As part of an annual “Senior Class Gift,” graduating seniors are asked to create and develop an initiative to raise funds for a project or contribution to the university. 2011 graduates have decided to host this wine and cheese reception to raise money for new laboratory equipment for the school’s Division of Science and Technology. All proceeds from this event benefit the 2011 Senior Gift.

The purchase of your ticket includes five complimentary wine tastings of your choice and a commemorative wine glass. Bottles and full glasses will be available for purchase. Water, soda, and refreshments will be provided free of charge. Patrons are also encouraged to participate in a silent auction by bidding on baskets donated by various campus divisions, student clubs, and local businesses.

Tickets cost $10 in advance or $13 the day of the event and can be purchased in person in the Quincy University Advancement office, by contacting Barb Girouard at 228-5227, or by e-mail at girouba@quincy.edu. You can also purchase tickets online at www.class2011.quincy.edu.

Eric Greenwell

Kelley

Sunday night took us to Thyme Square for a Featured Farmer Dinner.

We packed in a few bottles of our own wine and partook in a four-course tasting that set the bar in terms of food and flavor for the year.

The featured product was pork raised locally and organically from Trent Farms, located near Mendon. The evening’s meal consisted of classic comfort dishes reinvented with a fine dining twist. Chef Shupe and Thyme Square outdid themselves.

Amuse Bouche: “Pigs in a Blanket” Roasted ribs and ale mustard wrapped in a crispy pastry dough.

First Course: “New-American Bologna Sandwich” Grilled, garlic rubbed toast topped with house-made pork bologna and a farm-fresh, fried egg.

THIS NEEDS TO BE ON THE BREAKFAST MENU! I WOULD EAT IT EVERY TIME!

Second Course: “Loaded Potatoes” House-made potato gnocchi with leeks, braised pork and crème fraiche.

Third Course: “Ham and Beans” House-made garlic sausage with white beans, collard greens and mire poix.

Fourth Course: Maple pot au crème and candied bacon. Think of using sweet, crispy bacon to spoon out chilled crème brulee and then eating the bacon.

Christopher Kelley

Last week I was perusing Searchlights, reading through some of the blogs that Chris has posted, when I came across A Bloody Mary Christmas. His blog listed the ingredients and directions for whipping together a top-notch Bloody Mary. So I thought, why not post a recipe for one of my favorite winter drinks: Irish coffee.

Greenwell

Unlike the Bloody Mary, Irish coffee is a hot cocktail made with freshly brewed coffee. I like it in the winter time, because it’s great for warming you up on two levels. 1) It’s hot (duh!), and 2) Good Irish whiskey tends to send a heat wave from your chest to your fingertips. If you pay attention, you might notice that people who drink whiskey all night tend to shed clothing hour after hour. I believe this is appropriately referred to as “putting on your whiskey sweater.”

I know coffee is served a variety of ways (black, cream, sugar, etc), so I am going to list two Irish coffee recipes that I really like. You can find these recipes at irishcoffeerecipe.com.

Classic Irish Coffee Recipe:

-6 oz hot, freshly brewed coffee

-1 teaspoon of brown sugar for sweetness

-1 ½ oz. of your favorite Irish Whiskey

-heavy cream

Directions: Using the heavy cream, whip it until it becomes whipped cream. You can add sugar and confeccionate sugar to sweeten. Place into the refrigerator to chill. Once your fresh coffee is brewed, combine it with the whiskey and brown sugar. Mix it well until the sugar dissolves. Take the whipped cream out and place it on top of the Irish coffee mixture.

Bailey’s Irish Coffee Recipe:

-6 oz freshly brewed coffee

-3/4 oz of Bailey’s Irish Cream

-heavy cream

-sugar (to taste)

Directions: In a preheated glass, pour the Bailey’s. At this time you can add the sugar for a sweetened taste. Slowly add the freshly brewed coffee while continuously stirring. All of the sugar should be dissolved. With the back of a warm spoon, add the whip cream to the Irish coffee mixture. Be sure to not break the coffee’s surface with the whip cream. It is likely that this part of the Bailey’s Irish coffee recipe will take some time to hone in on this particular skill.

So there you have it. Two good recipes for Irish Coffee. Both are really simple, but I encourage you to get creative. There a million different types of coffee roasts and flavors. You can mix and match until you find your favorite. I am a fan of the classic recipe, especially if you are brewing a dark roast, like Folger’s Black Silk, and mixing a shot of Bushmills Irish Whiskey. It goes down so smooth, and I guarantee it will warm you up as the snow settles on the ground outside.

Eric Greenwell

Hopewell Winery

Saturday, lunch at Thyme Square. It’s raining — light, but enough to introduce peril to adventure. What to do today…

Each year, we have some kind of Christmas celebration with Sister Megan and Brother-in-Law Justin that doesn’t involve traditional tradition, such as Christmas presents and nog. Last year, we did Chicago. This year, work, work, work and more work left me dangling over a river of stress and without imagination, but, whatever; I like doing things that end in money or personal satisfaction.

Kelley

My mind set up a subconscious travel boundary, so when Victoria mentioned something about:

“Hey, I remember reading something about a place called Hopewell Winery…”

I looked it up on the GPS, found that it was within the boundary — about 40 miles away between Louisiana, Mo., and Pittsfield, Ill., — and suggested we go for it. Megan and Justin were on board, so we piled in the car with Christmas tunes and Kevin Smith podcasts.

The GPS led us astray, forcing a humiliating phone call to the winery for directions. Once we got there, we began.

Hopewell is something like a wedding/banquet hall with a restaurant and a winery. I was excited about the restaurant because of the Quail on the menu, but food was not offered until six p.m. and at last clock check, it was only one-ish.

The restroom had one of those poorly built doors that don’t latch when you close it, so when I reached for the knob, it wouldn’t turn as if locked, but the door opened right up and I could hear the tinkly sprinkle of the toilet in use and a voice calling out “Hello?” Thankfully, I didn’t lock eyes with the bathroom guy, so I snuck away, but he appeared at the wine bar soon after, apologizing to both Justin and I, searching for a response from either one of us, trying to target the person who walked in on him doing his business. I slowly raised my hand and quickly turned away to catch up on the wine tasting.

The bartender was a lovely lady named Shersdnsf* (*don’t recall) who started very distant and unfriendly like she just wanted us in and out, but finally warmed up. My winery companions drank the wine in shots and, when I held up the line, sipping slowly, looking for hints and notes and smells and flavors, Sherdnsf called me out in a friendly, joking way: “Don’t be a wine snob, just drink it.”

They had a good selection of reds and whites, my favorite being Gobbler’s Choice as it is an unusual dry red with distinct flavors. Victoria also selected Bob White (a delightfully sweet wine) and their Pear wine, not too syrupy, not too sweet.

After we finished our wine and bought a few bottles, we got back in the car and drove the 10 miles to Louisiana to the Eagle’s Nest winery in downtown Louisiana. It is a cool, quaint spot with a restaurant and bakery attached. They sell six of their own, signature wines, as well as a handful of other labels.

The wine bar is teeny tiny. When we arrived, there were already a few people tasting the wine. When I walked up to the bar, the wine pouring lady stopped her wine talk and looked at me like I interrupted a performance at Carnegie. “Wine tasting for four?” I said.

Pause. Wine lady: “I’m with these people right now. I’ll get to you when I finish.” Not a good start, wine lady. Why does everything look red?

I didn’t enjoy the wine so much (when it was finally our turn to taste), but that’s probably due to the sour taste in my mouth. I would still recommend checking this place out. We picked up some cool thingies in the gift shop and the bakery. Maybe on a different day, it would’ve been awesome.

We piled back up in the car and called Kevin at the Lake Room at Tony’s Too. “Food tasting for four?” I said. “I got a lot going on,” Kevin replied, “but, of course.”

There’s more, but for now it’s over. We drove back to Quincy to drop off the wine from Hopewell.

Snow. Tiny flakes, nearly invisible, but they were there. Victoria and I stood outside our house under the first snow and kissed.

Christopher Kelley

Weeks ago, Susan Pierson said, “Wishing for Wine is coming back in November.”

The date book made a whooshing sound as Victoria flung it open. Scribble, scribble: the event was written in. Underline: it became mandatory. The date book closed.

Weeks later — Nov. 11 — The Ambiance in Quincy. Victoria and I arrived at 4 p.m. dressed to the nines, casual chic, pretending that it takes no effort. We bought our tickets, $10 each at the door, and strolled into the main tasting room, wine glasses in hand.

The room was void of other wine enthusiasts waiting to taste. Vendors were still setting up their booths. Something doesn’t feel quite right, here. What kind of madness was this? County Market’s Marty Miller approached: “Hey guys, thanks for coming. You do know this starts at five, right?”

Cartoon double-takes. “What? It’s promoted as 4-8 p.m.”
“Yeah. Slight copy proofing error. Let me pour you something, anyway.”

Marty popped a red and poured us a full glass while the room continued to take shape. Tied over. Oh, well. I still had zero doubts this was going to be a fun evening.

“Wishing for Wine” is an annual Quincy wine tasting done right. More than 100 wines, whiskey, vodka, beer and tequila spread out across 34 tables. Cheese, breads, crackers and dips. Great people, great conversations, a wealth of knowledge available from the vendors pouring samples. Unlimited. In the next room, seminars were presented to educate beyond tasting for wine, tequila and whiskey. All for only TEN BUCKS.

County Market sponsors the event with a portion of the proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. There’s nothing like the feeling you get drinking wine for a good cause.

As the clock ticked closer to 5 p.m., the actual start time, we hovered over vendors who had wrapped their table prep, nudging them to begin. A very nice gentleman at Table 20 kicked us off with Frei Brothers Cab & Chard and told us that organic wine is no good, which educated me in that wine vendors don’t know everything. I said, “I read that much of Europe and even several vineyards in California have adopted organic wine making, they just don’t put it on the bottle, because people still associate organic solely with dirty hippies. Plus I like organic wine.” He tried to explain: “Well…” But I don‘t remember what he said, something about “sulfites are delicious.” I love a good debate, but there was wine to be had.

Like most big tastings, vendors were pouring huge samples of each wine. I found myself taking one sip for first impression, two sips for good measure, then dumping the rest. “You don’t like it?” I heard from a few pouring professionals (some of whom appeared oddly offended).

Kelley

“I do,” I often responded. “It’s just that there are 100 wines in this room, plus tequila, plus beer.”

Most vendors were hip to dumping: “Well, you DO want to be able to walk out of here.”

We sipped with Megan and Justin Hale, Susan Pierson, Heidi and Haily Meyer (who we haven’t really seen much since Victoria’s days of peddling cable advertising, Heidi works for Niemann’s now, making County Market dreams come true). We sipped with Eric and Kathryn Thomas, Frank and Sandy Cann, Tom Van Ness and many more. A vendor who looked like Senator John Kerry poured me a taste of Bolla Sangiovese at Table Sixteen. One table over played host to two of my favorite wines: The Gate Shiraz & Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay. I ate chocolate cheese from Shullsburg Wisconsin Cheese.

The table of the night was Table Six. They had a Napa Cellars Zinfandel that blew me away, plus a selection of incredible wines from Chateau Ste. Michelle — a label that I only associated with Riesling before this night. The Indian Wells Cabernet from Chat Ste. Michelle was the wine of the hour.

Afterwards, we went out for sushi, went home and I pigged out on cashews — delicious, organic, Niacin-filled cashews. I chose not to weigh myself in the morning.

“Wishing for Wine” is an annual event. Be sure and circle Autumn 2011 as about the time this will happen again next year. I’m sure you’ll be thinking about it all year, until it happens. It’s worth it.

Christopher Kelley

Eric Greenwell, right, stands with the chef of Lumiere.

We had just left the parking lot after Six Flags Fright Fest (for more details, check out my previous blog, A weekend in St. Louis, Part 1: Fright Fest). Our calves were on fire. Our hamstrings were sore. Screams from zombies and trolls were ricocheting around inside our skulls. Well, after miles upon miles of walking, there was only one way to put our feet up: a five star hotel and casino, with valet service. Sweet, convenient valet service. In our case, we stayed at the The Lumière, located right by the riverfront landing in downtown St. Louis.

The Lumière is the real deal in terms of ritzy (especially for a small town guy like me). The lobby opens up into a giant foyer with a bar, about twenty broadleaf trees in illuminated stands shaped like giant clay plant pots, leather couches and chairs in a variety of colors, several big screen LCD TVs, and a four story waterfall running down plate glass to a marble platform. Necessary? Not really. Awesome? Definitely.

Check-in was no hassle, and we were up in our room in ten minutes. The room was just as nice. We reserved two queen size beds (since we were with friends), and we got a living room area with a 37” LCD TV and a couch with a pull out bed, a kitchen with a refrigerator, and a bedroom with two queen size beds and another 42” LCD TV. We did have a problem with our mini-fridge being locked shut, but we called the operator and a maintenance man came to our door in minutes. The only thing that seemed weird was that they charged for wi-fi. I’ve been to hotels and even dirt motels all around the U.S. where the internet was free.

Even though we were tired, we had to check out the entertainment. Curiosity can usually evoke a second wind from me anyway. The casino and restaurants are separate from the hotel, connected by a skywalk on the fourth floor. The casino is a very distinct building. You might know it. If you’ve ever driven through the middle of St. Louis on I-70, it’s the building across from the Edward Jones Dome with a giant wedge through it that lights up and changes color at night. If that description isn’t clear, check out this picture. Architecturally speaking, it’s really interesting to look at.

We ate at a restaurant called Asia, which serves (you guessed it) Asian cuisine. I had chicken Pad Thai. I have had Pad Thai before, but this was by far the best. We also had plates of sushi, rice, noodles, and octopus salad floating around the table. Belinda ordered one of their specials: Cornish hen with pan fried patties of sweet rice served with honey garlic sauce. It was a very tender and flavorful meat, and I highly recommend trying it, with or without the sauce.

Greenwell

Halfway through dinner, my friend Fred leaned over and asked me if I thought the chef was in. I didn’t know what that meant, but he just smiled. Across from the restaurant where we were eating, there was a steakhouse called SLeek. Fred walked over to the hostess and asked her if the chef was in. She smiled kindly, and used a phone at her podium to call back to the kitchen. I was confused. This young lady was, as far as I knew, a complete stranger, but she seemed to know exactly what Fred was asking for. Why?

Then I saw Chef Hubert Keller. He walked out of a back door on the side of the steakhouse, right in front of us. I didn’t know a lot about him. Heck, I didn’t even know he was French. It turns out that he and Fred are both from the same region of France, called Alsace. They greeted each other. Chef Keller shook our hands. He and Fred spoke to each other for a few minutes in a French dialect I could not understand, but I was still enthralled. Chef Keller was a gentleman. He still addressed me, even though I’m sure he could tell I could not understand his language. After a few minutes, he began to speak English. I asked him about his restaurants. Chef Keller told us about his five world renowned restaurants in three major cities—The Burger Bar (Las Vegas, St. Louis, and soon to be San Francisco), Fleur de Lys (Las Vegas and San Francisco), and SLeek (which is regarded as the best steakhouse in St. Louis). He told us how he got his start with a small restaurant in San Francisco, but, sadly, it caught fire. He was forced to reopen, and business only skyrocketed from there, thanks to his culinary expertise.

A few tidbits on Keller: he was the first chef ever invited to The White House to cook for President Bill Clinton, his Fleur de Lys in Vegas boasts a burger a burger call the Fleur burger 5,000 (because it literally costs $5,000.00), he is an accomplished DJ, and he had his own show, Secrets of a Chef, airing nationally on PBS.

While we were walking back to our room at the hotel with warm bellies stuffed full of good food, ready to hibernate, Fred looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. He smiled and said, “You never know if you never ask.” What good advice, especially coming from a man who left his native country three years ago and came here to risk everything and open a bakery. I can say my trip to The Lumière was memorable. Some people might think it was the five star atmosphere, but I don’t. I think it was because we made our own memories, and those are the best kind.

View from the window.

Eric Greenwell

Kelley

What kind of wine is California famous for?  A week ago, I wouldn’t’ve really had an answer, but I probably would have felt a strong urge to watch wine movies and drink wine while discussing wines that I like and being unfairly judgmental about wine that I don’t like.  Someday, I’m sure, someone will trick me into enjoying a White Zinfandel then rub it in my face, chanting “Chris and White Zinfandel sittin’ in a tree…” – you know the rest.

Speaking of Zinfandel, that’s what Californians would say.  Going back to “What kind of wine is California famous for?”, that is.  Zinfandel.  I just learned that.  For a guy who claims to be a wine enthusiast, I should know some of these things.

Thankfully, Quincy’s Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits (both at 20^th and Broadway and 13^th & Harrison) sponsored a night with a California winemaker at Microtel where I got to learn a little bit and drink a lot.  Edd Lopez from Seghesio Family Vineyards in California took a roomful of people on a tour of tastes.  With over 400 acres in the bulls eye of Sonoma Wine Country, Seghesio produces a small variety of wines with a passionate quality-over-quantity mentality.

It was a fun event, but the setting was a little odd.  Held in a meeting room at the Microtel, it felt like a business conference more than a celebration of wine.  But we all got past it.  There was a spread of food begging guests to dig in, “try me with that wine.”  Edd had a lot to say about the wines and the Seghesio family and spoke very passionately about all, despite a table of talkers.  Edd kept pausing in his presentation and looking in their direction, but no one seemed to get the hint.  Finally, after the 5^th or 6^th taste, I shushed the talkers and got looks in return and grins loaded with hostility: “How dare you shush me.”

It’s all good, though.  We made peace after the shindig and even went out to Martinis together for one final nightcap.

Back to Seghesio.

We tasted a Pinot Grigio – one on a short list that I can actually tolerate.  We tasted Arneis, Sangiose, and Barbera before getting to the real stars of the show: The Zinfandels – RED, not white.  There were six varieties of Seghesio Zinfandels, only five of which were there for the tasting – the cheapest of which was actually one of my favorites: Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel.  The other Zinfandels were Cortina, Rockpile, Old Vine, Home Ranch, and San Lorenzo.

The San Lorenzo was the most expensive at nearly $50 a bottle, and it was the only one not available to taste during the event.  However, after nearly everyone else went home for the night, Edd sat at our table with Tiramisu’s Roberto & Terry and the table of talkers and Hy-Vee’s Tony Terwelp produced a single bottle of the San Lorenzo to pop and taste.  Edd poured us all a glass and shared the story of the wine, which included a heartfelt passage about “Momma Seghesio.”  All I can say about the San Lorenzo is “Amazing”.

Hy-Vee currently stocks several of the Seghesio label wines, including my favorites from the tasting: Sonoma Zinfandel, Cortina Zinfandel, Home Ranch Zinfandel, and San Lorenzo Zinfandel.  They’re not cheap wines, ranging from $20-$50 for the Zins, but, again, it goes back to quality-over-quantity.

Edd Lopez: “We’re not competing with the big boys who put out hundreds of thousands of cases per year.  We’re making less, concentrating on our best.  We want to make great wine.”

Christopher Kelley

Kelley

CHRIS: I could hear the wind brush the trees, gently nudging handfuls of amber and brown leaves off the branches and onto the sidewalk outside, where aggressive couture bootstrapped feet crunched through the piles of dead leaves and ninja’d up to my front door.  The team of raiders were pros – three hungry kitty-cats and a beautiful femme fatale.  They burst through the door, distracted me with cute looks and batting eyes, then took me down, tying me to a chair.  The cats plopped to the floor, showing off their tum-tums.  The femme fatale began to type on my computer:

It’s me; Victoria; I’m back (aka — Mrs. Chris Kelley).  Once again, I have hijacked Mr. Kelley’s blog.  The focus – a terrific dinner presented by Thyme Square Café on a Sunday night.  It was the café’s first ever Farmer Feature Dinner.  The featured farmer was Blue Heron Orchard.  Blue Heron provides amazing organic products from apples to peppers to an applesauce that, when combined with snickerdoodle cookies, creates smiles and thoughts of Fall.

The dinner consisted of four courses and offered the opportunity to hear Blue Heron owner, Dan Kelly, introduce himself and his business.

The first course was fried green tomatoes with three types of aioli (roasted red pepper, herb curry, and garlic) for dipping the tomatoes.  Chris and I have never had fried green tomatoes, and they were very enjoyable, especially with the aioli.  Plus, fried green tomatoes always reminds me of the movie.

CHRIS: The only thing I remember from this movie is Kathy Bates ramming some snooty young tart’s car in a parking lot and saying, “Face it, girls… I’m older and I have more insurance.”  I think that was in the trailer. … I’ve never seen this movie.

The second course was a mixed green salad with egg, pickled onions, and this fantastic maple-cured bacon.  The bacon definitely elevated the salad.  But what is it that most people say…..ah yes, bacon can make anything taste good.

The third course, and my favorite, was a seared halibut with swiss chard, and roasted squash, potatoes, and citrus buerre blanc.  The fish was cooked perfectly, and the presentation was spot on.

The final course was an apple and raisin bread pudding with caramel sauce and cinnamon whipped cream.  Chris and I had eaten the bread pudding at Thyme Square twice that week, and each time it had a different twist.  This is the best bread pudding I have ever had.  So good, I could sit by the fireplace and eat endless amounts of the bread pudding…..not good for the waistline, so I opt to have it in moderation.  You must go and have this treat!

How do you find out about these dinners?  Go to Thyme Square and be placed on their e-mail list.  When you find out about the second dinner, reserve quickly.  The dinner was worth every delicious bite.

CHRIS: After the final keystrokes, the team of hijackers untied me from the chair and showed me the manuscript above.  “Oh,” I said to the grinning femme fatale.  “Well, this is okay.  So, you, uh, wanna get a drink, or something?”

Christopher Kelley

Mint julep and blood and sand martini.

We were in St. Louis at a place called Wild Flower in Central West End where they had a special menu for classic cocktails made famous during prohibition. It planted the seed.

Kelley

Later that same night, we went to a place called Atomic Cowboy where two mixology masters from Drink Lab were creating similar concoctions.

I don’t know if classic, prohibition-era cocktails are all the rage right now, but, for Victoria and I, it has become an obsession…finding someone who can make these recipes (with or without the help of a cocktail app on our smartphone)…drinking them, etc. People are doing great things with these old recipes — experimenting with them. Chad at Martinis at 515 has elevated the Old-Fashioned into something sweeter and lady-friendly.

It was Monday. We were in Hannibal shooting a thing for this guy. Before we took 72 home, we stopped by Sawyer’s Creek, now under new management, and sampled some of their wines in stock: Adam Puchta, Indian Creek, and LMS. Once the wine hit our lips, our path was clear – classic cocktails, sushi, Fuji. Wonder Twin Powers – Activate!

It was kids night at Fuji. Immediately sensing my immaturity and youthful nature, the staff tried ushering me to a kids’ table next to Greyson and Cassie Taylor, who were dipping their balloon swords into the water fountain and trying to hit me. I assured the manager I was of legal age and took a seat at the bar next to my wife who asked where I had been. Out of breath, I gasped: “Moist balloons, hibachi, hats, crazy children.”

Alex – the great waiter who was originally introduced to me as Jackie Chan’s Brother – and Victor came over to say hi. Ryan was working the bar. We set upon Ryan in stereo for something classic and all prohibition-esque. He made us a Mint Julep to start. It was basically all hard alcohol and some mint. Those prohibition drinkers weren’t messing around. It made me think of a scene from HBO’s new Volstead Act show: “Boardwalk Empire” about prohibition in Atlantic City.

Fed: “What have you got to keep this witness alive?”
Doctor: “I could give him some cocaine…”

Good Lord.

Madison Avenue

If we’re drinking this, we need a Spicy Yellowtail and a Highland Roll, STAT!

Next up was a drink called Blood and Sand, which calls for Scotch, Vermouth, cherry brandy, and orange juice. Very few of the places we go to have cherry brandy. Not much of a demand, I suppose. Not till now, anyway. Ryan compensated and mixed a few ingredients to simulate the cherry brandy, mixing what became Victoria’s favorite classic cocktail.

Next up for me, a Madison Avenue, which became my favorite Volstead drink. As an ad guy (and a huge fan of the show “Mad Men”), I guess it’s natural for me to make a connection with it. The Madison Avenue is a lot like a Mojito, with a few minor tweaks:

1 1/2 oz white rum
3/4 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz lime juice
dash of orange bitters
mint leaves
sprig of mint for garnish
lime slice for garnish

Again, there was no orange bitters on site, so Ryan compensated with a substitute of some kind and delivered an awesome cocktail.

I want to experience more of these classic cocktails. Do you know of any? What are your favorites?

Christopher Kelley

Kelley

On the night before I turned 32 for the first time, we drove down to St. Louis for a special fine dining event presented by “Sauce Magazine” called Moveable Feast.

It’s a mysterious foodie experience with guest chefs from across the metro area, where you know nothing about who’s cooking, what you’re having or who else will be there until it happens. The only bit of information we were given in a secret, coded communique (which self-destructed after 15 seconds) was a time and a location — Philip Slein Gallery, at 6:30 p.m. in Downtown St. Louis,

We booked a hotel room at the Renaissance Grand knowing that cocktails and wine pairings were included with each course and that, such a factor, would leave none of us in a condition to travel home by headlights as the clock swung past midnight.  With plenty of time to spare, we hit a few places downtown to set the mood.

The Culinaria, a classy Schnucks, invited us up to the wine loft for a quick tasting of a new wine after I searched the grocery aisles below for shoelace replacements because I don’t know my own strength and broke one of my own laces with my vice-like grip and tug. We found a bottle of Chateau Montelena Chardonnay for sale, which made me giddy because of my love for the film, “Bottle Shock” detailing the famous blind tasting in France where American Napa wine beat out the French wine.  (We opened and tasted one week later and it was the best Chardonnay I’ve ever had.)

Bridge's Tap House

From there, onto another loft at a cool downtown spot called Bridge’s Tap House and Wine Bar where we sampled flights of different beers and wine and took suggestions about where to go next from a nice waiter named Justin.

Walking deeper into downtownon a quiet Sunday evening, a man who was talking to himself stopped and asked us for money and, not being used to that, I contemplated what to do and ended up walking on as if I couldn’t hear his request.  For a moment afterwards, I felt rotten because I DID have money to spare.

A slow stroll across a few more blocks led us to Nara Café and Hookah Lounge, where we ordered a chocolate-y cocktail to share.  And, yes, we fire up a hookah…you‘re darn tootin‘, as Jerry Lundegaard would say.  Extreme Watermelon tobacco with a dash of some other flavor I can’t remember, burning with the help of a hot coal.  We passed around the hose and smoked the cleanest-tasting, water-filtered tobacco I’ve ever had.  I told my mom about it a few days later and she gave me one of those looks that moms give to grown children that says, “I disapprove, but there’s nothing I can do about it because you aren’t eleven anymore, but I’m still your mother and I can still give you this look.”

Philip Slein with Hamachi of Philip Slein Gallery.

6:30 p.m. —  Philip Slein Gallery.

We walked in and were immediately greeted and introduced to the chef — Chris Lee from the restaurant SANCTUARIA.

“Where are you from?” he asked.

“Quincy, Illinois,” we said.

“QUINCY?  How’s the food at Elders?”

Funny how famous Elders is.

Displayed on the Slein Gallery’s walls was an exhibit of “Sauce Magazine’s” photographs from over the years that made me self-conscious of my own ability to take pictures.  “My work sucks,” I believe was the exact phrase I said.

We were guided to a cocktail station at the back of the gallery where a mixologist turned into a mad scientist and carefully potioned two signature drinks, one of which involved oranges and fire.

Philip Slein introduced himself to us and called us young, hip people.  For awhile, I followed him as he met other guests to see if he used that line with everyone.  He did not and so I took the compliment.

Chef Chris Lee

And then it was dinner time.

About thirty people in all were sitting together at three tables.  There were six courses, plus an amuse bouche and intermesso.  Chef Lee introduced each course with flair.

-Fresh ricotta stuffed fig with cider reduction

-Foie gras crème brulee and caviar filled duck egg (a truly unique sight)

-Wild musroom bisque with cinnamon-scented foam and a truffle macaroon.

-Duck, lamb, and smoked salmon cut like ham accented with green tomato chow chow and lavish

-Hamachi with watercress puree and jalapeno vinaigrette, tremella and red bliss crunch

-New style carnitas with preserved Meyer lemon, orange caramel, jade ball and pepper salad

-upside down peach cake with Belgium white ale ice cream with Bitter Chocolate candy

I don’t really know what a lot of that means, yet, but I do know that I enjoyed everything.  It was one of the first tastings where I did not feel uncomfortably stuffed.  All the food was correctly portioned — meaning a few bites with each course.  Pardon me while I go British for two statements.  Presentation: brilliant.  Taste: spot-on.

Tony Bommarito from “A. Bommarito Wines” introduced each wine pairing and poured at our table.

Filled duck egg.

A jazz solo artist named Dawn with very red hair performed throughout the night and I wasn’t sure if I should look at her while she blew her horn and sang or if I should stare out into space as if I were REALLY paying attention to the music, which I was.

“Sauce Magazine” owner/publisher Allison, tinged her glass several times to make announcements.

I met with one of the photographers whose work was on display and we talked lighting and technique.  We passed cards made indefinite plans to meet for lunch and talk more.

Philip Slein sat at our table and we discussed the decline of art-buying, as well as the food we were eating.  We passed cards and made indefinite plans to see each other again soon.

St. Louis personality Gilberto Pinela was doing interviews and stand-ups for STL-TV.  Philip Slein introduced us and Victoria took full advantage of the chat.  Gilberto told me that I shouldn’t be ashamed of the chest hair poking out of my shirt.  He passed along an invite to an invite-only party during St. Louis’s Fashion Week and we accepted.  Victoria was excited at the prospect of new fashion; I was excited about the prospect of new cocktails.

The night ended when a nice St. Louis native-slash-Moveable Feast guest offered to drive us the six blocks back to our hotel and made crazy U-turns, honked and was honked at.  We made it back before midnight and fell into an uncomfortable sleep on account of the terrible mattress, despite the coolness of the hotel.

I turned 32 and didn’t even know it.