Friday, August 29, 2014

Wine and a Movie @ City Winery


 If you're wondering what Mistaken for Strangers is all about, watch this trailer!

"Hey! Do you wanna go see a movie?" My constant response to that question is usually "Meh..." Well, this time, I actually said yes to a movie without hesitation. Karla Fantastic scored tickets to the documentary Mistaken for Strangers, at City Winery My brain automatically drowned out the word movie, and just heard food and wine! Let's do this!
The documentary is viewed through the eyes of Tom Berninger, who's the brother of The National's frontman Matt Berninger. It takes you through Tom's rough journey as his brother's roadie, where you see the stark contrast between awkward, needing to be launched Tom, and his rock star brother. If you're a big fan of The National, you might be able to pick through little details that might add an interesting element to this, where as I recieved it as a flat lined documentary that probably would not have gained such notoriety without it being tied to The Nationals.  There were moments where I chuckled, but they were few and far between...and fueled by half priced wine. K.F. and I discussed that perhaps Mommy Berninger was like..."Matt, help out your brother . Give him a shot."

This was how it looks like to watch a movie at City Winery. Not bad.
Enough with the movie, let's talk taste bud entertainment! 

My Libation of choice was the West Loop White 2013: I picked this wine by way of "When in Rome..." I believe it was a sauvignon blanc / riesling combination. Ok I'm not a wine expert, but my untrained palate experienced sweet, light, and tangy notes. I felt that it could have used a little hint of the refreshing factor, but it did not quite hit the mark. It was not bad for the price. 
I'm going to steal this beaker idea for my next soiree.

City Winery subscribes to the shareable plate movement. Being that it was after work on a Tuesday, I was ready to eat carbs! Lots of it!

Dipping Flight: It's a Pita party, with pools of Humus, Babaganuj, and Muhammara. Is it safe to assume that most Noshers know and have had humus? It's basically creamed up chickpeas. Dippin-licious! Babaganuj or Babaganoush is an Arabic dish made from mushed up egglants. This is my first time eating this! I always thought that the name had a fun ring to it. The Muhammara is a paste of peppers...etc. As my pita took a nose dive into the different dips, I could not really make out the difference from the three pools. I was expecting the muhammara to be spicy, but not so much. I still enjoyed the carb fest enough to not even notice that the pita tasted a little stale until K.F. pointed it out. How hungry was I?


Roast Pork Belly: "sarsaparilla seasoning, savory french toast, maple-bourbon sauce." Holy pig! This amazing! I'm such a fan of sweet and savory dishes, but this one is just a cut above. The french toast was fluffy in the middle, but still had a nice crunch that complemented the buttery pork belly. I wanted more of the french toast to sop up the the maple-bourbon sauce. I can eat this for breakfast...but ER trips for chest pains would totally make me late for work. 
 Braised Duck Tacos: "guacamatillo salsa, cabage salad, white tortilla." When you think duck, you think fat, and possibly greasy. This taco was the opposite of that. It was tender, not greasy. The cabbage added a nice texture, and gave it a fresh flavor. It almost tasted healthy, but the delicious kind of healthy. The guacamatillo was like a guacamole crema. It was a great dipping complement, adding richness to the tacos. It did not leave me wanting spicy salsa.


That's the end? We'll that was how I felt about the movie. With the movie over, it was time to get the party started! Dessert time! 

With it being such a beautiful crisp summer night, it was only appropriate to enjoy dessert al fresco. City Winery's outdoor patio makes me think of how summers are spent in Vino Town, Italy ( Yes, I made that place up). 


Again, "When in Rome..." was utilized with picking my sugar of choice.

 Summer-Time Snowball: "chocolate mouse, marshmallow creme filling, flourless chocolate care, pistachio sauce, pistachio tuile, pistachio gelato, toasted coconut." The long list of what comprises this delicious dome describes it best. I tasted every bit of it with each bite. It tasted exactly how I imagined that list would taste like... but can I have more gelato?

Despite the lack luster documentary, and the not so flavorful dipping flight, the rest of the meal deserve a repeat visit, and who would not want to take another trip to the friendly vineyard of Vino Town, Italy?


                                      
                                                   


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