Another month, another new menu at The Willistead.
We recently sat down and indulged with chef and owner, Jim Renaud, both in food and in conversation. The passion this man has in the kitchen is reflected in his food. Here are 5 items on The Willistead’s new menu you need to go try right now.
roasted heirloom carrots
I don’t know what chef Jim’s magical hands did to these carrots, but, keep doing it! Placed atop hummus, simply pan roasted with salt and pepper and some honey. This is one of many several vegetarian dishes they now offer.
scallops
These scallops were the biggest that chef Jim could get his hands on. Add some green apple horseradish and coleslaw on top to go with a nice sear and crunch before finishing it with a cider molasses drizzled over top.
beef tips
The best seller on The Willistead’s menu is staying. These tips are made from beef tenderloin and dusted in Cajun spices before being seared over high heat. Chef Jim tries to leave the meat medium rare to medium which is what meat should be cooked to.
fried guacamole
If there is anyone that doesn’t like avocado I don’t want to meet them. Chef Jim came with the idea for this take on the avocado at 3am one night. You pretty much get to make your own table-side guacamole, complete with warm tortillas, smashed fried avocados, red pepper pico de gallo, cilantro pesto, cumin crema and, of course, fresh lime.
Cauliflower Fritters
The cauliflower fritters have been on the menu and popular pretty much since the inception of The Willistead. They tried doing other adaptations of the fritters like butternut squash fritters, green peas fritters and others, but, the cauliflower with pear curry, feta, cumin yogurt, pomegranate molasses and radish has always lived on. You can order them in 3 piece or 6 piece sizes.
