Message from Margo

(continued) We hit some true culinary high notes in 2005. Our continuing accolades include:

• Best Fine Dining Establishment in Utah (Best of State Medal)
• DiRoNA (Distinguished Restaurants of North America)
• Four Diamond (AAA)
• Award of Excellence (Wine Spectator)

Chef Frank Mendoza joined us in May and he is surely hitting his stride as we begin our 2006 season. Ian introduced a new seasonal wine program last summer. It was such fun to see so many of you at our Summer Menu tastings! We donated all of Log Haven’s proceeds on October 5 to victims of Hurricane Katrina. In lieu of holiday gifts, Log Haven and our employees donated additional funds to the Red Cross.

Be sure to note our upcoming events and stay posted for some really exciting plans. Chef Frank is introducing his newest menu beginning on January 16th with Washington wines featured as accompaniments. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and you won’t want to miss Chocolate Fantasy week in March - it promises to be truly sinful! By April we’ll be aching for spring - here at Log Haven we plan to THINK GREEN with a passion. Watch for updates on this and other specials.

In the meantime, I wish you a prosperous and exciting 2006. Please do write us with your thoughts about Log Haven. We like to hear about what brings value to your experience, and, importantly, your ideas for how we can fulfill your dining desires. May you continue to live your highest ideals and savor the pleasures of Log Haven regularly.

I look forward to seeing you soon!
Best wishes,
Margo

I Am a Wild Thing
by Frank Mendoza

(continued) And that same salmon is looking for a mate. He will not tolerate being told a mate has been selected for him, no way! All the while, he swims fast and hard to escape every possible disaster, but especially “The Chef” because, let’s face it, he tastes so damn good. Of course I do not even imply that I am “The Chef,” that salmon would burrow in kelp and reticence.

If you put the farmed salmon next to me on that same plane, what would our conversation be? He would be telling tales of LA freeway-style fish jams, he would smell foul, opposite of the sweet seawater the ancients know. His flesh is dyed orange carotene like some Franken fish with a carrot for a father and a Petri dish for a mom. Would a dairy cow have had a more authentic and interesting life? I think so.

Do not trap yourself (trap a lobster) in the equivalent of a culinary cubicle. Get out and find some wild things to eat, at the very least those “wild” dandelions in your yard could be edible. A wild oyster is best opened with a rock on a seaweed mattress. A large sea-going rainbow trout can be caught by the tail in the shallows of a quick-flowing, noisy current. (If you have wild eyes and can “see” underwater.) A wild horse can be dodged effectively, but only if your wild hunger listens to the pomegranate speak.

I like plants and flowers and vegetables that grow in the wild and I think I know why. A wild onion (ramp) will grow essentially where it is best suited to the soil content and the climate, as will a wild morel or porcini. They make their own rules and take only tasty prisoners. They will TASTE wild, there is another flavor added, another sense, Umami, if you will.

We then must stalk them in these climes and conditions of simple rapture, sometimes muddy and sweaty on our knees, nose to the soil. We are plant predators, subject to wild thing humor. Like when a bee flies into your ear while you are hanging from some tree limb trying to snatch up a last black fig of the season. How bad do you want it then? A wild thing will grab the fig, smash it into the ear and eat that bee too. Only another wild thing can truly be aware of its own. You must get your face 12 inches from the soil to see every wild thing that may be there; so don’t wear your Kenneth Coles, ok?

There are very few wild things at your local grocer, yet it is a big payoff when you find some. You will feel better, look better, and grin for no reason. Your eyes may get a little redder but that’s a small price to pay when you eat wild things. (The redness is a side effect of the wild thing obsession.)

Or you can come up to Log Haven, where we have been known to have a few wild things locked up in the kitchen and sometimes simply running amuck outside. Come in, sit down and enjoy...I will make sure nothing will bite you back!

Wedding Planning
by Faith Sweeten

(continued) I know the tradition of wedding ceremonies and experience has taught me originality. I always encourage the bride and groom to create a ceremony that will signify their relationship, love and individuality.
I’ve put together a few of my own wedding ceremony suggestions and borrowed a few from previous lovebirds. I hope this aids you as you begin to plan your special day.

Music sets the tone:
Classical music - strings, harps, guitarists - in an outdoor setting is nothing less than melodious against our mountains.

A DJ personalizes the music. As a surprise for his bride, a groom handpicked a Robert Plant song to play as he and the bride made their way back down the aisle after the ceremony. The look on her face when she heard the very first notes was priceless.

Sometimes, the timing of the music creates a dramatic entrance. We orchestrated a wedding in which each bridesmaid and groomsmen made their way around Log Haven’s lakeside meadow without music. Then, the music began to play softly as father and daughter proceeded around the pond, each chord increasing with intensity as they walked arm in arm. When they reached the garden’s edge where her groom was waiting, the chosen song was at the grand finale.

The processional in keeping with tradition is as follows:
Grandmother and her escort; Father of the Groom; Mother of the Groom and her escort; Bride’s mother and her escort; Minister, Groom and Best Man (from a side entrance); Groomsmen and Bridesmaids; Matron of honor; Ring bearer; Flower girl; Bride and her Father

At Log Haven, we have a hillside amphitheater with five tiered ledges. The bride takes a secret pathway to the top of the amphitheater and surprises her guests with a grand entrance, proceeding down the center to her waiting groom. I was honored to attend a wedding where the groom was so overtaken watching his bride walk toward him, that when she reached his side, he took her in his arms and they embraced.

The officiator:
Next to our lovely couple, the officiator is one of the most important people at the ceremony. Some of Utah’s best officiates are George Garff, Tom Goldsmith, Sharon Salinas and Anita Gordon. Customizing the elements of the ceremony is a way to personalize the event.

Another unique Log Haven ceremony involved some pre-planning and orchestrating by the minister. Both the bride and groom had children of their own. After the procession, the minister told the audience that for a few minutes he was just going to be speaking to the bride, groom and their children. He then instructed the children and their parents to form a semi-circle in front of him where he gently and lovingly spoke to each of them about their new family, praying for each member. Afterwards, they returned to their place in line and the ceremony began.

It is my wish that these suggestions will help the wheels of creativity as you plan your event. Log Haven’s mountain splendor offers several backdrops for memorable ceremonies; a winter conservatory with views of a snow-covered waterfall, two indoor-fireplaces, an exclusive lakeside garden meadow, and a hillside amphitheater with private bridal entrance.

The Perfect Place for Valentine’s Day

(continued) The delightful four-course Valentine’s Menu is $60. Please call soon for reservations so we can help make your Valentine’ Day perfect. 801.272.8255

Washington Wine Program
by Ian Campbell

(continued) The state is divided roughly down the middle by the Cascade Mountains. The western half, to the Pacific Coast, is damp and foggy, limiting wine production to very light wines that only succeed in good vintages. On the eastern side of the Cascades, the climate is arid and it is only irrigation that makes growing wine grapes possible. All of the Bordeaux varietals are grown here plus Chardonnay and Syrah.
Washington State’s northerly latitude (46-48 degrees north) averages 17.4 hours of straight sunlight per day during the growing season - two hours more than in the Napa or Sonoma valleys of California. Warm temperatures throughout the day and cool nights allow the fruits’ natural acids to remain high, creating richly flavored and well balanced wines.

I will be featuring three American viticultural areas (AVAs): Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley and Walla Walla Valley. The Columbia Valley has the most vineyard acres, the Yakima Valley has the most wineries and the tiny Walla Walla Valley is creating the most excitement with many of the top wines being made there. At Log Haven, the following wines will be offered in both 3oz and 5oz portions during the winter months:

Chateau Ste Michelle Eroica Riesling 2004
A joint collaboration between Chateau Ste Michelle and Dr. Ernst Leusen of Germany, this has to be my favorite New World Riesling. According to the winery, it “delivers a unique combination of tangerine aromas characteristic of Washington State Riesling, melded with the mineral and slate notes and lively, crisp acidity associated with German Riesling.” Roughly three quarters of the grapes are sourced from the Yakima Valley, the remainder coming from Ste Michelle’s Horse Heaven vineyard in Columbia Valley.

Columbia Crest Merlot Grand Estates 2002
The Columbia Crest winery has been producing some of the best value-based wines in Washington State under its Grand Estates label. Winemaker Ray Einberger describes this merlot as full of “blueberry and cocoa aromas (that) continue in the mouth. Velvety softness trails across the palate leaving a rich fruity finish.” The grapes are sourced from the Columbia Valley.

Sagelands Cabernet Sauvignon “Four Corners” 2002
The grapes come from the ‘four corners’ of the Columbia Valley - the Wahluke Slope, Horse Heaven Hills, Rattlesnake Hills, and the Walla Walla Valley. This wine is made from mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with small amount of Merlot, Cabernet franc, and Malbec added to provide complexity. The wine has aromas of Bing cherry, vanilla and caramel. It has bright cherry and black currant flavors with round tannins and a touch of cocoa powder on the lingering finish.

L’Ecole No 41 Estate Syrah Seven Hills Vineyard 2003
This wine is BIG! Only 1241 cases were made. The Syrah grapes were hand-harvested and gently crushed into one-ton stainless steel fermenters. After fermentation, the wine was aged in small oak barrels (approx. 50% new oak) for 18 months. The winery provides this mouth-watering description: “This...Syrah was hand-harvested ultra-ripe with jammy dark plum, dense blackberry and elegant meaty flavors. Loaded with perfumed spice and mint aromas, this wine is packed with concentration and unrelenting intensity.” It is made from 100% Syrah sourced entirely from the Walla Walla Valley.

Log Haven’s Upcoming Events