Tilth, After Drooling For Over a Year.

A few weeks ago we were in beautiful, cool Seattle. Now I'm in balmy 80 degree Memphis. Sticky. Humidity short circuiting brain.

While in Seattle we dined at Tilth. I had initially read about this restaurant in the New York Times last year when it was named one of the Top 10 best new restaurants OUTSIDE of New York. I was drawn in by the photograph of this beautiful old house painted an earthy green tone. It just seemed so warm & cozy. The restaurant focuses on local, sustainable produce, meat, fish, etc. Since I was on the veggie tip on my last post, I'll start there. There are two dishes that stand out in my mind. Kelly ordered the cassoulet based on earthy, creamy, unctuous beans with wild chanterelles & Oregon truffles. Simply superb! I know, I know! Cassoulet without duck confit & duck sausage! If it makes us feel more comfortable we can call it something else.

The second dish was absolute heaven. Braised pork cheeks over a pig trotter cake in a pancetta-parmiggiano broth. Honestly, I wish I could describe this dish but I really don't think I could come close. The only thing I can say is that it gave me the same feeling I used to get when I was in my grandmother's kitchen smelling those sweet/savory smells & eating her incredible food. It paired perfectly with an rich, earthy, truffly, dark cherry laden Evesham Wood Pinot Noir 2006 Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon. I plan on seeking this winery out when I go to Oregon Pinot Camp in June. Cheers!