Cafe Lago

Attention all carnivores! Our current pork chop has received a decidedly seasonal treatment with the addition of foraged ramp vinaigrette and blue oyster mushrooms.

Ramps, prized for their savory, garlicky character, are among the most fleeting ingredients we work with and are likely to disappear from the menu within the next week. As always, our pork comes from Pure Country Farms via PRESERVATION MEAT COLLECTIVE. Located just east of the Cascades, Pure Country Klingeman Family Farm raises its pigs on 100 acres of open pasture, resulting in exceptional flavor and quality from the very start.

If this dish has been on your radar, feast now or forever hold your peace. Or, at least until next spring 🐖🌱🍄

Known as boletus edulis, and often referred to as the king of all mushrooms, the mighty Porcini mushroom has joined our menu for a very limited time. Foraged locally each week by our friends at Foraged and Found Edibles, our porcini antipasto will be available only for as long as nature decides to cooperate 🍄🔥

This week, we’re roasting porcinis in our wood-fired oven and serving them atop a crema of Parmigiano Reggiano and blended porcini. A finishing drizzle of 2024 harvest Tonda Iblea olive oil from Sicily allows the mushrooms to remain the star of the plate.

Our Copper River King salmon arrives by way of Nelly Hand and her family at Drifters Fish a small fishing operation in Alaska dedicated to small-scale, sea to table sourcing. The Hands are so good at what they do that the fish often reaches our kitchen less than 24 hours after being caught, preserving the freshness and character that make Copper River salmon so incredible.

Because the Copper River fishery is carefully managed and supply is limited, this fish won’t be available every day. When Nelly calls, we order what we can.

Chef Lauren’s latest preparation features pan-seared Copper River King salmon served with seasonal fennel, lemon, watercress, and Picholine olives. It doesn’t get much better than that 🎣

Copper River Salmon has arrived at Lago! Famously flavorful and ephemeral, this fish is truly in a league of its own. Chef Lauren and the kitchen staff have crafted a brand new, skin-on recipe. Stop by soon, or you might just miss it 🐟🔥

Sunny spring weekends call for a toast. Our Spagliato Bianco is one of the quieter standouts on the cocktail menu. Inspired by the ruby-hued Negroni Sbagliato, our version combines Suze, Cocchi Americano, and Prosecco. The formula may be just as simple, but the flavor is entirely its own: bright, citrusy, and, in our opinion, even more refreshing. 🍊

Our longest-running dishes are almost always rooted in family recipes, and this antipasto is no exception. Passed down from Aunt Paulie of Watkins Glen, NY by way of Calabria, IT, our bruschetta with meatballs is a reflection of simple, comforting Italian home cooking.

With just a handful of ingredients — meatballs, tomato sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano, and bruschetta — the dish is simple in design but big on flavor. It has remained on our menu since the earliest days of Lago, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Red, white, or rosé? Cheers to the long weekend 🥂

Thank you to all who joined Chef Lauren at Bella Luna Farms for her Lago Lasagne class last month! Chef led the class through each step of our lasagne process, from pasta handling to baking and everything between. Everyone left with a full belly and recipes to try at home. If you missed this class, stay tuned!