This Drink Editor and The Diva Series

Caipirinha Cocktail Competition

I participated in my first cocktail competition (for charity, so no pressure) a couple weeks ago in honor of the Brazilian Festival, Carnivale at Texas de Brazil. We were charged with creating our own Caipirinha's.  I was in great company, competing against my fellow Food and Drink writers in Chicago. Pictured with me is Chanda Ram, editor of PLATE but contestants included:

• Stephanie Miller, Drink Editor, Chicago Scene (obvi)
• Chanda Ram, Editor, PLATE Magazine
• Marissa Conrad, Associate Editor, Chicago Social
• Denise O'Neal, Food Writer, Chicago Sun-Times
• Laura Stolpman, Food & Drink Writer, Chicagoist

I was robbed (kidding) by Laura who took home the grand prize-dinner for 10 at Texas de Brazil- and Marissa was runner up (man! I should have known to use my fav liqueur, Domain de Canton). Looks like my Huckleberry Honey with Muddled Blackberry Caipirinha wasn't quite as good as I thought...

Texas de Brazil Judges

My Supporting Fans and Marissa Conrad from CS

Sixteen Celebrates it's One Year Anniversary

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Sixteen, the renowned restaurant on the sixteenth floor of the Trump International Hotel & Tower, I had the pleasure of attending a dinner party with some of my favorite media friends. For those of you yet to make the pilgrimage to Sixteen, I suggest that you at least commit to a drink at the oh-so-chic bar. Make a date with your boyfriend, best friend or co-worker (scandy!), order a gin martini (Bombay Sapphire please) and munch on the yummy nuts, salty olives and whole cloves of garlic, yes, garlic, that are served as the snacks de jour.


Sure times are tough, but everyone deserves a treat once in a while.

And this cookie is well worth the calories.


To me, Donald Trump embodies opulence and excess. I was half expecting to see gold plated faucets in the bathrooms and crystal glass for the tap water. Yet Sixteen, and the entire Trump Tower for that matter, was more Ivanka than the Donald: modern and refined. It was new-school not old-school and it was evident that the award-winning Chicago architecture firm Valerio Dewalt Train were the brains behind the project.

As I sipped champagne and meandered past the floor-to-ceiling glass enclosed wine rooms, I literally kicked myself (no, really, I tripped on the French limestone floor as my 6-inch Stuart Weitzman gladiator heels crumbed underneath me) for forgetting to bring my camera. Whether you’re a wine aficionado or are happy with at bottle of Yellowtail, it’s impossible not to appreciate the 465 red and 375 white wine bottles artfully displayed.


Connected to the Bar is a cozy room called the Bridges Room, aptly named for its picturesque view of the famous Michigan, Columbus and Lake Shore Bridges across the Chicago River. As a Chicagoan, I was convinced that I had experienced every memorable view the city has to offer- the Signature Room, Everest, the Planetarium and even the panoramic view from my balcony in the West Loop- but no. As we stepped out onto the terrace of Sixteen (we were only the 2nd group allowed to do this-the first being the Donald himself for a private opening party), the vantage point was unlike anything I’ve seen.

It was in the Bridges room that we drank, dined, laughed, cried, argued over the Oscar winners and lamented over the interminable Chicago winter. It was one of the longest dinners that I’ve ever been to.

Four hours.
But every minute was worth it. From my first sip of champagne at 7pm to the second dessert course (a study of chocolate: molten mousse and pavlova served with Dow’s Vintage Port) served at 11pm, it was one of my most memorable dining experiences.


Executive Chef Frank Brunacci, who during the course of his 20-year career has garnered experience in some of the world’s most distinguished restaurants (um, AAA- Five Diamond Victor’s at The Ritz Carlton, New Orleans), served up modern American fare which included two of my favorites:
Lobster royale; butter poached Maine lobster, corn and truffle soup

Diver Scallop; foie gras, sweet potato and spiced pecan

With his Australian accent and Italian last name, I was eager to see what cultural twists Brunacci would place on the 10-course dinner that he prepared for us.
Chef Brunacci’s nightly dinner menu—which changes daily—is designed for a three-course selection. Cheeky got a sneak peak at a couple of items that will be making their way into the dinner rotation the Spring:

Mediterranean Rouget, stuffed morels, english pea puree, maple ravioli
Morel mushroom tart, witlof salad, arugula mayo, spiced pecans
Spring lamb, roasted salsify and morel lasagna, thyme jus
Stuffed quail, Israeli couscous and morel ragout, wilted leeks

Bon Apetit!

Sixteen's Wine Collection at The Trump

Wrigley Building Through The Lens of Sixteen

Table Kits at the Underground

Bottle service is SO last year. Why don’t you forget it and opt for a table kit instead? What’s a table kit, you ask? Well, I headed to the Underground to find out what Benjamin Newby, GM and cocktail creator, had concocted.

The latest offering is a cocktail experience, where well-trained servers in Cold War Era booty shorts take an artisan approach to pouring a drink.

Seeing that I had just come from Rockit (where I had my first Kobe beef with brie burger, followed by a couple of vodka martinis with three bleu cheese olives - more on that obsession later), I could really only handle two of the kits. I was already familiar with Cosmos and Mojitos, so I settled on the Absinthe and the St. Germain table kits.

And out they came.

The Absinthe Table Kit was served on a silver platter with glasses reminiscent of Waterford crystal. It was as if we were about to enjoy tea at the Dorchester, except Absinthe had taken the place of Earl Gray (okay, okay, it was dark and I may or may not have had a couple of martinis, but hey, they looked beautiful). As I took my quick drink of Absinthe (you drink it as you would a shot, but with more revere - you’re drinking Pernod Absinthe, the oldest Absinthe brand in the world - show some respect, people!). I couldn’t help but feel as if I were entering a forbidden world. A round of Absinthe drinks are made in the traditional way with sugar and fire and served per person ($15 each). Each table is limited to one round and this particular kit is only available until midnight.

Next was the St. Germain Table Kit. For those yet to experience the lovely nuances of the French elderflower liqueur, I encourage you to try it as a secondary flavor with your next cocktail (Champagne, sparkling water, St. G). It offers a fantastic flavor - one of my favorites. St. Germain naturally enhances the flavors of Champagne (or sparkling wine) and brings out notes that you may not normally pick up. Add a dash of St. Germain to your Champagne flute and suddenly peach, pear and citrus flavors can be detected. At UG, the St. Germain cocktails are served on the rocks with a silver straw spoon. A carafe serves about six for $75 and you have the option of adding on a bottle of Champagne for $50.

I didn’t have a chance to try the Cosmo Kit or the Mojito Kit, but you can imagine that high attention to detail is provided to ensure the ultimate cocktail experience.

And for those who like to detox to retox, Sunday brunch at Rockit can either be the perfect hangover cure or just another excuse to keep the party going. Rockit has one of the best gourmet Bloody Mary bars in the city and they’re channeling UG with their Mimosa Kits. The Sunday Funday Kits feature an assortment of fresh fruits and seasonal juices, including orange, pineapple, mango and pomegranate, served in carafes and accompanied by a bottle of Champagne: $50 for Veuve Cliquot, $30 for Domaine Chandon or $5 per glass.

Absinthe Kit at the Underground

Cosmo Kit at the Underground

Mimosa Kit at Rockit

First Look, Chicago Auto Show 2009

Just got back from the First Look for Charity at the Chicago Auto Show.  The champagne was flowing and the cars were gorg.

The Original Black & Tan

For an upcoming Chicago Scene article I was looking into the latest and greatest in the beer world. When I connected with my guy at A-B, he sent me this great invention: the Bass Brolly.

The authentic Black & Tan has been made with Bass Pale Ale and Guinness stout since the 1800s and for nearly as long, adults have attempted to pour their Black & Tan by placing a bar spoon over the lid of their pint glass. The bar spoon is an easy tool to use, but it often results in something closer to a caramel than a Black & Tan. To help beer drinkers pour the perfect Black & Tan, Bass created the Bass Brolly, which sits atop the pint glass and allows the stout beer to flow through slowly, resulting in the desired layered effect.

Chicagoans can head to www.budshop.com to pick up their own brolly, or swing by your local Binny’s to grab a case of the regular, English Pale Ale.

Bass Pale Ale

I'm competing in a Cocktail Competition (Scary)

I'm competing in a charity cocktail competition (Yikes!). See details on this invite.

 I would LOVE to see you all there. 

I've judged many but have never actually participated. It's Thursday, Feb. 19th at Texas de Brazil and they've asked the Wine & Spirits Editors from the Sun-Times, Chicago Social, PLATE Magazine, Chicago Scene (me, obviously) and the Chicagoist to create a recipe incorporating Cachaca (National spirit of Brazil, it's like white Rum) in honor of Carnivale.

All proceeds go to Meals on Wheels. Whether you come for the good food/drinks or to see me crumble under pressure, it's going to be a good time.

Cheers.

Bourbon Tasting

Last Saturday I headed to 5 Star (1424 W. Chicago) in West Town to attend one of their monthly Whiskey University sessions. Chicago’s own Whiskey Professor, Steve Cole (yes, that’s his official title, I even checked his business card), who works on behalf of Beam Global Spirits, chatted with a hefty group of dedicated bourbon drinkers.

Cole unveiled the rich history and heritage of bourbon through a fun but informative, in-depth tasting of Basil Hayden’s, Knob Creek, Baker’s and Booker’s bourbons, all from the Beam family.

Professor Cole channeled the great Greek thinkers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. I knew they were smiling down on Cole, their proud eyes locked in on the teacher, as he taught and expanded the minds of his meager students with bourbon basics.

It was beautiful.

It was enlightening.

It must have been divine intervention.

All bourbons are whiskies, but not all whiskies can be bourbons. Whiskey is the umbrella and falling under the umbrella are several varieties: Scotch (whiskey made in Scotland), Irish Whiskey (can you guess where that’s made?), Tennessee Whiskey (think Jack Daniels) and Bourbon.

Technically, bourbon can be produced anywhere in the U.S. It doesn’t have to come from Kentucky. That’s a myth. But, only bourbon made from Kentucky can label itself as such. The limestone from that great Southern state produces a fine, unfiltered water that makes bourbon production in Kentucky unlike any other region in the U.S.

We sampled the bourbons according to alcohol proof - lowest (Basil Hayden’s) to highest (Booker’s). This girls favorite? Booker’s was the winner. Sure, it had the highest alcohol proof, but what did it for me was the syrupy texture, the spicy notes that hit mid-palate and the slow, warm sensation that I got as it went down my throat and warmed my soul.

Mmmm, it’s the Drink of the Gods.

Hope To See You Thursday, Feb 5th!

Inauguration Party at Park 52

To celebrate the inauguration of our 44th President, Mr. Barack the man Obama, I dined, drank and danced the night away at Park 52 in Hyde Park. Hennessy was the evening's sponsor so of course, Congnac was incorporated into all of the cocktails that evening. I started the night drinking the Congnac straight up in a small snifter, but my personal favorite was combination of Hennessy, cranberry juice and fresh ginger. I was psyched when I received the Limited Edition Hennessy Bottle. Look at the label. Pretty cool. You can pick one up too. Binny's and Sam's has them. Music was provided by a fantastic jazz band, Julia Huff and the Company.

Cheers.

While in San Francisco...

I can count on one hand, the number of instances where I've stopped a server at a restaurant and begged for them to write down the name of the wine that I'm drinking. 

This was one of them.

So inspiring was the 2007 Groth Sauvingnon Blanc, that I've taken the time to read the history of the vineyard, the evolution of the land and have run several google searches on the owner (an early investor of the 1980's video game phenomenon Atari).

I was in San Francisco on business and was seated at a round table in the middle of the small dining room at Piperade, a Basque inspired restaurant set against Telegraph Hill.

The food was delicious. The wine, phenomenal.

For a girl who is loyal to her reds, this cool, crisp alternative swept me off my feet. I would only allow myself the tiniest sips as I enjoyed the artisanal cheese with thinly sliced serrano ham. Although Groth is known for the full bodied Cabernet Savingnon's that they produce in Oakville, Napa Valley, their Sauvignon Blanc won me over with its a clean, citrus backbone. 

It had remarkable character. 

For those who don't live on the west coast (sigh...) you can pick up a bottle of Groth's Cabernet Sauvignon of Sauvignon Blanc at your local Binny's.

The Heismans

We got to go to the Heismans. Pretty cool experience. The Nokia Theater is much smaller than it looks. I was so close to Kirk Herbstreit (my man) and the three Heisman nominees- Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy, that I could nearly touch them. I may or may not have seen a bead of sweat drip down Kirk's brow. Hey, he was probably a little nervy.

The Heismans 2008

PAGE SIX

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12172008/gossip/pagesix/benefit_curfew_144607.htm

December 17, 2008 --
AFTER donating three hours' use of their venue at no cost to benefit Charity Water, it's no wonder Metropolitan Pavilion organizers wanted to clear the space for a money-making endeavor. Monday night, Adrian Grenier hosted the benefit, but at 10:20, the Met Pavilion "flipped the lights on and off, turned off the music, and kicked everyone out. They were scheduled to host a bat mitzvah." Even with the time constraints (and co-host Jessica Stam out with the flu), Grenier raised $40,000 before heading off to the VIP party at RDV, while most guests were herded over to Kiss n' Fly. Page Six heard that that Adrain left with two special ladies. It's been said that one girl's name was Stephanie.

Charity: Water Event with Adrian.

I spent the past five days in glorious NYC. Above is one of the highlights. Allison and I met Adrian Grenier at the Charity: Water event. He's really cute, obviously, but he was kind of a dud. I give him props for not bringing an entourage with him (no pun intended, literally, he did not have one guy or girl hanging with him all night).  Stay tuned for pictures from the Heismans and GASP! a Whitney Port sighting. She's filming the Hills spinoff, "The City."