Newcomer With Nw Flair

Chip Thomas is pretty thrilled with his new plates.

They’re not the typical fill-‘em-up-with-food kind of dinnerware. Customers can see them hanging on the wall at Jimmy D’s, Thomas’ restaurant in Coeur d’Alene.

Thomas won these ceremonial plates as awards for his exotic salmon with smoked tomato butter at the recent Epicurean Delight in Spokane, a formal dinner that benefits the Deaconess Medical Center Foundation. He had some pretty stiff

competition, too, with restaurants from around the region trying to curry favor with guests and a panel of judges.

“My wife Lisa said all those hours I had been putting in were finally paying off,” he said.

What makes the accomplishment remarkable is that this was the first time Thomas had entered the prestigious annual event.

That’s because he hasn’t been around all that long.

Thomas and his parents, longtime restaurateurs who own Gatto’s Pizza in Cheney, bought Jimmy D’s nearly two years ago. Since then, he has gradually introduced his entrees onto the menu, trying not to shake up longtime customers.

He calls his cooking style Northwest cuisine, incorporating the freshest local products and using straightforward cooking techniques.

His award-winning salmon, for instance, gets its smoky quality from being cooked on an alder plank, a process similar to one used by Northwest Indians.

He likes to let the flavors of the foods shine through rather than drown them in sauce.

After Thomas graduated from the California Culinary Institute, he worked in Seattle at Brooklyn Steak and Seafood in an exhibition kitchen where chefs created dishes right in front of diners seated at a counter.

“It was great to see that immediate reaction,” he said. “There would be some nights where we actually got applause.”

He still gets a kick out of strolling around the dining room at Jimmy D’s and seeing people enjoying their meals, but his biggest thrill is rolling up his sleeves and doing the cooking.

“I really like making dishes taste and look as good as they possibly can,” he said.

That means ensuring that a dish is properly seasoned. Unlike some chefs who shy away from salt, Thomas believes that seasoning helps enhance the flavor of foods.

“Of course, you don’t want to oversalt something, but you try for a happy medium,” he said.

Thomas keeps up on cooking trends by reading lots of magazines and has noticed that beef is enjoying renewed interest. He’s added some meaty new dishes, including a popular filet mignon served with a wild mushroom and port demiglace finished with Roquefort cheese.

“It’s rich, yes,” he said, “but people like to treat themselves when they’re out to dinner.”

Prawn Saute

Chef Chip Thomas says the exotic, earthy flavors of the mushrooms in this dish complement the mild shellfish.

1-1/2 pounds large prawns, peeled and deveined

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/2 pound oyster mushrooms, sliced

1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced

4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, cut into julienne strips

3 tablespoons fresh basil, cut into julienne strips

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups cream

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter

Salt and pepper (preferably white pepper), to taste

1 pound angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions

Over medium-high heat, saute prawns, mushrooms, garlic, basil and sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil for 3 minutes. Add white wine and cook until reduced by half. Add cream and reduce by half.

While cream is reducing, check the prawns for doneness; when done, remove from the pan and set aside. When the cream is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove mixture from heat, whip in the butter and season with salt and pepper.

Arrange warm pasta on 4 plates and pour sauce over the pasta. Arrange prawns on top. Serve with the vegetable of your choice.

Yield: 4 servings.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: Chef du Jour is a monthly feature of IN Food that profiles area chefs and provides one of their recipes for readers to try at home.