Pausing for the Cause

last night we attended a collaboration dinner to raise funds for the suicide prevention lifeline....

here is the info about the event-

Pausing for the Cause 2018
The passing of Anthony Bourdain earlier this year shook the entire food and wine community to its core. People took to the social medias to share their stories and an opportunity to make a difference was born. What if we could come together, eat food and drink wine, while also helping others? 

Chefs Noah Sandoval of Oriole and Stephen Gillanders of S.K.Y will join together in the kitchen at S.K.Y on Monday night, September 24th. Together, in tandem, they will create a special family style, five course dinner. The proceeds of this dinner will go to benefit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The dollars can and will literally help to save lives.

Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe, the evening will open with a Krug champagne reception at 6 PM. Light hors d'oeuvres will be passed and the bar will be open for those wishing to purchase and enjoy a cocktail.

Each set of two tickets includes a bottle of vintage champagne to enjoy with the evening. Guests will select their bottle in a random drawing and will take it with them to their tables.

Guest sommeliers from many of Chicago's best restaurants will be in attendance to provide excellent wine service.

Dinner will commence shortly after 7 and the evening is anticipated to wrap up close to 11. 

Both chefs will be in the kitchen all night and will speak briefly before dinner. Additionally, the executive director for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Dr. John Draper, will be present and will also have the opportunity to discuss the organization's mission and purpose in greater detail.

The evening will be an intimate celebration of food and wine and of life, and as a result there will be no formal dress code. Guests will be encouraged to make themselves comfortable, and are welcome to bring bottles of wine to enjoy with dinner - all proceeds from the "pay what you want" corkage fees will go to charity. 

so off we went for dinner- which was of course amazing since the collaboration was of chefs from our two favorite places to eat right now- oriole and S.K.Y. - what's not to love?

we were extraordinarily lucky to have seated next to us two fun people who we got to know a bit during the event and also lucky that friends Todd & Evelyn were right at the table behind us.... leading to much sharing and camaraderie... 

We brought a 2011 Sigrid for the white and a 1999 Girardin Corton-Renardes as well as a 1996 Pommard from Jadot... all showed well and our lottery champagne was the 1995 Millenaires - formerly known as Champagne Charlie from Heidsieck (I loved it Phil not so much because he isn't a raving fan of blanc de blancs)

but on to the menu and the food- wow - everything was so good-

a good cause and a lovely evening- and we made plans with our neighbors at the next table to meet there for dinner mid October- so all in all worth going to 18th street at 5:15 with the crappy traffic on the Kennedy... the trip home was 18 minutes but the trip there was more than double that.... just reinforcing our "dinner at eight" or later rule!