The Springfield Grille’s Third Annual Top Chef Competition will be held on Monday, September 27th, 2010 at the Springfield Grille in Mercer, PA. Doors will open at 5:00pm for cocktail hour with the competition starting at 6pm.  Chefs from all three of the Sprinfield Grille restaurants will face off to determine who will be 2010′s Top Chef.  Defending his title from 2009, Nate Barker will be representing Mercer, Dan Rammel will be representing Mars and Nick Mileto, the 2008 Top Chef, will be competing for Boardman.

This year’s proceeds will be donated in memory of Payton Wright to the families of Khloee Isabella Faler and Zachary James Henry, both diagnosed with cancer in their brain and both from the Mercer/Stoneboro area.  The proceeds will help these two families with expenses associated with pediatric cancer care for their children.  Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at the restaurant starting closer to the end of August. We will send out an email soon stating an exact date.

The evening will be hosted by the beautiful Lynn Davis from Y-103 and a “celebrity” panel of judges will help the audience decide who’s cuisine reigns supreme.  This incredible evening includes fabulous tastings of three courses from all of the competitiors, beer and wine, a Chinese auction, a Silent auction, door prizes and music.  At the end of the evening the 2010 Top Chef will be revealed!!

To find out more about the Payton Write Foundation visit

http://www.paytonwright.org/

The time has come again for news of our monthly Wine Dinners. July was the perfect month to capture the tastes and textures of all the local produce that Western Pennsylvania has to offer. I knew just where to turn for help, Tanya Turner, our first rate bartender, is also the treasurer for the North Western PA Growers Association. With a contact like that it was easy to source the best the region has to offer.

The evening began with a favorite snack of mine, tempura vegetables. Light and crispy, the rice flour batter clung sparingly to sweet local sugar snap peas and tender petite zucchini from Mason and Brenckle farms respectively. The freshness evidenced in every bite. A sweet soy reduction and a hot red chili sauce complimented the sweetness and accentuated the acidity of the wine. A Sauvignon Blanc from the Nobilo Vineyards brought pear and honeysuckle with a tartness that perfectly matched the tempura’s richness.

A wonderful bacon and egg salad followed, paired with a Chardonnay from Mendocino CA. Fresh herbs clipped from our gardens out back and baby arugula from Spring Valley Gardens were the backdrop for a playful rendition of bacon and eggs. First a farm fresh egg from Glacial Gardens was wrapped in food film with chopped Fruitful Farms bacon; the wrapped package was lightly poached to set the white, and then cooled in an ice bath. The resulting purse of over-easy egg was then lightly coated with panko (Japanese) bread crumb and pan fried…yum! This crispy delight was served just atop the salad and brought out the rich buttery notes from the organic Chardonnay.

A sashimi of Yellowfin Tuna, obviously not of the local variety, was dusted with Chinese five spice and plated with slices of sweet watermelon from Ray Byler’s farm. The dish gained crunch from toasted and chopped edamame beans and acidity from a mixture of minced fresh ginger, lime zest and rice vinegar. An interesting pairing was made for this dish, Solaire a Pinot Noir by Robert Mondavi enveloped this dish in earthy undertones and the wines slight strawberry notes echoed the sweet watermelon. This wine also was seemingly made for five spice pairings.

The main course was a hearty plate of meat and potatoes. Braised beef short ribs were slow cooked for hours before being served alongside baby new potatoes, also from Ray Byler’s farm. A simple sauce for such a heavy dish was the vinaigrette made with chives from our own gardens. Hardy’s Nottage Hill Cabernet/Shiraz blend danced on the palate with notes of dark fruit, chocolate and spice.

In the night’s finale, Prospect Meadow’s Blueberries were cooked with pink peppercorns to make the perfect topping for Lavender/Honey ice cream. The lavender grown out in our gardens and the honey also coming from Prospect Meadows gave the dessert the essence of a summer afternoon. The intense floral, spice and sweet flavors of this dish came out in full force in the Moscato paired with it. Robert Mondavi made this wine also. It’s an unabashedly sweet white with notes of honey, orange blossom and pineapple that would make a great ending to any summer meal.

There you have it! What a great time to celebrate the local harvests of summer. Get out there with your family, friends and fellow foodies and forage your own local dinner. Where ever local is to you, great food, earth conscience people and sustainable suppers await you. Thank you to all who attend these dinners, in person or here online in spirit. Join us in August (8-31-10) for our next dinner, Tastes of Spain. Come visit us at the Springfield Grille in scenic Mercer, PA.

Benvenuto Mercer Foodies! Its time again to recount another exciting night of great food and wine. June’s theme was Italy, and with such an abundance of venerable vino it was hard to pick just five wines to feature. We did though, and paired them with interpretations of classic Italian and Italian American dishes. Just thinking of the menu from last night is making me hungry all over again. Mangia!

The night began simply, a carpaccio of beef filet kissed with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper was topped with baby arugula tossed in white truffle oil and lemon juice. We poured a Prosecco from Italy’s Zonin winery. The peppery arugula and earthy beef and truffle flavors were a striking contrast to the wine’s subtle sweetness and played off the hint of lemon juice to round out the palate of each diner. Everyone loved this dish; the tone was set for the night.

Our salad course for the evening was a composed plate of marinated Roman artichokes, roasted red peppers and house pickled ciopolini onions. The stem-on artichokes were full of flavor and perfectly tart and creamy. Balancing the tartness was the roasted peppers sweetness, and the pickled ciopolini were a wonderful sweet and sour treat. Artichokes make for a tough wine pairing, but the Montepulciano from Angora Wines mixed earthy undertones with subtle fruit and lingering tellicherry pepper, to compliment the overall richness of the roasted vegetables.

Think Italian seafood and its hard not to name Shrimp Scampi in your top three answers. So I tried my hand at this classic. Scampi, actually just the plural of a Venetian prawn known as Scampo, has many origins and variations. Tonight’s rendition came to me from an old Roman recipe with garlic shrimps eaten out of the leaves of endive or radicchio. The radicchio I grilled to tame its bitterness, the shrimp were slow poached in butter infused with garlic, lemon and a little dried chilies. A wonderful Italian white, Tocai from Colle Duga Vineyards matched the shrimp’s sweetness and aided in balancing the radicchio’s bitterness. The acidic wine cut right through the buttery shrimp leaving the palate clean and refreshed.

American Italian, or Immigrant cooking is dominated by all things parmesan, chicken, veal, eggplant, you name it each are “parmesaned” regularly. In homage to this cuisine I deconstructed the classic veal Parmigiano into its fundamental parts. Medallions of veal loin were marinated in olive oil, garlic, black pepper, and Parmigiano cheese then simply roasted in the oven. A rustic sauce of fresh cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil was spooned over the veal and a twirl of al dente spaghetti dressed only with olive oil and black pepper lay beside the veal. A crisp “cracker” of parnigiano cheese added texture and replaced the nuttiness of a fried bread crumb crust. Pio Cesare’s Dolcetto from the Alba region of Italy brought a punch of warm plum, a hint of black fruit, and light spice. The deep flavors of the wine filled in for the more traditional red wine, cooked all day tomato sauce associated with this dish.

Torta di fomaggio or cheesecake was the foundation for the last course of the evening. Paired with this rich delight, made from mascarpone and ricotta cheeses, was house made Amaretto ice cream, and sweet balsamic syrup. Finishing the dish were chopped candied almonds. The rich creamy cheesecake and the tart balsamic were in harmony with the sweet Moscato from Elmo Pio Vineyards. The wines fruit shone bright against the cool ice cream.

The end. The night was a success, the guests were happy. Everyone agreed “Cent’anni” a toast that means “a hundred years” as in, may you be happy for a hundred years. Great themes make for great nights, such was the case tonight. July has a great theme lined up, Farm to Table. Come; join us on July 27^th for a dinner with ingredients that highlight the local produce and meats of Mercer and its surrounding counties. Until next month, “Buono mangia” (good eats).

Come in and check out our fantastic Happy Hour featuring our NEW bar menu!

Every Tuesday – Friday from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

we feature:

• $3 Springfield Martinis
• HALF off house wines (by the glass)
• $1 Coors Light & Yuengling Drafts
• HALF off bar appetizers

Also, every Sunday (ALL day long) we have $1 Coors Light Drafts and HALF off ALL appetizers!!

Pork fat rules!! So the sentiment went Tuesday night where the theme of May’s wine tasting dinner was the wonderful versatility of porcine indulgences. This was not the first dinner with this theme however. February of 2009 was the first all pork dinner and showcased favorites like Berkshire pork chops and bacon ice cream. With the popularity of the dinner, May’s menu was challenged with going above and beyond expectations. The diverse menu and wines provided by Ironstone winery certainly met that task.

Beginning our evening was complex contrast of salty and sweet, tart and creamy. Crispy pork belly was seasoned with Chinese five spice and paired with fresh watermelon, grapes and verjus to cut through the pork’s richness. A bit of raw milk cheddar cheese complemented the pork fat’s creaminess and had just enough sharp bite to highlight the sweetness of the grapes. Ironstone’s Xpression Rose from 2008 was light enough for the subtleness of the verjus and showed character in standing up to the pork belly.

A seafood course was still included in the event’s offering, albeit wrapped in pork. Buttery, flaky Alaskan Cod was blanketed in silky prosciutto. After roasting in the oven, the fish was plated with a puree of fresh basil, marinated roasted red peppers and a salad of shaved fennel. Again bucking the norm, we served a Cabernet Sauvignon from Ironstone’s 2007 vintage. The undertones of anise picked up the fennel in the salad well, as the low tannins allowed the prosciutto to shine with out leaving the Cod to be simply a blank slate, but rather a background richness essential to the dish.

Cabernet Franc and BBQ? Yes, it works. Ironstone’s 2007 version of this grape, father to Cabernet Sauvignon, blended harmoniously with the smoke and sweet of the slow cooked, smoked pork shoulder. A tart Napa cabbage slaw and the traditional white bread, in the form of French baguette, accompanied this southern treat. I wouldn’t hold out hope to find this pairing at your favorite Carolina BBQ shack just yet though.

A bit of Italy found its way to our palate with the next presentation. Pork spare ribs and shoulder were slow braised in aromatic vegetables, red wine and crushed tomatoes. Carrying this robust sauce were tender potato gnocchi. A quenelle of cold ricotta cheese took the richness of this dish to another level. Just as robust were the deep dark fruit flavors and black pepper notes from the Old Vine Zinfandel from Ironstone’s 2007 vintage. The pairing led us into our last course on a high note.

With bacon ice cream of past dinners still on the list of fan favorites, we were hard pressed to match such a dish. What followed the brainstorming was a delightful balance of sweet and savory. Creamy rice pudding was deeply flavored with the addition of smoky black pepper bacon. To cut through those heavy flavors, caramelized pineapple and cilantro syrup accented the dish. Pairing wondrously with the pork fat and the grassiness of cilantro were the light fruit notes and minimal oak of the Obsession Symphony, 2007 again from Ironstone.

All said we have found a theme that always pleases. Look to see a pork themed dinner once maybe twice every year. The gastronomic world of porcine creations seems endless. But to the future we look, June is a new month and look for the menu for this early summer dinner soon. Keep in touch, post your comments and we will see you Mercer Grille foodies again on June 29^th.

One of the many perks of my job is that I get to be a taste tester and what could be better than testing desserts?!  As a rookie tester it’s hard to keep myself from diving head first into these foods or desserts, however, the look of these desserts put me into awe and honestly made my mouth water.  One can see and taste all the hard work Chef Nate put into coming up with his new “sweet endings” creations.  Every dessert has it’s own character and will make your taste buds explode with flavor!

Welcome Mercer Grille fans! March has come and gone with spring knocking at our door. It’s the time of year to beware the Ides, and embrace the luck of the Irish. It is in the spirit of the latter that brings us to the theme of this month’s Tasting Dinner. In a welcome break from the norm, each March finds beer replacing wine as the potent potable of choice to pair with five European inspired dishes. March, of course, the home of every Irishmen’s favorite holiday, St. Patrick’s Day, seems perfectly fitted to the task.

This March Beer Dinner was fun, informative, and very tasty! Beer was poured and thoughtfully described with wonderful insight by the great people of the Erie Brewing Co. With literature in hand, each guest left with a better understanding as to the styles and brewing processes of each beer. One beer however was left to describe by its brew master, our own Sous Chef Steve Dubyak who brewed an Irish style Red Ale just for this event.

It was with that home brewed libation that we began the night. Paired with a classic English starter of Rarebit, the not so French fondue of beer and cheddar, richened with cream and flavored with Worcestershire and Dijon mustard. The sumptuous sauce was draped over thick a Crostini of Irish Soda Bread. Finishing the dish were micro shoots of mustard greens. The upfront hoppiness of the Irish Red Ale cut through the rich cream and cheese, while the back ground notes of butterscotch in the beer were perceptible in both the drink and the Rarebit. The entire dish seemed refined without the losing the “pub friendly” charm of the original.

The second course saw one of my favorite styles of beer the Hefeweisen. This particular brew, being made by Magic Hat Brewing, was named Circus Boy Hefeweisen. The classic herb and lemon flavors of this beer played wonderfully with the crisp anise crunch of freshly shaved fennel, tarragon leaves and orange blossom honey. The fennel and tarragon being dressed as a salad with vinaigrette made from the orange blossom honey and whole grain mustard. The acidic salad and beer were subdued by the addition of creamy goat cheese folded together with candied pecans, which highlighted the undertones of earth in the beer.

Bakala, or Salted Cod as it is more widely known, took center stage in the night’s third offering. Gorgeous fillets of salt cured Cod were rinsed and drained many times to remove some salt and uncover the wonderful taste of basically “Cod Gravlox”. This European way of preserving fish has been done for centuries and can be found in almost every culture. Once purged of excess salt, the Cod was combined with a little fresh bread, lemon juice and zest, and fresh parsley. The Cod was made into cakes and baked, drizzled with clarified butter and served with a puree of fresh chives, sour cream and set on a bed of organic pea tendrils. The muted hops of the Magic Hat Pale Ale paired with this dish were a perfect compliment to the salt and herb flavors of this dish.

Vinyl Spring Seasonal Amber Lager met with bone in lamb chops with outstanding results for tonight’s main course. A rich house made glace de veau; reduced veal stock with deep concentrated flavors; accented the dish and matched the bitterness of the Lager as well as its toasty back ground flavors. Pulling out the sweetness of both the lamb and beer, carrots were gently steamed until soft and whipped into a light puree. A well prepared lamb dish makes for quite the crowd pleaser here at the Mercer Grille’s tasting dinners and this one was no exception.

Sweet endings came in the form of a blackberry napoleon and toasted oatmeal ice cream. The napoleon featured layers of velvety white chocolate Bavarian, sandwiched between crispy sheets of Phyllo dough and fresh blackberries. The ice cream was a rich frozen custard, the dairy for which was steeped with toasted rolled oats. Longtrail Blackbeary Wheat matched the toasted earthiness of the oats and contrasted the sweetness of the blackberries.

Departing from the norm and matching craft beer with food instead of wine brings new bouquets to the nose and flavors to the palate. Matching food with beer brings it’s own set of challenges and rewards, but also new perspective to cooking. Look for us to pair beer with food again later this year to honor Oktober Fest in our September Tasting. As for next month, we will playing games with you. More specifically, blind tastings, pairing un-announced foods with un-known wines. Games imply prizes and such will be the case April 27^th as those oenophile attendees that can name the grape varietals will go home with a bottle of wine. See you then, and in the meantime come see us for a great dinner, or visit us here on the Mercer Grille blog to stay up to date on all the exciting activities we have to offer.

Chef Nate created five extraordinary courses that were paired with wines from Capital Wines and Spirits.

The month of February saw another great wine dinner here at the Mercer Grille. The flavors of the Mediterranean were the inspiration for the food, and we selected wines from Italy, Greece, and Spain to compliment. From first pour to last bite, a good time was had all around.

As I thought out this month’s menu it became clear a theme was beginning to emerge. Maybe it was my growing disdain for Pennsylvania winters, or that I had just finished reading Michael Psilakis’s cook book on Greek food, but my recipes all seemed to have origin in the Mediterranean. Once the theme found itself naturally, it was time to find some good juice to match this food. This month our wine came from our extremely knowledgeable and helpful purveyor, Amy Henry. Upon receiving the menu she set to task on finding a few options for each course for our General Manager and me to taste. This is always the fun part. With food and wine finalized, anticipation grew and soon the night was upon us.

A great turn out arrived, on time I might add, and took their seats. After thoughtful introduction by Teresa, our General Manager, Amy greeted our guests with foretelling stories of the wines to come. I began plating the first course, and off we went.

The first dish of the night saw tender, oregano laced, lamb meatballs or abondegas on a pool of light cilantro pesto made with toasted pine nuts, Greek olive oil, a little garlic and some Manchego cheese. More toasted pine nuts garnished the plate to add a little texture, the finishing touch was a final drizzle of the light fruity Greek olive oil. The dish was extremely well received, much to my pleasure as I have also added this dish to our bar menu. Cutting through the fat of the lamb and matching the fruit of the olive oil was a wonderful Italian Anthilia Bianca from Donnafugata’s 2008 vintage. Its crisp acidity and slight mineral and fruit undertones went over better than any of us could have imagined.

A light, palate cleansing cucumber salad, followed the lamb relying heavily on the same Greek flavors. Local greenhouse cucumbers, once peeled and sliced, were marinated simply in rice vinegar, salt, cilantro and a little sugar. Plating space was shared with cubes of salty imported Feta, Greek yogurt, black pepper and a tomato jam. The Greek style yogurt I made by allowing locally made, plain yogurt to sit in cheesecloth and drain in my walk-in cooler. The tomato jam, a cooked combination of diced vine ripened tomatoes, water, vinegar, salt and sugar added sweetness as well as a bright pop of color. The cracked black pepper garnished the plate and added subtlety underlying warmth. The wine matched to this course was a light Moschofilero from the Skouras winery in Greece. Its vintage was 2008. The acidity of the wine contrasted perfectly with the sugar of the tomato jam, and matched the acid of the marinated cucumbers as well.

The next course featured a fish requested by a regular wine dinner attendee. Patagonian Toothfish, or Chilean Sea Bass, was carefully sourced due to it’s classification as a fish to avoid by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafood watch list. The list profiles the sustainability and level of overfishing of seafood species and classifies them as Best Choice, Good Alternative and Avoid. After assurances that this sea bass was line caught as apposed to net caught, which can lead to by-catch that is often killed and wasted, and was not poached but rather caught by a licensed fisher, I succumbed to the request. I marinated the fish in a light dry rub of ground coriander

seed and baked it gently in low oven. The fish was accompanied by an eggplant curry and a puree of roasted red and hot peppers. The plate was finished with a bit of Grecian sea salt. With the deep flavors of the eggplant curry and roasted peppers, this fish was matched nicely, but not overpowered, by a light Spanish Tempranillo from the 2007 vintage of The Flying Wine Maker Winery. Dark fruits and light notes of pepper married well with the firm white fish.

Spanish slow cooking was met with a little French bistro in the fourth dish. Slow braised Pennsylvanian pork shoulder from Leidy’s in Souderton, PA was tossed with fresh serrano chilies and rolled in a light French savory crepe. Topping the crepe was a spicy chili verde sauce of simmered poblano and serrano chilies, tomatillos and braising liquid from the pork. El Burro Kickass Winery of Spain made the full bodied, almost jammy Garnacha from 2007. The underlying sweetness cut through the spice and brought the fruity aspects of chilies (actually fruit themselves) in the sauce.

A great ending to the nights meal, lukimaides or Greek doughnuts were served dusted in cinnamon and paired with house made honey walnut ice cream, in a nod to the classic flavors of Grecian desserts such as baklava. No sugar was added to the ice cream, only Van Morrison’s lyrical confection, Tupelo honey. A textural enhancement and deep nuttiness came from the ice cream’s toasted walnuts. Quite possibly the highlight of the night’s wine was the pairing for dessert. Italy lent one of its delicately sweet wines, Moscato D’Asti from the Michele Chiarlo Nivole Winery’s 2008 collection. Slight carbonation fizzled through the richness of the doughnut and notes of honey were present to match the ice cream.

Smiling diners were the marker of the night’s success. I enjoyed this menu and the company of those in attendance. March will bring a somewhat different format, a Beer Tasting Dinner. The flavors of Old Europe and updated versions of classic beer food will set the mood for a night of hops and gastronomy. Be sure to get in touch with us to reserve your seat, as they fill up fast. See you there!

Chef Nate