pigs take over!

So yesterday we went to a pig roast and champagne dinner at Duck Inn...

here is the blurb they sent out for the fund raising event-

Enjoy an elegant pig roast for a good cause this Sunday.The Duck Inn (2701 S. Eleanor St.) and Krug Champagne are hosting the Krug Rustic Elegance Pig Roast to benefit Growing Power, a local urban farm.  Known for their urban farms, Growing Power is a national nonprofit organization and land trust that works to provide equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food for people in various communities. Growing Power provides hands-on training, on-the-ground demonstration, outreach and technical assistance to people, all with the mission of making communities more sustainable.

Diners will have a glass of Krug Grande Cuvee and a glass of Krug Brut Rose while dining on a menu of:

• Heirloom tomato & barrel aged feta salad garden oregano & pickled onions 
• Roasted eggplant & watermelon salad red curry vinaigrette | black sesame 
• Tammsworth pure bred heritage suckling pig green garlic chimichurri | calabrian chili romesco Duckfat potato lyonnaisse salad bacon lardon | crumbled duck egg | frisee 
• Epi baguettes & brioche rolls 

we started with - hors d'oeuvres of Foie Gras Mousse Blackberry Jam on Housemade English Muffins, Little Truffle Grill Cheese  while we attempted to wait out the rain... alas to no avail... but the food was fab anyway- even if we didn't get to eat it outside in the stunning backyard -

the watermelon and eggplant-

heirloom tomato salad-

salad lyonnaise- YUM YUM YUM (OK I liked it!)

the pig and his sauces-

the inside dining area has a duck (underwater view) swimming by and I don't think the guys noticed that their heads were right under the swimming feet- LOL

not on the menu ahead of time - we had a really nice bread pudding with fresh fruits- strawberries, blueberries and peaches!

the decor is mid-century (all the rage these days - especially with the hipsters)

and this guy was a happy pig... I found when looking on the Internet for this pig roast- he was promoting another --- must be the time of year for PIGS!!!!

so this week we are dining with Barb and John (our Florida neighbors who also spend summers in the Chicago area) and heading out to CBGB's summer place in Traverse City area- so there will - as always- be more to report back about....

A Magazine Worthy Dinner!

Prawns and Paella and Pig! Oh My! (chant it to the tune of "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!")

For quite some time we have had the date of July 20th on our calendars because it was a date set - between a number of folks who all have busy schedules- to have dinner at Mon & Beth's home.  Chris & Nina warned us that Mon is a fabulous cook and has an amazing kitchen but I don't think we really understood what they were trying to convey until we got there.

Within minutes of our arrival Phil and I were bargaining with each other about which tools (toys) we wanted that Mon's kitchen was sporting... I wanted a mechanical table deli style slicer and Phil wanted the holder for the full leg of bellota ham from which Mon was slicing treats....

the appetizers - olives, pate, thinly thinly thinly sliced hard salami (like I love), acorn fed bellota, white anchovies, blood sausage,  Philippine style egg rolls, along with a number of things I fail to remember - were all fabulous.  AND that should have prepared us for the incredible main courses of stuffed deboned suckling pig, seafood rich paella, and giant prawns in Asian sauce but we were bowled over anyway!!!! LOL

the cheese course had four well selected cheeses and a lovely fruit tart with a cookie crust rounded out the food end of the meal-

the wines- started with several wonderful champagnes and went through at least three Bordeaux wines from the 80s (82 Calon Segur, 86 Margaux, and 89 Pichon Lalande) and ended with a 77 port (a Dow?)

so I know by now you are all thinking "where are the pictures?" - so- I have a couple and you will get the gist of the meal - which really did qualify for the term FEAST....

some photos of the bellota (we all tried our hand at slicing but it was much more difficult and than the pros (including Mon) make it look!

the house made egg rolls!

then some photos of the mains

a guest, John,  takes over the carving not knowing the cochinillo is deboned-

the wines- not all but just what I had the presence of mind to photograph...LOL

after the animals (oh I meant to say guests- LOL) got to it-

so now I see why Mon had no trouble cooking for a chef with one Michelin star (Chris Nugent of goosefoot) LOL- he could open his own place!  Bravo Mon & Beth for a fabulous meal! Definitely in the Michelin lingo "worth a journey"!!!!