When Disappointment turns to Enchantment

Saturday night was a special night for a couple of reasons. First, we were headed to the city to see Harry Connick, Jr. in Chicago and second we were going with some good friends. There's nothing like having a great evening with friends.

Unfortunately, my first choice for dinner wasn't available.  I've been to the Gage in Chicago several times. It's just down the street from the Symphony Hall (home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra). Because the Jazz series at the CSO is on Friday nights we don't get to city early enough to enjoy the Gage.

(Photo from Midwestern Masticatory Musings)

The Gage is a great restaurant with a wide ranging American menu. My good friend, Charlie, introduced me to the restaurant the first time. I've been back a couple of times since. But with the concert starting at 7:30 a 5 pm reservation was too early and a 8:15 reservation was a bit late.  So, although I had never been there, I made reservations at Henri, a restaurant from the creators of the Gage.

(photo from Hogshead Wine)

Apparently every route into the city was conspiring against us with traffic and construction which made us about 15 minutes late. We called and the hostess was very kind. After parking I joined the rest of the party and took a look through the extensive wine list.  A great majority of the wines on the list were French.

I was a little disappointed that there weren't many California Rhone-style wines. (I did suggest that they consider some of the great Rhone-style wines from Frick Winery and Pine Ridge.)  In the end, I selected a Cote du Rhone Villages from Domaine Gramenon Les Laurentides.

This wine was reasonably priced and an old vine blend of Grenache and Syrah. The staff decanted the wine for us -- and probably for good reason.  In doing a little research, several reviewers suggested that the wine was much better after several hours of decanting. We didn't have that kind of time but found the wine to be quite good.

Doing a little research on the wine itself, I found that the winery was founded by Philippe and Michele Laurent in 1978 on 12 hectares of vines. The wine is sourced from mostly 50 year old Grenache vines located in the La Bicarelle plot near Vinsobres.

The soils here are mostly clay limestone with rounded pebbles. The grapes were partially destemmed, fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for 8 months in oak barrels.  (I wonder if they imported American Oak barrels for this or if they went with the French Oak?)

 

Lamb Rack

Roasted Duck Breast

Truffled Chicken

We found the wine to be a great match across several offerings. We started with the Oysters Mignonette. The mignonette was just the right note on the oysters with shallots and a red wine vinegar. That was followed by the fresh vegetable soup.

Dinner included a lamb rack, truffled chicken and roasted duck breast.

Everything was delicious. Frankly, they surpassed my expectations. What I didn't expect was how perfect the service was. We were never hurried nor did the staff smother us. Even though we arrived late, it never felt as though they were trying to turn the tables. General Manager Tim Sandow has done a great job with his staff. The ambiance is relaxed but not casual.

What started as a bit of disappointment that we didn't get into the Gage for dinner ended with a bit of a disappointment, too. Only this time the disappointment was that we had to rush out to get to the concert and we didn't have time for dessert.

Heading down the street to Symphony Hall for the concert we arrived just as bells were ringing to take your seat. Harry's show was one of the best I've seen. For nearly 2 and 1/2 hours he entertained the audience with a selection that crossed several genres. Loved the music enough that I came home and purchased his latest two albums.

And I'm not alone.  The usually curmudgeonly Jazz Critic, Howard Reich, writes: 

New Orleans has produced more than its share of great showmen, entertainers for whom almost any stage is too small and any evening too brief. 

Anyone who doubted that Harry Connick, Jr. belongs to this tradition and extends it into the 21st century surely was not out Saturday night at Symphony Center, where Connick offered an intermissionless show that stretched well past two hours and yet seemed to pass too quickly. Aside from the sheer stamina of this performance, Connick addressed so many musical styles so persuasively, while also unveiling several striking new songs, that one had to reassess earlier impressions of him.

All in all, I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Saturday evening. Great friends. Great wine. Great food. And great entertainment. And as I drove home I couldn't help but hear the words and music of "Some Enchanted Evening" playing in my head.

Three things I know for sure.  I'll be looking for some Domaine Gramenon Les Laurentides, I'll be back again to Henri, and I won't miss the next Harry Connick, Jr. show in the Chicago area.