Class Act Menu

Welcome Talk Track

Our fourth menu at Class Act brings us into summer and the first anniversary of our home here in Bucktown. Each of our courses this evening will focus on a single ingredient’s diversity and the beauty that can bring to the plate through flavors, textures, and colors.

Our wine pairing tonight takes a similar inspiration in featuring a single grape, Grenache, one of the most widely-planted and vinified grapes in the world, choosing a variety of textures and treatments to accompany our courses this evening.

For cocktails we are featuring mezcals from several producers whose work we respect, combined with flavors from the kitchen to create beverages in harmony and conversation with the tastes and textures coming from the kitchen. 

Dandelion - Hands

One of the earliest signs of summer, the dandelion grows all over the world. 

Its flower, stem, leaves, and roots offer vegetal, earthy, umami, and coffee-like flavors.

• Umami Dandelion Broth: we compliment the herbal earthy notes of the dandelion leaves with umami salt and turmeric to create a warm and welcoming umami dandelion broth that opens up the palate.

• Dandelion Mochi Donut: we use the leaves in the donut batter for its herbal notes, the coffee flavor in the root to create a caramel inside the donut, and the flower and stems to make a bright acidic gel on top. The gold salt represents the beautiful yellow flower and the silver salt reminds us of the fluffy seeds we would blow away and make a wish as a kid. 

WELCOME DRINK

• Savory dandelion broth

• Amaras Mezcal

Umami Dandelion Broth

• we compliment the herbal earthy notes of the dandelion leaves with umami salt and turmeric to create a warm and welcoming umami dandelion broth that opens up the palate.

Fiddlehead - Wooden Spoon

Fiddlehead ferns are prized as a gourmet vegetable around the world because of their short season and delicate nature. 

But, the best thing about them is the lovely bright, earthy, and umami flavors they can bring to a dish in almost any form: fresh, cooked, dehydrated, and pickled.

We utilize forms with…

KEY INGREDIENTS

• Fiddlehead Fern Skewer (over the binchotan)

• Fish Sauce Caramel

• Fiddlehead Hawaiian Roll

• Onion Fiddlehead Powder

• Fiddlehead Butter

• Pickled Fiddlehead

• Burnt Onion Powder

• Chive Blossom

• Micro Parsley

Fiddlehead Drink Pairing

GRENACHE: Roc des Anges Iglesia Vella' 2021 & 2022

Name means 'old church' for the vineyard location, very vertical and mineral Grenache Gris from vines planted in 1954, comparable to Loire Chenin Blanc or very dry Riesling from Germany. Whole-clusted pressing, ambient yeast fermentation with no sulfur added. In Rousillon, FR a wind called the Tramonte blows for a straight third of the year and irrigation is the primary tool of the winemaker. Marjorie and Stephane describe their wines experientially, metaphorically, and roll their eyes when their white wines are described as mineral, as that is obviously the point.

2021: MORE ACIDIC

2022: RICHER

MEZCAL: First of Many

Loosely inspired by a Last Word, this cocktail was intended to showcase the advances we’ve taken as a team to upcycle ingredients that would have otherwise gone to waste and thrown out. The star of the show is the Cucumber Oleo, made in house, and paired with Mezcal ‘verde’ from Amarás with Yellow Chartreuse & Manzanilla Sherry.

Halibut - Fork/Spoon

Halibut is derived from two roots that mean the holy flatfish and that is for good reason. The flavor and texture is remarkable and with it being a flatfish it offers up many trimmings to be used in all sorts of creative ways.

Bringing the halibut back into its native environment we have…

• Ghee Poached Halibut

• Normande (fish trim)

• Burnt Fish Bone Oil (fish bones)

• Herb Fish Chicharron Butter (fish skin)

• Pipers Pickle

• Fish Coral Tuile (fish trim)

Halibut Drink Pairing

GRENACHE: Roc des Anges Iglesia Vella' 2021 & 2022

Name means 'old church' for the vineyard location, very vertical and mineral Grenache Gris from vines planted in 1954, comparable to Loire Chenin Blanc or very dry Riesling from Germany. Whole-clusted pressing, ambient yeast fermentation with no sulfur added. In Rousillon, FR a wind called the Tramonte blows for a straight third of the year and irrigation is the primary tool of the winemaker. Marjorie and Stephane describe their wines experientially, metaphorically, and roll their eyes when their white wines are described as mineral, as that is obviously the point.

2021: MORE ACIDIC

2022: RICHER

MEZCAL: First of Many 

Loosely inspired by a Last Word, this cocktail was intended to showcase the advances we’ve taken as a team to upcycle ingredients that would have otherwise gone to waste and thrown out. The star of the show is the Cucumber Oleo, made in house, and paired with Mezcal ‘verde’ from Amarás with Yellow Chartreuse & Manzanilla Sherry.

Rhubarb - Spoon

Rhubarb is one of the ingredients that we look forward to most. 

Its texture is well balanced between crisp and tender.

It has beautiful shades of green and red’ish pink. 

And the flavors give us a great launch pad to build a dish because inherit in itself is a lovely fruity strawberry note along with a fresh herbal celery note. 

In your bowl we showcase this with…

• Pickled Brunoise Rhubarb

• Rhubarb Noodle Stuffed with Herbal Coconut Butter Cream

• Honey Foam

• Curled Rhubarb

• Micro Celery

• Rhubarb Kombucha

Rhubarb Drink Pairing

NO PAIRING

Soft Shell Crab - Fork Knife

Soft-shell crabs are the epitome of seasonality because you can only harvest these blue crabs right as they have molted their shells.

The entire crab is edible offering a wide range of aesthetics and textures to go with its amazing flavor.

We take advantage of this by starting with the legs and making our way to the head

KEY INGREDIENTS

• Shiso Wrapped Fried Crab Legs (shiso = mint)

• Gianduja (chocolate hazelnut butter)

• Sunset Oxalis

• Golden Garlic

• Crystal Bread

• Ganjung-Gejong Salad (korean crab soy sauce)

• Red Vein Sorrel (tart flavor)

• Borage (cucumber like)

• Fried Crab Head

• Crab Beurre Monte (butter sauce)

• Green Salsa

Soft Shell Crab Drink Pairing

GRENACHE: STE MAGDALENE 'Maria de Magdalene' ROSE

Aged in sandstone jars, aged on the lees for a year. From a tiny .7ha parcel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, a rosé that can be drunk early, or aged for over a decade. Name comes from the Saint of Provence, Mary Magdalene, said to have spent the end of her life in the region, and specifically near the location of this vineyard.

MEZCAL: 

Elk - Fork/Knife

Elk is an incredible source of protein often describe to those in the know as being similar to a filet mignon but with more flavor.

We get these 30-day dry aged elk leg filets from Broken Arrow Ranch and take advantage of the low fat, high protein yet tender muscle structure in addition to utilizing the elk liver to make a base broth for several techniques. 

On the plate we bring the elk back to the ranch with…

• Elk Leg fried in Xa’waash seasoning

• Raspberry Emmental Veloute (Elk Stock)

• Sumac Gel

• Elk Floss

• Maple Hibiscus Leaves

• Micro Wasabula

• Tartare

• Sponge Crouton

Elk Drink Pairing

GRENACHE: Josep Grau ‘La Florens’ ‘20

• Terroir: Clay-calcareous

• Viticulture: Hand harvested into 10kg crates in September • Fermented and aged in 10 year old, 2500 liter Stockinger Austrian oak foudres using only indigenous yeasts • Aged 14 months in foudre • Settled in concrete tanks • Aged 11 months in bottle before release

• Tidbit: Josep Grau returned to the land where he was born in 2003 to embark on a new journey. His wines are not influenced by trends, opinion leaders’ tastes or fads. It is silky with polished, vibrant acidity. Forest berries and a hint of nuts, leading to a velvety, long lasting finale.

Raspberry - Spoon

The balance of fruitiness, acidity, and sweetness are perfect things to enhance for a palate cleanser. 

When thinking about raspberries, they have always reminded me of childlike fun!

We structured this palate cleanser on chef’s favorite creamsicle… a raspberry creamsicle

• Raspberry Sweet Cream

• Freeze Dried Raspberries

• Basil Blossoms

• Burnt Lemon Oil

Gooseberry - Spoon

What is a gooseberry? Although the two kinds in your bowl are not related they are both considered gooseberries and both share a sweet tartness to them.

The golden gooseberry with more of a tropical almost pineapple or mango flavor and the gooseberry with a slightly bitter or earthy note to it. 

We wanted to bring these adopted siblings together on the plate with…

• Golden Gooseberry

• Gold Sugar Glass

• Flash Frozen Gooseberry Swiss Meringue

• Golden Goosberry Granita

• Pineapple Mint

Gooseberry Drink Pairing

GRENACHE: Domaine de Rambeau 'Rancio' 2007

The rarest and most evolved expressions are sometimes labeled Rivesaltes Rancio, in which the wines develop complex, umami-like flavor profiles due to an elevage that might extend decades with little or no temperature control—indoors or outdoors, in glass demijohn and ancient barrels—and minimal ‘topping-up’.

Tidbit: One of the most storied estates in Roussillon, Domaine de Rombeau traces its origins to 1727, when the de la Fabrègue family first arrived in Rivesaltes from Lyon. By 1850, the family had amassed significant vineyard holdings and became one the region’s first to bottle wine. Tanks that date from that period can still be found on the estate. The family persevered through phylloxera and successive World Wars, continually delving deeper into the region’s traditions while remaining open to the possibilities of the future. As sixth-generation family winemaker Philippe Raspaud has said: "Tradition is alive."

Mini-Deeds - Hands

1. A halibut madeline with a white chocolate ganache with a dusting of orange peel and szechaun peppercorn 

2. Fiddlehead and Rhubarb pate de fui

Takeaway - Hands

Corn Dogs! 

A play on words, so we have a baby corn that has been cornmeal battered and spackled with cornflakes witha smoked corn paprika aioli 

KEY INGREDIENTS

• Baby corn

• Cornmeal 

• Cornflakes 

• Smoked corn and paprika aioli

Takeaway Drink Pairing

GRENACHE: Bodegas Mitarte ‘Excentrico’ 2019

Rioja is known for its Tempranillo presence, as it represents above 75-80% of all grape surface plantings. So it's safe to say even though this winemaker only makes about 2000 bottles of this white grenache, which most might say is a tiny quantity, it also might be a lot considering the region's tendencies. 

Planted 1986