UNION, Wash. — With its Hood Canal waterfront and Olympic Mountains backdrop, it's clear why Alderbrook Resort & Spa has been a getaway since 1913. It's a place that's both cozy and classic.
And not afraid to try new things — like the warmly lit domes where locally sourced gourmet meals are being served.
“Oh they're awesome," Chef Sara Harvey said. "They glow like little igloos.”
Alderbrook's new 'Culinary Adventure Tents' are this team's answer to surging COVID-19 cases and a winter dining room remodel.
"We looked at it as a challenge and an opportunity to have some fun ideas and create some new experiences for our guests,” said Mark Phelan, Alderbrook’s Director of Sales and Marketing.
We've all seen dining bubbles by now, but these ones work a bit harder to bring the outdoors inside.
"It's an incredible culinary experience as well as an incredible guest experience, because of the view, and the service, and the food, phenomenal,” Phelan said.
Guests can wrap themselves in thick blankets, bask in the glow of a fire, and then feast on a themed meal paired with wines. January’s menu is ‘Dirt and Roots’.
“Because we draw so much inspiration from what's around us, we have a lot of food that comes straight from the dirt, a lot of root vegetables," chef Dallas Miller explained. "It’s very grounded.”
‘Dirt and Roots’ is also delicious: mushroom and potato gratin with shaved black truffles, roasted beet salad with blue cheese-cake (once you have it you’ll trade savory cheesecakes for sweet ones forever), slow-roasted pork cheeks with a barley risotto, Dungeness crab pasta, and a sweet potato pound cake for desert. And portions are generous. This is not one of those multi-course meals with two tiny bites on each plate.
These tents may be new, but outdoor dining is something Alderbrook has been doing for years. And they plan on serving fresh fare in the fresh air for many years to come.
"Outdoor dining is something we do feel pretty strongly that people are going to want to continue doing even after the pandemic is over,” Phelan said.
Chef Harvey agreed, adding that this scenic spot was serving outdoor beauty alongside outdoor meals long before 2020.
"Our goal is to get folks out of their hotel rooms, out of the restaurant space,
and experience what we all love to live here and do, which is pull oysters out of the water, pick mushrooms on a hike, and see what happens around a campfire," she said.
A meal in one of Alderbrook's Culinary Adventure Tents is $175 plus taxes and gratuity, reservations are required, and this experience is for guests 21 and over. February's theme is 'Chocolate and Rose.'
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