Winter Comfort Foods at Their Best

Posted: 12-12-12

On these short, bleak days of Willamette Valley winter, a soul needs the warm comfort of PASTA! In The Dundee Bistro kitchen, Chef Flanagan continues to push the limits of his already top quality house made pastas and sauces–filled pastas are his current obsession. Moving on from familiar ravioli, he’s creating cavatelli with local goat cheese and classic marinara; agnoletti with fresh winter kale and goat cheese. Flanagan’s goal is a daily new filled pasta! Stop by and taste his progress–you’re promised a delicious discovery.

Winter salads are another favorite challenge. The newest creations are a variation of grilled romaine and seasonal citrus.

Also on the current menu: fresh (not frozen!) razor clams, a culinary blessing of living near the clean, cold Pacific.

Coming in January: Winter Wednesdays… Flanagan has some great meals planned!

HOLIDAY HOURS

Christmas Eve – Closing at 3PM
Christmas Day – Closed
New Year’s Eve – Closing at 3PM
New Year’s Day – Closed

Bounty of Forest Beauties

Posted: 11-17-12

Rain, rain, don’t go away! Wild mushrooms are here to stay…well, at least for the winter season. Fat, meaty Porcinis just arrived in Chef Flanagan’s kitchen, along with delicately spicy Matsutake and golden, fruity Chanterelles. Soon, local foragers will bring in Hedgehogs, Chicken of the Woods and, if we’re all lucky, truffles. As Flanagan observed, “This harvest was perfect for grapes, but not mushrooms. They were late and, up to now, scarce.” He’s thrilled with the arrival of beautiful fungi, and, of course, busy dreaming up dishes to showcase the wild bounty from nearby forests.

The first of Flanagan’s recent creations debuts this weekend—and is, appropriately, a first dish: Minestra of Mushrooms. In Italy, a Minestra can be a thick soup, risotto or pasta that is served after the antipasto and before the secondo or main dish; in Dundee it’s a hearty appetizer–an exotic, fragrant dish, ideal for sharing. Flanagan’s version combines three of the wild beauties—Porcini, Chanterelles and Matsutake—lightly sautéed with pancetta and leeks, garnished with shaved Grana Pandano and accompanied with grilled Carlton Bakery baguettes.

Everyone at The Dundee Bistro wishes you and your family a pleasant Thanksgiving! The Bistro will be closed on Thanksgiving and will close early Wednesday, December 12 for the hard-working staff’s annual Holiday Party.

This season, locals reign!

Posted: 11-07-12

Au revoir tourist season!

Though management may grumble, Yamhill Valley residents will gratefully greet local restaurants’ slower pace—no wait lines, choice seats, detailed service and menu specials. They well deserve their VIP status. The relaxed tempo affects the kitchen staff’s status as well, from summer’s studied focus on quickly preparing consistently high quality food, they can now take on many set-aside tasks. For Chef Flanagan, it’s time to dream up and experiment with new dishes and more time-consuming ingredients.

He introduces two winners this week: sweetbreads, their delicacy retained and reveled under a contrasting crispy breading, subtly enhanced with sautéed chanterelles. Duck confit appears in complete local, seasonal, elegant autumn glory— poached quince, persimmon, pears, hazelnuts…with a finishing flourish of Dundee Briar Rose Creamery’s chevre! Check for availability on the chalk board or with your server.

Sommelier Chris Berry knows his extensive wine list of over 350 selections backwards and forwards. Besides discovering great wines for The Bistro, his joy is discovering the perfect for your dish, taste…and budget. Just ask!

Taste the Fruits of Autumn!

Posted: 10-19-12

The Essence of Autumn is brought to your table with Chef Flanagan’s newest entrée…beautiful with the fruits of the season; delicious with comforting, contrasting flavors; so enticingly aromatic you can almost sense the earthy, warm fragrances from the photo! Prime local pork loin is tandoori-grilled; the succulent meat enhanced with roasted grapes and Pink Lady apples, all colorfully and enticingly set on smoothly sweet yam puree. The dish is finished with a Chef Flanagan signature light, flavorful demi-glace.

At the Dundee Bistro, soups and light sauces are taken seriously. Every day a huge stock pot simmers creating the base for finishing sauces and the imaginative, always delicious daily soups. Chef Flanagan shies away from reliance on cream, bacon and butter, preferring to prepare his dishes with inherently deep, rich, complex stock. He also shies away from waste…an important consideration in any kitchen!

Grapes, yams, pumpkins and pomegranates signal the beginning of the holiday season, now just around Halloween’s corner. Our flexible private dining room—accommodating up to 48 seated—is being reserved for those special celebratory dinners and gatherings. For booking information, contact Ashley or Courtney by phone 503-554-1650 or email.

Debuting Fall Dishes!

Posted: 10-12-12

The real Willamette Valley fall of misty mornings, mud and our beloved fleece has arrived…greeted as an old friend following months of al fresco dining in The Bistro’s popular courtyard. Extended warmth and brightness, however, was making the natives nervous! So calm down–The Bistro is stocked with firewood, friendly servers and Chef Flanagan is busily creating a number of comforting new dishes.

The first to debut is chitarra pasta…housemade, as are all our pasta; the strands formed with an authentic Abruzzese “guitar” cutter. A light sauce is judiciously warmed with Calabrian chile and a hint of garlic, then ingeniously contrasted and brightened with Manzanilla sherry. The dish arrives topped with tender grilled prawns, garnished with winter arugula. A medium full, distinctly varietal dry white wine such as currently BTG Ponzi Chardonnay 2011 will complement this pasta…or ask for a recommendation from Sommelier Chris Berry.

And remember, it’s not quite winter and the courtyard not quite closed—for chilly but bright afternoons, we now have heaters! Plus, a little chill in the air presents the perfect atmosphere to sit close together…Happy Dining!