION! We look forward to welcoming a stellar group of amazing winemakers from down under for an evening of spectacular wine and food. Joining us for this incredible winemaker dinner are:
Ben Glaetzer of Amon Ra, Anaperenna, Godolphin and many other benchmark wines, arguably the preeminent winemaker in Australia; Reid Bosward of Kaesler, Nashwauk and Poonwatta; Ben Riggs of Penny Hill, Mr. Riggs, Black Chook and Woop Woop; Corinna Rayment of Oliver's Taranga, Revolution and Expatriate; James Lindner of Langmeil, Barossa Old Vine Company and Earthworks.
It's the next best thing to being there!
Look for more details coming next month in the September newsletter.
We wish you all a very happy August and end of summer 2008 and we look forward to welcoming you here soon at The Kittle House.
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