Top Christmas Gift: Siphon with n20 and more from Celebrated Chefs

Celebrated Chefs asked us what our best Christmas gifts ever were. Here's their report,

"My most memorable gift was "The Night Before Christmas" book that my father gave me when I was 8 or 9. I had been expecting a toy or something sports related, but this stood out because it was the first time that I realized that a gift isn't about what you are receiving, but the thought behind it. I've lost many toys, forgotten most of them all together, but I still have that book." - Chef Brian McCracken

I was always in to playing basketball at an early age. When my parents were in college we would always go and watch Montana State Bobcats basketball games. My brother and I would watch two brothers that played on the team, wishing that one day that could be us. That year for Christmas my parents got us matching Bobcat basketball uniforms. I felt so cool!" - Chef Dana Tough

Whipped Cream Siphon with n2o
Chefs McCracken and Tough both recommend the Whipped Cream Siphon with n2o cartridges as a great tool and gift. This multipurpose gadget is also key for making the Microwave Chocolate Sponge Cake recipe which is featured in the Celebrated Chefs Cookbook.

New Year's Eve Tasting Menus at Spur

Advanced reservations by phoning us at 206.728.6706

New Years Eve Menu 2010

3 course $45
Foie Terrine
pear. black pepper. sea salt.
...
Gleason Ranch Flat Iron
oxtail. potato. pearl onion.

Cardamom Sponge Cake
chocolate. persimmon. wafer.

5 course. $75
Foie Terrine
pear. black pepper. sea salt.

Chestnut Soup
squash. garlic. creme fraiche.

King Crab
fennel. satsuma. tarragon.

Gleason Ranch Flat Iron
oxtail. potato. pearl onion.

Spiced Carrot Ice Cream
Cranberry. mascarpone. walnut.

8 Course $100

Foie Gras Terrine
pear. black pepper. sea salt.

Chestnut Soup
squash. garlic. creme fraiche.

Sea Urchin
celery. apple. olive oil.

Smoked Duck Egg Raviolo
pumpkin. brown butter. sherry.

King Crab
fennel. satsuma. tarragon.

Gleason Ranch Flat Iron
oxtail. potato. pearl onion.

Spiced Carrot Ice Cream
Cranberry. mascarpone. walnut.

Cardamom Sponge Cake
chocolate. persimmon. wafer.

Prices do not include tax or gratuity. Optional wine and cocktail pairings and caviar service also available.

Our Seasonal Menu at Spur

Celery & Apple Salad
walnut. crème fraiche. local greens.

Chiogga Beets & Carrots
coriander. chevre. mizuna.

Parisian Gnocchi
chanterelles. cauliflower. parmesan.

Bigeye Tuna Crudo*
caviar. avocado. radish.

Foie Gras Terrine
pear. black pepper. sea salt.

Smoked King Crab
fennel. grapefruit. pastis.

Lamb Tartare*
castlevatrano olive. tomato. egg yolk.

Tagliatelle*
duck egg. oyster mushroom. pine nut.

Duck Confit
potato. orange. taggiasca olive.

Veal Sweetbreads
rutabaga. mustard. smoke.

Lamb Saddle*
butternut squash. quince. leeks.

New York Strip*
polenta. wild mushroom. langoustine.


Chefs Tasting Menu: 3 course
45

Video - Fried Béarnaise | StarChefs.com

Video - Fried Béarnaise | StarChefs.com

The Chefs of Spur in Seattle, Dana Tough and Brian McCracken, walk you through the making of their Fried Bernaise on Beef Carpaccio with micro mustard.

Seattle Met Magazine Says Spur "Changes the Way We Eat" in Their Best Restaurants Issue

Thank you to Seattle Met's Kathryn Robinson for including Spur in Seattle Met’s Best Restaurants 2010, reporting:

"Places that are changing the way we eat: The most urbane watering hole in Belltown offers artisanal cocktails and noshes that land somewhere between studiously impressive and plain yummy. Exhibits A and B: butterfish over pea puree with morels: pork belly sliders with mustard and smoked orange marmalade."

Rhum Clement and Rhum JM Dinner at Spur

On November 8th the chefs and bartenders of Spur welcome Ben Jones, a member of the Clement family, in a 5-course dinner with Rhum Clement and Rhum JM rhum agricole pairings. Punch and nibbles at 6pm with a dinner featuring five cocktails paired with five courses. Price per person is $90 excluding tax and gratuity. Space is limited. Call Anne at Spur to reserve: 206/728.6706

First: Tuna Tartare (avocado. chili. lime.)

Second: Sous Vide Pork Belly (cabbage. pineapple. creole mustard.)

Third: Smoked King Crab (greens. winter squash. pecans.)

Fourth: Beef Cheeks (carrot. coriander. horseradish.)

Fifth: Rhum Walnut Sponge (banana. ice cream. sea salt.)

November's Cooking Light Magazine Takes a Look at Seattle's Food Scene: Spur

The Nov. 2010 article by Jason Sheehan takes a close look at Seattle's food scene with Spur and our Sous Chef Nina pictured. Here's what it says about Spur:

"Dana Tough is one of the chefs currently standing at the forefront of the food revolution in Seattle.

"With the scene we have here now, there's no room for mediocre food," he says. (At least among the city's more ambitious chefs, that is.)

Spur (spurseattle.com), the restaurant that Tough and his partner, Brian McCracken, run in Belltown, is a perfect example of that-- an innovative place where two chefs from decidedly classical backgrounds use every trick in the modern kitchen toolkit, finding ways to make those traditional impulses work in concert with their interest in molecular gastronomy. The result is an ever-changing menu that perfectly blends the traditional with the modern, grounded in local ingredients (mushrooms, salmon, potatoes, leeks, and bacon). Their handmade tagliatelle with smoked oyster mushrooms mimics the favor of a carbonara. It's topped with shaved Parmesan and Parmesan foam, then served with a sous-vide duck's egg, cracked at the table, to create a sauce.

And yet, what's the first thing Tough wants to discuss when interviewed last summer about the evolution of Seattle's dining scene? Strawberries.

"I just got back from the market a few minutes ago," he says. "I got the first of the season's strawberries. They're beautiful."

Then the only question becomes how best to use them. The answer is in an artistic riff on French toast, with housemade mascarpone and lemon-- simple, perfect, beautiful.

Seattle is a place where ingredients rule-- a city of farmer's markets (everything from the iconic Pike Place Market to dozens of smaller, producer-driven neighborhood markets), and of dedicated farmer-fisher-chef relationships.

"People don't have to boast about going local here. Everyone who's good already does that," Tough says."

Thank you Jason and Cooking Light!

STORY BY JASON SHEEHAN, NOVEMBER 2010