Harvest Dinner Extraordinaire

Tommy Trause greets guests with Anne-Marie Hedges,
Marty Clubb and Beth Droppert looking on

It was a spectacular evening on Sunday when a few of us were guests of Tommy Trause, Columbia Tower Club General Manager, for an elegant harvest dinner.  Tommy generously hosted a dinner for a few of the "legends" in the wine industry on the eve prior to ZINO Vino, Spirits & Brew Liquid Assets Forum.  

It was a family-style dinner in the Harvest Dining Room which boasts an unbelievable view of Mount Rainier.  For the feast, there was a large table beautifully set with colorful garden flowers, lots of wine glasses and casual metal quarter-sheet pans to serve as oversize plates and glass towels serving as

Clockwise, L-R: Dick Boushey, Norm McKibben, Luanne Boushey,
Ken Hatch, Rose Ann Rinkel, Marc Droppert, Tom Hedges,
Chef Tyler, Cathi Hatch, Server, Chris Wentlandt,
Anne-Marie Hedges, Marty Clubb, Beth Droppert, Stephan Martinez,
Charles Finkel, Thomas Henick-Kling

oversize napkins.

The guests had brought with them a bottle or two of a "braggable" liquid asset to share so it was lots of fun to taste so many different wines including selections from Pepper Bridge, Cinq Cellarss, Hedges Family Estate, L'Ecole, Lachini Vineyards, Col Solare, and a number of European wines too.

Columbia Tower Club's Food and Beverage Manager, Chris Wentlandt saw that the service was friendly,yet impeccable while Chef Tyler and his team did an amazing job with the food

Chris Wentlandt serving fried chicken to Anne-Marie

which included the BEST fried chicken and potato salad I have ever tasted!  To give you a sense of the menu, here is what was on the table when we arrived:

Bowls of fresh cherries
Bowls of fresh nectarines
A selection of unusual cheeses with Quince Jam
Artisan Bread and Lavoshe crackers
Fresh Heirloom Tomatoes with Feta Cheese
Fresh String Beans with Cream 
Fingerling Potato Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette

Chef Tyler and Chris then brought around the incredible fried chicken in a giant bowl and grilled salmon with a delicious cherry compote accompaniment.  This is one of the few dinners where I have seen people actually take "seconds".  The fried chicken and potato salad were both readily accepted when more was offered. 

And then the piece de resistance was a delicious molten chocolate cake drizzled with rosemary fruit vinegar.  It was a beautiful dinner with new and old friends.