Summer is here in all of its splendor, and we love it here at Coho Restaurant. The inspiration coming from what’s being harvested is especially powerful. Our menu during this time changes every four to six weeks in order to take full advantage of the hyper-seasonal offerings. We just completed our most recent mid-summer menu change and it will eat like summer on a plate. One of my overarching menu themes with respect to seasonality is “what grows together, goes together” and that is evident in our new menu.
The summer squash, corn, and beans that make up the “three sisters” of the season are in full bloom and at their most delicious. Our heirloom string beans (Dragon Tongue, Kentucky Wonder, and Yellow Romano) come from farms here and in Skagit Valley. Our summer squash, from New Hannah Farm and Sweet Earth Farm, is punctuated nicely with the addition of squash blossoms from Skagit Valley. Of course there is corn. Washington has great sweet corn and at the restaurant it shows up with the three sisters throughout many of the savory dishes. But in a nod to fair season (think caramel popcorn) it also comes in dessert form as our pastry chef extraordinaire, Jessica, brings out her sweet corn ice cream with salted caramel swirl and a sprinkle of popped sorghum. Fun, playful, and amazing.
The shining star, however, is the tomato. Oh, the tomatoes…(pause and sigh)…yes the tomatoes. I am an unabashed believer that nothing is more amazing in summer than a fully sun-ripened, still-warm-from-the-field heirloom tomato. It is the epitome of summer. Our tomatoes come from both Mamma Bird Farm and Sweet Earth Farm here on the island, as well as Skagit Valley on the mainland. I know summer is fully here when I can find these precious gifts from mother nature. Our new sous chef, Samantha, has created an amazing dish featuring these treasures with Maria’s peaches and whipped goat cheese. (Thank you, Andre and Sunnyfield Farm!)
Of course there are many other fun dishes on the menu, including the return of rabbit from Devin at Valley Rabbits here in Washington so if you haven’t had a chance to check out the new menu, come in and dine at one of our socially distanced tables or order it to go, and take in the summer bounty on a plate. It’s local, grown the right way, and tastes amazing.
Come in for a taste of summer. Open Tues-Sat., 5-9 p.m. Book online or call 360-378-6330.