We visited the Herbfarm again last week. It was, once again, the most amazing foodie experience I've had on the West Coast to date. I'm still not willing to admit that it's better than Aujourd'hui, although it comes exceedingly close.

Interestingly, we visited the restaurant around this same time last year. It's the peak of the mushroom harvest in the Northwest right now, so it's no surprise it was the focus of their current menu. We love mushrooms, so it was absolutely perfect. 9 courses, lots of wine, and 5 hours gone in no time...and now it's a fading memory:

A Menu for
A Mycologist's Dream

From the Gatherer's Basket
Morel Mushroom Flan
Cauliflower Mushrooms with Chestnuts & Quince
Oyster with Angel Wing Mushrooms & Sorrel
2000 Argyle Brut

Dungeness Crab, Matsutake & Lemon-Thyme Consomme
2003 Elemental Cellars Melon

Basilwood-Smoked Sturgeon
With Yellow Chanterelle & Salt-Roasted Potato Salad
And Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
2004 Solena Oregon Pinot Gris

Three Mushroom & Leek Lasagne
Lobster, Blue Chanterelle & Hedgehog Mushrooms
With Parsley-Walnut Sauce
2004 Buty Winery Chardonnay, Conner-Lee Vineyard

Rosemary & Concord Grape Ice

Anderson Ranch Lamb with King Boletes
With Flageolet Beans and Beets
2002 McCrea Cellars Syrah, Ciel du Cheval

Rogue River Blue Cheese
With Spice Bread, Tart-Cherry Chutney, and Herbfarm Honey

Anthology of Autumnul Desserts
Caramelized Pear on Lavender-Almond Cake with Sabayon
Pumpkin-Bay Sundae
Apple Souffle
With Rose Geranium Custard Sauce

Brewed Coffees, Teas & Infusions

A Selection of Small Treats
Vintage 1916 Barbeito Malvazia Madeira
Herbfarm Potato-Onion Rolls & Multi-Grain Baguettes
Chervil-Calendula Butter Coins

I've already snagged a few of those wines. I was particularly fond of the McCrea Syrah; in fact, many of his wines already occupy a space in my collection. I especially love the '03 Sirocco.

Some other restaurants we've eaten at in the past few weeks that I'd highly recommend include Cafe Campagne (great Sunday brunch), Crush (new restaurant, just opened a few months back), and the Harvest Vine (OK, I admit, we find ourselves here a little too often).