Executive Chef Rick Gresh of David Burke's.
A month known for its savory flavors and pleasantly crisp temperatures welcomes a celebration worthy of a stein or two.
David Burke's Primehouse in Chicago, celebrated for setting the bar for beef dry-aged in their own Himalayan salt room, will be hosting a weeklong OctoBEERfest worthy of ritual.
Playing off the German beer celebration, Executive Chef Rick Gresh will host four evenings, from Sunday October 4th through the 7th, where local breweries showcase their beer against a preview of Chef Gresh's fall-inspired menu items.
The evenings begin with a "Beer and Nibbles" reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by a four course dinner, with each dish paired expertly against the showcased brews (yes, even dessert tastes stellar with a stout!) Participating breweries include Two Brother's on Monday, New Holland Brewery on Tuesday and Goose Island on Wednesday.
Chef Gresh himself will host Sunday's beer pairings with the first public debut of his own home brews. On tap are a tantalizingly golden Working Man Champagne, Stoned Wheat (Seedling Farms peach infused wheat beer), and a chocolately Mr. Peabody Porter among others.
Perhaps the most exciting pairing comes with the main course, a 40-day dry aged prime rib, with a carmelized onion gratin sure to bounce impeccably off his caramel 2 Wood Ale (names for its brewing first with birch syrup, then finished with African mahogany).
"Artisinal beer totally has a place on fine menus, as brewers are 'treating' it more like wine in a way with aging in barrels," explains Gresh, the passionate home-brewer. "Brewers are helping to create a community using local ingredients like the Seedling fruit in my stoned wheat, with the chamomile in my IPA that came from my garden."
So beer pairing? Quite easy actually, according to Gresh: "I think beer is pretty simple to pair, and generally, the bolder the food, the bolder the beer. Spicy food with a brown ale, or one of my favorites, kasteel rouge, is perfect with chicken liver or duck pate. It reminds me of wine in a way, with all the cherries."
While the variety and depth of beer flavors might remind us of wine, interwoven with a sophisticated market-driven meal like David Burke's, this October is time to celebrate the hops in all their upscale glory.
Dinner, which includes the pairings, is $55 per guest. For two brewery dinners, $95 per guest and to experience the entire series $175.
David Burke's Primehouse is located at 616 North Rush at The James Hotel. Reservations are required at 312-660-6000. Space is limited.
Comments