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The
Gem and Keystone™ Signature Dish
Thursday, April 1, 2010 (Shawnee on
Delaware, Pennsylvania) – Owned by the Kirkwood
family, the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort is a large,
scenic vacation destination featuring a golf course,
ski area, hotel, banquet and wedding services, restaurant,
brewing company, gallery, adventure center, playhouse,
and much more.
Located in Shawnee on Delaware, the restaurant, formerly
Sam Snead’s Tavern, reopened as the Gem and
Keystone last year.
With the recent addition of an on-site brewing company
called ShawneeCraft and a two acre vegetable garden,
the Gem and Keystone is utilizing everything from
food to beer right from the Shawnee property.
The ShawneeCraft® Brewing Company is between the
Inn and the Gem and Keystone and features handcrafted
beer made with
almost all organic ingredients sourced as locally
as possible. According to Peter Kirkwood, the Gem
and Keystone™ is unique
to Shawnee and got its name from the golf course,
which is referred to as “The Gem of the East”
and the fact that it’s located in the Keystone
State. In addition, many of the beers are aged in
oak casks. There is a spot called the keystone on
the head of an oak cask where the tap is pounded in.
The Gem and Keystone™ and ShawneeCraft®
Brewing Company borrow from each other. The seasonal
pub style meals are created based on what beer would
pair well with it. By the same token, some of the
beer is crafted
specifically around the food. “We refer to it
as seasonAle cuisine,” said Gem and Keystone™
General Manager Dan Rothman, who is the creative force
behind the menu and has over twenty years experience
as a chef. “It’s always evolving, and
every season
we develop a different menu and offer seasonal specials.”
The vegetable garden is located near the golf course,
and the produce is used in the cooking whenever possible,
depending on
the growing season and what is available. The cooks
also utilize locally grown produce. In the spring
and summer, the garden features a variety of produce
including beets, eggplant, baby greens, many herbs,
tomatoes, chili peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, squashes,
lettuce, radishes, and even flowers. In the fall,
pumpkins dot the garden and are used in meals and
the brewery’s own pumpkin ale. “We also
grow our own lemon grass and produce
a wheat beer infused with lemon grass and toasted
black pepper,” said Mr. Rothman.
In addition to the ale and lager, the cooks use an
oak grill with the smokiness contributing to the unique
flavors found in each meal. On the menu you can find
Grilled Trout served with citrus asparagus, roasted
radishes and spring potatoes; the Braised
Lamb Shank served with root vegetables and a crispy
gnocchi; Pretzel Crusted Salmon infused with local
maple syrup, chilies and
grain mustard; Vegetarian Pot Pie served in an edible
bowl of acorn squash with root vegetables sautéed
in a light cream sauce, and Vegetarian Chili topped
with sharp cheddar cheese. The Gem and Keystone also
serves a variety of seafood, pasta, and steak dishes.
The restaurant has three levels, all with outdoor
seating attached to them. From all three levels you
can see and hear the babbling
Shawnee Creek that feeds into the Delaware River a
few hundred yards down on the edge of the resort’s
property.
The lower level is referred to as “The Cellar”
with oak bourbon and brandy barrels for aging the
beer, a dark cherry wood bar, and stained glass fixtures,
which contribute to the pub style atmosphere. The
Cellar features Jazz Jams with live jazz musicians
every other Thursday evening beginning at 7 p.m. and
live music Friday and Saturday night. The middle level
is the main dining area and features an entire wall
of windows, hickory wood floors, cherry wood furniture,
stained glass, and local art adorning the walls.
Many exciting projects are in the works at Shawnee,
such as implementing an apiary so they can produce
their own honey. The
honey will be used in the food and beer. The Gem and
Keystone is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
In addition, the
restaurant features a late night menu and can be booked
for private parties from 10 to 200 guests. Tours of
the brewery are available by appointment.
Great Shawna Trout
One of the entées on the new spring menu, the
Gem and Keystone’s locally raised grilled trout
is a popular dish featuring vegetables from the garden.
The trout is served over citrus asparagus with roasted
radishes and spring potatoes. A mild Golden Beet ShawneeCraft®
Coulis completes this flavorful meal.
Head Chef Dan Stripp begins by marinating the boneless
trout in
ShawneeCraft Ale, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive
oil. The trout is placed over the oak grill, and the
asparagus is roasted in the oven with lemon and orange
zest. The asparagus serves as a bed for the trout
to lie on. The radishes and spring potatoes are seasoned
with salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil and
then roasted with lemon juice and parsley. The sauce
is made by slow roasting golden beets and spring onions,
then purÈeing them with extra virgin olive
oil and the ShawneeCraft Ale.
“The bittering agent in the beer works well
with any food that is
carmelized, lending a harmonious flavor of sweet mixed
with bitter,” said Mr. Rothman. For more information,
call (570) 424-0990 or visit www.gemandkeystone.com
or www.shawneeinn.com.
UPCOMING EVENT:
April 22nd- Beer Dinner beginning at 7 p.m. A five
course dinner paired with specially crafted beer.
The event benefits the Rotary of the Smithfields.
Please call the restaurant or check the website for
price and menu.
As published in April 2010 issue
of
CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE
Written by Allison Mowatt
www.connections-magazine.com
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