Cancelled Luz de Estrella Wine Exploration Dinner January 21, 2010

We are sorry to have to cancel this dinner. Linda has been ill and it seems that everyone is dieting as their New Year's Resolution. We will try this again later in the spring.

Eat and drink at The Turtle Restaurant with award winning winemaker, Linda Armstrong. She has created an exciting and tasteful collection of wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chenin Blanc, together with masterful blends such as their oak-casked Merlot/Cabernet and their bold Big Bend Rojo, Big Bend Blush, and Big Bend Rose. So please come and enjoy the best Wine experience West Texas has to offer.

The beauty of West Texas," is what Linda Armstrong said drew them there. "I just fell in love with the area." She and her husband, Houston attorney John Armstrong, share a passion for wine. Linda started learning about grapes from her great-grandaddy. "My great-granddaddy in Brownwood used to have grapevines" Linda Armstrong said. He showed her how to prune grapes and make homemade wine. Linda and Her husband studied the vintner's art at Grayson County College in Dennison then bought their property near Marfa. Linda and John held their grand opening on July 8, 2006. The winery is located at 100 Starlight Way in Marfa. Phone number is (432) 729-3434.

More details will be posted as I have time -

Menu

Sea Scallops En Croute -
bacon leek duxelle, mache, maytag buerre blanc, wrapped in puff pastry

Bacon Wrapped Quail -
dijon-maple glazed on granny smith apple and celeriac slaw, raspberry vinaigrette

Steak Diane -
tournados of filet, garlic, shallots, demi-glaze, dijon mustard, new potato graninee, grench beans

Wine Exploration Dinner at The Turtle Restaurant
514 Center Avenue
Brownwood, Texas 76801
325-646-8200

January 21, 2010 7:00 pm reservations required

Celebrate New Years Eve 2010 At The Turtle Restaurant

Oh Boy, our menu this year is going to be old school! See The History of Beef Wellington posted below.

Dinner will be served from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Reservations required. Call 325-646-8200 or reserve online enter the date December 31, 2009 and the number in your party. You will receive a confirmation. In the spirit of The Bakery and Chef Louis Szathmary, the evening is Three Courses Prix Fixe at $45.00 per person not including, drinks, dessert, alcohol and tip.

Bloody Mary Crab Cocktail
wild caught crab, tortilla strips, spicy tomato broth,
Tito's Vodka, pico de gallo

Winter Salad
rocket, toasted almonds, maytag bleu cheese, cranberries,
aged balsamic vinaigrette

Filet of Beef Wellington
wild mushroom duxelle, pate foie gras, puff pastry, perigourdine Sauce

Now a word about our sparking wine. We brought in a variety of sparkling wine, Cava from Spain, Champagne from France, and Prosecco from Italy for the New Year because, what kind of a New Year's celebration would it be without bubbles? Few people have heard of Cava. We think that is a shame as Spain produces many fine "champagnes" equal to the French and at a better price. So we have Champagne for the die hards, Cava for the adventurous, and Prosecco for the romantics at a wide range of price points so you can comfortably afford to try something new.

Rumor has it that there might be a live jazz duo as well.

The Turtle Enoteca will be opened from 5:00 until people leave or the law says close.

The Turtle Restaurant, 514 Center Ave, Brownwood, Texas 76801
325-646-8200

The History of Beef Wellington

You have probably heard of Beef Wellington. There are many recipes which claim to be the "original recipe", Some including truffle paste, others using brioche or pastry dough instead of puff pastry. This famous dish had a resurgence in the 1960's because former President Nixon was quite fond of it. The White House served Beef Wellington based on a recipe from the early 19th Century at every state diner during his tenure.

At the end of the 18th century it was very popular to cook meat inside pastry shells, sometimes with a sauce much like pot pies, and often just wrapping the cut with vegetables in a basic pastry made with flour and water. This pastry would protect the meat from the extreme and hard to regulate heat from the period's kitchen appliances. All of which combined to produce a juicy and fragrant cut.

The origins of the basic recipe for Beef Wellington can be traced back to the kitchen of Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington. Wellesley is famous for having won the battle of Waterloo in 1815 against Napoleon. That first version of the dish was filled with truffle paste instead of duxelle mushrooms and the wrapping was normal pastry dough.

Several other sources mention that the dish might have gotten its name from the resemblance to a highly polished riding boot -- also called a wellington boot -- when taken out of the oven. Another theory is that Beef Wellington is of Irish origin. In "Irish Traditional Food," Theodora FitzGibbon uses Irish spelling for the recipe by calling the dish Steig Wellington. While this theory has never been confirmed, it still appears in various cookbooks as part of the history of Beef Wellington.

The first time we tasted Beef Wellington was right after we were married in the mid 1970s. Food fans who were in Chicago in the 1970s probably remember The Bakery, Louis Szathmary's restaurant, one of the very best restaurants in the city, whose specialty was Beef Wellington. The popularity of the Bakery was partly due to its moderate prices and casual attire. Chef Louis was friendly and accessible. He would check on every patron, warm and welcoming, part Santa Claus and part, well ... Chef Louis. The Bakery is where we learned to become comfortable with Fine Food. Julia Child and Chef Louis were both responsible for my learning to make puff pastry, mushroom duxelle, and Beef Wellington.

Szathmaryism:

"I see no reason why the artists in the kitchen who are creating our daily bread should not be treated academically the way other artists are. To be a good chef, a good culinarian is to be an artist, and a scientist. Our skills are the perfect combination of creative, visual and performing arts at once."

Wine Enthusiast Magazine Names The Turtle Restaurant One Of The Nation's Most Wine-friendly Restaurants for 2009!

The Turtle Restaurant is one of a select number of restaurants in North America to be honored with the Award of Distinction. It represents our dedication to delivering one of the nation's most wine-friendly experience to our patrons.

Wine Enthusiast's Annual Restaurant Awards magazine feature will appear in the upcoming February 2010 issue, which will be available the week of January 11th. The article will include a listing with The Turtle Restaurant having our contact information. The Turtle will also be listed for an entire year as one of the “Award Winning Restaurants” in Wine Enthusiast's fully searchable database

We'll tell you more as soon as we know more, but this is very exciting and kind of puts us on the U.S. wine map. People still make light of Texas wine but we are telling you now that it won't be long before central Texas is the new Napa Valley. Our wine bar showcases some of the best of Texas wineries. We also serve some of the lesser known varietals from the rest of the world in addition to cab, merlot and chardonnay.

Here's your chance to see Joel Melton and friends at The Regency Bridge.

Saturday, November 28th Joel will be back at the White Wolf Trading Post by The Regency Suspension Bridge 14 miles NW of San Saba Texas on FM500 Playing all day and evening with Alton and Sue Watson come on out.

Alton and Sue Watson singing at the Regency Suspension Bridge in Regency Texas. Filmed by Joel Melton and Edited by T. Howard Maxwell for the film "There's Something in the Water".

Catching Up With Tom Bowden

If you wondered where he is and what is happening with our crazy guy on a bike, you can read about and see Tom's pictures here. I tried to post some of his pictures but apparently they won't upload from his website. So far Tom has made it to Roy's Campground somewhere in Mississippi.

We hope you will join us to celebrate his safe and heroic return and to contribute to Lance Armstrong's stem cell fund raiser on November 17 - Real Ale Beer and real beef hotdogs for everyone who donates. Why wait? You can donate here.

As you read Tommy's journal you meet people who have benefited from stem cell research in other countries, ordinary people like you and me whom he met as he rode his bike across America. By "other countries", I mean these Americans had to travel to other countries in order to receive treatment because other countries are more advanced than we are in their methods of the applications of stem cell research which they supported. That's embarrassing. We're supposed to be a world leader. Stem Cell research saves lives.

Our First THANKSGIVING At The Turtle

We've been opened almost 5 years and decided that since last year that number of families called to see if we would be opened on Thanksgiving, that we better accommodate our customers.

This is the menu: Chef Thomas' juicy melt-in-your-mouth prime rib or house smoked turkey. Dinner will start with our Windy Hill Mixed Green Salad. You'll choose three sides from of our list of traditional comfort dishes followed by a selection of traditional desserts. Home made milk and butter rolls will be on the table. Coffee and Tea included. Prime Rib Dinner is $36.00, Smoked Turkey is $27.00 Children under three are free. Reservations are required. Call 325-646-8200 or make them online. We'll be opened from 6:00pm - 9:00pm Not part of a big group? We'll have a community table for singles who want to dine with someone.