We attended a dinner in honor of Chicago Craft Beer Week a couple weeks ago, where the five course meal was accompanied by perfect beer pairings from local craft brewers Solemn Oath Brewery.
The dinner was held in the “Barrel Room” at Lincoln Square gastropub The Fountainhead, where Cleetus Friedman recently stepped in as Executive Chef. Friedman, owner of the now closed City Provisions is revered for his nuanced grasp of farm to table cuisine and did not disappoint in the dishes he presented, all built around seasonal produce.
Our table featured a variety of occupations: a documentary filmmaker, a neuroscientist and a philosophy PhD student who all shared our love of beer and good food. The entrees were served family style, although we’ll note that all pretense was dropped when it came to claiming the last bite of food on any of the plates. Our favorite was the sausage and pepper pappardelle with fresh basil, accompanied by craft brew “kidnapped by vikings.” We were so inspired by this dish we tried to recreate it at home a few days later using lamb sausage.
We heeded the suggestion of our servers to leave Prairie Fruits Farm goat cheese in our mouths during a pan seared scallop dish as we drank the beer pairing, whereupon an incredible flavor synergy to took place. The meal was amazing from start to finish, beginning with a wonderful cask ale and ending with an intoxicating rose hip liqueur and lemon pound cake and accompanied by not one, but two beer pairings: “e-ville” and “oxford comma.”