With the changing season and in celebration of the new year, Essensia Restaurant & Lounge at The Palms Hotel & Spa introduces their latest dinner menu. Emphasizing flavor and healthfulness, old favorites and brand new recipes have been carefully crafted by Executive Chef Frank Jeannetti to showcase Essensia’s natural gourmet concept, offering worldly, wholesome, and tasteful cuisine in a sensuous and relaxing atmosphere. The new menu features a selection of hot winter soups, fresh appetizer salads, local and sustainable seafood entrees, natural meats, flavorful pastas, plus Pastry Chef Gail Goetsch’s newest dessert creations. Many of the dishes are highlighted as “spa selections”, being lower in calories and higher in nutritional value.
Menu highlights include Roasted Red Pepper Potato Bisque served with jumbo lump crab and avocado crème fraîche; Slow Roasted Organic Artichoke served with chorizo-lemon herb bread crumbs and miso vinaigrette; Red & Yellow Beet Carpaccio served with shaved fennel, organic arugula, endive, Maytag blue cheese, candied walnuts, and dark cherry balsamic vinaigrette; Grilled Herb-Crusted Whole Branzino served with almond-cauliflower puree and grilled winter vegetable napoleon drizzled with chorizo oil; Rice Flour Dusted Pan-Roasted Local Hog Fish served with smashed ripened plantains, charred sweet corn-edamame succotash, and orange-yellow pepper cumin sauce; Pink Peppercorn-Thyme Crusted Angus Beef Tenderloin served with Parmesan-Yukon gold potato gratin, caramelized shallots, and shiitake mushroom chips in a Port wine au poivre; Organic Honey Glazed Domestic Lamb Shank served with cheese grits and black beluga lentils in a yellow curry marsala sauce; and Seared Roast Pork Tenderloin served with carrot risotto, forest mushrooms, and raspberry-whole grain mustard sauce. Popular dishes such as the Rosemary Roasted Free Range Chicken, Braised Beef Short Ribs and the Maine Diver Scallops will remain on the menu with a new seasonal interpretation to their preparation.
Pastry Chef Gail Goetsch created an array of exquisite desserts including Banana Walnut Cake served with malted chocolate ice cream and caramelized bananas; Crème Brulée Trio featuring pomegranate, blood orange, and apple spice flavors; and Candied Orange Torrijas served with Pedro Ximénez swirl ice cream and poached quince. Organic, sustainable or biodynamic wine and Champagne selections, seasonal cocktails and classic drinks comprise the beverage program.
Utilizing local, seasonal, organic and sustainable ingredients from local purveyors wherever possible, Chef Jeannetti and his culinary team strive to create inventive cuisine using the freshest ingredients available.
To view the full new Essensia menu visit www.essensiarestaurant.com.