With spring comes a natural shift in our eating preferences; we begin to seek out lighter fare with brighter flavors, and area chefs are refining their menus to reflect these seasonal preferences.
“We move now from the heavier braises and richer sauces into the lighter, quick-cooking proteins and vegetables,” said chef Tyson Amick of Aubriana’s.
Amick typically changes his menu at least six times a year, keeping many of the focal points but switching up the sauces and accompaniments to reflect the seasons. Starters on his spring menu include a foie gras appetizer with an olive oil biscuit, wild strawberry preserves, a basil emulsion and a balsamic reduction and a salad of mixed spring melon with wild arugula, prosciutto, cucumbers and fresh mint. Entrée selections include crab and lobster cakes with market vegetable succotash, lemon butter and shoestring sweet potatoes, as well as coriander-crusted diver scallops with corn Johnny cakes, edamame puree, tomato-jalapeño relish and a cilantro-lime aioli.
Chef Jason Raynor of Antonio’s Pizza and Pasta in Porters Neck began creating seasonal menus for the restaurant last fall and says that he often refines the seasonal menus by first testing dishes out as specials and requesting customer feedback. He and owner Jason James use the seasonal menus as a means to offer customers a variety of alternatives to traditional Italian dishes.
Raynor’s spring menu features starters such as Mediterranean mussels with basil, cherry tomatoes, saffron, homemade sausage, shallots, garlic and a tomato broth served with toast points; an Ahi tuna salad with baby bok choy, napa cabbage, bean sprouts, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, caramelized onions and bacon-roasted almonds with a sesame honey vinaigrette.
Seasonal entrées include an étouffée with shrimp, chicken, clams, sausage, celery, peppers, onions, carrots and mushrooms over a risotto with Louisiana-style brown gravy and a pan- seared tuna steak with pineapple risotto, fresh green beans and an orange, ginger and honey glaze.
Chef James Doss of Pembroke’s works with chef de cuisine Alex Morgan and sous chef Morgan Avery to create new menus almost daily. This spring there will be a new layout to the menus and Doss says they are going to experiment with changing menu items a bit less frequently.
“We’re still going to have very much the same approach to incorporating whatever is available to us locally but we’re going to try working with weekly menus so that we’re not necessarily changing everything up every day,” said Doss.
Doss says he and his staff will be creating dishes with an emphasis on fresh seafood, particularly raw and chilled seafood, during the spring and summer months. Menu items will also include crab cakes, fish chowder, North Carolina wahoo and flounder.
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