twelve's December menu debuts today

Mark Manger

Chef Jeff Osaka debuts his December menu

Today marks the first day of that new menu, and, predictably, I'm itching to get back and eat a couple of courses.

We've long admired Osaka's hand with soup, and this month's version, a combination of butternut squash, coconut and lemongrass, looks too interesting to pass up. In the entrees department, the calamari, which was fantastic in appetizer form, made its way onto the trout dish, supplemented by chickpeas, carrots and kalamata olives. And the braised beef, which was second last month only to the scallops (now off the menu), has a hearty setup that makes us salivate; it's paired with Gruyere polenta and onion soup sauce.

Once we actually do belly up to the bar, though, it's going to be hard to resist starting and finishing our meals with maple. The foie gras with maple flan, caramelized pear and griddled brioche sounds like a decadent winter treat, while the spiced pumpkin-dried fruit perdu anchored with maple ice cream looks like a great way to say goodbye to late fall.

The full menu:

STARTERS

greens
baby lettuces, shallots, fine herbs, parmesan, banyuls vinaigrette

soup
butternut squash, coconut, lemongrass

foie gras
foie gras, maple flan, caramelized pear, griddled brioche

spinach
spinach leaves, beef tongue, red onion, sherry vinegar, sesame oil

tuna
seared albacore, citrus salad, mint oil, baby frisee

romaine
romaine hearts, radicchio, buttermilk blue cheese dressing, toasted walnuts

ENTREES

salmon
scottish salmon, bacon, garlic, brussels sprouts, whole grain mustard

trout
colorado trout, chickpeas, carrot and calamari salad, lemon, kalamata olive

vegetable
farro "risotto", wild mushrooms, cippollini onion, ricotta, arugula

lamb
spice rubbed lamb shank, rosemary bliss potatoes, french lentils

chicken
redbird breast, braised endive, cauliflower puree, broccolini, olive salt

beef
braised natural beef, gruyere white polenta, onion soup sauce

DESSERTS

chocolate
chocolate trio - pot de crème, mexican ice cream, bittersweet cake

pumpkin
spiced pumpkin-dried fruit perdu, maple ice cream

cookies
cinnamon cookie-eggnog ice cream sandwich, chocolate syrup

cheese
daily selection of three cheeses

Sorbets
daily selection of three sorbets

Eat your way through your choice of appetizer, entree and dessert for $35 Tuesday through Thursday.

For more information, dial 303-293-0287.