XIX Nutcracker Tea Time

Just as quickly as the heat of summer has left, the chill of fall and winter has arrived.

With it brings all the great smells in the kitchen like pumpkin spice and cinnamon. This time of year also brings XIX’s traditional Nutcracker Tea, which draws adults and children alike, to sample a variety of savory sandwiches and decedent desserts.

This year we are featuring a fresh Chicken Salad with Celery Hearts on Semolina Bread, Egg Salad with Chervil on Brioche, Scottish Smoked Salmon with Arugula Pesto, and Black Forest Ham and Aged Cheddar on Country Bread. For the young ones we have Mini Cinnamon Raisin French Toast with Maple Butter, Peppermint Oreo Cookies, Sugar Plum Hazelnut Cake, and Orange Cranberry Scones.

So hopefully you and your family can take time out of your busy holiday shopping to visit us at XIX, relax, and enjoy a freshly brewed pot of Tea! Nutcracker Tea is available daily from November 15 - January 15 and reservations are required.
Chef Richard

Ditch the Dishes on Thanksgiving!

As the weather starts to turn chillier, and the days grow shorter, you can start to feel the atmosphere of the holiday season kick in. It’s no different here at XIX. We have been working the past few months on our holiday menus, and I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

To me Thanksgiving is a time to over eat, watch football, and enjoy family. For mom’s, it’s the pile of dirty dishes the early morning juggling of the oven space with the pie in, the turkey out, the turkey back in, and the stuffing out. Since I have joined XIX two years ago, I have given my mom a much needed holiday gift….I make five fabulous chef’s and their team of cooks prepare and clean up her Thanksgiving dinner. This has made me mom’s favorite!

Chefs Richard, Marc, Matt, Mel and Elise have created a menu fit for kings and queens. We have our familiar oysters from the raw bar, assorted cured meats and cheeses from around the country, warm butternut squash soup, Autumn salads, pasta, a ribeye roast, and of course your traditional fixings…turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, green beans, cornbread, sweet potatoes, and the list goes on. Then you move to the dessert bar for Hazelnut Crunch cake, Coconut cream cupcakes, Peanut Butter Chocolate cupcakes, Keylime parfait, Smores parfaits, Assorted cookies, Apple Crumb Pie, Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie and so much more. So if you’re looking to ditch the dish duties and make Thanksgiving a holiday to remember, make your reservation today.

Reservations available from 1:00pm-6:00pm, 215.790.1919.

Chef Marc's Autumn Inspiration...

I am here in Louisville, my old Kentucky home, visiting family and enjoying a classic autumn season. It's cloudy, windy and a chilly 51-degrees...Perfect for fresh warm apple cider. A short trip out of town to find pumpkins took us over the Ohio river and into southern Indiana, where we found Hubert Farm. Although they had already harvested a large quantity of pumpkins, they still had acres and acres of orange dotted fields ripe for the picking. If you're looking for something out of the ordinary, a white pumpkin might be for you. Although new to me, the white variety is an up and coming trend to look for.

Welcome to the Fall Season!

Here at XIX we have just changed our menus from Summer to Fall and I wanted to give you a sample of the new dessert menu. It’s a little fun and different, but I think it’s pretty fantastic. With unique flavors, from sweet to savory, it has combinations and tastes that
will make you re-think your idea of typical desserts.

A few examples…we have a Chevre (goat cheese) Cheesecake with Warm Stewed Fall Fruits and Red Wine Reduction. For the chocolate lover’s there is Chocolate Liquid Cake with Banana Foster Ice Cream and some house made Cashew Brittle. The Apple Three Ways was a BIG success during Restaurant Week I had to put in on the menu – this dessert has an Apple Spice Cake – Ziegler’s Cider Sorbet and Green Apple Foam that has a little pucker to it – it tastes like a sour patch kid!

Stop in to XIX to try one (or two!) of many new seasonal desserts…you will definitely enjoy the
experience!

Fall is Here!

XIX (NINETEEN) café, bar and restaurant is gearing up for Fall with new seasonal ingredients, fireside cocktail offerings and holiday events. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for details from all of our talented XIX contributors!

XIX's delicious Thanksgiving spread will be offered on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2009 from 1 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., the buffet is $65 for adults and $32 for children (children under 5 are free). Tax and gratuity are additional. Buffet items will include: Selections from the Raw Bar; Butternut Squash Soup spiced apples, pecans, cinnamon cream; Breaburn Apple Salad frisee, green beans, toffee pecans, blue cheese dressing; Traditional carved Maple Glazed Turkey with roasted turkey gravy, farmhouse cranberry relish; Rosemary and Garlic Scented Ribeye Roast with red wine beef sauce, horseradish cream sauce; Cedar Plank Salmon with purple mustard, scallion, bacon, garlic; Chunky Mashed Potato with Roasted Garlic; Baked Late Harvest Corn Casserole; Pulled Smoked Chicken Mac and Cheese .

For more information or to make a reservation, contact XIX at (215) 790-1919 or visit the web site at http://www.nineteenrestaurant.com/