Weekend Planner: Meals on Wheels Chicago Celebrity Chef Ball, Green City Market Culinary Garage Sale, Krupp Brothers Wine Dinner, Happy Hour at Bread & Wine
Meals on Wheels Chicago Celebrity Chef Ball
One of the best (and my personal favorite) food events of the year is happening this weekend at Morgan Manufacturing. The Meals on Wheels Chicago Celebrity Chef Ball takes place Friday, November 13, featuring a top-tier laundry list of culinary talent from throughout the city and beyond. All told, there are more than 70 chefs and a dozen mixologists tapped to participate in this year's altruistic event to benefit Meals on Wheels. It all starts with a VIP Chef's Table Experience at 6:00 p.m., wherein groups of 25-30 people are joined up with a trio of chefs cooking them a unique six-course dinner menu, paired with cocktails from a designated mixologist. Next, it's on to the Chef's Tasting Party starting at 8:30 p.m., which is a grandiose affair featuring food from dozens of impeccable chefs, plus cocktails, wine, beer, a silent auction, photo booth, and a DJ. Chefs cooking for the VIP Experience include Matthew Accarrino of San Francisco's SPQR, Ashlee Aubin of Salero and Wood, Greg Biggers of Cafe des Architectes, Christine Cikowski and Joshua Kulp of Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Phillip Foss of EL Ideas, Justin Carlisle of Milwaukee's Ardent, Tim Graham of Travelle, Rick Gresh of The Commons Club and Miss Ricky's, Ryan McCaskey of Acadia, Jeffrey Mauro of Jam, Sean Pharr of The Bristol, Patrick Sheerin of Trenchermen, and many more. Then there's a whole new crop of chefs partaking in the Tasting Party, including Perry Hendrix of avec and Blackbird, Greg Bastien of The Winchester, David Dworshak of Bar Takito and Takito Kitchen, Diana Davila of Cantina 1910, Nicolas Cabrera of STK, Nathan Sears of The Radler, and lots more. Mixologists include Freddie Sarkis from Broken Shaker, Fred Parent from Hendrick's Gin, Jaime Salas from Milagro, MJ Hynes from Tullamore Dew, and others.
Tickets for Meals on Wheels Chicago Celebrity Chef Ball are $350 for the VIP Chef's Table Experience and $200 for the Chef's Tasting Party. Purchase your tickets here.
Green City Market Hosts Culinary Garage Sale
Another great food event taking place this weekend is the Green City Market Culinary Garage Sale, hosted by NAHA on Saturday, November 14, from 8:00 p.m. until 12:00 p.m. The perfect holiday season event for the impassioned sustainable foodie, the garage sail will contain numerous items from some of Chicago's most esteemed chefs. Think cookbooks, glassware, cookware, chefs' coats, china, and lots more. There will also be a bake sale, which you know will be delicious. VIP tickets fro the garage sale are $50, which earn early entry at 8:00 p.m., while general admission tickets are $10 and grant entry at 9:00 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Green City Market, and tickets can be purchased here.
Krupp Brothers Wine Dinner
Another week, another wine dinner. Not that I'm complaining. Quite the contrary, actually. As the weather darkens and cools, it's nice to have such an endless array of wine-paired degustations. The latest is the upcoming Krupp Brothers Wine Dinner at III Forks Prime Steakhouse, which takes place November 13 at 6:30 p.m. The event marks the national release of the 2012 Krupp M5 Cabernet Sauvignon, which should entice oenophiles. Led by winery estate manager Nikki Lincoln, the wine dinner will take guests on a tour de force of the Napa Valley, showcased throughout a four-course meal. The menu includes yellowtail hamachi with lemongrass vinaigrette, opal basil, prosciutto cracker, mascarpone cream, and fig jam paired with the 2014 Krupp Brothers "Black Bart"s Bride" Marsanne Blend. Next is venison tartare with carrot emulsion, fried leeks, fingerling potato chips, and a glass of 2009 Krupp Brothers "Veraison" Proprietary Blend. Crispy pork belly with butternut squash risotto and sour cherry chutney is next, paired with the 2012 Krupp Brothers "The Doctor" Red Blend, followed by braised lamb shank cassoulet with the 2012 Krupp Brothers M5 Cabernet. For dessert, it's Meyer lemon tiramisu with vanilla Cognac cream. The cost to attend is $175 per person and seats can be purchased by calling the restaurant.
Happy Hour at Bread & Wine
Lastly, start your weekend on a "happy" note with happy hour at Bread & Wine. The venerable Irving Park restaurant recently implemented a weekly happy hour program on Friday evenings, which entails a glass of house red or white wine with three pieces of cheese and charcuterie for $15.
- Matt Kirouac