STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
Sue Bartow has always loved lamb. But never has she been presented with such an array of different ways to eat lamb as she was Friday evening during the For the Love of Lamb Dine Around.
Bartow, who came from San Diego to attend the 26th annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival, strolled from restaurant to restaurant with her friend Sharon Bockemohle. And in the course of an hour she was presented with 11 different ways of cooking lamb, including the Sawtooth Club’s Sengalese curried stew, the Limelight Hotel’s lamb empanadas and Barrio 75’s tiny but flavorful spiced lamb chorizo tacos flavored with citrus chili cotija, charred corn and cucumber pico and fresh mint.
“I love it all,” she said.
A sell-out crowd of about 500 people strolled through Ketchum sampling bites prepared by local chefs.
Rominna’s Retaurant served a Braised Leg of Lamb in a Mascarpone Creamy Polenta with Plum Madera Sage Wine that chef Pierre Herrera made with plums from his mother’s plum tree.
David Fox of Silver Fox Catering served up Lamb Keftedes—a Greek-style meatball with Apricot Chutney in a pop-up location outside The Argyros.
“I could have made it with the apricots from my trees, but I’ve been too busy to pick them,” he said.
The event attracted a healthy mix of locals and out-of-towners. A couple from Albany, Ore., studied the dots on the map of their For the Love of Lamb passport, trying to figure out where the various restaurants were, while some locals followed a list they’d had prepared ahead of the event that would take them to their favorite restaurants or dishes.
Of course, one could’ve just listened to the chatter of diners to figure out where to go.
“I love the Peruvian Lamb Stew at Serva,” said one referring to a dish that involved lamb piled on mashed yams covered in onions.
Kate from Sandpoint announced midway through the dine around that she had found her unequivocal favorite—the Lamb Tagine with Cous Cous and Yogurt that Scott Mason was doling out at Ketchum Grill. “It was hard to find because the location wasn’t right on the map, but it was worth the search,” she said.
Minutes later she announced she’d found a new favorite—the spicy Tandoori Lamb with Mint Chutney and Lacha Onion Salad at Saffron Indian Cuisine.
Mary Strachan, a parttime Sun Valley resident, told how she’s spent the day indulging in a lamb cooking class and a wool crafting class before taking part in the dine around.
“The classes were wonderful,” she said. “They even served wine.”
Volunteer Jody Olson doled out words of encouragement to the diners.
“Better hurry along. You’ve only got seven restaurants to go,” he told one woman pushing a stroller from bite to bite.
Fox sighed: “It was fast and furious but fabulous. We made enough meatballs for 540 diners but we could have easily served more. What a beautiful venue. You get to be out in the community and see so many different people.”
Volunteer Wendy Jaquet concurred: “It’s always fun to see so many people,” she said. “I love telling people my strategies. Everyone’s happy. They all love lamb. And they love that there’s so many different dishes to try.”