By LINDEN GROSS, One Stop Writing Shop & Oregon.LocalGetaways.com
Do you ever get that feeling that you want to get away even when you just can’t? For that staycation—or just an evening—that will make you feel as if you’ve left town, head to Pronghorn. Every time I turn on the road that leads there, the sky suddenly seems more expansive, the way it does in New Mexico. By the time I’ve reached the end of the long, winding road, I feel like I’ve left my regular life behind.
As much as I love this resort, I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting fabulous food at Chanterelle. It is, after all, a club restaurant. Wow, was I in for a surprise!
We settled in on the wide patio overlooking bright flower beds and a snow-capped Mt. Jefferson framed by Quaking Aspen rustling in the breeze. After cocktails and truffle popcorn, we moved into the elegant, Tuscan-style dining room with its floor-to-ceiling rock fireplace and view out to the Three Sisters.
Just as we had started to sip a lovely Turley Zinfandel selected from the vast wine list, our server Jeff showed up with Fontina cheese sticks that had been wrapped in prosciutto and grilled, topped with fried sage, skewered with a golf-tee toothpick and served over an aged balsamic reduction. “This should be breakfast food,” my friend and regular dining companion Leah said. “Or lunch,” her boyfriend Dave added. Why limit oneself? I thought.
The Windflower Farm Fresh Salad, which changes daily depending on what fresh greens are available, was a grilled kale Caesar. Tasty dressing notwithstanding, I didn’t love the texture of the grilled kale. But Leah did. “I would add a protein and just have this for dinner,” she said. Jeff confirmed that any protein including shrimp can be added to their salad, which is served with “the appropriate vinaigrette” for the greens of the day.
We moved on. I thought the six mustardy deviled egg halves would be the height of indulgence since two were topped with pepper bacon and two with Oregon truffle and caviar. As yummy as they were, they paled on the decadence scale compared to the burrata with Brussel sprout leaves that had been quickly fried and tossed in lemon juice and salt, then drizzled with Navidi’s Meyer lemon olive oil.
“This cheese [also drizzled with the Meyer lemon olive oil] makes me happy,” Leah announced. You betcha. The burrata has a skin like regular buffalo mozzarella, but an interior that’s so creamy it’s gooey. Combine that with the lemony saltiness of the fried Brussel sprout leaves and you’ve taken the concept of chips and dip to a sublime new level.
“You’ve got to try the pasta,” our server Jeff insisted. What a great call. The handmade fettuccine combined with the veal and fennel sausage Bolognese added up to rich comfort food at its finest.
We had all agreed that we had to have the elk tenderloin dusted with porcini and topped with a black truffle and mushroom demi-glace. How can you turn away from a dish that combines four of your favorites? The intense flavors melded together beautifully, but the meat could have been a bit more tender. Still, it was delicious. So was the accompanying creamed Swiss chard.
The Chef’s Creation of the day was blackened king salmon served over beluga lentils with pickled roasted purple cauliflower and a creole Béarnaise sauce. What a treat! The fish was perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked. The lentils, which look like oversized beluga caviar, added texture. And the sauce was a study of buttery lusciousness.
We ended our meal with a fresh marionberry cobbler notable for its flaky crust and a rich, warm chocolate lava cake beautifully plated with flowers, berries and hazelnuts. A shared Chocolate-Covered Cherries dessert cocktail put the exclamation point on a meal that had been downright fantastic.
From the second we sat down we did, indeed, feel like we’d gotten away. Dining at Chanterelle is simply a first-class experience that is as understatedly elegant and as comfortably low key as the clubhouse itself. The food was lovely, the staff welcoming and the service impeccable. Now that’s what I call stress relief!
Chanterelle
65600 Pronghorn Club Drive, Bend
541-693-5399
Website: http://pronghorn.aubergeresorts.com
Food & Beverage Manager: Corey Friesen
Hours: Seven days a week 5– 9pm through the summer season. The restaurant is occasionally booked for private functions so please call ahead for reservations.
{jcomments on}