Yep, the menu at Valley Bar is French Lick Resort’s best-kept
secret. You’ll still find the classic appetizers. But now, the menu has been
expanded and re-imagined. If there weren’t sports memorabilia on the wall and
games on the big screens, you’d probably have no idea you were ordering off a sports
bar menu.
Get a taste of the new items in today’s #FoodieFriday. Nick
Tongret — the resort chef who introduced these new items —adds a little more
flavor about some of these new items, too.
“We’re trying to take those traditional items and go a little bit above and beyond – either just through presentation, and in overall quality as well,” Nick says. “Yeah, you can go to a bar and you can order your wings and your loaded cheese fries and things like that. But when you’re wanting to sit down and watch a game, being able to sit down and have a really nice pork chop or steak is so much better than just the little appetizers you tend to get.”
And that’s not to overlook the new Loaded Cheese Fries (new to the menu) or the Valley Bar Wings. Jamaican jerk and lemon pepper are the two newest wing flavors, joining the existing lineup of buffalo, BBQ and sweet chili. Don’t be afraid to order the Jamaican jerk to share with everyone — they’ve got a nice kick but won’t scare off those who are spice-hesitant.
Now on to the stars of the show. Hello, steaks. The 14 oz. Ribeye is a weekend special available every Friday and Saturday, and occasionally during the week as well. And the 7 oz. Filet Mignon is on the menu 7 days a week. If you’re not able to get reservations at 1875: The Steakhouse during your stay, don’t forget about this option. (Really, how many sports bars can you order up a filet?)
Looking for a recommendation straight from the chef? That’d be the Cedar Plank Salmon. Ordering salmon out can sometimes leave you wanting more portion-wise, but you definitely don’t get skimped on this 9 oz. Alaskan plank.
“If I came here as a guest I would order the cedar plank salmon, just because I feel it is the most unique entrée that we have,” Nick says. “It’s giving a very unique flavor, unique presentation on that charred piece of cedar plank wood. You get that aroma hitting your nose before you take a bite into it, you start getting those flavors going, melding together with the balsamic reduction and lemon pepper seasoning. That would definitely be my personal pick.”
Along with the salmon, two other new items have been big sellers during the early rollout of the new menu. The Crab Cake Sandwich can be ordered with or without the bun — it’s been a hit either way when it was previously offered as a special. “We got great feedback from that, so that’s why we decided to try it on the menu full time,” Nick says.
Then there’s the 12 oz. Fischer Farms Prime Steak Burger,
a step up in class from the standard bar burger. “Again, going above and
beyond,” Nick says. “Going with a steakhouse-style burger with the caramelized
onions as opposed to just a typical dressed burger patty, that sold extremely
well on our opening night.” You could easily split this three-quarter pound
beast between two people — or conquer it solo, if you dare.
Another item previously offered as a special, now promoted to the main lineup: the 9 oz. Duroc Pork Chop, which is balanced nicely with the sauteed sweet and sour peppers on top. There’s also the Fried Chicken Caesar Salad topped with two jumbo chicken tenders (with salmon also an alternative option).
“Other venues at the resort go with more of a traditional
style crème brûlée and I wanted to break away from that a little bit,” Nick says.
“We were playing around with different dessert recipes, and I kept coming back
to that flavor combination of cinnamon and sugar. At the holidays my mom makes
snickerdoodle cookies, and those are one of my favorite. I thought, I wonder if
I could do this as a crème brûlée? Normally whenever I’ve made them it’s been vanilla
flavored, so I tried it with cinnamon instead of vanilla, and it turned out
awesome. I figured, let’s try something that’s different.”