Food in my cocktail? Yes, Please! How we incorporate culinary items into our mixology
When you take a sip of a good cocktail, you’re (rightly) focused on the liquid in your glass. But what many cocktail enthusiasts forget about is the importance of food products when it comes to creating that perfect drink.
Whether it’s produce-infused alcohol, or freshly-cut garnishes, we appreciate how important food is not only to our regular menu, but also our cocktail menu.
On our current menu, our “Some Like It Hot” jalapeno-infused tequila is a customer favorite and some of you may remember our old menu favorite, the “Gin Ne Sais Quoi,” which featured cucumber- and jalapeno-infused gin to create a spicy-yet-refreshing taste.
Both of these infusions happen via a process called “sous vide,” which means “under vacuum.” It’s a cooking process where foods or liquids are placed in vacuum-sealed plastic, then immersed into a circulation water bath held at a precise temperature (we hold ours to 145 degrees for two hours).
If jalapenos aren’t your thing, we have a few other regularly-circulating infusions that are always available: a house-made limoncello, which uses fresh lemons from Valley Produce and sits for about a month, and a horseradish vodka, which sits for about a week. This one goes pretty quickly, especially after our weekend brunch hours, when we’re making Bloody Mary after Bloody Mary.
Infusions are equal parts science and art. We meticulously label and seal our infusions to let them marinate for the exact amount of time it will take to create the strongest flavor. But sometimes we add our own little twist to the process. Our secret is to give the jar a little shake every so often when you pass nearby. This moves the contents around and makes sure flavor is evenly spread throughout.
For our drinks that don’t include infused alcohol, food is equally important to the rest of our cocktail menu. You’ve seen these visible reminders of how our cocktails use fresh produce to create the flavors you love -- garnish.
Many bars will pre-prepare their garnishes so they can be ready to go as quickly as possible. But here’s where our mixology-as-an-art-form philosophy comes into play. Most of our garnishes are made fresh, right after someone orders their drink. Occasionally we’ll keep a few prepared lime wedges as backup, but the vast majority of our garnishes are made to order.
We order our produce daily from Tennessee-based Valley Produce, and stock the bar with everything we might need throughout the night. Then we cut or prepare it after a guest orders a drink. This maintains top-notch freshness in each ingredient, and prevents you from drinking something with an hours-old orange wedge thrown in. But preparing garnishes to order also makes the whole preparation of your cocktail more exciting. So enjoy the show!
Cocktail garnishes are both for taste and appearance. Think about a classic drink like a mint julep. A good bartender will “spank” or “smack” the herb around the drink to release the herb’s oils into the cocktail. But as much as the mint adds to the flavor of the drink, it also adds important aesthetics. Lying that sprig of mint on top adds an aromatic element, but also completes the visual picture of what a classic cocktail is supposed to look like. (And makes your drink not only ready to drink, but ready to Instagram).
At Oliver Royale, we have a deep appreciation for complex flavors and quality ingredients when it comes to our food menu. But that appreciation extends to our cocktail menu too. Food plays just as important of a role in our drinks as it does in our dishes. So come join us for both!
Kicking Off Your Summer with a Royale Crown Jewel
If words like “gin” and “strawberries” make up your dream summer, we definitely have the drink for you!
We originally taught this cocktail recipe for our take on the gin gimlet, a “Gin X”, at our Launch to Summer Cocktail class a couple weeks ago. We had 43 guests who learned five simple cocktail recipes perfect for summer parties, barbecues, or just a night on the patio. The Gin X cocktail is one of the crown jewels of our current menu, so even if you don’t mix one up yourself, you can always come enjoy one with us!
We take pride in our mixology, as well as our diverse array of ingredients, garnishments, and spirits. But most people don’t have access to a full bar of ingredients at home. We created a menu for our cocktail class that pulled from drinks filled with ingredients that most people already had at home. Simple, accessible, and quality ingredients are all you really need to make your refreshing summer cocktail.
That’s where the Gin X comes in: a simple and delicious cocktail that tastes a lot more complicated than it is!
The trickiest part of mixing up the Gin X is the muddling: You’ll want to make sure to double-strain your cocktail out of the tin so that you don’t sacrifice the drink’s consistency with chunks of produce. It’s helpful to have a Hawthorne strainer, muddler, shaker tin, and a jigger on hand, too.
Full recipe for the Gin X is below (and be sure to keep an eye out for our next cocktail class, so you can get even more tips from the mixologist pros!)
Gin X Cocktail
Ingredients:
1.5 oz London dry gin
0.75 oz Fresh lime juice
1.0 oz Simple Syrup
4-5 Basil Leaves and ½ Ripe Strawberry
Directions:
Separate your tin.
Muddle your strawberry into the smaller side of the tin. Take your basil leaves (set aside or leave for garnish) and smack them in the palm of your hands to extract the oils of the basil, then drop into tin with strawberry.
In large side of tin, add in fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and gin.
Fill large side of tin halfway full with ice.
Seal tins and shake vigorously, until tin is nice and chilled and the ice has broken down well.
Double strain into ice-filled glass.
Smack one more large basil leaf and place in glass as garnish.
Enjoy!
How We Train the Employees Who Bring Our Menu To Life
You’ve visited us and enjoyed the Market Square view just outside our patio. You've eaten a delicious meal and loved it. And you've even sipped our selected whiskey barrels and cocktails and called our bar 'heaven.’
But did you know there's more than meets the eye? Behind-the-scenes, there's an intricate process that all of our back-of-the-house employees go through to create the best experience for you and your palette. There’s a lot that goes into making that experience consistent, upscale, and seamless. And it all starts with our employees. In such a constantly evolving industry - and in our buzzing Knoxville corner of the world - we understand the importance of consistent, thorough, and ongoing training for our kitchen staff. This way, you're in for an incredible experience every time you walk in.
It All Starts with the Hire
Creating the ultimate customer experience begins with our hiring process. We start with an initial interview where the applicant and our Executive Chef, Jon Gatlin, conduct a walk-through of the kitchen and discusses the basics of who we are, our history, and what we’re looking for in employees. If both parties are interested in moving onto the next step, we schedule a “work preview.” This is when the applicant agrees to come in for a few hours to complete related tasks from the job description as well as a competency questionnaire.
Things get serious during the work preview: applicants go through a battery of testing, including on knife cuts, recipe understanding and adherence, room/item placement recall, verbal communication, and restaurant jargon. The competency questionnaire tests the applicant on basic culinary education, like mother sauces and quantity measurements (how many cups in a quart, for example).
Through all of that testing, we’re evaluating a candidate on their organization, cleanliness, efficiency, attitude, and more. We love to bring on the best, and the process to find the cream of the crop can be extensive, especially during the hiring process.
Time to Train
After all of the evaluations are complete, we invite a possible candidate to schedule their initial training time in the kitchen. This is when they’ll receive the menu-specific information pack which includes information on ingredients, recipes, menu themes, and chef notes. They’ll also receive a build/prep sheet which lists every menu item they’ll be responsible for at their designated station. This document is important as it helps employees double-check their work and makes sure each dish is up to standard (and has all the appropriate ingredients).
Welcome to the Team
For one to three weeks, new employees train with a tenured team member. After the initial training, we test our candidates again using another extended competency test. Through this, we’ll point out where the new hire needs to improve and what they can focus on in the next few weeks.
From here on out, we expect our staff to constantly learn and evolve because that’s what our industry requires. We encourage their continued education by keeping track of their progress and providing ongoing educational opportunities - from daily conversations with senior staff to providing resources like documentaries and publications that can help our employees evolve their craft.
Through the whole process, one thing is consistent in all the bustle: we expect the best, and we train the best. Only through hiring the best staff do we provide the most enjoyable culinary experience for all of you!
To stay up to date on the unique Oliver Royale culinary experience, check out our Instagram and Facebook.
Debuting the 2019 Spring Menu
Every season, but especially the Spring, we get hit with a dose of inspiration. Maybe it’s the weather where the blossoms are blooming, and so is our creativity. Or maybe it’s connecting with our local farmers who inspire us with the fresh Spring seasonal harvest. Or perhaps it’s our team and our collective passion to push past the previous iteration of innovation. It all starts in the kitchen where we gather ingredients and products ready to start the not-so-linear process of creating a new menu.
The switch from the warm and hearty Winter Menu dishes to more cool and vibrant (both visually and palette-wise!) dishes gives us a breath of fresh air. Don’t get me wrong: a nice big confit lamb shank on lentils, beans, and piping hot demi-glace is delicious, but the opportunity to combine cold, hot, sweet, and savory - and mix in some island flavor and culture into our menus – is amazing.
Take for instance our swordfish dish that hits our menu soon. Swordfish is a rich and meaty fish and is one of those ingredients that gives us the flexibility to combine and play with spices and sauces, resulting in a tender, flavor-packed dish. We rub the swordfish with our special jerk spice recipe, and pair it with black rice, coconut, tamarind, dragon fruit, and kiwi for great flavor combinations - and all Spring inspired. Pair it with our fabulous Louis Jadot Unoaked Chardonnay to create the perfect meal! Other top contenders to look out for in our Spring menu are the Lobster Roll, Poached Halibut, and the Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake!
The journey in creating a new menu is more like a community project or a combined movement which is what is so inspiring about what we do here at Oliver Royale. It’s an opportunity to connect or be a part of something greater: to choose and experience ingredients directly from our backyard and to explore cuisines that aren’t always available in our city. You can be sure when you come in to dine or have drinks at Oliver Royale, the ingredients and selections have been carefully planned and thoughtfully sourced to make your experience with us the absolute best!
The Perfect Space for Your Perfect Day
Do you have a special occasion coming up and need the perfect space to host it? We would be delighted to help make your event even more magical! We cover the space, food, beverages, and we also provide an intimate and modern backdrop to match your event. Read on to find out more...
Our Space
Our modern and sleek space offers the ideal setting for any event. We are especially experienced in bridesmaids’ luncheons, wedding rehearsal dinners, anniversary extravaganzas, and special group celebrations. What makes our restaurant even more ideal is our communal table which extends down the center of our sophisticated black and white floor tile. With the ability to seat up to 28 people, our communal table ensures the optimal family setting with ease to: carry on conversation with relatives and friends, plenty of access points to staff, and lots of space when choosing the family style option with our innovative food and craft cocktails - all of which offer an intimate social and dining experience for your guests!
Food & Drinks to Your Heart's Content
No need to worry about food and beverages when you reserve your event with us - we’ve got that part covered! With every season change, and for every special event, we work with you to develop special pre-set menus to create an unforgettable experience. Our manager and kitchen staff will walk you through our many options: number of courses, types of appetizers and entrees, and selection of our delicious desserts. Need wine and cocktails to accompany your courses? Our knowledgeable bar staff will help you create an excellent welcome-themed cocktail to get your party started! And if you so wish, we also offer an array of exclusive wines for you to choose from.
Get in Touch
If you would like more details or would like to see our space, feel free to contact Casey Brooks at CaseyBrooks@theoliverhotel.com. We look forward to making your next event special and memorable!
We've Repolished Our Brand!!
Change is inevitable. It’s exciting and nerve-racking, but necessary nonetheless! With it comes a dose of closure and better insight about what the future holds. That's what happened a few months ago while we muddled as a team over our brand. The gut feeling that we needed 'something better' was really a confirmed sense that the old logo didn't evoke our vision. Basically, it wasn't showing - and telling - people who we really were.
When we first opened our doors three years ago, our brand was exactly what we needed. We took a leap in Knoxville, incredibly rich with food gurus, organic farm markets, and a heap of ripe (and trendy!) knowledge of the growing culinary world. Our little restaurant of a dream grew a thousand-fold into a world-class ‘must-try’ spot and grew even more quickly amongst the people of Knoxville than we anticipated. But as we grew, we felt that many elements of our brand felt incomplete and didn't match our identity. Details such as our limited color-palette, logo, and typography lacked cohesion. We began to ask ourselves whether existing parts of our brand truly communicated our commitment to innovation and a first-class experience. In the end, we agreed it didn't. In our hearts, we knew that our identity had shifted, and that simplicity and innovation - living side by side - was part of who we were.
Finally, at the end of 2018, we took the plunge and made the commitment to refresh our brand. Our vision was to create a presence that reflected the growth we’d experienced over the last three years. In tackling this, we wanted our new brand to have the sophistication and depth that evoked the bigger picture of why we do what we do while still being fun and inviting. We worked with Oh Yes Communications who partnered with us from our social media to other marketing efforts. And as a team, we began an exciting and vulnerable process of clearly defining who we were.
From the very beginning with the Onboarding Process, we defined where we envisioned ourselves by asking our customers for feedback about what they loved (or didn’t!) about us. And that required us to be fully committed and transparent. The process was informative but was also out of our comfort zone. That being said, we’re so glad we pushed through the resistance that each phase brought to the process. Our “why” came into sharp focus: commitment to delivering an innovative dining and craft cocktail experience to the Knoxville restaurant scene while also investing and mentoring the next generation of up and coming chefs.
That's where we are now. There is more intention in every aspect of our new brand. There is a clear understanding of who we’ve grown into and our mission. We don't just deliver food - we deliver an experience! Take a look:
And we love the finished product! The sultry jewel tones in our new color palette convey warmth and a high-class dining and craft cocktail experience that we aim to deliver each and every time our customers come in contact with our staff. Smaller details, like the upside down crown in our previous brand, stayed, but with improvements that involved refinement of the linework to once again communicate our attention to detail in every aspect of what we do. Our new logo features beautiful yet simplistic line work around our name that was pulled from the floor plans of the restaurant. Our new look is also fun and playful, while still channeling our intimate nature. Overall, this modern look allowed us to highlight the things most important to us: our people, our dining, our cocktails, and our community!
Our brand doesn't stop there. We want you - our customers - to become a part of our story. So we're translating the brand over to future menu redesigns, server attire, fun collaborations, enamel pins for guests, and fun swag for our events and customers. Stay tuned for all the fun.
Ultimately, we know that each step - towards excellence in every little thing we do - reaches far beyond the walls of our restaurant. Drop us a line, connect with us on Facebook or Instagram, or leave us a comment below. We can't wait to hear what you think!
Looking back at 2018, and Introducing the New Winter Menu
Looking Back at 2018
It's hard to imagine that we are now a little over half a month into the New Year. We quite literally rode a rollercoaster ride full of parties, catering, dinners, the holiday hustle, and so much more. But while it was a busy 2018, we are glad to have made new friends and learned new techniques that will make us even better this New Year.
As we look back on our growth, we are immensely proud not only of our team and our restaurant, but of our city of Knoxville that has grown in its appreciation of trendsetting food and beverage operations. We genuinely care about making a difference and raising the bar of what a city such as Knoxville deserves when it comes to good food and drinks. It makes us happy to call Knoxville home, to watch it grow and flourish, and to see what is going to happen next.
Speaking about Next...
We revealed our Winter Menu last week! For this season, we packed our dishes with a ton of prominent, bold and hearty ingredients for you to try, from Moroccan inspired lamb shanks with Ras El Hanout to succulent black bass from the Virginia coastline served on rich potatoes dauphinoise. Whatever catches your fancy on our new menu will be an epic combination of delicious and comforting foods to endure the next few cold months to come. Enjoy our bar, too, as it's always shaking, stirring, and creating new and innovative drinks that will take the chill off and put a smile on your face.
In addition to the new menu, we have some romantic, exciting events planned for Valentine's Day that will feature new dishes, but also, some foodie surprises in the works for you. Here are the links, and make sure to reserve your spot!
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
with Orwin Swift Wine Cellar (back by popular demand!)
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Keep on the lookout for more posts in the coming months where we will feature new dishes from the Winter Menu (and cocktails to pair!), recipes, and more fun dinners and announcements.
Winter Event Line-Up
Can you believe it?? 2018 is coming to a close. We had an amazing year filled with fun-filled functions, wine dinners with fantastic vineyards, and new menu dishes to spark the appetite. Even as the year ends, we are looking forward to a New Year and new ways to impress your palette.
In this blog post, we are going to highlight our upcoming Holiday events you do not want to miss. PLUS, we have a few event surprises this Winter that we want you to know about. Check out our events and details below!
Christmas Day at Oliver Royale
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Three-course Dinner
$49 per guest, plus tax & gratuity
New Year’s Eve Celebration 2019
Monday, Dec 31, 2018 4:00 p.m. - Tuesday, January 1, 2019 1:00 a.m.
Four-course Dinner w/Complimentary Champagne Toast
$99 per guest, plus tax & gratuity
New Year’s Day Brunch
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sazerac Bourbon Dinner
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Five-course Dinner w/allocated whiskey pairings and take-home gift
$79 per person, plus tax and gratuity
Pre-Valentine’s Day Wine Dinner with Orin Swift Cellars
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Four-course Dinner w/wine pairings, dessert, and take-home gift
Tickets are $99 per person, plus tax and gratuity
Valentine’s Day Dinner
Thursday, February 14, 2019
4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Four-course Dinner
$79, plus tax & gratuity
We can’t wait to see you at one of our events! For reservations or questions, call our restaurant directly at 865-622-6434 or email our Restaurant Manager at Sondra@theoliverhotel.com.
Don’t just taste; Experience our food
In last month’s blog, we talked about three Fall dishes that inspired us to experiment, try new techniques, and up the ante in how we create food. We do this best by connecting experiences and stories to our dishes, staying true to who we are in the food industry, and using local ingredients to support our community.
This month, we’re walking you through these same three dishes, but this time, we're offering you suggested appetizers, desserts, and wine pairings, to hopefully set you up with your own stories and memories to share. Get to know our menu and our techniques so you can experience food at its fullest at Oliver Royale.
If you're craving adventure, this dining experience is for you:
Appetizer
Artisan Cheese & Charcuterie - an assortment of locally sourced cured meats, artisan cheeses, pickled vegetables, olives, dried fruit, jams & chutneys
Entree
Confit leg of rabbit - braised endive, Benton’s bacon, Yukon gold potato mousseline, roasted radishes, roasted cauliflower, and kale, paired with our 2015 Diora Pinot Noir
Dessert
Pumpkin Cheesecake Brûlée - candied pumpkin, pretzel ginger snap, pepita, caramel, corn, dark chocolate, and crémeux
If you're craving more of a seafood kind-of-night, look no further:
Appetizer
Mussels & Clams - pho bone broth, house-smoked tasso ham, fennel, basil, jalapeno, cilantro, cured lemon
Entree
North Carolina Trout - foraged mushrooms, cornmeal-crusted okra, Anson Mills grits, swiss chard, radish, and tabasco gastrique, paired with Anonymous Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Dessert
Autumn Mousse Cake - charred orange mousse, roasted pears, candied walnuts, caramel, poached pear sorbet, and oatmeal cookie
The days are short and the holidays are near, so this dinner experience is all about treating yourself:
Appetizer
Seared sea scallops - Chestnut risotto, roasted cauliflower cream, truffle dust, crispy leeks, and radish chips
Entree
Confit lamb shank - parmesan polenta, butternut and acorn squash, chestnut, gremolata, and confit garlic, paired with the Heartless Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Dessert
Truffles & Macaron - tasting of assorted, seasonally inspired chocolate truffles & house-made macarons
The next time you’re here, have this blog handy and take your taste buds on an adventure. Whether it’s with friends, family, or yourself, we invite you to explore our dishes in a way that’s not just about taste, but about the experience. We’ll see you here!
Psst...the holiday season is approaching! Check out our upcoming events and make your reservations!
New Fall Dishes...and a few surprises for you!
It's been a long time coming, but Fall has made its debut, and it's finally here to stay. While it's been a bit of a transitional challenge with this seasons' high and low temps, we are grateful that we know the area well and our local farmers, too, to help build this season's menu.
This Fall, we honored typical Autumn-worthy flavors like pumpkin, cinnamon, big bold braises, and red wine. But we're not all about the familiar. As you know, we like to straddle over the edge of well, edginess here, like:
What will surprise your palette?
Which aromas will pull you into the dish?
How can we put a spin on a typical plate?
What techniques could we use to bring out the flavors in our meat?
As we answered, experimented, and taste tested, we decided to introduce, and bring back, a few new concept dishes that we feel will delight you and your taste buds. For example, we tried out confit versus braise techniques on a few of our long-term cooking items such as the short ribs and lamb shanks. The result was that the absence of liquid allows for so much more flavor and a much different texture than a traditional braised cut.
So here are some of our favorite dishes that combined techniques, bold flavors, and new concepts to the table:
Confit leg of rabbit
with braised endive, Benton’s bacon, Yukon gold potato mousseline, roasted radishes, roasted cauliflower, and kale
North Carolina trout
with foraged mushrooms, cornmeal-crusted okra, anson mills grits, swiss chard, radish, and tabasco gastrique
Confit lamb shank
with parmesan polenta, butternut and acorn squash, chestnut, gremolata, and confit garlic
Playing around with rabbit, cornmeal, squashes, and other Fall flavors and ingredients were wonderful and exciting, and they gave us an opportunity to create and concentrate on flavor. In turn, we are so happy to produce an amazing dining experience for you! The next time you're in town, sit with us and try one of our new culinary dishes. We love feedback and hearing from our guests.
Psst...the holiday season is closely approaching so be sure to check our upcoming events and make your reservations! We also have some new faces at Royale so be sure to stop by and meet the crew!
How We Created the Fall Cocktail Menu by Bartender Ari Rector
Fun Fact! At Oliver Royale, we change up the food menus, but we also change up the cocktail menus every season. It’s an exciting time to witness the changes and I’m even more thrilled to share with you, first hand, how we created this Fall’s cocktail menu.
Taking on my first cocktail menu change was intimidating. I’ve contributed to previous menus, but never had to manage the intricacies of developing a well-balanced and on-theme lineup. There are plenty of details to consider, both creatively and logistically, when working on a new seasonal menu. There are questions we bartenders must think about and ultimately answer for a perfectly balanced, delicious, and thoughtful menu. Thankfully, my counterpart, Chris, is a veteran of the cocktail game, and we worked together to create a fresh take on this year's Fall menu!
So diving head-on, we pored over each cocktail, each alternative, again and again. We asked ourselves questions like how do we make tequila taste like fall? Instead of drawing primarily from stereotypical autumn flavors like pumpkin and allspice, we drew inspiration from the sensations of fall: a dry, crisp breeze, the coziness of being wrapped up in a blanket, or the smell of smoke from a campfire.
We even tackled presentation, like would a certain cocktail be better presented in a coupe or a whiskey snifter? Beyond liquor, you also want to present a varied cast of supporting ingredients. A bright, tart tequila drink must counterbalance an earthy, saccharine gin drink on the menu.
We went back and forth on the drawing board to figure out the logistics, too: is there a variety of spirits being used? You probably want a few different whiskey drinks, one boozy, one bright, one dry. The list goes on - How many gin cocktails are too many? How many drinks should be served up? How many on the rocks?
With this template to guide us, we began to craft our first menu together.
So here we are now - polishing up the menu, adding the last touches, and excited to present you a couple of Oliver bar classics, like the rich and smoky Campfire Old Fashioned and Bram Stoker. You’ll see some new takes on old classics with the Eye Opener and the Circa 1895. To keep things current, we brought plenty of new players to the game with Smoke & Mirrors, A Clinch River Runs Through It, the Terra Otono, and the Euphemia.
Chris and I are tremendously excited to present the Fall cocktail menu to our guests and to build upon the solid foundation we inherited from our previous bar manager, Colin, and lead bartender, Matt. We will do all we can to live up to their legacy!
Here’s a sneak peak of one of our brand new cocktails premiering in the coming weeks, Smoke & Mirrors. Go ahead and give it a try! We'd love to know what you think!
Smoke & Mirrors
● 1 oz Rye Whiskey
● .5 oz Suze
● .5 oz Amaro Abano
● .5 oz Lillet Rouge
Stir, pour up into a coupe and top with champagne! Drink up!
Stay tuned for the menu release on 9/26! Check us out on Facebook or Instagram for more sneak peeks!
Eat Real with Local Food
“I always say that I don't believe I'm a chef. I try to be a storyteller.” Jose Andrés
Storytelling isn’t only for the great authors of our time. You’ll find it here in our kitchen, vibrating through the clanks of our pots and pans; it’s in our hands mixing and sautéing and perfecting each plate. But we tell our real story through our food. You get a taste of our restaurant philosophy and our values in every bite you eat.
Our local food is a big part of that story, too. We couldn’t create our dishes without the support of our local farms! Our unpredictable East Tennessee weather gives us a run for our money sometimes, but we all make it work.
But why put so much time and effort to eat local?
Fresh. Sustainable. Community. Variety. And the list goes on!
When you eat local, you eat real food. It’s not frozen or microwaved. It sustains the local economy. It fosters community engagement and connections. It offers exclusive dishes during the seasonal harvest.
Basically, local food tells us a story. Let us show you our summer story using our local seasonal summer veggies and fruits. Next time you eat at Royale, we want you to see the food in a different light. Pick any of our top three summer dishes below. Take a look at the dish, notice the seasonal veggies we’ve introduced, and see where we added dashes of nostalgia and summer memories into the plate.
Pan Seared Snapper - step into the cool waters around the Carolinas where snappers are freshly caught by boat (next day delivery for the win!). The rocky sand, the sounds of the waves, and the low sunset bring memories of our childhood at the beach. That al-dente bite of heirloom tomatoes bubbles up memories of fresh grown tomatoes in your mother’s garden and sunflower shoots give that toothsome bite of lemon. Try the Pan Seared Snapper with our Diora Pinot Noir from California.
Confit Short Rib - Adirondack chairs. Ice cold beers. Smoky scents gently breezing over the grill. Our Confit Short Rib wears the summer barbecue badge here. It has all the components of a traditional barbeque (yes, we got potato salad for you!) fine-tuned to represent our style. Any dark reds will do but we recommend the Peju Cabernet Sauvignon to heighten the bourbon cherry barbecue sauce.
Bucatini Bolognese - Your grandmother’s kitchen. You see her standing over the stove twirling the thick strands of spaghetti around the fork. Nothing beats her sauce but we’ve got a house-made ricotta that’ll remind you of home. We can’t get enough of the light oregano and basil combination, too. An acidic Italian red wine is perfect with the bolognese. Take the If You See Kay Cab Blend for a swirl.
The kitchen is our platform but the local food is where it shines! We hope you’ll stop to try these three dishes and bring up some wonderful summer memories. Just like Jose Andres, we try to be storytellers - the best of them in Knoxville.
A shout out to our local friends: Mountain Meadows Farm, A Place of the Heart Farm, Lacewing, Circle V, Wolf Creek, Huff Farm and many more who have done a great job rolling with the punches of mother nature to supply us, and the public, with wonderful seasonal products!
PS: Bring on the new season! Sign up for our newsletter for an exclusive look at our upcoming Fall Menu >>> Click HERE to sign up!
Corn and Chocolate Memories
By: Lanna Talley, Oliver Royale Pastry Chef
Every chef's goal is to create food you will remember. This makes nostalgia a wonderful tool for creating new menu items. So, when creating this summer’s dessert menu, I started to think about my favorite summer memories.
One of my fondest memories is spending a week every summer with my grandparents, Mimi and Bobo. During that week we would swim, do arts and crafts at the community center, play shuffleboard, and pick corn. I remember walking through the corn rows with Bobo and my cousins, carefully picking the ears of corn. He taught me that patience, care, and hard work will make something as small as a seed of corn grow into a giant 8-foot corn stalk. We would always have corn on the cob for dinner. It is still the sweetest corn I have ever had!
It's Bobo's sweet corn that inspired the Corn and Chocolate Dessert. My goal was to highlight corn in as many ways as possible and to use as little sugar as possible! I wanted the natural sweetness of corn to be the main sweetening agent. With all that in mind, I decided that a corn creme brulee, corn anglaise, caramel corn, chocolate cremeux, and a cornbread brownie would be an enticing and unique combination of flavors. The bitterness in the chocolate combined with the naturally sweet flavors of the corn created a uniquely nostalgic flavor.
The kitchen has always been a place where I create but lately, it has also become a place where I get to share bits of my past with our customers and community. If you’re anything like me, you’ll agree that every good dessert needs a partner! The next time you visit, leave room for our Corn and Chocolate Dessert and cap it with one of the following drinks for a perfectly rounded experience!
Diora Pinot Noir - this deep and intense garnet color wine accentuates the flavors of the sweet corn. Its aromas of black cherries, brown sugar and mocha set the stage for a robust palate of concentrated fruit flavors and a textured mouthfeel, anchored by Pinot Noir’s signature smooth acidity.
Donati Merlot - this wine features hints of cherry flavors and intense cassis notes, bringing out and complimenting the chocolate from the cornbread brownie. If you’re looking for a rich palate experience - this is your pick!
Café Arancia - not a wine person? Try one of our signature cocktails! This after-dinner cocktail is concocted with Amaro Nonino (a very light and tasty Italian bitter liqueur), Grand Marnier, local Three Bears cold brew coffee, half and half cream, and turbinado simple syrup (an unprocessed sugar syrup). Café Arancia has notes of orange and chocolate upfront, with a wonderful coffee bite at the finish to enhance the natural corn flavor in our Corn and Chocolate Dessert.
This one is for you, Bobo! Thank you for the life lessons, the memories, and the inspiration!
Shaking it up at the Royale Bar
Who loves a good cocktail? We do!
We don’t just shake it up in the kitchen, folks. We also grudgingly, painstakingly, taste test and devise new concoctions that will knock your socks off. It’s a hard job ;).
In creating and brainstorming the 2018 Summer Menu, we decided to stay true to laid-back summer vibes and created our version of summertime comfort cocktails using our farm friends’ freshest herbs to shake things up a bit at the bar.
We’re all about the twists here at Oliver Royale, so it should come as no surprise that we like to mix things up. Take our Gin Ne Sais Quoi (see what we did there?!). Vodka + champagne isn’t a combo you see often. But voila! - champagne wants us to take risks and so we shall respond! Gin Ne Sais Quoi is our rendition of taking it a bit further, a constant motto in our kitchen. Add a lil’ cucumber jalapeno gin, Ancho Reyes (a spicy liquor), a dash of lime, basil syrup, and chilli oil to create a spicy and yet refreshing cocktail.
Check out the full cocktail menu here. We’d love to hear what you want to try out this summer!
Psstt...
Our Summer Lunch and Dinner Menu will debut next Tuesday, June 26th! Check back here, and Facebook, for the new menu. Just like our new cocktail menu, we decided to stay true to laid-back summer vibes and comfort foods - you’ll see lots of new seafood items and new experiences with our local fruits and veggies. We are excited to showcase the local and seasonal products from our farm friends with all the varieties of greens, tomatoes, beans, squash, berries, and tree fruits right here in our backyard!
Oliver Royale’s Cast Iron Seared Swordfish Recipe
Well, it finally looks like springtime decided to make its debut...at least for now! We’re jumping right into the heat of things and cooking up a storm with Oliver Royale’s newly released spring menu.
For the spring menu this year, we decided to do a multi-cultural spin on barbeque themed items. Our idea was to bring out the up and coming seasonal fare of barbeque in multiple cultures. One of my new favorite dishes on the menu that embodies this idea is the Cast Iron Seared Jerk Swordfish. And we’re sharing the much-loved dish with our exclusive recipe!
To get that perfect jerk flavor profile in the swordfish, we relied on Jamaican cultural flavors such as allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, brown sugar, scotch bonnet peppers, as well as smoke flavors. The dish consists of a piece of sous vide jerk spiced swordfish, forbidden black rice steeped in coconut milk and tamarind, roasted fiddlehead ferns, a delicious salsa that consists of fresh hearts of palm, pineapple, kiwi, and rhubarb, and finally, a beautiful chutney made with bell peppers, rhubarb, and scotch bonnet peppers to really top it off.
Try it out and let us know what you think! Or better yet - tag us on Instagram (@oliverroyale) with your finished dish!
Cast Iron Seared Jerk Swordfish
Serves 4
- Jamaican Jerk Spice Blend
- 3 cups, Black Rice
- 2 cups, Coconut Milk
- 1 cup, Tamarind Puree or 3oz Tamarind Bean Paste
- 1 cup, Sugar + 2 tbsp, Sugar
- 2 TSP Salt
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Green Bell Pepper
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
- 4 Stalks Rhubarb
- 1 halved, Scotch Bonnet Pepper
- Water
- 1 diced, Palm Heart
- 1 Pineapple
- 1 Kiwi
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 20 Fiddleheads
- Set up immersion circulator to 128 degrees f
- Cut 4 - 4 to 6 oz cubes or blocks of nicely cleaned swordfish. Use only the nice white meat; no bloodline or connective tissue.
- Season each piece thoroughly with a Jamaican jerk spice blend.
- Place in your sous vide bag and cook for approximately 1 hour or until meat has firmed by half.
- For the rice, cook approximately 3 cups of black rice in rice cooker per the cooker's instructions.
- For the coconut tamarind cream, combine 2 cups coconut milk and 1 cup tamarind puree, or 3 oz tamarind bean paste, in a blender. Process until combined. Add 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp salt.
- For the chutney, finely dice 1 of each red, green and yellow bell pepper, 2 stalks of rhubarb and 1 scotch bonnet pepper cut in half. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan with a cup of sugar and simmer over low heat stirring frequently and adding small amounts of water to avoid sticking and scorching.
- For the salsa, dice the palm heart small being sure to only use the soft sweet inner core. Dice the pineapple, kiwi, and rhubarb the same size as the palm heart. Combine all ingredients and toss together with a little sugar and coconut oil.
- If serving family style, put the rice in a sauté pan and add the coconut tamarind cream. Bring to a simmer on the stovetop or grill. Make sure to leave some of the liquid in the pan.
- While the rice is heating and coming together, grill the pieces of swordfish to the desired temperature - just a few minutes on either side should be perfect for a nice medium cook, depending on the thickness of cuts.
- Heat up a pan with olive oil on the stove top or on the grill. Once hot, place 3 to 5 fiddleheads per piece of fish in the hot oil. Season with salt and pepper and lightly sauté until slightly crisp.
To finish and plate
Pour rice and coconut cream onto a platter. There should still be some liquid! Place pieces of swordfish on the rice. Top each piece with a heaping spoon of salsa, place 3 to 5 fiddleheads on top of salsa, and a teaspoon of the chutney on the side of the fish so that it runs a bit into the rice below.
This delicious dish is sure to embody the spirit of barbeque season and add a little something extra to any backyard get together!
The Building Blocks of Changing a Menu - by Executive Chef Jon Gatlin
Spring has sprung (even though it just dropped into 30 degrees for the third time!) And while we wait for Spring to make its official debut, we are sprucing up a new seasonal menu.
But with a new menu comes an assortment of changes, too: New fun and seasonal products to try, ideas to conquer, techniques to perfect, and concepts to execute. These are all the initial building blocks to start the menu change. It is no small task, and usually takes about 45 days of planning.
Phase 1
The menu change process begins with compiling our lists of seasonal and sustainable products; not just locally, but also regionally and nationwide. We examine the changing harvest across states and start compiling our dream products.
During this time, we also reach out to local farmers to see the plan on growing products and also figure out who is open to consistently growing a specific product we want. We work with a similar process when selecting meats and seafood. Overall, with every menu built, we follow some basic guidelines of seasonality and sustainability to pick those appropriate product choices.
We made our lists, we checked it twice, and now it’s on to Phase 2!
Phase 2
This next part is the fun part for me, which is deciding on dish themes! Here at Oliver Royale, we like to take multicultural comfort foods and put our style and twist on them. We dive into each dish looking at their components and then go even further with understanding why those ingredients and flavors go so well together. Once identifying flavor profiles that are traditionally present, we begin to expand and fine tune them with our individual vision. Once menu items are planned, new ingredients tried and tweaked, and removal and replacement of what didn’t work has taken place, we then begin to architecturally build the dish in a way that flows efficiently with our high-quality standards.
Phase 3
We build and we test all dishes. We tweak, build some more, and test some more all in the name of accuracy, efficiency in the kitchen, and execution.
Phase 4
From there we move to training both the back and front of the house staff on ingredient questions pertaining to pronunciation, sourcing, flavor profile, and preparation. It takes about two weeks for everyone to settle into the comforts of our new menu, explaining the wondrous new dishes to our customers, and executing it on the plate!
And there you have it! The building blocks of changing a menu are thrilling, exciting, and downright satisfying. We hope you love it as much as we do!
Catering, In-Home Chef experiences and more!
The feedback we received in 2017 was overwhelming clear - MORE of Oliver Royale beyond our doors. After lengthy brainstorming and adding a new team member to our team - we’re excited to share some of our new offerings in 2018!
Oliver Royale patrons will now get to experience our cuisine beyond our doors under the direction of Oliver Royales’ Executive Chef, Jon Gatlin!
Catering
Whether you’re planning an off-site wedding, corporate luncheon and dinner, or a special party; let Oliver Royale’s team bring next level catering that is sure to impress! With the guidance of Executive Chef, Jon Gatlin, guests will be able to build a beautiful menu to fit their budget, parameters, and food preferences. Our Chef driven experience is designed to accommodate varying event sizes and dates upon request.
“Your” Royale
Oliver Royale offers a chic-city backdrop that can accommodate up to 65 seated guest or 85 reception style. With a five-star cuisine tailored to your event and taste buds, the Royale team brings culinary and service excellence backed by accolades such as Snail Approval and REAL Certified rating. Impress your guests with locally sourced menus that highlight authentic, high-quality, and sustainable food in our community. We guarantee to facilitate all of your needs, as well as provide you and your guests with an unforgettable atmosphere and the gracious service you deserve!
In-Home Chef Experience
Want to impress some important people in your very own home and turn your kitchen into a fine dining restaurant? Alongside Execute Chef Jon Gatlin, you will work together to build the perfect menu from scratch. Allow our team to take it from there with set-up, service, and clean-up included! Hosting an at home five star dinner is effortless when using Chef Gatlin and his Royale team!
Casey Brooks
As you may have seen on our Facebook page and most recent newsletter, Casey Brooks joins the Oliver Royale team as our Marketing and Events Coordinator. Aside from being an avid music lover and die-hard Atlanta Falcons fan, Casey works 1-on-1 with our guests to ensure that no detail is overlooked.
Get started on your next event with one of our new offerings today! Please contact Casey Brooks at caseybrooks@theoliverhotel.com with your event details. Please allow ample time to build a menu that will leave your guests talking!
We’re REAL Certified!
Over the past year Oliver Royale has made it it’s mission to be a leader in the restaurant industry while focusing on creating locally sourced menus, supporting our surrounding community, and promoting health and sustainability in everything we do!
In March of 2017 we received notice that Oliver Royale was awarded the Snail of Approval which honors local restaurants and food businesses that exemplify the principles of Slow Food and contribute to the quality, authenticity, and sustainability of food in our community.
This year we’re proud to announce that Oliver Royale is now REAL Certified!
Following an in-detail audit for healthful and sustainable practice, Oliver Royale has been nationally recognized by the REAL trust-mark for restaurants and food service providers that are committed to promoting health and sustainability within the industry. This certification means that we stand out from others in the industry for our REAL food practices. You, our community and customers, are playing a part in the growing health of not only our diners, but also our nation.
In order to achieve this recognition, Oliver Royale opened its kitchen to a full-scale audit, conducted by a REAL Certified Registered Dietitian. We knew that walking the walk was critical in indicating our commitment to transparency within the food service world but also to our patrons here at home.
In qualifying for REAL certification, Oliver Royale ranks in the top 25% of restaurants nationwide, for our commitment to serving high-quality REAL food. We also meet the following prerequisites:
- Having a vegetarian entrée on the menu, or clearly stating that a vegetarian substitution can be made at no additional cost.
Not cooking or baking with any hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil or fat.
Having a menu comprised of entrées that provide a full serving of fresh produce.
Here are some of the specific ways in which Oliver Royale further supports the health of its dining community:
Our food preparation is exceptional, largely because of our focus on cooking in-house from scratch, our use of plant-based oils, and our incorporation of healthy cooking practices.
Our commitment to ingredient quality is significant, particularly in these categories: sustainably sourced produce, regionally sourced organic chicken, and sustainable seafood.
We minimize environmental impact through the following sustainability measures: Snail of Approval certification.
As far as we’re concerned, a win for us is a win for Knoxville! We couldn’t do it without YOU! Cheers to attaining our next best! Keep an eye out for our Spring Menu - debuting soon!
It’s a New Year! Debut of our Winter Menu and Upcoming Events at Oliver Royale!
The new year is upon us once again and we have a lot to share and celebrate with you! Between our new menu launch and our upcoming events, you'll want to stay tuned throughout the coming weeks.
The seasonal change can be felt fully here: the holiday hustle and bustle of Market Square has quieted down; the Farmers Market has dwindled away for the winter, and the Oliver Royale team has been in deep ideation and creation of our Winter menu brimming with bold flavors of winter cookery. Roasts, braises, confits, stews, and aromatic sauces fill our kitchen and our dining room - the robust flavors of root vegetables and hearty crops are inspiring us to bring on contemporary yet traditional flavors to our kitchen.
Yes, folks. Once again, we jumped head first into the process of a new menu adventure! This is a time where the experts in the kitchen get to create dining experiences anew with what’s available to us as the season changes. We test our culinary craft to find creative and innovative ways to make the few items that are available in our local area come alive in so many different ways. The Winter Menu debuted Monday, January 8th, 2018 and our guest feedback has been affirming to say the least!
And that's not all happening at Royale! Let's bring on the new year with our first event of 2018. Join us for:
Tuesday, 1/18, 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
We're so excited to announce our first ever Taste of Spain Wine Dinner at Oliver Royale with Laurence Vuelta with Aveniu Imports. We invite you to spend an evening, enjoying each others company, a relaxing atmosphere and an enchanting dinner. Upon arrival you'll be greeted with a cava based cocktail followed by a five course dinner prepared for you by our Executive Chef Jonathan Gatlin and his team.
Throughout dinner, guests will be led through a tasting (and a fascinating history) of some of Spain’s most interesting wines, stretching across various regions and including popular varietals like Cava, Albariño and Tempranillo. Not a wine connoisseur? No worries, this is a perfect way to learn and get excited about wine.
Tickets are $79 per guest, plus tax and gratuity. Total pricing of $102 in purchase price include event dinner, welcome cocktail, five wine pairings, dessert, take home gift, tax and gratuity. We truly hope you can join us for this very special event! There are only 6 tickets left!
And there's still more to come! 2018 will be packed with cooking classes, cocktail demos, private catering, and an exclusive in-home chef experience. Stay tuned and check in on our upcoming events, Facebook and Instagram to reserve a spot to any of our fun-filled functions.
Finally, we would like to personally thank each and every one of you - for your support in our community, your patronage to our restaurant home, and your appreciation to culinary excellence. We love what we do! On behalf of myself and the rest of the staff at Oliver Royale, here’s to the best year yet!
The One and Only - Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches, by Pastry Chef Lanna Talley
We are treating you with another one of Lanna’s dessert recipes! Partnering with Graeters Pumpkin Ice Cream, Lanna created a spectacular dessert that is perfect for Thanksgiving with the family, or any day this Fall. She was also live on CW20 creating these goodies!
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- zest of 2 oranges
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
For the topping
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoons cinnamon
Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix together flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and baking soda.
2. Cream together butter, and both sugars, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and beat until smooth.
3. Add dry ingredients to the butter sugar mixture and mix until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping.
5. Roll tablespoons of the cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar topping.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Place cookies two inches apart on a lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are golden brown and start to crack in the center.
8. Place cookies on a cookie sheet to cool.
9. Place one scoop of Graeter's Pumpkin Ice Cream on cookie and sandwich, with an additional cookie.
10. Roll the cookie with desired topping. i.e. sprinkles, heath bar crumbles, or pecans.
Freeze cookies until ready to serve.
We hope you love Lanna’s Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches. Make it a family favorite this Fall!