This is one of the latest menus at Ned Ludd. We offer some insight about the verbiage, our sources and preparations. A note on verbiage: the words you find may seem strange, even foreign(!), it is purposeful. We believe language is fun! Then, a disclaimer, our menu reserves the right to change daily. There, I said it. We have been posting our menus regularly and we find that some people arrive ready to eat the menu that was posted. Since our menu changes frequently any online menu is more a glimpse of what we do than what we are offering in the moment. We are willing to meet you halfway, though, and will make a concerted effort to show you the latest menu before we change it and talk about the inspiration that created it.
The Wendell Barry quote speaks for itself and relates to the people who work so hard to provide us with everything from potatoes to Pinot Noir! We really try and develop not just a working business relationship with our purveyors, but a personal one as well. See the bottom of the menu for a full list of farms and food purveyors.
Now, let’s talk menu. Forebits are nibbles to either share or eat alone. Forebits were the olde English term for appetizers since desserts were called Rearbits. The pickles get the digestive enzymes going. They change regularly and are always brined specifically for the fruit or vegetable to be pickled. We utilize quick pickling and keep the pickles refrigerated, lest the “Health” Department have concerns. We are looking into getting certified to produce canned/jarred pickles at an extension course offered by OSU. The flatbread offers up the beauty of the wood fired oven and contains a 100 year old bread starter. It is spiced per our whim and is finished simply with sea salt from Portugal and Arbquina olive oil. The olive oil & olives come from California via Jim Dixon at Real Good Food. It is a nod to West (Left!) coast regionalism. We love the fact that while Europe may have a lager variety of cultivated olives, European immigrants made their way West and found similar growing conditions for olives. We are happy recipients of their longing for home!
Our charcuterie selection changes often and offers a broad range of items from both land and sea. It also allows a great reason to fire up the smoker on our deck! Pork is the major meat featured since the pig is, quite simply put, the most amazing animal we humans consume. It offers such a wide range of cuts and fat that the uses are numerous. You may also encounter trout, steelhead, duck, rabbit, lamb and chicken in our charcuterie items. More on sources and butchery later.
The farmstead cheeses (i.e. small production)are sourced from our good friend Steve Jones at the Cheese Bar. When we opened we were interested in affinage, or cheese aging, in house. Steve Jones uttered some explative about my idea and his hand selected cheeses have been on our menu ever since. Both the charcuterie and cheese selections are paired with seasonal items that act as a counterpoint or compliment to the items on the board.
Kaltbits are salads, either tossed or composed. Kalt is German for cold. They represent a the very best we have to offer in terms of sourcing, seasonality and flavor profiles. Greens are the basis of all our kaltbits and can work either alone or in concert with other greens to provide the diner with a wide range of experiences. Vinaigrettes are simple, usually based on vinegar macerated shallots, herbs and either creme fraiche and/or olive oil. We believe kaltbits should challenge the palate and speak directly to ingredients and well considered flavor profiles. Nuts, cheese and oils provide a flavor profile and mouthfeel that rounds out many kaltbits you will find at Ned Ludd.
Now warmbits….these represent the smaller plates that could in combination equal a plats, or main entree, or alone are meant to share. Warm is German for warm! Two items that shall always be on the menu are meat pie! and mac & mornay. Meat pie! is the brainchild of leftovers and our commitment to technique. After a catering event we were faced with lots of leftover meat that was already cooked. We diced the meat, braised it in red wine and aromatics and then finished it with cream and herbs. Old world technique came in the form of pate brisee. We encased the farce in a flakey buttery crust and meat pie was born. We now serve it with a mustard sauce in the spirit of Troy McClarty. Mac & Mornay is another nod to classic techniques. In the spirit of language we believe that mac & cheese is simply an American bastardization of a classic derivative of French mother sauces. Playfully, macaroni is simply mac, but cheese sauce is referred to its root sauce, Mornay, a derivative of Bechamel, one of Escoffier’s ”mother” sauces. Our mac & mornay satisfies young and old alike! Otherwise, warmbits are meant to symbolize the best of the season and the expression of the oven.
Plats are main entrees. They are higher priced and represent an attention to detail either in butchery, components, execution, or cost per pound. They should always be satisfying, gustatorily, and are often the items on the menu that change most frequently. While they may seem more intricate, they often represent the element of simplicity done well. We hope this is the case with most of our menu but feel like our plats standout in terms of flavor and value.
Rearbits are not represented on the menu in this post but are never an afterthought. While we do not pay a pastry chef, each chef de partie is responsible for executing the different desserts and their components. The one item that will always be on the menu is the s’more. We used to be content using ingredients from multi national corporations but have reinvigorated a sense of purpose and are living our values using hand crafted s’mores from Xocolatl de David. Otherwise, rearbits change seasonally are meant to reflect the rest of the menu in terms of seasonality and sourcing. Stay tubed for more menus and insights to their development and inspiration. Thanks for your patronage!
