Locavore Dinner at In Fine Spirits

I'm pleased to announce that In Fine Spirits in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood will host the first Local Food Wisdom Locavore Dinner of 2011. The meal will be prepared and served by Chef Marianne Sundquist, who actively supports local and sustainable methods of farming by sourcing ingredients for her weekly Chef's Local Special, offered each Thursday at In Fine Spirits' bar.

Here are the event details and menu:

When: Monday, 24 January, beginning at 6:30 PM
Where: 5420 N Clark St | Map | CTA bus: #22 Clark
Cost: $75 per person (all-inclusive)
Reservations: Call In Fine Spirits' bar (773.334.9463)
Previews: EaterChicago | Chicagoist

Amuse: Beet tartare with marjoram cream and micro mache

One: Door County smoked whitefish, fingerling potatoes, mixed greens with maple-balsamic | Paired with Bell's Oarsman Ale

Two: Celeriac & purple top turnip soup with Spence Farm white Iroquois cornmeal crepe | Paired with Arcadia's Nut Brown Ale

Three: Crispy ricotta gnocchi with Hawks Hill elk ragout, Sartori SarVecchio parmesan, chive | Paired with Two Brothers' Northwind Imperial Stout

Four: Grassfields Cheese's Fait Gras, Door County cherry mostarda and freshly-baked bread | Paired with Two Brothers' Domaine DuPage French Style Country Ale

Five: Apple & cherry crumble, balsamic sour cream, Laack Brothers' 7-year cheddar | Paired with Founders' Red's Rye Pale Ale

Featured farms/producers include:

• Charlie's Smokehouse | Gills Rock, WI
• Country Ovens | Forestville, WI
• Crystal Springs Farm | Hillsboro, WI
• Gentle Breeze Honey | Mt. Horeb, WI
• Grassfields Cheese | Coopersville, MI
• Happy Farm | Hillsboro, WI
• Hawks Hill Elk Ranch | Monticello, WI
• Kilgus Farmstead | Fairbury, IL
• Laack Brothers Cheese Co. | Greenleaf, WI
• Sartori Foods | Plymouth, WI
• Spence Farm | Fairbury, IL
• Werp Farms | Buckley, MI

Please join us for this delicious, mid-winter feast of local food. Chef Sundquist has sourced most of the ingredients from Wisconsin and I'm delighted that two specialty items from Door County (smoked whitefish and dried cherries) are included in the menu. I look forward to sharing this meal—and a story or two—with you and our hosts from In Fine Spirits.

About Locavore Dinners
Launched in Chicago in 2010 by food scientist Jim Javenkoski, this monthly series of culinary events represents the convergence of locally-grown food and ol' school social learning. The dinners offer opportunities for consumers, chefs and farmers to gather and share delicious meals over casual yet informative conversations about the provenance and production of our food. Ideally, that dialog will reveal to each participant how we can collectively strengthen our local food system to provide economic, environmental, safety, wellness and justice benefits for all of us. The enduring goal of the Locavore Dinners is to enhance our food literacy and cultivate our "local food wisdom", one meal at a time.