October 22, 2021 Lunch - PPI Fish Soup Dinner - Greenhouse Bistro Fall Harvest Dinner

October 22, 2021 Lunch - PPI Fish Soup Dinner - Greenhouse Bistro Fall Harvest Dinner

I ate granola, yogurt, blueberries, and milk for breakfast.

Suzette came home around 1:30 as I was heating the PPI Fish Soup I had made several days ago  with the crab broth we made from our crab dinner, plus a mirepoix, and a piece of salmon and a piece of mahi-mahi.  It was simple and delicious. I toasted two slices of French Baguette I bought at Bosque Bakery yesterday and spread butter on them and then slices of brie cheese.

After lunch I drove to Costco to pick up a prescription and then to vote in the local election.

When I got at 3:30 I worked until 4:00 and then napped at 5:00 when Suzette awakened me so we could drive to the Center for the special Fall Harvest menu.  The Greenhouse Bistro has a new chef, Joshua Sherwood, who has been cooking since 2003, with stints at several local fine dining restaurants such as Embers Steak and Seafood at the Isleta Csino, who has taken over the kitchen duties.  He is enthusiastic about developing the Bistro into a noteworthy restaurant.

Judging from the Fall Harvest Menu, the direction the Bistro will take is local farm to table comfort food prepared exceedingly well.

The appetizer was amazing; fresh slices of firm green tomatoes battered in panko and flash fried so that they were hot, toothsome, and fresh.  They were served with a homemade dipping dressing utilizing herbs from the Center’s Organic garden.  I have not eaten such a fresh, intensely flavorful dish since Stars in San Francisco many years ago.

The three course meal included an entree plate of three slow smoked pork ribs, a pile of baked Mac and cheese and a small ramekin filled with a homemade sweet green tomato chutney cooked until the ingredients became glacéd, including  the raisins and ginger.  A perfect complement to the creamy Mac and cheese.  The rib were coated with a sweet house made BBQ sauce that had a distinctly non-institutional consistency and flavor profile.  Chef Sherwood says that he flavors many dishes sweet because folks seem to enjoy them sweet.

I liked the sweetness of the green tomato chutney balanced by the tanginess of the ginger, but missed that slightly tangy vinegar flavor that I could have balanced the sweetness in the BBQ sauce.

Dessert was a ramekin of apple and quince crisp.  I was wonderful, very fruit forward with little sugar added that allowed the flavor of the fresh apple and quince slices dominate this perfect fall dessert.

The Fall Harvest Menu was $24.99.  We and all the other diners took home boxes of food because the portions were so flavorful and generous that one was easily satiated.

The Greenhouse Bistro is clearly one of, if not the, best restaurant in Valencia County for fresh farm to table cuisine.  It does not dazzle, but it impresses with fresh flavorful food completely prepared from scratch utilizing many of the seasonal produce and herbs from the Center’s gardens.  Its ethos is the same as many of the best California and New York restaurants, to present honest well prepared dishes with house made creative sauces made with fresh ingredients.  Obviously, its ingredients are not as costly or exotic as coastal Michelin star restaurants, but its preparation and commitment to use fresh local ingredients is equal to any restaurant.

It will be interesting to see if the community embraces and supports the newly re-opened Bistro and its new chef.

Bon Appetit