Saturday night - comments?

Here's where I'll be this Saturday night. I've never been to one of these before. Any comments on the menu or wines?
http://www.localwineevents.com/Chicago- ... 03686.html

Here's a link to the Kendall College Culinary Arts program:

http://www.kendall.edu/Academics/Culina ... fault.aspx

[Robin Garr]

Looks like it should be an interesting evening, Howard! I like the look of the menu, and it's clear some thought has gone into the wine matching. I might wonder about the match between that interesting chestnut-porcini soup and an older Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but it could work!

Two observations that tweak my Cynic-O-Meter just a tad:

* I'm not familiar with IWFS, but it seems a little imitatively close to The American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF), which was founded by (among others) James Beard and Julia Child and has a good national reputation. Might not mean anything - heck, for all I know, it precedes AIWF - but it struck me funny.

* Most of the wines look pretty good but well short of OMG status. The Bordeaux is a Cotes de Bourg, a satellite appellation that I happen to enjoy but certainly a lower-rent district, and this item is widely available at retail in the mid-$20 range; the Burgundy is a generic Cote-de-Beaune from a large negociant and retails for $20 or so. Even the '93 Chateauneuf is available for $30 or so in Chicago from Hart Davis Hart, which may be Kendall's source.

I don't mean to pick on it ... I'm sure you'll have a blast, and look forward to your report. It's just that it's fun to skeptically dissect events like this.

Wasn't IWFS founded by André L. Simon in the thirties, Robin?

Thanks Robin,
That's why I threw this up there for discussion. The IWFS has two local chapters, the Chicago Chapter which is invitation only, very closed and expensive and I think dates way back, and the Northern Illinois Chicago region chapter which also has some pretensions, although they are not so closed. Their members have medallions and their dinners tend to be dress up. They also apparently meet in various members homes for dinners and wine-tastings. I've never met any of the members however and found them by searching for wine clubs in the chicago area. So this this will be an exploration by them to see if they want us to join and by us to see if this is something I'd like to pursue. At the very least, it's a chance to eat a meal and drink some wines prepared by well trained chefs who might become well known someday.

Regarding the wines I noticed that most were 2003 and not, um, rare as well. On the other hand it's not $500/plate either. So we'll see.

And yes Bob, IWFS was founded by Andre L. Simon. Here's a link to their site:

http://www.iwfs.com/americas/am.htm

[Robin Garr]

Wasn't IWFS founded by André L. Simon in the thirties, Robin?

Quoting myself, Bob, "I'm not familiar with IWFS" and "for all I know, it could have preceded AIWF."

Thanks, Howard.

Jancis's take on the IWFS in the Oxford: ""The oldest and most cosmopolitan of the gastronomic societies for consumers rather than professionals ... Now much imitated."

I've thought about this group from time to time -- looking forward to your report.

Regards, Bob

[Jenise]

That looks FUN. Glad you're going. I've dined at a number of culinary schools (the CIA in Napa) and several in Vancouver, but perhaps the most special I've been to is one right here in Bellingham. It's a two year program at Bellingham Technical College that teaches all the real-deal stuff of fine dining, but not to aspiring Trotters and Kellers so much as anyone who finds themselves stuck in life without a real skill, the majority of whom have never eaten let alone appreciated the kind of foods they're being taught to make. It's both humbling and inspiring to witness it close up on both sides of the kitchen door, as I've been given the opportunity to do (I was so impressed, I joined the Foundation).

Anyway, I got off track with what I meant to say which is that you'll find dining in the college environment a blast, even if the wines aren't going to blow your socks off.

"Quoting myself, Bob ..."

I was really asking you, Robin -- for some reason I blew my Google search and didn't get any hits on the group. I did remember you and I chatting about Andre Simon a number of years ago on WLDG -- can't remember the context now -- and was just thinking out loud.

No put down intended.

Regards, Bob

[Robin Garr]

No put down intended.

Not to worry, Bob, I didn't think so! I'm sorry in turn if I gave that impression. As you mention, I know of Simon in general as a noted connoisseur of another era, maybe the Parker of the '30s? For whatever reason - maybe it's <i>too</i> cosmopolitan? - it has never popped up on my radar screen as far as I cal recall.

Maybe too British and upscale for the likes of us, Robin.