Food as Art: The Town House

The Chilled Vegetable Minestrone

Food is an inspiration. On a recent trip this fall to the Town House in Chilhowie, Virginia, we were blown away by the 10 course dinner, a sensory experience like none i've ever had. Inspired by their hikes on the nearby Appalachian Trail, the chefs use things like nitroglycerin to change the textures and presentation of their dishes. And most of these creations DO look like something you might see on the shady forest floor; a flourescent moss, a gelatinous, glistening mushroom, a myriad of colorful wildflowers among black rocks.

Below, from top to bottom: Chorizo Boullon with various Spanish influences; Cardamon Scented Duck with pear poached in passion fruit, parsnip, and stilton wine; Cured Hamachi & Bev Eggleston's Pig Tail with pickled oyster, sea lettuce and a broth courtesy of Allen Benton; Thorntree Farms lamb cooked in ash with dried fruit and black garlic marmalade, wild rice "polenta"; Purple Mountains with latte, anise seed, black sesame oil, yogurt, fig and concord grape