Crumbs in my 'Stache: The ‘Stache is taking off (or, Schnitzel in my ‘Stache)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-In the past, I found a question passed among many younger people this time of year  – “Are you going anywhere for the off-season” – to be, well, kind of irritating.

“Nowhere,” I would reply. “You see, I have this job.” 

Probably my impatience was partly sparked by a bit of envy at those legions of adventurous Jacksonites that, beginning around mid-April, take off for coastal areas in countries like Mexico and Costa Rica. I also think there’s something sort of entitled about the assumption that everyone has both an extended amount of time off and the disposition to travel to exotic locales. I only sometimes have the latter.

While I do want to avoid getting further into any other clichés about the “off-season,” it’s still worth mentioning that many of the so-called “locals specials” offered this time of year make some of the valley’s better restaurants more affordable

But, you might be thinking, as news reports continue to illustrate that there are indeed numerous sad stories in this valley as a result of layoffs, is this the right time to celebrate luxury?

Well, I can’t answer that, but I can tell you a new prix fixe menu at Wild Sage Restaurant inside the Rusty Parrot Inn is a good excuse for you to go to one of the valley’s finest establishments.

I had never been to Wild Sage until recently, when I took up a dinner invite from manager Brandon Harrison. People tend to report nothing but fantastic things about Wild Sage, and I once failed at reserving a table in time for the intimate, six-table dining room. 

Anyhow, our meal at Wild Sage was excellent, one where the service and the food rivaled for top honors.

We ordered from the set menu, which includes three courses for $38 (an a la carte menu is also available). This is the first time Wild Sage has offered such a prix fixe menu, and somewhat surprisingly, they’ll be doing it seven nights a week through most of this quiet time in the valley when many restaurants have scaled back their hours or closed altogether.

I began my meal with a lentil and tomato soup that was rich and creamy despite being prepared vegan and had a delicate hint of truffle, while my companion had a Caesar salad made with buttery anchovies. (“It was pretty anchovy-y,” she said later.)

I was very happy with an entrée of lamb T-bones that, with mashed potatoes and broccolini, was a very hearty main course.
Other entrée options included salmon, which my date had and enjoyed thoroughly, and something else I can’t recall.

Dessert was a fine and light lemon soufflé.
All that for 38 bucks – not bad, right?

We did decide to get a little decadent and had the succulent foie gras appetizer, served with a tart berry compote and doughy dumplings, from the a la carte menu.
Truth is, we were not there only to check out an off-season deal, but also to celebrate.

My steady dinner date is moving away and I’m – well, I’ll be gone for a while, too. (But not because it’s the off-season!)

This will be the last Crumbs’ in My Stache until June. I’ll be away on a journalism fellowship in Vienna, Austria for the next six or seven weeks.
There’s some chance I’ll contribute from afar about my adventures with schnitzel, sausages, Turkish street food or contemporary Viennese cuisine – and maybe a visit to the apartment of Sigmund Freud will remind me not to worry too much about the sausages haunting my dreams.

But until next time, I wish you well. Auf wiedersehen.  PJH

Wild Sage Restaurant is located in the Rusty Parrot Lodge, 175 N. Jackson St. 733-2000.

PERMALINK:
Crumbs in my 'Stache: The ‘Stache is taking off (or, Schnitzel in my ‘Stache) | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

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