Chris' House - Highland Park, IL
Tasted Tuesday, July 30, 2013 by tooch with 638 views
For July, Chris hosted us at his house in Highland Park. His theme was California from the 1970s - 1990s. We were joined by chef Nick Thompson from Northwestern University's James Allen Center who cooked up a very enjoyable menu. Despite a few sprinkles, I thought the dinner was great. We had a couple wines not really show up, while others were absolutely profound.
Oyster Shooters with Cucumber Juice, Hendricks and Ginger
Lamb Bacon, Caramelized Banana and Puff Pastry
Bourbon Cured Salmon, Cornmeal Cracker, Pickled Fennel and Crème Fraiche
Green Grape and Almond Gazpacho with Crème Fraiche Drizzle
Grilled Octopus, Confit Potatoes, Pickled Eggplant, Tomato, Oil Cured Olives
Seared Duck Breast with Corn Polenta, Goat Butter, Scallion Oil
Flannery 21-Day Dry Aged Hanger Steak with Warm Mushroom Salad with Braised Beef Vinaigrette Topped with
Duck Egg with Shaved White Truffle
Flannery Rib Cap Steaks, Bellwether Ricotta Gnudi and Black Truffle Sauce
Grilled Peaches, White Chocolate Lemon Panna Cotta, Hazelnut Brittle
And Honey Thai Basil Glaze
Thanks again to Chris for opening his house and Nick for preparing a great menu!
2004 Gaston Chiquet Champagne Special Club Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne
Nice, brisk acidity and melon on the palate with some toasty notes that gave it a bit of body. As is the case with a lot of 2004s, this had really trimmed and focused fruit with nice complexity and acidic balance.
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2002 Bernard Hatté Champagne Special Club 91 Points
France, Champagne
Disgorged in 2012, I was fond of this. This was a new Special Club producer for me, and I really liked what it offered. Toasty aromas on the nose with some hazelnut, peach and melon flavors to boot. Great acidity, great balance, great bottle.
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