I was thinking today of some perfect pairs...a fine pair of Manolo-Blahnik or Christian Louboutin shoes...ebony and ivory...ying and yang. And some other perfect pairings... Ken and Barbie, or some might say Angelina and Brad, or even Elgin Public House's own engaged couple Lou Gramm and Greg Shannon.
Greg and Lou are the co-owners and operators of Elgin Public House, also known simply as EPH. Greg knew since high school that he wanted to own a restaurant, but that wasn't Lou's original aspiration! When they met, Lou was a dental assistant in addition to being a server in a restaurant. One day, Greg was seated at her table and the rest of the story has the ingredients for a fine and delicious recipe for love! They opened EPH in 2007, and the community is sure happy that they picked Elgin as their home! And this is another perfect pair...Elgin and EPH!
And speaking of perfect pairings...Elgin Public House, which is located at 219 E. Chicago Street, Elgin, offered some picture perfect palatable pairings this past Tuesday with their EPH Summer White Wine Dinner. My friend Debbie and I were able to get in on the action, and lucky for us because it was a full house, and we scored the last two reservations! The price was $50 (Don't let EPH know, but this is a steal – and first timers get 25% off!), and we received a 6-course meal, with each course accompanied by a different white wine – and not a sampling, but a healthy serving!
So, we sit down at the adjoined banquet tables among 50 old and new friends, including Debbie's and my new bff's, Mike, Terri, Linda, Nick, Brenda and Pete who were as wonderful as the meal! The layout of the room was perfect for this experience, which started with a Cavitt Lunetta Rose Sangria that accompanied the amuse bouche ~ a small bite that precedes the meal. This light and refreshing alternative to the red wine sangria was made with white wine, gin, cognac and garnished with orange slices, honeydew, grapes and a sprig of rosemary, which is said to improve memory...I think I read that somewhere?! The sangria was paired with asiago, garlic and fresh herb crusted chicken wings...a perfect pairing!
We then moved on to the other 5 "samplings". These included a Ferrari Carano Bella Luca, a fragrant and light white wine, accompaniment to fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and chile peppers...then on to the cream of asparagus and basil soup and a Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc Sauvignon Blanc. These first two samplings were impressive in presentation, aromas, and taste! Other courses included fava beans...yes, fava beans...purple, orange and white carrots and what I learned is coined the "poor man's lobster" – a.k.a. monk fish that was served on a bed of spring vegetables with a lemon aioli. Whoa – thy palate be still! The dinner was all rounded out by rice pudding with a strawberry sauce paired with Cavitt Lunetta Sparkling Prosecco.
Another plus to EPH pairing dinners, is that all participants receive a raffle ticket once you sit down, and guests won prizes all night! I am very happy to say that the last raffle pulled for the night was mine, and I won a bottle of the Cavitt Lunetta Sparkling Prosecco! Lunetta, which is "Little Moon" in Italian, is a delightfully refreshing sparkling wine to celebrate life's wonderful moments. Hmmmm...what shall I celebrate?
I asked Greg where he comes up with the recipes for these pairings, and Lou shared with us that he talks about recipes all the time - even in his sleep! Greg doesn't ever remember, but the love for creating and sharing the tasteful flavors that the world has to offer, is always on his mind!
This is also apparent in EPH's better than average pub grub, from the ½ price burgers on Monday nights, to the chips and made to order guacamole, to the fried pickles to the hearty sandwiches and large selection of entrees and daily specials – not to mention the beer selection!
I am so happy that I was able to participate in EPH's White Wine Dinner. This was my first, but it certainly will not be my last. EPH has also had beer pairings, red wine pairings and other pairings to please all discriminating tastes. I must say, I am not a big wine drinker, nor do I eat fish, but I am reborn...I now love all the new white wines that I was able to sample and monkfish with Greg's lemon aioli is a new favorite! I look forward to the next pairing, and I look forward to seeing my new bff's Mike, Terri, Linda, Nick, Brenda and Pete again! We have more to talk about!
I was thinking today of some perfect pairs...a fine pair of Manolo-Blahnik or Christian Louboutin shoes...ebony and ivory...ying and yang. And some other perfect pairings... Ken and Barbie, or some might say Angelina and Brad, or even Elgin Public House's own engaged couple Lou Gramm and Greg Shannon.
Greg and Lou are the co-owners and operators of Elgin Public House, also known simply as EPH. Greg knew since high school that he wanted to own a restaurant, but that wasn't Lou's original aspiration! When they met, Lou was a dental assistant in addition to being a server in a restaurant. One day, Greg was seated at her table and the rest of the story has the ingredients for a fine and delicious recipe for love! They opened EPH in 2007, and the community is sure happy that they picked Elgin as their home! And this is another perfect pair...Elgin and EPH!
And speaking of perfect pairings...Elgin Public House, which is located at 219 E. Chicago Street, Elgin, offered some picture perfect palatable pairings this past Tuesday with their EPH Summer White Wine Dinner. My friend Debbie and I were able to get in on the action, and lucky for us because it was a full house, and we scored the last two reservations! The price was $50 (Don't let EPH know, but this is a steal – and first timers get 25% off!), and we received a 6-course meal, with each course accompanied by a different white wine – and not a sampling, but a healthy serving!
So, we sit down at the adjoined banquet tables among 50 old and new friends, including Debbie's and my new bff's, Mike, Terri, Linda, Nick, Brenda and Pete who were as wonderful as the meal! The layout of the room was perfect for this experience, which started with a Cavitt Lunetta Rose Sangria that accompanied the amuse bouche ~ a small bite that precedes the meal. This light and refreshing alternative to the red wine sangria was made with white wine, gin, cognac and garnished with orange slices, honeydew, grapes and a sprig of rosemary, which is said to improve memory...I think I read that somewhere?! The sangria was paired with asiago, garlic and fresh herb crusted chicken wings...a perfect pairing!
We then moved on to the other 5 "samplings". These included a Ferrari Carano Bella Luca, a fragrant and light white wine, accompaniment to fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and chile peppers...then on to the cream of asparagus and basil soup and a Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc Sauvignon Blanc. These first two samplings were impressive in presentation, aromas, and taste! Other courses included fava beans...yes, fava beans...purple, orange and white carrots and what I learned is coined the "poor man's lobster" – a.k.a. monk fish that was served on a bed of spring vegetables with a lemon aioli. Whoa – thy palate be still! The dinner was all rounded out by rice pudding with a strawberry sauce paired with Cavitt Lunetta Sparkling Prosecco.
Another plus to EPH pairing dinners, is that all participants receive a raffle ticket once you sit down, and guests won prizes all night! I am very happy to say that the last raffle pulled for the night was mine, and I won a bottle of the Cavitt Lunetta Sparkling Prosecco! Lunetta, which is "Little Moon" in Italian, is a delightfully refreshing sparkling wine to celebrate life's wonderful moments. Hmmmm...what shall I celebrate?
I asked Greg where he comes up with the recipes for these pairings, and Lou shared with us that he talks about recipes all the time - even in his sleep! Greg doesn't ever remember, but the love for creating and sharing the tasteful flavors that the world has to offer, is always on his mind!
This is also apparent in EPH's better than average pub grub, from the ½ price burgers on Monday nights, to the chips and made to order guacamole, to the fried pickles to the hearty sandwiches and large selection of entrees and daily specials – not to mention the beer selection!
I am so happy that I was able to participate in EPH's White Wine Dinner. This was my first, but it certainly will not be my last. EPH has also had beer pairings, red wine pairings and other pairings to please all discriminating tastes. I must say, I am not a big wine drinker, nor do I eat fish, but I am reborn...I now love all the new white wines that I was able to sample and monkfish with Greg's lemon aioli is a new favorite! I look forward to the next pairing, and I look forward to seeing my new bff's Mike, Terri, Linda, Nick, Brenda and Pete again! We have more to talk about!
