RENEE KELLY'S HARVEST: FARM TO TABLE DINING: EATING OUT

 
Every girl wants to be a Queen and have her own castle, in some dream or the other. I have had that dream ever so many times. So when the Husband announced that we were going to Dine in a CASTLE for our Anniversary, I thought that probably he was pulling a fast one on me,knowing how I feel about castles. We live in the Midwest,and not in Europe. There are no Castles here. Well, I was surely mistaken. Right in the middle of the city, sits Caenen Castle. Built in the 19th Century by the Caenen Family. This Castle has seen many a families walking its corridors and lighting its kitchen hearth. It has also been the Castle Restaurant, a Nightclub and even a Haunted House.Now its Chef RENEE KELLY'S HARVEST: A FARM TO TABLE DINNING EXPERIENCE. 

We have been to quite a few Farm To Table Restaurants but haven't blogged about any. Remind me to post about them soon.

Chef Renee Kelly serves up an interesting and eclectic menu, promoting local farmers, in the historic Castle, which she also owns. So that's History wrapped in, to the overall culinary experience. The menu of Harvest changes ever so often, depending on whats fresh at that time of the year. They collaborate with some local farms around the KC metro area for fresh,growth hormone free ingredients, and also grow some produce themselves in their backyard.

As it was a week night, there were hardly any people there at the restaurant. Which only meant that we had the Castle to ourselves. Practically ourselves. King and Queen and Princess for the Night. With our lovely server, serving us the season's best on our plates.

We kept discussing what we would do, if our family left us a Castle. We decided we would probably live in it, if we could manage to hire a few people to help us with the cleaning. Imagine cleaning across the length and breadth of that huge Castle.

Coming back from dreams to reality, you could not miss the stone walls and the high ceilings. The warm lights added just the right touch. You could almost breathe in the history all around you.

We started off with some Sangrias made with Full Bodied Reds.And it was good !! Rarely have I had a first sip of a Sangria, and felt it to be so strong.

 Then came  in the Rabbit Loin wrapped in Proscuito with Mushroom Risotto and Elder Berry. 

 We had been fascinated with Pressed Duck  ever since we saw a Parisian episode of  Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. Its an old school culinary art which is a rarely available besides Paris. To see Prssed Duck on the menu, prompted the man to order it right away. Pressed Duck Breast served with buckwheat noodles, fresh spring greens, sorrel,mint and maple orange gastrique.  Its not wrong to say that this dish is one of the rare examples of the heights of Culinary Elegance. To sample it in the Midwest, is priceless. As if that was not enough, the man decided to add on to his already decadent plate. The man opted for an extra helping of a Duck Leg . If you are sampling a different protien, you need to atste the white and the dark portions of it, he stated.
 

It was Chicken Tenderloins and Truffle Fries and apricot jam for our daughter. The batter on the Chicken tenderloin was so perfect that I could have had a few meals on it, I swear. The chicken was moist, the batter was crunchy and the dusting of parsley and Parmesan was just perfect.

I opted for Branzini with Jade Rice, chamomille cream,fennel, orange and radish salad. The fish was firm with a crunchy crispy skin. It was filetted for ease of eating. My previous experiences with Branzino had been with the whole grilled fish, so this was definitely different. The jade rice was a great starch to bring all the elements together.

We were definitely full but what special occasion dinner is complete without dessert.

While our daughter opted for some house made Gelato, we finished off the night with some De-constructed S'mores. 

We could not have asked for more, for such a special occasion. Special mention for our lovely server, who made sure that the evening was extra special for us. The only regret I have is that, we could not meet Chef Renee Kelly in person, to thank her for the lovely experience. By the time, I had asked for her,she had already left for the night.

Maybe next time, we would visit the Castle for Brunch on a lovely Summer day, and explore the grounds as well. And Maybe get chatty with Chef Kelly as well.

RENEE KELLY'S HARVEST
12401, JOHNSON DRIVE, 
SHAWNEE MISSION
KANSAS 66216
WEBSITE: http://reneekellysharvest.com/