Carnivale's Slow Food and Goose Island Brewery Dinner.
Carnivale, Slow Food Chicago and Goose Island Brewery welcome us to dinner.
Kinnikinnick Farm baby arugula, baby beets, heirloom carrots, heirloom cherry tomatoes, aged sherry vinaigrette. The mild, peppery arugula and the beets, in particular, were incredible. Paired with Goose Island Sophie.
This plate does not do the food justice and we wish we\'d been patient enough to take more pictures. We ate: Becker Lane pork spare ribs with peach habanero barbecue sauce (a table favorite); Swan Creek chicken with chimichurri; Three Sisters corn, Piment d\'Espelette, with organic butter (another table favorite); Nichols Farm butterball potato confit, summery savory; Shoot Star Farm heirloom tomatoes with a basil-chile vinaigrette. Paired with Goose Island Matilda.
The colorful, sliced Heirlooms waiting to be dressed in the kitchen.
Platters of cheese in the kitchen: Capriole Farms \'Piper\'s Pyramide\' goat cheese; Fayette Creamery Avondale Truckle cheddar cheese.
Our table of desserts: The aforementioned cheese platter; Mick Klug white peaches with dulce de leche cream; Seedling Farm red and gold plums with a light sprinkle of sea salt. Paired with Goose Island Pere Jacques.
We dined last night at Carnivale for its Slow Food and Goose Island Brewery dinner. The meal featured produce from local farmers prepared by Chef Mendez and paired with a Goose Island brew. Once seated at communal tables, the evening began with a warm welcome from Chef Mendez and a beer graciously poured by his wife, making us feel like they'd welcomed us into their home for a dinner party with friends.
The food was delicious, the company and conversation were fantastic. There was great appreciation for the ingredients and the farmers (who were also there dining), the art of preparing food with quality products and the beer pairings. We managed to snap a few pictures at the table in between bites and even snagged two in the kitchen before service. You can see a description of the foods, the name of the farms, and the beer pairings in the photo captions.
If you have not yet enjoyed either a Slow Food dinner or dinner at Carnivale, we recommend you try both.
