Chef Weston Richards designs a modern take on an Italian Christmas Eve tradition, served from Friday, December 21 through Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24 at Les Marchands Restaurant & Wine Shop, in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone.
For these four days only, Chef Richards features his contemporary Central Coast feast, adapted with Santa Barbara-sourced seafood. “Feast of The Seven Fishes” first emerged in the United States in the 1900s, when Italian-Americans celebrated the holidays with a multi-course meal of seven seafood dishes, bringing together family and friends to commemorate Christmas. Expect inspired wine pairings from France, Spain, Germany and Hungary for each course selected by Les Marchands’ Wine Director Hayden Felice, and expertly mixed craft-cocktails from the talented bartenders perfect for guests’ individual tastes.
Here’s the menu for Les Marchands “Feast of The Seven Fishes” 2018 by Chef Weston Richards with recommended wine pairings by Hayden Felice:
first
Wild American Caviar
potato chips, crème fraîche, chives
Salt-Roasted Fingerling Potato, House-Smoked Salmon, Egg Yolk
Lassalle Cachet Or Brut 1er Cru NV Champagne
second
Crispy Smelt
blackening spice, saffron aïoli
Hondarribi Zuri, Getariako Txakolina, Bengoetxe, 2016, Olabarria, Basque Country
third
(choice of)
Spanish Octopus
charred radicchio, orange, mint, red onion
Grenache Gris/Roussane/Macabeo, Domaine Gardies, Les Glaciaires, 2014, Vingrau, Roussillon
or
Chilled Squid Ink Noodles
dungeness crab, jalapeño, tobiko
Riesling Trocken, Keller, Von der Fels, 2016, Rheinhessen
fourth
(choice of)
Ridgeback Prawns
strozzapretti, prawn bisque, sherry, fava beans, parsley
Valdespino Fino “Inocente” NV
or
Santa Barbara Fisherman’s Stew
local mussels & halibut, grilled bread, herb aïoli
Kékfrankos, Wetzer, 2016, Sopron, Hungary
Reservations may be booked by phone or online at www.opentable.com and are available from 5 p.m. Space is limited. For information call 805-284-0380 or email Info@Lesmarchandswine.com. Les Marchands Restaurant and Wine Shop is located at 131 Anacapa St., Ste. B, Santa Barbara, at the Corner of Yanonali and Anacapa Streets.
Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on December 15, 2018.