This past Wednesday, I dined al fresco, or should I say, Al GRESHco at David Burke’s Primehouse. What? You ate fresh vegetables, fruits and fingerling potatoes at one of Chicago’s best steakhouses?
I sure did.
But there was foie gras and baby goat, so it wasn’t completely sans meat.
Every Wednesday, Executive Chef Rick Gresh (hence, Al GRESHco) heads to Chicago’s Green City Market farmer’s market with his culinary team to shop and talk to the farmers and purveyors, selecting the fresh, local and sustainable ingredients for that evening’s Al Greshco menu, handwritten by the chef. Depending on the season and what the market has to offer, this creative four-course dinner menu changes weekly, ensuring all new and never before tasted dishes from Chef Gresh every week.
The Al Greshco Feast begins at 7 pm every Wednesday and is hosted at the communal table on the al fresco patio at David Burke’s Primehouse. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating the night I attended so we dined indoors, amidst the well-heeled first-daters and businessmen.
Chef Gresh personally served all of the courses and provided interesting information and stories on all of the market dishes throughout the course of the evening.
We started with epi and roasted garlic with a side of mixed greens and homemade salami, paired with Mionetto Prosecco. Then it was on to my favorite dish of the night: fresh scallop and porcini mushroom fritters with grilled zucchini ribbons and red wine beets. With the second course came the most delicious wine of the night, the Marti Fabra Garnacha from Costa Brava, Spain. Tender foie gras and baby goat ravioli closed out the main dish courses and vanilla Bavarian mousee with strawberry filling and lady fingers topped off the meal.
One of the more intriguing drinks of the evening was the Amaretto Black Tea with a large whiskey soaked strawberry floating in the middle. I took one bite of the strawberry and was in heaven.
When Chef Gresh came out to say his goodbyes and thanked us for joining him, he slipped me a white paper bag. Pour moi? A to-go bag filled with a dry-aged Porterhouse? A fresh Caeser salad (which they make tableside by the way)? I glanced inside the bag and saw an old-fashioned Ball jar with a silver cap and a piece of faded yellow masking tape on the lid labeled, “berry jam.”
“It’s homemade berry jam that I made. It’s from the fresh raspberries, blueberries and blackberries that I picked up at Green City Market,” Chef Gresh said.
My night was complete. I will now dine Al GRESHco every morning with my toast.
Sidenote:
Chef Gresh is embracing the social media phenomenon. Signing up for Al Greshco reservations are available exclusively through Chef Rick Gresh on Facebook or Twitter. Guests must friend Chef Gresh and simply inquire about Al Greshco to get added to the list. For all of you Rick Gresh fans out there, here are his social media links:
Facebook and Twitter.
I sure did.
But there was foie gras and baby goat, so it wasn’t completely sans meat.
Every Wednesday, Executive Chef Rick Gresh (hence, Al GRESHco) heads to Chicago’s Green City Market farmer’s market with his culinary team to shop and talk to the farmers and purveyors, selecting the fresh, local and sustainable ingredients for that evening’s Al Greshco menu, handwritten by the chef. Depending on the season and what the market has to offer, this creative four-course dinner menu changes weekly, ensuring all new and never before tasted dishes from Chef Gresh every week.
The Al Greshco Feast begins at 7 pm every Wednesday and is hosted at the communal table on the al fresco patio at David Burke’s Primehouse. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating the night I attended so we dined indoors, amidst the well-heeled first-daters and businessmen.
Chef Gresh personally served all of the courses and provided interesting information and stories on all of the market dishes throughout the course of the evening.
We started with epi and roasted garlic with a side of mixed greens and homemade salami, paired with Mionetto Prosecco. Then it was on to my favorite dish of the night: fresh scallop and porcini mushroom fritters with grilled zucchini ribbons and red wine beets. With the second course came the most delicious wine of the night, the Marti Fabra Garnacha from Costa Brava, Spain. Tender foie gras and baby goat ravioli closed out the main dish courses and vanilla Bavarian mousee with strawberry filling and lady fingers topped off the meal.
One of the more intriguing drinks of the evening was the Amaretto Black Tea with a large whiskey soaked strawberry floating in the middle. I took one bite of the strawberry and was in heaven.
When Chef Gresh came out to say his goodbyes and thanked us for joining him, he slipped me a white paper bag. Pour moi? A to-go bag filled with a dry-aged Porterhouse? A fresh Caeser salad (which they make tableside by the way)? I glanced inside the bag and saw an old-fashioned Ball jar with a silver cap and a piece of faded yellow masking tape on the lid labeled, “berry jam.”
“It’s homemade berry jam that I made. It’s from the fresh raspberries, blueberries and blackberries that I picked up at Green City Market,” Chef Gresh said.
My night was complete. I will now dine Al GRESHco every morning with my toast.
Sidenote:
Chef Gresh is embracing the social media phenomenon. Signing up for Al Greshco reservations are available exclusively through Chef Rick Gresh on Facebook or Twitter. Guests must friend Chef Gresh and simply inquire about Al Greshco to get added to the list. For all of you Rick Gresh fans out there, here are his social media links:
Facebook and Twitter.
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