THIS EVENT HAS ENDED
Like lingering sunsets and heirloom tomatoes, chef Ki Kim’s Korean (ish) pop-up menu at the Flamingo Resort is winding down, but there’s still time for that last savor of summer through Oct. 30.
The former owner of Kinn restaurant and current chef de cuisine of Michelin-starred Meteora in Los Angeles has created a handful of signature dishes that marry his traditional fine dining skills with Korean flavors.
The monthlong pop-up at Flamingo’s Lazeaway Club is part of the Turntable Takeover that brings renowned chefs from around the country to the Bay Area.
After readers gave mixed reviews of previous Flamingo x Turntable installations, I made a point to vet the dishes.
I was wildly impressed with the Local Halibut Crudo ($19), a small but flavor-packed dish with delicate slices of raw halibut, a sweet garnet yam and aji amarillo puree topped with steelhead roe; and last-of-the-year Heirloom Tomato Salad ($12) that’s a Michelin-worthy bargain with soft burrata, tomato consommé, cherry tomatoes and a quenelle of basil sorbet. It’s fancy and familiar, and I was darn close to licking the bowl on both.
Fried Chicken ($24) is a tender and juicy thigh battered in a delicate tempura with a yin-yang of sweet soy and creamy tartar sauce. Barbecue Short Rib ($32) is a hands-on adventure, featuring leafy butter lettuce and perilla leaves as a wrap for slices of umami-packed beef garnished with enoki ssamjang, pickled daikon and kimchi.
Save room for the Chocolate Mousse ($13), a bombe of sweet-savory mousse enrobed in a chocolate shell with black sesame crumble and Mandarin orange curd.
Everyday Lazeaway favorites, like bibimbap, seared salmon with coconut-lemongrass broth, ahi poke with sesame ponzu and pineapple upside-down cake with rum caramel, remain on the menu during the pop-up.
On Nov. 24, the holiday season kicks off at Flamingo Resort with the Sippin’ Santa Tropical Winter Wonderland launch party. Through early January, Lazeaway Club hosts a cocktail pop-up festooned with enough tchotchke and tinsel to choke a yeti.
Featured cocktails will include island-meets-North Pole-inspired cocktails, including Frosty the Merman (rye, vanilla-clove syrup, lime, pear and allspice liqueur); the Sugar Plum Mai Tai (rum, lime, cinnamon and plum); Merry Spritzmas, a take on the Aperol spritz with cognac, lemon, fig preserves and cardamom bitters; and the Snowball’s Chance in Hilo cocktail for two with rum, pineapple, orange, nutmeg and cinnamon syrup.
Seasonally-decorated rooms and suites will also be available.
2777 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-545-8530, flamingoresort.com
Goatlandia changes
Sebastopol’s plant-based Goatlandia Kitchen has paused its restaurant operations, according to owner Deborah Blum. They will focus on catering, special events, classes and parties at the 6811 Laguna Park Way café. Holiday takeaway dinners and a mocktail class are on the horizon, according to Blum.
Previously a barbecue restaurant, the vegan kitchen opened to the public in August. Stay up to date with the changes and new offerings at goatlandia.org.
You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at [email protected]. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.