Detroit Chef Creates Tasting Menu Based On Radiohead; We Dream Up Some Chicago Music Menus We'd Like To See

By Lisa White in Food on Feb 19, 2014 9:30PM

Radiohead at Lollapalooza/Photo: Tankboy

A Detroit chef is concocting a tasting menu we hope catches on here in Chicago, a meal crafted around specific music. Detroit Golf Club’s Kyle Hanley has created a 10-course tasting menu where each course is paired with a track from Radiohead’s album, Kid A. The Huffington Post reports the album will be played—uninterrupted—throughout the meal. The meal will be served one night only and opens with a pan-seared diver scallop with yuzu fluid gel, fried cellophane noodle, lemongrass ponzu and chili oil paired with the opening track “Everything In Its Right Place,” Rolling Stone reports. Hanley and his business partner are considering turning the event into a monthly dinner series, pairing a menu with a different album each month.

Sound is a big part of the restaurant experience and we love the idea of creating more of a specific focus with food and music. Music and cooking go hand in hand for many and sound can create a new layer of senses while eating as well. A burger at Kuma’s might not feel as primal if there wasn’t metal music blaring as meat juice drips down your wrist. Part of the relaxed atmosphere and laid back environment at Schwa is sharing your beer with the cooks while they choose the soundtrack for the evening. Music and Food are both something intimate and communal for many so putting equal focus on the two makes logical sense. Music has texture, creates tensions or is fluid, just like the transition between dishes.

Detroit is a little bit far for a meal but it got us thinking of some music and food collaborations we wouldn’t mind seeing in Chicago:

-A “March of the Pigs” dinner at Publican. Industrial music for meat that is cut with industrial saws, we wouldn’t mind some pork to go along with Trent Reznor’s favorite “pig” songs. Or slurping down a plate of oysters, a natural aphrodisiac, while “Closer” blasts over the stereo. It could get a little intense, good thing the booths at Publican have doors already attached for privacy.

-Ian MacKaye tasting menu at Green Zebra. MacKaye is a well known vegetarian and if we’re going veg we want a side of Fugazi next to our greens.

-Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky Bakery treats. Tweedy loves to support great local charities, so it seems like a no brainer (especially given the shared name) to have Wilco and the non-profit bakery team up for some special treats for a good cause.

-The Ampersand Dinners. Longman & Eagle soundtracked to Hall & Oates. Siouxsie & The Banshees while dining at Owen & Engine. Cheery Sonny & Cher at Butcher and the Burger. She & Him at Bangers & Lace. You get the general idea.

-A trippy dinner at iNG. iNG already has the flavor tripping miracle berry. We think pairing it with a soundtrack from the trippy Flaming Lips catalog would work perfectly.

-Pop Punk Night at Graham Elliot Bistro. Elliot is a known music fan and has served many of the bands that come through town. Why not a menu focused on some of his favorite bands from the genre he loves?

-Smashing Pumpkins (all gourd meal) at Abigail’s American Bistro. A menu where each dish includes pumpkin, all served up at a North Shore spot focused on fresh and local flavor close to Billy’s teahouse.

-Common at Uncommon Ground. The name alone makes this one too easy.

What are some Chicago focused music menus you’d like to see?