Stepping back in time: Nostalgia Bistro matches Victorian atmosphere with innovative meals

At the age of 9, he ordered escargot (snails) in a restaurant in France.

"I guess it was a sign of things to come," said his mother, Susie Chandler.

Still, he didn't discover his love of cooking until college. He was studying animal science and, even though he had a baseball scholarship, he insisted on working to help pay for college. So, he got a job at Benihana's in Rome, Ga., cooking Japanese meals on a steel grill right at guests' tables.

College and baseball fell by the wayside as Shannon pursued the culinary arts. He moved to Florida and took cooking classes at the the local vocational school and honed his skills at Roy's Restaurant, an upscale restaurant featuring Hawaiian fusion cuisine.

By 2005, "the mountains were calling." So, he moved to Dubois to run Chandler's Ranch House Cuisine with his father and brother.

When the Ramshorn Inn in downtown Dubois became available, he jumped at the opportunity. He opened Nostalgia Bistro in June 2010 and a bakery and coffee shop, called the parlor, the next spring.

The building had housed the bar and restaurant for years, and during renovation, Shannon recycled as many of the original items as he could. For example, the original bar is now part of the coffee bar.

Instead of sticking with classic, Western decor, which is typical in the dude-ranching town, Shannon put his own spin on it: Victorian old West.

"We're trying to give our guests kind of an out-of-time experience," he said.

The idea was inspired by his mother, who was once an antique dealer.

Antiques and replicas representing the 1800s to early 1900s fill the restaurant, from the chandeliers to the old advertisements hanging on the walls. Much of the furniture comes from antique stores or thrift shops, as well, making the restaurant feel home-like.

In the dining room, part of the walls are upholstered with bright red material, an antique cash register sits behind the checkout and a high-wheel bike hangs above the bar that lines the back of the room.

At the bar, Shannon has several regional brews on tap. In fact, he's passionate about using local and regional ingredients whenever he can.

Everything is made fresh -- as Shannon hates prepared foods -- using European and Asian cooking techniques. Some of the most popular items on the menu are Asian-inspired dishes, such as the Thai chicken dinner and the Thai beef steak salad, in which stir fried flank steak is served on a bed of cabbages with fresh greens, mint and cilantro that has been tossed with almonds and ginger dressing.

Although linens cover the tables and the food is refined, the prices are competitive, with lunch ranging from $7 to $12 and dinner from $14 to $27.

The lunch menu offers homemade soup, a variety of salads, such as the tomato mozzarella salad featuring marinated baby mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes and basil drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Sandwiches come in a variety of flavors, from barbecue to Caribbean with a few classics in the mix, such as a B.L.T. The same goes for the burgers, which are made of beef ground in-house. You can get a basic burger, or try one of the zestier options, such as the Wyoming honey burger, topped with honey mustard made from local honey, onion rings and asadero cheese.

A variety of fish, meat and poultry dishes are on the dinner menu, such as the hot iron seared rib eye with fire-roasted red pepper sauce or lemongrass mahi mahi.

Martinis, margaritas and other mixed drinks (under the label "Panty Droppers") accompany the wine list.

Fridays and Saturdays are sushi nights, with five options ranging from $10 to $12 such as a tempura soft shell blue crab roll with avocado cucumber, tobiko roae and sweet chile aioli. If raw fish isn't your style, try the cowboy up Wyoming sushi roll. It's made with steak instead of fish, as well as avocado, red peppers and cucumber.

The in-house bakery provides many of the breads and desserts in the dining room, as well as a variety of baked goods for the parlor.

The parlor, which is connected to the restaurant, features plenty of hot and cold beverages to be enjoyed while relaxing in a cozy couch or at a wrought-iron patio furniture reminiscent of a French bistro.

Shannon is working on renovating another room behind the dining room for special events. It has a large fireplace, and would be perfect for special events, he said. It should be completed by fall.

He shared these recipes exclusively with Live Well readers:

Duval Street Shrimp

Ingredients:

6 large shrimp (size: 16 to 20 per pound)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced shallots

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon diced tomatoes

1 liquid ounce lime juice

1 liquid ounce (1 shot) white wine

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon shaved Parmesan cheese

crusty bread for soaking up butter

Instructions: In a small saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the garlic and shallots. Add the shrimp when the garlic and shallots are translucent and seared on both sides. Add the tomatoes when the shrimp are searing on the second side. Deglaze the pan with the lime juice and white wine. Remove the shrimp and plate them at this point. Return the pan to medium heat and add the butter, swirl the butter to melt it gently. Do not boil the butter, or the sauce will separate. Pour the butter sauce over the plated shrimp and top with the shaved Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy.

Beer and Horseradish Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or bacon fat

2 medium yellow onions, diced

1 cup celery diced

1 cup roasted yellow peppers, diced

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

24 ounces (or 2, 12-ounce cans) beer, use a pale ale for lighter color or brown ale for a darker color

14 ounces shredded horseradish cheddar

4 cups half-and-half

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 pounds smoked sausage

Instructions: Melt butter in a stockpot over medium heat. Add chopped onion, celery and toasted yellow peppers and sweat until softened. Add flour and cook for about five minutes, stirring often. Add chicken broth and beer. Heat until it comes to a boil. Slowly add cheese while stirring until just boiling and smooth. Add half-and-half, salt, dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook until the soup has thickened. Cut smoked sausage into rounds and saute in a separate pan until heated through. Add sausage to the soup, and transfer the soup to a serving bowl. Serve soup with a crusty bread and maybe a salad.

Dark Chocolate Stout Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/4 stout beer

1/3 cup dark molasses

1 2/3 all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder, more for the pan

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon table salt

10 ounces (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter at room temperature, more for the pan

1 1/2 packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs at room temperature

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions: Position rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Butter a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan and then lightly coat with sifted cocoa, tapping out any of excess cocoa.

In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the stout and molasses to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and let it stand while preparing the cake batter.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

With a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment or hand mixer, cream the butter in a large bowl on medium speed until smooth, about one minute. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Stop to scrape the bowl after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour and stout mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour.

Stop the mixer at one last time to scrape the bowl and then beat at medium speed until the batter is smooth, about 20 seconds. Stir in the chopped chocolate.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula. Run a knife through the batter to eliminate any air pockets. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Set the pan on a rack to cool for 20 minutes -- any longer and the cake may stick.

Invert the cake onto the rack and remove the pan. Let it cool until it's just barely warm.

If you are making this cake ahead of time, wrap it in plastic while it's still warm and without glaze; it will keep for a week at room temperature. You can also freeze the cake.

Glaze

Ingredients:

3/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons stout beer

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Instructions: Bring the cream and stout to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Let stand for one minute, then whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool for five minutes before drizzling over the cake.