Scroll down to see our most recent Letter from the Chef!
Our Story
Five years ago, Kurt and Diane set out to live the dream of bringing a destination dining experience closer to home; they did this literally by building Elements on their 50-acre homestead! We hope that our guests can enjoy a casual yet elegant dinner where the entertainment includes watching the cattle graze in the beautiful rolling hills. Elements Destination Restaurant celebrated its Fifth Year Anniversary in June of 2018; the Elements’ Team is proud to have received a 5 Star rating every year we have been open!
Open Kitchen Concept
Having an open kitchen is very important to the Elements’ team; because the kitchen is open to the dining room, it creates a fun, interactive atmosphere and allows us to have a relationship with everyone who comes through the front door! You can watch your meal being prepared, talk with the cooks and…you cannot miss the aroma! In addition to seating in the dining room and on the deck, we also offer two “front row seats” at the end of the cooking line to allow guests an up-close view of the magic taking place.
Tantalize Your Taste Buds
The style of food featured is American, with a twist. Old and New World recipes from places like Germany, Italy, Scandinavia and France; as well as dishes from Grandmother’s recipe book. We pride ourselves on our handcrafted pasta, crackers, sauces and specialty items that are made with personal recipes and the freshest ingredients. The menu varies from week to week, allowing you to try something new every time you visit! Eat from the Ála Carte Menu or pick an entrée for a Four Course meal. The meal comes with the weekend’s appetizer, salad, the entrée of your choosing, dessert and all the coffee or ice tea you can drink. We also have a great selection of wine, spirits and beer!
For more information about Kurt & Diane also visit www.kdwinc.com
Letter from the Chef
Happy Thanksgiving to All!
The holiday season is here! Can you believe it? With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, there will be a lot of cooking taking place in our homes. I received positive feedback about the letter on the subject of dating opened condiments, shelf life of leftovers and other refrigeration information from a few months back (Click here to view). In light of this, I thought we would expand a little more on the topic as we move into the Holiday season and we are looking to do our food shopping and/or prepare large meals in advance.
Let’s discuss some different food items and their shelf life: fresh, frozen and canned.
Fresh & Frozen Foods:
We all know refrigerators and freezers are different, but how does the temperature variance affect food quality and viability? How often do you open your refrigerator and freezer? How do you wrap your food before putting it in the refrigerator or freezer? All those items play a role in storing your food properly. Bottom line is always smell the items, then take a look at it… if you don’t like the smell or look, don’t eat it! Click here to view list of storage times for refrigerator and freezer.
For fresh meats that are being stored in the refrigerator, cover them so they are air tight and the light is kept off them. Fresh meats should be cooked within 24 hours of purchase or wrapped properly and put in the freezer. When preparing meats for the freezer, either wrap them in plastic wrap and then wrap in foil, or you can wrap in parchment paper and then butcher paper. On the foil (or butcher paper), write the type of meat it is and the date you put it in the freezer. I recommend that you use that meat within 3 weeks of when you put it in the freezer. You will likely see a loss in quality after that time. Fresh poultry that is frozen will last longer than the 3 weeks if it is wrapped tight to keep air and ice off it.
Fresh fish is wonderful! When you purchase fresh fish, bring it home and place it in a slotted pan (a pan with holes in it), then put another pan under it. Cover the fish with plastic, then ice. Fish stored properly can last up to 4 days, but you must pour off the water and add more ice each day. Please note this is only doable if the fish was fresh when you got it! You can prepare fish for the freezer the same way you do meat. In my opinion, after 2 weeks the quality of the fish decreases, and it dries out more as the time passes.
For any frozen item, defrost it properly! Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter or in hot water. In addition, do not leave them out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. There are 4 recommended ways to thaw items. If possible, please use refrigerator thawing as it is the safest. Click here to view proper methods of thawing.
Canned Goods:
I was questioning how long canned foods are good for, so we found some information for you that I thought was interesting. Click here to view. My thoughts after reviewing it:
First, all of the cans used for foods are lined with an epoxy resin. It is my opinion that we are exposed to and digest large amounts of plastics in our foods as it is (water bottles, milk cartons, plastic wraps, bowls, containers), so I’m not in agreement with the statement about BPA. Eat fresh foods when you can.
Next, when was that food item manufactured and canned? How long has it been on the store shelves? Those are questions that always come to mind for me….so even though they say something is good for months or years, I would say eat it quickly. Make it a practice to date your cans when you purchase them and put them in your cabinet. After a time, if you don’t feel like you are going to use them in a timely manner (and they have been stored properly), pull them out to donate to your local food pantry.
I hope you have found this information helpful as you begin to prepare your home and table for the Holidays.
Have a wonderful Holiday Season,
Kurt Wolfe
Chef/Owner of Elements Restaurant
