Chicago Marathon Val

Good morning everyone!

I owe you an apology for the sloppy layout of today’s post, and the fact that the pictures are out of order.  But, they are still amazing pictures and I would love to share them with you all – so I encourage you to continue reading regardless! 

Our home laptop is giving me grief today so I’m on my work laptop which for whatever reason will not let me organize the order of the photos.  Thanks for bearing with me! 

Let’s backtrack… quite a few weeks ago I got an email that a select few Chicago FoodBuzz Featured Publishers were invited to attend a complimentary multi-course dinner at Tru.  For those of you who aren’t familiar, Tru is a Rick Tramonto/Gale Gand restaurant and is known for being one of the finest dining establishments in the country!

I was SO excited at the prospect on dining at Tru, and when I didn’t hear back from them then I assumed that I wasn’t included in the event.  However, just last week I got an email saying that I did indeed have a spot!! Even better, it mentioned that bloggers could possibly bring a guest, and I thankfully snagged a spot for Mike to attend, as well.  I knew it would be a blast attending the event with foodie friends, but I also knew it was going to literally be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I wanted to share with my wonderful husband!
I had such a fun weekend (a movie with friends, kayaking on the Chicago River, Italian in Wicker Park, the Chicago Diner, shopping with my mom and grandma)… but I have to say that despite all of the excitement of the past few days, I was most excited for the dinner at Tru!!! I had been dying to go for years but had assumed that it was not in my immediate future, since one can reasonably expect to spend at least $200 there.

***

That’s my intro… now let’s see the pictures!! Again, I truly apologize that these are not in order.  This was by far the most exciting event/meal I have ever had the honor of blogging about, so it’s a bit irksome that these computer problems are plaguing me now.  But I don’t mind as long as you don’t

We were thrilled when we learned that we were going on a kitchen tour!!

This is the sought-after “Kitchen Table”, which is set just off the kitchen and has a large picture windown looking into the main kitchen.  It’s back apart from the main dining room; thus, I assume this is where Oprah and Obama eat when they come here? The pastry chef last nightThe famous glass caviar staircase

At the end of the kitchen tour we were presented with yet ANOTHER dessert (at this point we had already had quite a few).. it was a fabulous truffle.  We were instructed to eat it in one bite… which was a wise suggestion since it melted/exploded immediately in your mouth and was slightly cold, and was both flavorful and also seemed to be simply full of air at the same time.  I loved the combination of chocolate and the light ginger flavor!Such a unique flavor!The stunning main dining roomA plate of sweets in the main dining room (these appeared to be the same treats that we were served as part of the “mignardises” course)Jumping ahead, this was my main course: Quinoa with hanterelle mushrooms, knob onion, and chives.  It was simple but delightful!

This was Mike’s main course: Braised Beef Short Ribs with Unagi, scallion, pistou, and miso emulsion.  Mike could not stop raving about this dish!! He’s usually more of the “meat and potatoes” type and I thought that he would be disappointed in the tiny portion size, but he was obsessed with the flavors of the short ribs combined with the saltiness of the unagi.  I told him I would make him some steak with sardines on top one day to replicate the taste

I tried the miso emulsion… PHENOMENAL!!! I just barely dipped my spoon in it, and yet that miniscule bite was just bursting full of flavor.  This was amazing!  Just the type of ingredient that I was hoping to try at a gourmet restaurant… I love reading culinary magazines and learning about the newest trends of food and chemistry and it was so fun to finally experience it for myself!

After dinner coffee (Intelligentsia) with a cube of brown sugarWe were sooooo excited when Rick Tramonto came out to say hello!!! He just stopped in for a brief moment but was very warm and welcoming – Eat a Duck I Must wisely thought to bring his cookbook, which he autographed!The pastry chef who explained the dessertsMike’s: Seedling Farms Plum with sarsaparilla cream, milk chocolate, and ginger-lime meringueThe china cabinet in the kitchenThe rug when we first walked into the kitchen

Me, before heading out for the night

Mike’s menu

My “amuse bouche” …. comprised of olive oil poached curry tomatoes, striped figs (amazing), and carbonated grapes.  The grapes truly didn’t taste the least bit carbonated, but were good nonetheless

Mike and IThe wine was free-flowing all evening and was superb!  This was the Alma de Blanco Godello Monterrei 2008 from SpainWhile everyone else had their bread course, I was given a vegan alternative (the bread contained egg) – I was provided with my own dish of popcorn!This was delightful with lime and orange zest!Cucumber “shooter” with a bite of radish.  As tiny as that itty-bitty bite of radish was, it was one of the most amazing bites I have ever had!  I continue to be astonished at how much flavor they can pack into such a small piece of food.Didn’t catch his name, but he was one of the head waiters who did an excellent job providing us with impeccable service and explaining every dish in great detail!The window behind my chair leading out to Huron Street

Me with the lovely bloggers: Mara from What’s for Dinner, and Jenn from Eating Bender! It was great to see Jenn again and to finally meet Mara!This was one of Mike’s canapes….. Peeky Toe Crab with prosciutto, pequillo, and cantaloupe-cava consomme.  Isn’t it adorable?!?! I was told that it tasted amazing, as well!My Organic Beet Salad with red ribbon sorrel and aged sherry vinegar.  I always love beet salads, and this is certainly the best one I’ve ever had!  The yellow beets were spectacular.  (Note to self:  must go buy beets!!)The bathroom… Mara told us it would be pretty sweet (she had dined at Tru before) and she was right!My English Pea Soup with EVOOAgain: simple, but stunning!Mike’s frog leg with roasted garlic, carrot, and watercress.  I hear that it tasted slightly overcooked, but perhaps that’s how frog legs are supposed to taste?  I’m not exactly an expert on frog legs Love the plating at TruThis was sooooo wonderful…. my Green Vegetable Fricasee with lemon quentelle.  The vegetables were asparagus, zucchini, and delicious fava beans which I was in love withMike’s Olive Oil-poached Scottish Salmon with granny smith apple, coconut, and Thai long peppercorn.  Mike exclaimed that it was the best salmon that he had ever eaten!This was the Mignardises dessert tower!

This was the one that I sampled, which was a candied apricotMy dessert: Blackberry Consomme with strawberry, lemongrass gelee, and lychee sorbet.  Those pink things sticking out  were lavender tuille (meringue).  Wonderful!!The red wine: Niepoort Twisted Douro 2006 from Portugal.  Fantastic!

As you can probably gather from the photos, it was an extraordinary experience and I am still in shock that I actually got to partake in such a fabulous night of dining and good company with other bloggers! 

Aside from Jenn and Mara, it was also lovely to meet Rebecca from A Homemaker’s Habitat, Alice and Jared from Eat a Duck I Must, Glamah at Coco Cooks,  Joelen from Joelen’s Culinary Adventures, and more sweet and talented bloggers!  It was a wonderful night that will certainly never be forgotten.

Thank you so much to FoodBuzz and to Visa Signature for sponsoring this amazing evening!

Related posts:

1. “Cook, Eat, Blog”: My experience on the Whole Foods food blogger panel Hi friends! How have you been?  Last time we...
2. Green Zebra Restaurant Review Hello! I’ve been meaning to get this post up...
3. My new favorite TV show Who wants to open a restaurant with me?!?! I just...
4. A very vegan brunch The weekend before Christmas, Mike and I will be hosting...
5. Fun with my Excalibur dehydrator Good morning everyone!  Here’s my recap from yesterday: After a...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 at 11:40 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.