Welcome to the Rhododendron Cafe~

We are featuring the cooking of the Mediterranean -  including Italy, Greece, Middle East, North Africa and more.

We will also be open Tuesday ~ February 14th, for Valentines Dinner from 4 pm ~ 9 pm.  We do take reservations on all holidays for parties of 2 or more (normally just for parties of 5 or more).  Please call 360-766-6667 – Wed – Sunday for a reservation!

Following is our Valentines Dinner Menu for this year  ~ Click on the menu for a look at the full version.

Here is our Valentines Dinner Menu

Thanks for the Great turnout this weekend~  It is so great to come back from our winter break and see all our Rhody friends and it really does make us feel great being back open.  We continue on this week with cooking from around the Mediterranean ~  with a heavy emphasis on Italian Cooking this week -  as well as Greek Moussaka~  We have been getting in some beautiful produce from Hedlin Farms and Aslan’s How and the oysters this time of year are beautiful.

Special Note:  We will be open for Valentines Dinner on Tuesday, February 14 and are taking reservations for 2 or more!  Also… the Rhody Too Gallery next door will reopen Friday, February 3 ~  All Jewelery will be 20% off through the month

Read on for this week’s specials and we look forward to seeing you in!  Salute’ ~ Don, Carol, and the Entire Rhody Crew

Mediterranean Cooking~  Week 2 Februry 1st — 5th,  2012    

Lunch:

Grilled Panini with Parma Prosciutto, roasted peppers, Pesto, & Provolone

Braised Red Cabbage with French Chevre, apple, toasted walnuts

Fontina Burger  ~ 1/3 pound organic beef with Italian Fontina Cheese

Dinner:

Pollo Saltimbocca – Breast of Chicken with fresh sage, prosciutto, marsala wine sauce over Penne
Greek Moussaka with potatoes & Vegetable
Grilled Petite Tenderloin  with Gorgonzola, Caramelized Onions, & Demi Glace
Pan Seared Wild Gulf Prawns with wild boar bacon, tomato, garlic, rosemary & spinach, Served on Saffron Rice

Saturday & Sunday Brunch:

Carbonara Scramble—Egg scramble with spaghetti, prosciutto, pancetta, garlic, and parmesan

Eggs Florentine -  English muffin, sauteed spinach, poached eggs, Alfredo sauce

Italian “French” Toast stuffed with sweet ricotta and dipped in Amaretto batter;  maple syrup

Well ~  like they say – time flies when you’re having fun…. But we are excited to jump into 2012 and see our friends and family at the Rhody Cafe!  We had a great R & R and Carol, Don and Staff ventured far and wide -  Colorado, Maui, The Big Island, California, and more! 

We really do appreciate being able to get away, do some exploring and relaxing, do some much needed maintenance and contemplate the past year and get ready for the next! Thank you for that and We are ready for 2012.

Through February we will feature the cuisines of countries around the Mediterranean.  This is a fun and varied month with lots of classic dishes as well as  some exotic fare from North Africa, Turkey, etc.

Special Note:  We will be open for Valentines Dinner on Tuesday, February 14 and are taking reservations for 2 or more!

Also… the Rhody Too Gallery next door will reopen Friday, February 3 ~  All Jewelery will be 20% off through the month

Read on for this week’s specials and we look forward to seeing you in!

 Salute’ ~ Don, Carol, & the Rhody Crew

Mediterranean Cooking  Week 1 ~ January 27 – 29

 (this first week we are open Friday, Saturday, & Sunday - We will be open Wed – Sun starting next week)

 Lunch:

Grilled Panini with Parma Prosciutto, roasted peppers, pesto, & provolone

 Lamb Burger with Hummus

Grilled Eggplant & Portabella Panini with roasted peppers, Fontina, Italian Salsa Verde

Dinner:

 Pollo Saltimbocca – Breast of Chicken with

 fresh sage, prosciutto, marsala wine sauce over Penne

 Moroccan Lamb  Tagine with pear, apricots, tomato, on couscous

 Grilled Petite Tenderloin with gorgonzola, caramelized onions & demi glace

Local Rock Fish with Italian Salsa Verde, Saffron Rice

Saturday & Sunday Brunch:

 Eggs Italian~ English muffin, Italian sausage, poached eggs, marinara

Greek Scramble with shrimp

Ricotta Waffle with fresh pear &  pure maple syrup

Ethnic Odyssey 2012 ~ our 29th Year!

 Explore the World with us as we feature a different cuisine each month !

 February:  Cooking around the Mediterranean    Featuring Greece, North Africa, and more!

March:  American Regional Cooking    A tour of some of our own Cooking styles !

April:  Spain and Portugal    Regional Cooking throughout the Iberian Peninsula

 May:  Lands of Spice    From South of the Border to India & Asia

 June:  French and European Cooking    Culinary tour of Western & Northern Europe

July:  Island Cooking    Caribbean, South Pacific, Hawaii, and More

August:  Skagit Harvest  &  Northwest Cooking    Featuring the Bounty of Skagit & the Northwest

September:  Middle East and Africa    Exotic flavors from Persia to South Africa October:

Wild and Exotic and Foods of Fall    Foods of Autumn Harvest,Wild Game, and Mushrooms

 November: Best of the Rhody    A selection of Rhody Favorites from the last 29 years

Well October is coming to an end – and we will continue to feature wild and exotic foods – some local and some from afar.  Our Cascadia Mushroom Ragout has been very popular – with a combination of wild Chanterelles along with Cascadia Farms Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms.  Our Fall Pasta is always popular and we are doing a couple of dishes featuring Wild BoarBacon!

Of course we love to feature the local produce this time of year with all the fall apples, squash, beets, potatoes, and even late harvest tomatoes, salad greens & summer squash out of our garden and greenhouse
….. and of course local shellfish is at it’s peak as well.  Wild and Exotic mushrooms are also at their best this time of year.  Our “Wild and Exotic” side ranges from Local to Utah to Texas, and Florida -  We have a great purveyor of “exotic” meats – located in Utah where the Elk is farm raised. Most exotic meats available are farm raised with the exception of “wild boar” which is allowed to free range.

Read on for this week’s specials…..

Thanks for being a
part of the Rhody Family and we look forward to seeing you in!

Don, Carol, and the entire Rhody Staff ……
Carol, Beth, Hailey, Karissa  in the Dining Room
Don, Julie, Austin, Ben, Tim, Rachel, Owen,Etienne in the Kitchen
Jonelle, Ben, and Tim in the Garden
Jolene at the Rhody Too Gallery

Cooking Wild & Exotic and Foods of Fall

Week Five: October 26 -
30
Lunch Specials:
Fall Pasta ~ Penne tossed with Italian Sausage,
butternut squash, apple, toasted hazelnuts, and garlic-sage butter
Burger
Special with caramelized onion & smoked gouda
Dijon Chicken Sandwich with
wild boar bacon & arugula-walnut pesto
Gothberg Chevre with mixed
greens,wild boar bacon, green house tomatoes, and a
warm sherry vinaigrette ~
served with grilled baguette   $14

Dinner Specials:
Paella
Dinner for Two ~  including shared tapa and dessert ~   $52 for Two!
Fall
Pasta ~ Penne tossed with Italian Sausage, butternut squash, apple, toasted
hazelnuts, and garlic-sage butter
Blackened Breast of Chicken with roasted
red pepper splatter, smashed potatoes
Wild Mushroom Ragout with wild
rice-Quinoa pilaf

Week Four  ~  Saturday & Sunday Brunch ~
October 26  -  30
Eggs Austin – House English Muffin with wild boar
bacon, poached egg, jalapeno hollandaise
Wild Joe’s  – Wild Boar sausage
scramble,  exotic mushrooms, spinach, garlic, & parmesan
Pumpkin Waffle
with cinnamon-ginger butter & maple syrup
Finnish Pancake with Marion
berries and maple syrup
  

Read on for this week’s specials…..

Thanks for being a part of the Rhody Family and we look forward to seeing you in!

Don, Carol, and the entire Rhody Staff ……
Carol, Beth, Hailey, Karissa  in the Dining Room
Don, Julie, Austin, Ben, Tim, Rachel, Owen, Etienne in the Kitchen
Jonelle, Ben, and Tim in the Garden
Jolene at the Rhody Too Gallery
Lunch Specials:
Fall Pasta ~ Penne tossed with Italian Sausage, butternut squash, apple, toasted hazelnuts, and garlic-sage butter
Burger Special with caramelized onion & smoked gouda
Dijon Chicken Sandwich with wild boar bacon & arugula-walnut pesto
Gothberg Chevre with mixed greens,wild boar bacon, green house tomatoes,
and a warm sherry vinaigrette ~ served with grilled baguette   $14
Dinner Specials:
Paella Dinner for Two ~  including shared tapa and dessert ~   $52 for Two!
Fall Pasta ~ Penne tossed with Italian Sausage, butternut squash, apple, toasted hazelnuts, and garlic-sage butter
Grilled Elk Strip Loin with wild blackberry demi glace, roasted garlic mashers
Wild Mushroom Ragout with Wild Rice-Quinoa Pilaf
Week Four  ~  Saturday & Sunday Brunch ~ October 22 & 23
Smoked Salmon Benedict – House made English muffin, organic eggs, hollandaise
Ben’s Omelette ~ wild boar sausage, sautéed apple, onion, gorgonzola
Pumpkin Waffle with cinnamon-ginger butter & maple syrup

We are excited to change our focus and explore the cuisines around the Mediterranean.
Featuring foods from Greece, the Middle East, North Africa, Spain & Italy
~
Of course we have some customer & staff favorites on our regular menu
-  including our Greek Pasta and Paella.  We also take pride in our pan fried Samish Bay oysters, and our Half Pound Organic Burger!
We continue to feature the bounty of our own area as well -  Local Cheesemakers, Penn Cove Mussels, Wild Alaskan Sockeye, Local organic eggs and produce, etc.

On our Weekend Brunch we are featuring one of my favorite egg dishes ~ Eggs Lebanon – with fresh ground Lamb sausage with organic poached eggs and mint hollandaise on house made English muffin.

Thanks for being a part of the Rhody Family and we look forward to seeing you in!

Don, Carol, and the entire Rhody Staff ……
Carol, Beth, Hailey, Karissa,  Robin in the Dining Room
Don, Julie, Austin, Ben, Tim, Rachel, Jules, Etienne in the Kitchen
Jonelle, Ben, and Tim in the Garden
Jolene at the Rhody Too Gallery

Specials for August 31 ~ September 4:

Sailing the Mediterranean~

 Week One: August 31 ~ September 4

Lunch Specials:

Summer Veggie Panini ~ Grilled Vegetable Panini with roasted red pepper sauce, provolone on house French bread; with curried orzo salad

Grilled Wild Alaskan Sockeye Sandwich with Garden Pesto

Rhody Panini ~ with thin slice prosciutto, roasted peppers, provolone, basil pesto

Chuckanut Cheese Plate ~  Featuring our three local (Bow) Cheese producers ~

Gothberg Chevre, Samish Bay Lady Smith, & Golden Glen  Sweet Basil Cheddar; paired with Washington Fuji apple, fresh chutney, house made crackers

Gothberg Chevre  Salad ~ Organic greens, balsamic vinaigrette, Fuji Apple, candied pecans

Dinner Specials:

Paella Dinner for Two ~  including shared tapa and dessert – so popular we’re keeping it!

Grilled Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon Moroccan Spices & orange-red onion relish

Grilled Petite Tenderloin with gorgonzola and sundried tomato demi glace

Chicken Parmesan ~  a house favorite with fresh breast of chicken lightly breaded, pan fried and served with marinara and fresh grated parmesan on herbed penne

Creamy Polenta with Cascadia mushrooms (Shiitake, Lion’s Mane, & Oyster)  with Heirloom tomatoes, garden spinach

Saturday & Sunday Brunch ~ September 3 & 4

• Eggs Lebanon – English Muffin topped with lamb sausage, poached eggs, mint hollandais
• Shrimp, pancetta, spinach, parmesan scramble
• Torrijas -  French Toast a la España in a sherry-cinnamon batter. sweet saffron butter

Summer Veggie Panini ~ Grilled Vegetable Panini with roasted red pepper sauce, provolone on house French bread; with curried orzo salad

Grilled Wild Alaskan Sockeye Sandwich with Garden Pesto

Crab & Cheddar Melt ~ house made English Muffin – Dungeness Crab, chives, cheddar

Chuckanut Cheese Plate ~  Featuring our three local (Bow) Cheese producers ~
Gothberg Chevre, Samish Bay Lady Smith, & Golden Glen  Sweet Basil Cheddar;
paired with Washington Fuji apple, fresh chutney, house made crackers

Gothberg Chevre  Salad ~ Organic greens, balsamic vinaigrette, local berries, candied pecans

Dinner Specials:

Paella Dinner for Two ~  including shared tapa and dessert – so popular we’re keeping it!

Grilled Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon with sorrel-almond pesto on herbed penne

Grilled Petite Tenderloin with gorgonzola, caramelized Walla Walla onions & Wild Blackberry  demi glace

Creamy Polenta with Cascadia mushrooms (Shiitake, Lion’s Mane, & Oyster)  with
Heirloom tomatoes, garden spinach

Week 4  Brunch Specials  ~  August 27 & 28

Rhody Finnish Pancake with Marion berries and maple syrup (last weekend every month)

Florentine Benedict ~ organic spinach with sauteed onions &  garlic

Smoked Salmon Scramble with Chives & cream cheese on homemade potato lefse

We are featuring a “Celebration of Skagit Valley and Northwest Cooking through the month!
We have so much fantastic produce, seafood, etc – at our fingertips and it is always a pleasure to create dishes with fresh local ingredients.
We continue to get in fresh Alaskan Sockeye, Dungeness Crab, Oysters and Clams from Taylor Shellfish, Mussels from Penn Cove, etc
If you haven’t tried our Chuckanut Cheese Plate – it is a great opportunity to try a selection of cheeses from our three Bow area cheese makers.

By the Way>>>
BellinghamLive Magazine is sponsoring a
BEST OF THE NORTHWEST 2011  Contest ~

If you can -  go to the link below and vote for your favorites ( including best restaurant,  best international cuisine, etc)

We appreciate it~

KAFE 104.1 and Bellingham Alive magazine want to know who is the Best in the Northwest. Vote below for your local favorites in
several categories from Food & Drink to Services to Romance. The winners
will be listed in The October/November issue of Bellingham Alive magazine. You can vote now through August 20th Needless to say this month is a celebration of all that great food that we then create Classic and Northwest style dishes!

Thanks for being a part of the Rhody Family and we look forward
to seeing you in!

Don, Carol, and the entire Rhody Staff
……
Carol, Beth, Hailey, Karissa in the Dining Room
Don, Julie, Austin, Ben, Tim, Rachel, Jules, Etienne in the Kitchen
Jonelle, Ben, and Tim in the Garden
Jolene at the Rhody Too Gallery

Week Two: August 10 ~ 14
Lunch Specials:

Summer Garden Sandwich   Garden greens, cucumber, tomato, red onion, and spicy chickpea puree on whole wheat sesame bread

Grilled Wild Alaskan Sockeye Sandwich with Garden Pesto

Creamy Polenta with roasted green house tomato and choice of Cascioppo Brother’s Italian sausage or Shiitake mushrooms & braised greens

Chuckanut Cheese Plate ~  Featuring our three local (Bow) Cheeseproducers ~
Gothberg Chevre, Samish Bay Lady Smith, & Golden Glen  Sweet Lavender Cheddar; paired with Washington Fuji apple, fresh chutney, house made crackers

Gothberg Chevre  Salad ~ Organic greens, balsamic vinaigrette, local berries, candied pecans

Dinner Specials:

Paella Dinner for Two ~  including shared tapa and dessert – so popular we’re keeping it!

Northwest Dungeness Crab Cakes with fresh thyme & caramelized onion aioli

Grilled Alaskan Sockeye with Moroccan spices, apricot-tomato compote, on couscous

Grilled Petite Tenderloin with Cascadia shiitakes, grilled sweet onions, & demi glace

Local Vegetable Medley, roasted tomato broth with a lemon balm-caramelized onion flan

Brunch:
Saturday and Sunday – August 6 & 7

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Samish Bay Hangtown Fry ~ Frittata with local oysters, bacon, peppers, garlic

Stuffed French Toast with  local berries & pure maple syrup

We are featuring a “Celebration of Skagit Valley and Northwest Cooking through the month!
We have so much fantastic produce, seafood, etc – at our fingertips and it is always a pleasure to create dishes
with fresh local ingredients.
We continue to get in fresh Alaskan Sockeye, Dungeness Crab, Oysters and Clams from Taylor Shellfish, Mussels from Penn Cove, etc
If you haven’t tried our Chuckanut Cheese Plate – it is a great opportunity to try a selection of cheeses from our three Bow area cheese
makers.

By the Way>>>
BellinghamLive Magazine is sponsoring a
BEST OF THE  NORTHWEST 2011  Contest ~

If you can -  go to the link below and vote for your favorites ( including best restaurant,  best international cuisine, etc)

We appreciate it~

KAFE 104.1 and Bellingham Alive magazine want
to know who is the Best in the Northwest. Vote below for your local favorites in
several categories from Food & Drink to Services to Romance. The winners
will be listed in The October/November issue of Bellingham Alive magazine. You
can vote now through August 20th
Needless to say this month is a celebration of all
that great food that we then create Classic and Northwest style
dishes!

Thanks for being a part of the Rhody Family and we look forward
to seeing you in!

Don, Carol, and the entire Rhody Staff
……
Carol, Beth, Hailey, Karissa in the Dining Room
Don, Julie, Austin, Ben, Tim, Rachel, Jules, Etienne in the Kitchen
Jonelle, Ben, and Tim in the Garden
Jolene at the Rhody Too Gallery

Week Two: August 10 ~ 14
Lunch Specials:

Summer Garden Sandwich   Garden greens, cucumber, tomato, red onion, and spicy chickpea puree on whole wheat sesame bread

Grilled Wild Alaskan Sockeye Sandwich with Garden Pesto

Creamy Polenta with roasted green house tomato and choice of
Cascioppo Brother’s Italian sausage or Shiitake mushrooms & braised
greens

Chuckanut Cheese Plate ~  Featuring our three local (Bow) Cheese producers ~
Gothberg Chevre, Samish Bay Lady Smith, & Golden Glen  Sweet Lavender Cheddar; paired with Washington Fuji apple, fresh chutney, house made crackers

Gothberg Chevre  Salad ~ Organic greens, balsamic vinaigrette, local berries, candied pecans

Dinner Specials:

Paella Dinner for Two ~  including shared tapa and dessert – so popular we’re keeping it!

Northwest Dungeness Crab Cakes with fresh thyme & caramelized onion aioli

Grilled Alaskan Sockeye with Moroccan spices, apricot-tomato compote, on couscous

Grilled Petite Tenderloin with Cascadia shiitakes, grilled sweet onions, & demi glace

Local Vegetable Medley with roasted tomato broth and lemon balm-caramelized onion flan

Brunch: Saturday and Sunday – August 10 – 14

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Samish Bay Hangtown Fry ~ Frittata with local oysters, bacon, peppers, garlic

Stuffed French Toast with  local berries & pure maple syrup

Week 5 ~ July 27 – 31, 2011

Last Week of Island Cooking

We will be featuring “Celebration of Skagit Valley & Northwest Cooking in August”!

Thanks for being part of the Rhododendron Cafe Weekly Update for July 2011~
If you love the Rhody ~ PLEASE  do us a great favor and go to the link below and vote in the bellinghamlive.com – “Best of the Northwest” Contest they are currently running!  We Really appreciate your support and this would be really sweet on your part!
http://kafe.com/pages/10249146.php

We are continuing to run our “Paella Dinner for Two” -  It includes  a shared tapa, large Paella, and a special dessert for Two ~ for only $52 ~ Enjoy it with a glass of our Sangria!

If you have not tried our “Chuckanut Cheese Plate” it features our three Bow area Cheese Makers!
From Samish Bay Cheese – Black Mombazo or their award winning Ladysmith
From Golden Glen Creamery we are featuring their Lavender Cheddar, and third from Gothberg Farms fresh Chevre
Served with fresh Fuji apple, our housemade chutney and whole wheat crackers…….Yumm!

We are cutting salad greens & garlic scapes from the garden, strawberries are coming on and we are also getting New Potatoes from Aslan’s How -  along with their delicious organic eggs.  Kveta at Morgan Farm is picking us fresh raspberries and of course we continue to get fresh oysters, clams, and mussels from Taylor Shellfish and Penn Cove Shellfish.
We are featuring fresh Dungeness Crab and Wild Alaskan Sockeye this week as well.

The garden patio room is open,  the gardens are in bloom    Have a great week and We look forward to seeing you in!

Don, Carol, and the entire Rhody Staff
……
Carol, Robin, Beth, Hailey, Karissa in the Dining Room
Don, Julie, Austin, Ben, Tim, Rachel, Jules, Etienne in the Kitchen
Jonelle, Ben, and Tim in the Garden
Jolene at the Rhody Too Gallery

Island Cooking: Week Five ~

July 27 ~ July 31

Lunch
Specials:

Kona Burger ~  Our 8 oz organic beef burger
grilled with a teriyaki glaze and topped with grilled pineapple; served with all
the trimmings roasted red potatoes

Jamaican Jerked Chicken Sand ~  Grilled Breast with a zesty marinade & Fresh Chutney

San Juan Grilled Wild Sockeye Sandwich with Garlic Scape-Almond Pesto

Chuckanut Cheese Plate ~  Featuring our three local (Bow) Cheese producers ~
Gothberg Chevre, Samish Bay Lady Smith, & Golden Glen Lavender Cheddar;
paired with Washington Fuji apple, fresh chutney, house made crackers

Gothberg Chevre  Salad ~ Organic greens, braised red cabbage, Fugi apple, candied pecans

Dinner Specials:

Paella Dinner for Two ~  including shared tapa and dessert
- so popular we’re keeping it!

Tiki Shrimp & Crab Cakes ~  coconut milk, ginger, peppers, pan fried and served with ginger-citrus aioli and grilled new potatoes with vegetable

Grilled Fresh Wild Sockeye filet with a garlic scape-almond pesto on herbed penne

Grilled Petite Tenderloin with shiitakes & demi glace

Risotto with roasted Shiitake & Oyster Mushrooms, garlic scapes, heirloom tomatoes

Brunch:   Saturday and Sunday – July  30 & 31

Dungeness Crab Benedict on our house made English muffin, grilled ham, Aslan How’s organic eggs, fresh made
hollandaise

Eggs Fidel ~ Scrambled with Cuban Picadillo, Spinach, Jack
Cheese;  toast & roasted potatoes

Rhody Oven Baked Finnish Pancake
with Fresh Berries and Pure Maple Syrup