I had a great time at the first
Food Network in Concert at Ravinia last weekend! As I mentioned
in an earlier post, the one-day event brought together local and national chefs, Food Network stars, and great musical talent.
We started our day walking around the Greatest Hits food and wine tasting with more than 50 chefs and 100 wineries. It was truly an indulgent experience and I loved how we could interact directly with the chefs in such a relaxed atmosphere.
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Greatest Hits Tasting
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| Wine Tasting |
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| Shrimp Bruschetta from GT Fish & Oyster |
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| Bruschetta from Enolo Wine Bar |
After the walk-around tasting, I had the chance to attend one of the evening's seated dinners, Farm To Turntable. The dinner had a farm to table theme, all set to the sounds of DJ Alexandra Richards (who happens to be Keith Richards' daughter!).
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| Alexandra Richards |
I met up with fellow Chicago food blogger, Steph Callahan, of
Steph Eats Chicago and we both enjoyed the dinner together!
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| Steph Callahan of Steph Eats Chicago & Me |
The event was hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian, co-host of The Kitchen, Chopped judge, and Iron Chef!
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| Geoffrey Zakarian |
The dinner featured five courses, each made by chefs, four of which are from Chicago. Each chef is known for sourcing local ingredients and each course featured these ingredients. Every course was also paired with a wine, ranging from chardonnay to pinot noir, and moscato.
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| Farm to Turntable Menu |
The chefs included Michael Kornick (MK), Joe Frillman (Balena), Bill Telepan (Telepan), Paul Virant (Vie, Perennial Virant, Vistro), and Jeff Mahin (Summer House, Stella Barra).
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| From L to R: Michael Kornick, Paul Virant, Joe Frillman, Jeff Mahin |
The dinner was fresh, flavorful and beautifully presented!
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Hiramasu Crudo:
roasted Nichol's Farm sweet corn, corn shoots, Thai chili scented olive oil, mint, watermelon radish, lemon cucumber |
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Burrata Peperonata:
burrata, purple cress, pickled & smoked peppers, capers, pickled garlic |
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Foie Gras Torchon:
pickled peaches, pecans, and purslane |
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Grilled Pork Loin:
fresh tomato relish, mushroom conserva, arugula |
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Baked Figs:
ash baked mission figs, vincotto, ricotta dolce, tea infused cream, vanilla, candied lemon |
After the dinner, Steph and I had the chance to meet Geoffrey Zakarian who could not have been nicer.
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| Steph, Geoffrey Zakarian, and me |
To end our night, we grabbed a seat in the pavilion to watch American Idol season 11 winner, Phillip Phillips perform, as well as John Mayer. It was such a fun way to end a day of eating, drinking, and music and I was impressed with John Mayer's guitar skills. John ended up playing for two hours! It was pretty incredible.
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| John Mayer at Ravinia |
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| A Blurry John Mayer at Ravinia |
After the concert, we continued the party on the Metra back to the city. Wine and cheese anyone?
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| Wine & Cheese Anyone? |
I had such a blast at Food Network in Concert at Ravinia and hope they bring it back next year!
Note: my tickets to Food Network in Concert at Ravinia were complimentary; however, the opinions expressed herein are my own.
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