Birthday dinner celebration at Petit Vie Western Springs

Birthday dinner celebration at Petit Vie Western Springs

February is a busy birthday month in our family, … naturally, with 22 members, there are lots of birthdays, especially this time of year when we have four birthdays in a three week span. 

So, we joined two of our kids and their spouses for a birthday celebration dinner at Petit Vie Restaurant in nearby suburb, Western Springs (IL), home to daughter Erin, and son-in-law Johnny. 

The new location is chic and stylishly decorated with seating adjacent the bar, and a small dining room in the rear. 

 

Saturday nights are prime time in the restaurant business, hectic and chaotic, and with a full house, this night at Petit Vie, service was challenged and a bit disjointed. Petit Vie is the reincarnation of the former Vie Restaurant that was around the corner in downtown Western Springs. Despite the delays in getting seated, and snafu’s in service, it was wonderful being together, despite the long, late evening, for parents that had to get back to relieve babysitters. 

 

Due to the wait, and disruptions we were treated to complimentary Champagne as a starter with the baguette and cheese puff selection. 

Vouvray Champagne NV

For starters we had the Foie Gras Mousse sauternes gelée, seasonal compote with crostin and the Steak Tartare (shown). These were okay, but generally uninspiring …

Sean and Michelle had the Escargot à la Bourguignonne - braised burgundy snails, crostini, garlic & pernod butter. 

For entree’s …  

Johnny had the Steak and pomme frittes. 

Even though one of the evening specials was Duck L’Orange, Erin, Sean and I all had the regular Duck Confit menu selection - Duck Confit beluga lentils, hakurei turnips, red wine duck jus, & apple cider, which was excellent. 

Linda ordered the Sabelfish (Black Cod) - Sablefish avec Flageolet bacon braised french beans, herb aioli, & fall vegetables a la grecque.

I brought BYOB from our home cellar a special bottle for the occasion.

Clos Marey-Monge Monopole Pommard 2011 

This bottle from our cellar was gifted from friend Tom R who obtained it at the Château in Burgundy nearly a decade ago. The historic property and producer, Clos Marey-Monge, dates back to the Famille of Vivant Micault, who in 1726 laid the foundation what became a winemaking empire, building the first Château Pommard. Micaults were proprietors from 1726 – 1763 and were known as “The First Family of Pommard”.

The long-surviving dynasty, Famille Marey-Monge, through the marriage of Marey and Monge, two iconic Burgundy families of the Côte d’Or occupied the property from 1763 to 1936 and were considered “Burgundy’s Greatest Family”. 

The Famille Laplanche, France’s most famous psychoanalyst, Jean Laplanche, and his wife Nadine, took over the property in 1936 and occupied the estate until 2003 when it was taken over by Famille Giraud.

During the Famille Giraud reign of ten years, Château de Pommard underwent major restoration and emerged as one of Burgundy’s must-visit domains.

Today, the Clos Marey-Monge estate vineyard is Burgundy’s largest privately-owned Clos.

Clos Marey-Monge, located in Pommard, in the Côte d’Or, consists of 7 cuvées or vineyards covering nearly fifty acres. The estate is sub-divided based on different soil types, each having distinctive composition of limestone, iron-rich clay, alluvium and other minerals essential to producing premiere Pinot Noir. 

Clos Marey-Monge produce a portfolio of single vineyard designated wines representing each of the seven sites. This label, Clos Marey-Monge Monopole is their signature wine and is crafted in a blend of all seven cuvées from the Clos Marey-Monge. Each year, they adjust the blend with the vintage to create a layered wine that is deep, rich, complex and approachable.

Winemaker Notes - Known for giving body and structure to their Clos Marey-Monge Monopole, the Grands Esprits cuvée makes a Pommard of great quality and structure. With its intense ruby color and expressive nose marked by aromas of red fruit and spices, it stands out as a perfectly balanced wine. The palate is clean, with structured and dense tannins. A long finish brings a touch of elegance to this complex cuvée.

This release was rated 93 points by James Suckling, 92 points by Wine Enthusiast, and 88 points by Wine Spectator.

Ruby colored, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, muscular but well-integrated and nicely balanced black currant and black cherry fruits dusty rose, clove and cinnamon spice, earth and black tea notes with fresh acidity and moderate smooth polished tannins on a lingering finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3168180

https://www.chateaudepommard.com/our-wines/clos-marey-monge

We also ordered from the wine list this Chianti Classico Sangiovese. 

Tenuta di Bibbiano Chianti Classico 2022

This Chianti Classico is from producer Bibbiano, founded in 1865, in the historic Chianti region, in the municipality of Castellina in Chianti, overlooking the Elsa Valley towards the castle of Monteriggioni. Today it is operated by fifth generation owners Tommaso and Federico Marrocchesi Marzi, and is one of the oldest estates in the Chianti Classico belonging to the same family.. 

The Bibbiano estate consists of its over sixty acres of vineyards surrounded by extensive olive groves consisting of over three thousand trees. The vineyards are planted primarily to Sangiovese and Sangiovese Grosso grapes as well as a smaller quantity of Colorino. They sit at an altitude from 270 to 300 meters, with ideal exposure and microclimate.

Tenuta di Bibbiano wines were crafted for decades by famed winemaker Giulio Gambelli, who also trained the current winemaker. They maintain a traditional approach to winemaking producing 100%-pure Sangiovese wines according to the traditions and stipulations of the Chianti Classico DOCG.

The Chianti Classico DOCG is in Tuscany's historic heartland between Florence and Siena. Chianti Classico DOCG designation requires a minimum of 80% Sangiovese with other red grapes (like Colorino, Canaiolo, or international varieties) allowed up to 20% in the blend. It must be subjected to 12 months aging (from Jan 1 after harvest). (Chianti Classico Riserva: Minimum 24 months aging, including at least 3 months in bottle.)

Tommaso Marrocchesi Marzi is a leading voice in the push to establish formal village appellations in Chianti Classico and is a great supporter of the new Gran Selezione category, which requires wines labeled as such to be made exclusively from estate fruit and bottled at the origin.  

This entry level label provides great value QPR - quality price ratio and is popular as a restaurant selection. 

This release was rated 93 points by Wine Spectator,  92 pts by James Suckling, 91 pts by Decanter,  90 pts by Wine Enthusiast and 89 pts by Vinous.

Sixty thousand bottles were produced.

Ruby colored, medium bodied, nicely balanced ripe cherry and plum fruits with notes of herbs, earthy spices and  hints of licorice, tar fine tannins on the lingering moderate finish.

RM 89 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/4981952

https://www.bibbiano.com/?lang=en

https://www.petite-vie.com/

Elle’s Italian Dining in Western Springs, IL

Elle’s Italian Dining in Western Springs, IL

As summer winds down, we had an impromptu lunch at Elle’s Italian Pub Restaurant in Western Springs, IL with daughter Erin who walked there with Linda from her home in the neighborhood. Elle’s is situated downtown in the heart of chic tony Western Springs, adjacent the Post Office, just off Burlington Street and the Metra Rail Station. 

Elle’s is in the former Vie Restaurant with a completely renovated  and reconfigured bar and dining room, and sidewalk outdoor seating for alfresco dining, which we took advantage of on a perfect late summer afternoon. 

Elle’s specializes in made from scratch Roman Pizzas with hand crafted dough, and a broad selection of Italian Specialties. They offer a daily lunch menu and an all-day main menu, from which the girls ordered the Arancini alla Vodka - crispy risoto, roasted garlic, herbs, house mozzarella and Parmigiana Reggiano, and the Salmon Quinoa Salad - leafy greens, basil, mint, mango, avocado, tomatos, cucumber, organic quinoa and lemon basil vinagrette. 

Linda and I shared the Heirloom Beets and Ricotta Cheese salad - organic beets, whipped ricotta, pistachios, EVOO, Arugula, Parmigiano Reggiano and Balsamic Vinagrette.    

I ordered the Beef Short Ribs and Polenta with spinach, garlic, mushrooms, tomato Demi and Parmiagana Reggiano. 

Everything was delicious, thoughtfully prepared and presented with fresh bread and honey comb. 

Taking advantage of 1/2 price bottle Wednesday, we ordered a bottle from the carefully selected, primarily Italian Wine List.

Bacci Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico DOCG 2022

Castello di Bossi dates back to the 9th century in a historic ancient Bossi Castle, located in the town of Castelnuovo Berardenga, the southernmost appellation of Chianti Classico, in the province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany. It is located about 30 miles southeast of Florence and about 9 miles east of Siena. 

Castello di Bossi is owned and managed by Marco Bacci who oversees all operations, from beginning to end, with careful attention to detail. With his brother Maurizio, Marco owns one of the best collections of estates in Tuscany, and is creating high-quality wines from some of the top Tuscan appellations. 

In addition to Castello di Bossi, they also own and manage these Tuscan estates: Castello di Bossi, Tenuta di Renieri and Barbaione in Chianti Classico, Renieri Brunello di Montalcino and Terre di Talamo on the Tuscan coast in the Morellino di Scansano denomination, the Maremma. 

Bacci Wines represents Tuscan excellence in the world of wine, with a focus on the most renowned DOCG, DOC and IGT designated wines of the region: Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Morellino di Scansano. 

Bacci produce a diverse range of wines with over twenty labels of reds, a half dozen whites, a couple rosés and sweet wine passitos. Total production is 800,000 bottles annually. 

With the purchase of Renieri in Montalcino, Marco became recognized as the producer of the third best wine in the world with Renieri Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2010. After three years, his 2015 Brunello di Montalcino was recognized as the second wine in the world. 

Beyond Tuscany, Bacci also produces wines in Sicily at their Terre Darrigo estate located on the slopes of the Etna volcano in the denomination that bears the same name. Marco Bacci's latest project is in Sardinia in Barbagia in the Municipality of Mamojada.

Marco Bacci was born in Florence in 1959, into a family that has always been linked to Tuscany. During his first successful career in clothing, he developed a passion for wine and purchased Castello di Bossi in 1984. Over time, his wine interests evolved from an important hobby to his primary business ans he made Castello di Bossi his home in 1998. The first bottle of Corbaia from Castello di Bossi was released with the 1985 vintage. 

Following in his father's footsteps, Marco's son Jacopo joined the company in 2004, first on the production side, then active in sales in the US and Asian markets.

The wine consultant is Alberto Antonini and Federico Curtaz is the agronomist. 

Castillo di Bossi is labeled Chianti Classico. One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716. 

In the 1930s the Italian government appended this historic zone with additional land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. In 1996, Chianti Classico became autonomous when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti. 

Chianti Classicos designated wines are typically made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. 

Marco Bacci’s vision as he has brought Castello di Bossi to the highest ranks of international wine. The Castello di Bossi estate and vineyards are located in the town of Castelnuovo Berardenga, the southernmost appellation of Chianti Classico. Amid evergreen woods the long rows of vines cover an area of 370 acres. 

The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.

This Chianti Classico is made from 100% Sangiovese, remaining true to the terroir of Chianti it is grown in soils with high chalk content, this wine shows just how good this varietal can taste. Designated a DOCG wine, it represents great QPR - Quality Price Ratio at a retail price of about $30.  

This release was rated 93 points by James Suckling.

Winemaker Notes - “Deep, ruby-red in color, this Chianti Classico offers aromas of ripe cherries and red plums, with subtle notes of toasted vanilla beans and purple flowers. On the palate, the wine displays a superbly structured character with bright acidity and a pleasantly savory finish.”

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, full round bright cherry and plum fruits with notes of cedar, truffles and chalky mineral with a pleasant flavorful finish. 

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5272357

https://www.bacciwines.it/

https://www.ellasitalianpub.com/

Birthday Lunch at Ella’s Western Springs

Birthday Lunch at Ella’s Western Springs

We met with several of the kids and grandkids for a birthday lunch celebrating Linda’s and granddaughter Marilyn’s birthdays. We met at Ella’s Italian Eatery in Western Springs, the renovated make-over of the previous Vie fine dining restaurant. What a transformation! They completely gutted and built a whole new restaurant with wide open views from the kitchen view seating in the rear to the front - one large dining room in the rear and the large bar and adjacent seating in the front half. Remarkable and well done, a huge improvement over the chopped up segregated multiple dining rooms of the previous configuration. 

Ella’s is the latest addition to the family of “family-friendly dining” establishments, adding to their existing locations in nearby Elmhurst and in Geneva, IL. They promote an “experience starting with (our) handcrafted dough, accented by creative Italian pub-style street food offerings along with an extensive wine list”.

The menu is extensive, featuring pizzas and a broad selection of Italian cuisine. 

I ordered the Tagliatelle Bolognese, Italian Meat Ragu with Tomato Sauce and Parmiaganna Regiano with an addition of a veal meatball. It was delicious. 

From the wine list, I ordered a BTG - By The Glass selection of an Italian Piedmontese Langhe Nebbiolo to compare with recent tastings of the Massolino wines from this varietal and region, as featured in several recent posts in these pages - . 

 

Boroli “1661” Langhe Nebbiolo 2022

This 100% Nebbiolo varietal is from the Boroli family Piedmont estate that dates back to 1831. The family started their winemaking business in 1997 when Silvano and Elena Boroli felt stepped away from their publishing business to pursue their passion producing wine. They grew the company until their son, Achille, stepped in to run the wine-growing and production business in 2012. The estate consisted of 27 acres planted primarily to the native grape varietal Nebbiolo. Achille Boroli is joined by Enzo Alluvione in duties as winemaker.  Total winery production is 18,911 bottles. 

With the 2012 grape harvest Achille decided to radically change the methods used in vineyards and wineries, aiming for the highest quality in Barolo and its crus. He cut production levels, updated the winemaking technology, and focused on low intervention methods to raise the quality of the Boroli wines striving to be on par with the finest Barolo wines.

Winemaker notes - “The Nebbiolo 2022 is an ode to lively freshness. With its bright ruby color, this wine exudes elegance right from the start. The bouquet is fresh and fruity, with notes of ripe strawberry, spring flowers, and a subtle hint of cinnamon. On the palate, it presents a youthful and vibrant structure, with agile tannins and a freshness that enhances the red fruit, mint, and a subtle touch of green tea.”

The 2021 release of this label was awarded 94 points and an Editors Choice by Wine Enthusiast, 91 by Wine Spectator, and 90 by Wine Advocate. 

Bright ruby red color, medium bodied, bright vibrant red berry and currant fruits with earthy notes of spice and herbs with smooth velvety tannings on the lingering finish. 

RM 90 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/4778608

https://www.ellasitalianpub.com/menus

Vie Restaurant Gala Anniversary Prix Fixe Dinner with Wine Pairing

Vie Restaurant Gala Anniversary Prix Fixe Dinner with Wine Pairing

For our anniversary celebration, Linda and I dined at Vie Restaurant in nearby suburban Western Springs (IL), hometown of our daughter. We've dined at Vie and featured the Vie Culinary Wine Pairing Dinner in previous blogposts in these pages.

Vie is the flagship restaurant of Chef Paul Virant, who focuses on seasonal Midwestern selections featuring local sourcing utilizing traditional methods of preservation. He was a finalist nominee for the James Beard Foundation Award's Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2011. He authored the 2012 cookbook, The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking with Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-Doux.

Vie was the first restaurant in Western Springs to serve liquor since Prohibition. Vie opened its doors in 2004.

For our special occasion, intimate dinner, we opted for the Three Course Prix Fixe dinner with the curated wine pairing with each course. 

The wine pairings were selected by Vie Wine Director Grace Bradley, a Western Springs native. After passing her first sommelier exam in 2019, Grace passed the Certified Sommelier Exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2022.

The Three Course Prix Fixe Menu offerings ...

The courses and wine pairings .... 

To start, complimentary sparkling white wine ... Portell Cava Brut NV

 Course One 

Corn Soup with Alesia Rhys Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay 2018

Blackened seasonal vegetables, toasted pecans, smoked apple butter vinagrette paired with Babylonstoren Swartland, SA Viogner 2019.

 
Course Two

Pan seared scallops, curry roasted cauliflower, peach mustardo and mustard greens, paired with
Domaine Chevalier Les Pends Marsanne Crozes-Hermitage Rhone 2021. 

 This is the Marsanne white varietal label from Marlène & Nicolas Chevalier whose Syrah we've enjoyed at Chicagoland French Bistros Chez Joël French Bistro and Suzette's Creperie in nearby suburban Wheaton.

Salt roasted beets, burrata, blueberry, raddicchio, toasted hazelnut vinagrette, paired with
Pullus Rose, Styria SI. 

Course Three

Wood grilled CDK Beef Tri-Tip, roasted mushrooms, grilled green beans, sherry braised tropeo onions, green peppercorn beef au jus, paired with
Fattorio di Bascianno I Pinni Tuscan Red Blend 2018.

Wood grilled Sturgeon, basmati rice 'Tahdig', braised fennel, safron and preserved
cara cara beaue blanc, paired with
Emile Bayer Tradition Gewurztraminer Alsace 2019.

Dessert 

https://vierestaurant.com/

https://twitter.com/vierestaurant

Previous Vie Restaurant Blogposts 

Vie Restaurant Western Springs Restaurant Week Price Fixe Dinner

Vie Culinary Wine Pairing Dinner

Signorello & Del Dotto Napa Wines Paired with Vie Western Springs Fine Cuisine

https://www.paulvirant.com/

https://twitter.com/jarstarvie

 

Vie Culinary Wine Pairing Dinner

Vie Culinary Wine Pairing Dinner

We dined at Vie Restaurant in Western Springs to celebrate several birthdays, most notably, Sean and Michelle's, and post Erin's from two weeks earlier and Linda's coming up a week later. Vie were featuring their Chicago Restaurant Week Special dinner with wine pairing. This is the second time in recent years we've dined at Vie for such an occasion that occurred during their restaurant week special.

We love Vie's cozy atmosphere with its' chic, stylish, cosmopolitan, contemporary setting. There are  tables and settee's around a fireplace, dining settings surrounding the bar, progressing further inward to several interior dining areas and rooms, each artfully decorated with stylish wall coverings or black and white framed photographs.

Vie normally offers a five-course and an eight-course chef's tasting menu, each available with optional wine pairings. Tonight, they offered a limited selection that regrettably failed to showcase their culinary capabilities.

The last time we dined there, it was also during the Restaurant Week special feature with the same result. That night, they featured two of the four courses with the same profile of a heavy emphasis on smoked pork.

This night the limited menu selection featured some strange flavor pairings where the quest for elegance or imagination seemed to miss the mark and resulted in dishes that were lackluster and uninspiring.

My first course was crunchy rice 'tahdig',  braised chicken leg and smoked chicken breast, saffron, roasted turnips, and pickled baby summer squash. As with our previous experience, smoke was the featured and most predominant flavor. The 'tahdig' was crunchy but flavorless, an uninspiring start to our dinner flight.

The course was appropriately paired with 2015 Johann Geil Bechtheimer Heilig-Kreuz Scheurebe Rheinhessen Kabinett.

The highlight of my course selection was the roasted carrot soup with the cherry bomb pepper and caramel, an explosion of a trio of competing flavors, accented by textures of spiced pumpkin seeds which was a bit annoying.

This was an interesting combination of dueling contrasting flavors - the sweet caramel and the spicy cherry bomb pepper. To my taste, the pumpkin seeds pushed it over the top.

The wine pairing for this course was a 2015 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Parallèle “45” from the Rhone River Valley in the south center of France

Once again, as with our earlier visit, pork loin was the feature, this time complemented with cannellini beans and slow cooked greens. The highlight of the course was an andouille sausage which actually outshone the pork in flavor and pairings. There was also listed a blueberry aigre doux pork sauce which might have been a savior but I don't recall it being apparent or having an impact.

This course was paired with 2015 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley, a thoughtful and appropriate pairing selection.

Apparently, it is hard to showcase their culinary artwork at a reduced price point that is the Restaurant Week feature. This is unfortunate because we love the atmosphere and independent upscale fine dining experience with the talent and professionalism that Vie offers, that is so needed in the near west suburbs.

The dessert course was a lemon creme donut. Really? A donut? Yes, but, the saving grace was the accent of gedeo coffee ice cream and milk chocolate gianduja ...

The highlight of the course was the thoughtful wine selection to accompany the course - 2017 Maculan Moscato Dindarello Passito from Italy.


Its easy to select wines to pair with food when you have a budget to choose $50 wines. Its a challenge to select and offer appropriate wine pairings when you're offering sub twenty dollar wines. Vie did a commendable job offering interesting and acceptable wines to pair with each course.


The wine pairings for the dinner were:

2015 Johann Geil Bechtheimer Heilig-Kreuz Scheurebe Rheinhessen Kabinett 
2015 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Parallèle “45”
2015 Montinore Estate Willamette Pinot Noir 
2017 Maculan Moscato Dindarello Passito Italy

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?2668673

 
https://www.cellartracker.com/w?2596010

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?2421058

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3148458

https://www.vierestaurant.com/