Harrington's Core Kitchen Opens At Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain
-- Hotels, 12/15/2009 12:55:00 PM
PRESS RELEASE
Chef Joel Harrington, former chef de cuisine for Fearing’s restaurant in Dallas, unveils his colorful new dream menu of Sonoran desert-spiked American classics as CORE Kitchen and Wine Bar and The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain open together north of Tucson.
Chef Joel Harrington, opening chef de cuisine for Fearing’s Restaurant in Dallas, will introduce his “True American” cuisine at CORE Kitchen and Wine Bar this Friday, combining American restaurant classics of the past 50 years with the vibrant flavors and colors of Arizona’s Sonoran desert. The result is a brightly-flavorful new menu blend of savory, salty and sweet, enlivened by such ingredients as maple syrup, Japanese snack mix, pecans, Sherry vinegar, corn tortillas, mesquite flour, avocados and Sriracha.
The contemporary, multi-venue CORE Kitchen and Wine Bar is the culinary anchor for the new Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, and features several unique settings offering an array of dining experiences where Harrington’s accessible menu will take center stage -- and where local and regional ingredients, some of them rare or custom-grown, will help to create a new kind of desert dining experience.
Harrington has a story to tell surrounding every menu item and plans to share it personally with diners as he frequents tables throughout the restaurant. “CORE is a dream come true for me,” says the outgoing and athletic Harrington, an ardent bicyclist, passionate fan of the New York Yankees, and lifelong follower of the works of the late author-journalist Hunter S. Thompson and gonzo artist Ralph Steadman. “To take favorites like the maple syrup of my home state of Vermont and combine it with the amazing chilies, meats, seafood, and fantastic fresh produce of the American West and Southwest allows me to create truly memorable new tastes. I am thrilled to be introducing CORE Kitchen and Wine Bar this week.”
With seating for 235 guests, CORE Kitchen and Wine Bar features a lively open kitchen, indoor/outdoor dining, and settings that include an interactive chef’s table, wine room and cellar, chef’s counter, private dining room, and patio lounge close to CORE’s own citrus grove. The restaurant also adjoins the resort’s Ignite Lounge and Bar, which offers 100-plus labels of smoky single malt scotches and whiskeys from around the world. “CORE is specifically designed to appeal to multiple dining tastes, whether guests prefer an indoor or outdoor, relaxed, or more defined dining setting,” said Bart Buiring, Corporate Vice President, Food and Beverage, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. “The contemporary multi-venue layout, crafted by EDG Interior Architecture and Design, pays spectacular homage to the rugged desert scenery surrounding the property, thanks to a striking use of glass, stone, wood, tile and other natural and earth-based materials. The result is a highly visual, vibrantly colorful dining experience.”
Menu Highlights
Chili-Lacquered Dry-Aged New York Strip Steak with Nopales Relish, Avocado Fries and Poblano Sauce
This dish was Chef Joel Harrington’s first creation when he came to the desert from Dallas. The nopales cactus was a new ingredient for him, and after numerous attempts to highlight its flavor, Harrington landed upon simply grilling and seasoning it with lime and salt, and then adding a roasted corn relish at the last minute. The lacquer is based on Texas-style “mop” barbecue. Ranchers used to cook sides of beef over an open fire and mop the sauce on the beef. Here, the sauce is brushed on to caramelize and create a crust, offering the spicy-sweet flavor of Mexican chili candy. Avocados are sliced to look like steak fries and seasoned with coriander, cumin and lime, then breaded and deep-fried.
Yellowtail, Radish, Jalapeo Cream, Big Eye Tuna, Avocado, Japanese Snack Mix
Celebrating the west coast popularity of seafood and Japanese-inspired cuisine, this specialty makes a play on the California sushi culture, using rice cake snack mix plus radishes and cucumbers cut to resemble rice. The snack mix is crushed, bringing a crunch to the Big Eye Tuna portion of the dish, not unlike the traditional “crunch” or crouton of a classic tartare.
Barbecued Quail, Pulled Rabbit/Tepary Bean Ragout, Mustard Crme Fraiche, Tabasco Gastrique
The combination of quail and rabbit is very local, with both ingredients prevalent in the southwestern desert. The dish features tepary beans, a staple and source of protein for Native Americans for hundreds of years, while prickly pear cactus is used in the barbecue sauce, and Tabasco becomes the predominant flavor for the sauce used on the quail. The barbecue and rabbit are influenced by a dish Chef Joel’s mother used to make for the family when he was a child in Vermont, and the chef’s young son has become a huge quail fan as well.
Chipotle-Spiked Sweet Potato Bisque, Duck Confit, Onion Marmalade
This flavorful soup offers a blend of spicy and sweet and is a play on the classic characteristics of duck l’orange. Chilies are a big part of Arizona’s flavor profile, and in this case the chipotle chili is used to bring spice to a sweet soup. The soup is finished with Vermont maple syrup, one of Harrington’s favorite ingredients and a specialty brought in from a sugar house located just 20 minutes from the chef’s home town. Duck confit from Sonoma is paired with an onion marmalade heavily-flavored with fresh orange juice harvested from the restaurant’s on-site citrus grove.
Sunizona Field Greens, Black Mesa Ranch Goat Cheese, Roasted Candy-Stripe Beets, Almond Pure, Shallot Vinaigrette
This crisp green salad features produce from Arizona’s Sunizona greens as well as goat cheese from Black Mesa Ranch in Snowflake, Arizona. Nearby Sunizona features forty varieties of greens and herbs, while the goat cheese comes from some of Black Mesa’s premier goats -- Marilyn, Ripley and Rosie, to name a few.
And for dessert, CORE’s desserts pay homage to American sweets that have always tempted the young and young at heart. Specialties include:
Red Velvet Bread Pudding with Raspberry-Cream Cheese, Ice Cream and Spiced Pecans
“Coffee and Doughnuts” with Coffee Crme Brule and Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnuts
Baked Alaska with Marshmallows and Hot Chocolate
“Reese’s” Chocolate Tart with Peanut Butter and Malted Ice Cream
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