Good Fun for Good Friday

Despite the religious title, this is not going to be about religious things. Except to note that I am SO looking forward to the most delicious brunch ever at Timberline Lodge on Easter.

Usually I make a leg of lamb with mint jelly and tiny new potatoes and asparagus with hollandaise sauce and crescent rolls and something lemony for dessert. Very yummy and enjoyed by all.

But Professor X really wanted to go to the special once-a-year brunch on Mt. Hood, so we are delaying our traditional dining experience until next weekend for an amazing five-hour extravaganza of stuffing our face. At least, that's how long he'd like to sit at their lovely tables and gorge himself. But I think they might get a little annoyed if we stayed that long, since other diners will be waiting for their seating.

Here is the menu (doncha wish ya wuz me?):

Timberline Easter Brunch Menu 2009
NORTHWEST SEAFOOD BAR
Smoked and raw shucked oysters, Dungeness crab legs, Washington blue mussels, bay shrimp cocktails, lodge-smoked scallops, hazelnut smoked sturgeon
MADE TO ORDER TIMBERLINE OMELETTE BAR
HAND-CARVED ROASTED MEATS
Smoked black pepper crusted baron of beef with rosemary jus, brown sugar glazed ham with pearl onion marmalade
BELGIAN WAFFLES AND CASCADE CHEESE BLINTZES
CHILDREN’S BUFFET
Featuring Pancakes, scrambled eggs, macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders,
hash brown bites, cereals, and fruit
FRESH JUICE ASSORTMENT
LODGE-SMOKED CHINOOK SALMON MOUSSE
With bagels, cream cheese, red onions, capers, and lemon
SEASONAL FRUIT DISPLAY
LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL ARTISAN CHEESES
CEDAR PLANK ROASTED OREGON SALMON ON GRILLED ASPARAGUS
ASSORTED ARTISAN BREADS AND PASTRIES
EASTER BENEDICTS
Grilled corn cakes stacked with ham and mushroom frittata,
meyer lemon beurre blanc and fresh bay shrimp
SAUVIE ISLAND POTATO-LEEK AND TILLAMOOK WHITE CHEDDAR GRATIN
APPLE-SMOKED PEPPER BACON AND SAUSAGE
GRILLED CITRUS AND HERB MARINATED CHICKEN BREAST
With a willamette valley champagne veloute
FIRE-ROASTED EARLY SPRING VEGETABLES ROASTED CARROT BISQUE
With gingered-orange crème fraiche
TIMBERLINE’S PASTRY CHEF’S EASTER DESSERT BUFFET
Featuring desserts, cakes, and pies from roxanne hanset and sarah benton
STRAWBERRY-ALMOND BRUNCH PANZANELLA SALAD
With grilled huckleberry poundcake and banana bread
ONION AND FOREST MUSHROOM FALLUKA
A spanish easter tart with caramelized spring onions and wild mushrooms
APPLE-CUCUMBER SALAD
With toasted caraway vinaigrette and red onions
CORRONA BEAN RAGOUT
Slow cooked corrona beans and smoked ham hocks
ROAST BEET SALAD WITH SHERRY AND
DUNDEE HAZELNUT VINAIGRETTE SALAD OF LOCAL ORGANIC GREENS
Served with an assortment of house-made dressings
A CLASSIC WALDORF SALAD FEATURING HOOD RIVER FRUIT
OREGON RED POTATOES STUFFED WITH ALBACORE TUNA
VEGETABLE ANTIPASTO PLATTER
With cippolini onions, olive assortment, pickled vegetables, marinated artichoke heart

Be still, my heart.

My original thought was to simply entitle this "Fun for Friday," do a google search for "fun", and talk about each of the results. There are 732,000,000 results for fun.

I do not know if Timberline Lodge's Easter brunch is in there. But it sure as heck is at the top of my list.

Look at that menu again. ORGASMIC. If it doesn't strike you that way, you are weird.

I'm struggling with how to train for this event. Do I eat very little between now and then, to build a great appetite?

Or do I eat large meals today and tomorrow, to stretch my stomach capacity to hold the 25 raw oysters and oh! ONION AND FOREST MUSHROOM FALLUKA and LODGE-SMOKED CHINOOK SALMON MOUSSE mmm.... must try some hazelnut smoked sturgeon... yeah! But I need room for the CARROT BISQUE With gingered-orange crème fraiche and uh uh uh....

The thing is, no matter how much I manage to consume, trying to take a tiny bit of everything in order to experience all the marvelous tastes, Professor X will exceed me. The man has an incredible capacity.

And he looks like this (really, he does, it's uncanny how good a likeness this is):I do not look like that. Not remotely. Which makes me want to do this:



Cool Star Wars stick figure graphic courtesy of http://www.yarsrevenge.com/ Go check it out, it's fun!


Happy Easter, all.