Just in time for the fine-weather season, Cantigny’s farm-to-table dining series is back for a second year with a dinner dubbed Red Oaks Farm — A Toast to Local at 6 p.m. May 23 at Cantigny Park in Wheaton.
Inspired by the foods grown or raised onsite when Cantigny was called Red Oaks Farm, the monthly meals are in the spirit of the types of dinner parties hosted by Col. Robert R. McCormick when he lived there.
“The menu for May will include a variety of creations highlighting regional producers,” said Executive Chef Zakh Holston. “My favorites on the menu include the grilled greens with an aged balsamic dressing, bleu cheese and onions, in addition to the sous vide New York strip with roasted fingerling potatoes and asparagus drizzled with a scratch-made bordelaise.
In a combination of plated and family-style dishes, courses are presented on a 50-foot farm table. The May 23 dinner also offers lamb mulligatawny soup apple crisp with chive creme fraiche, spinach gnocchi with ’nduja salami and roasted shrimp in a saffron cream sauce, and berry lemonade ice box tart with a cherry jus and mint jam.
With a classy-but-casual-rustic-but-chic vibe, the al fresco, five-course meal and wine pairing will be served in the Formal Gardens, weather permitting.
“The space opened to the public last July,” said Chris Pieters, director of food and beverage for Cantigny Park and Cantigny Golf. “It’s beautiful, offers some privacy and is convenient for our guests. We anticipate using this venue multiple times during the 2019 series.”
Meals will move to the onsite Le Jardin restaurant if Mother Natures chooses not to cooperate.
In 2019 Cantigny will continue to introduce its young and rising culinary talent to its guests.
“By allowing our new chefs and culinary team to drive this program, we have found a wealth of creativity, innovation and excitement,” Holston said. “Our guests are going to love what these new talents have in store.”
The themes of the meals in the 2019 dining series include A Tribute to Napa Valley at 6:30 p.m. June 13, Bourbon Trail — The Soul of Local at 6:30 p.m. July 12, Homage a la France at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 8, Prime Time at 6 p.m. Sept. 12, and The Hunt & The Game at 6 p.m. Oct. 3. Reservations are required for all dinners.
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“I enjoy the opportunity to blend my passion for great food with my enjoyment of entertaining and sharing in new experiences with our guests,” Holston said. “There are few things more rewarding as a chef than seeing the delight of a genuinely surprised and satisfied guest, and I think this is just what we have found a way to do with the Red Oaks Farm Table series.”
Red Oaks Farm — A Toast to Local
When: 6 p.m. May 23
Where: Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton
Tickets: $110
Information: 630-260-8260, cantigny.org