On Sunday, September 1, my friend and I took a road trip to the Round Barn Winery in Baroda, Michigan. The occasion was the 2nd Annual Check Please Food & Wine Festival in Michigan Wine Country just an hour and a half from Chicago past Harbour Country bordering Lake Michigan.
The festival was held at the beautiful Round Barn Winery where we spent the day in Michigan's Wine Country tasting gourmet, locally sourced offerings from some of the most well regarded chefs and restaurants in Chicago and Michigan. Additionally it was a great way to interact with the farmers who grow our food. Case in point, the guys from Gunthrop Farms, known for their excellent pork products were more than happy to chat up the event guests and talkabout their amazing products. Likewise, the Michigan pork grower who was sampling some amazing sausages including sausage made from white fish. More than 20 Chefs were represented.
There were wine, beer and liquor samplings as well as tours of the Winery and distillery, hayrides, grape stomping and live music. In the Maytag Tent were sessions for food prep and Q&A with the new host of Check Please!, Catherine De Orio.
One of the most interesting dishes of the day was prepared by Maytag Executive Chef Ender Oktayuren at the World of Whirlpool in Chicago. He elevated a simple dish of rice, eggs and bacon, that I ate often in New Orleans, into a gourmand's delight with Sous-Vide eggs and fried pork belly served over a homemade garlic aioli along side a risotto with white wine and parmesan topped with criy pig ears. I've died and gone to pork heaven. But the coup de gras was a vanilla and basil ice cream bar in a homemade blueberry sauce from a 45 year old Chicago Ridge Gelatomaker.
This was a great event to wind down the summer season. Awesome to combine a manageable road trip with some seriously tasty food and wine. A definite for 2014. And go the VIP route, which allows you to enter a little earlier for the food samplings, access the VIP tent with some additional tastings and get the gift bag filled with coupons to try some of the participating retaurants.
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The photo above is an Instagram shot of the Winery's namesake round barn. The vintage shadings are very becoming to the photo.
Posted by: Patricia | 09/02/2013 at 03:19 PM