We are also very excited to say that we are planning a Fountainhead Farm Dinner which will be held off premise sometime later this summer (probably in September). For this event we will rent a bus that will take you from Fountainhead out to a farm for the entire day. You will enjoy snacks and local beers on the bus, cocktails from a local distillery at the farm, a tour of the farm and apiary, a multi-course meal made with fresh seasonal ingredients prepared by Chef Cleetus and paired with local beers, and a post-dinner campfire with libations and music before getting back on the bus & heading back to Fountainhead. This will be a truly special event that is not to be missed. We will be posting more info on our website / newsletter / Facebook / Twitter pages as details unfold & tickets become available.

In honor of Chicago Craft Beer Week we are again hosting Local Cask Day!!

We’ve done this event for the last 3 years & it’s become a crowd favorite. We get casks from our favorite local breweries & we line them up across the bar. You order your beer & we pour it directly from the cask. Doesn’t get any cooler than that, right? Ahh, but it does…

This year we’re starting the event early & we’re offering a special VIP hour prior to opening the bar. You buy your ticket for $20, show up at 11:00 AM on Saturday & have your pick of the freshest, just tapped kegs in the city! This year will include a cask from Revolution, Metropolitan and Half Acre, as well as casks from a few of our favorite regional breweries such as Brickstone, Greenbush and Brewery Vivant. Price of admission includes 2 free pours. Casks will be pouring downstairs, but our rooftop will be open & you’ll be free to wander up & enjoy your drinks in the sunshine should you so desire.

We are limiting the VIP hour to 40 people to make sure that everyone can easily get drinks & enjoy themselves, so we suggest you buy your tickets quickly via Brown Paper Tickets. At noon we will open the doors to the public – no tickets required.

Chicago Craft Beer Week Rules!!!

Join us & Begyle Brewing for the launch of their new collaboration beer with Chef Cleetus, as well as a delicious Chicago Craft Beer Week Dinner on Wednesday May 22nd.

Chef Cleetus has created a fantastic 3+ course menu*, which he will walk you through course by course. Dinner starts at 7:00 & tickets are $54.26 a piece. This is going to be a very fun night so secure your seat today by going to Brown Paper Tickets.

Nosh
Green tea cured salmon, crème fraiche, pumpernickel toast
Farmers Hand

One
Pan seared scallop, wilted spinach, toasted sunflower seed
Crash Landed

Two
Charred sausage with grain mustard, orange & fennel slaw
The as yet to be named new Begyle / Cleetus Collab

Three – Sweet
Smoked chocolate crème brulee
Flannel Pajamas

*menu subject to change based on seasonality & availability.

Join us & Solemn Oath Brewery for a delicious Chicago Craft Beer Week Dinner on Thursday May 23rd.

Chef Cleetus has created an amazing menu, which he will explain to you course by course, and one of the brewers from Solemn Oath will be with us to discuss what makes their beers so special.

Dinner starts at 7:00 & tickets are $73.62 a piece (that’s right). This is going to be a terrific night so secure your seat today by going to Brown Paper Tickets.

Take a look at the 5 course menu* below & let the mouth watering sensations begin:

One
Pan seared scallop, prarie fruits goat cheese, pepper bacon, shredded fennel
Whisper Kisses

Two
Grilled asparagus salad, buttermilk bleu cheese
Mr. Inappropriate

Three
Sausage & pepper pasta, fresh basil, toasted garlic
Kidnapped by Vikings

Four
Slow smoked brisket with coffee and ancho chili bbq sauce, potato sticks, stewed greens
Chub Guts

Five – SWEET
Rose hip liqueur & lemon pound cake, evil chocolate maple syrup
E-Ville AND Oxford Comma

*menu subject to change based on seasonality and availability.

St. George’s Distillery, the first new distillery in England in over a century is launching their award winning English Whisky Company Single Malts in Chicago at Fountainhead from 7:00 – 9:00 on Thursday, April 18th.

Come meet Andrew Nelstrop, the Managing Director of The English Whisky Company, who will be in-house pouring samples of this unique whisky for all to try! Chef Cleetus will be making fish & chips, we’ll be pouring an English beer or two on draft and listening to our British Invasion playlist over the speakers. Should be jolly good fun!

At the 2013 San Francisco Spirits Competition English Whisky Company Peated Single Malt was awarded Double Gold and named Best Whisky in the “Other Whisky Category” beating out 22 other world whiskies. English Whisky Company Classic Single Malt was awarded a silver medal.

Wednesday April 24th: 7:00 – 10:00

We are thrilled to be welcoming the owners of Corsair, MB Roland and Redemption, as well Up Down Cigar, for a Whisky Week Dinner in our Barrel Room, as well as a Tasting & Cigar Pairing on our Roof Deck Garden!

Two ways to participate: Whiskey Dinner or Tastings & Cigars

The Whisky Dinner: Chef Cleetus will prepare a fantastic paired 3+ coursed dinner in the Barrel Room where we will showcase 6 different whiskies from these three distilleries. Dinner begins at 7:00 & your ticket price includes access to the Roof Deck Tastings as well. Tickets are $45 and are extremely limited.

The Tastings & Cigars: The roof deck tasting is limited to 50 people, including those who purchase tickets to the dinner. Each distillery will have their own station on the roof where they can provide samples of their whisky. As an added bonus, there will also be a station for Neisson Rhum. Phil from Up Down Cigar will also have a station on the roof where he will be selling cigars that he hand-picked to pair with the whiskies being tasted. The tasting runs from 7:00 – 10:00 and tickets are $10 per person. The roof deck is heated & has blankets. In the rare case of severe weather all purchases will be refunded.

More information on Chef Cleetus’ fantastic dinner & the amazing whiskies being sampled to be shared soon. Go to Brown Paper Tickets to purchase tickets for the Dinner & Roof Deck Garden Tasting or the Roof Deck Whiskey Tasting & Cigar Pairing only.

“Fountainhead is a perfect fit for me,” says Chef Cleetus. “This is an opportunity for me to do all the things I am passionate about with food and beverage under one roof! I have been a fan and a regular customer since Fountainhead opened. I am thrilled that I will get to put my stamp on the menu and do what I do best–pair good food and good drink. Plus, I stay in Ravenswood!”

Chef Cleetus Friedman is well-known around Chicago as a chef who has worked to revolutionize the local food scene in the city. Most easily recognizable as the face and owner of the recently-closed catering company and delicatessen, City Provisions, Chef Cleetus has always been and will continue to be dedicated to educating diners on what it means to be sustainable, local and healthy.

“We are thrilled to bring Chef Cleetus Friedman’s fantastic food vision to pair with our world-class beverage program,” says Aaron Zacharias, managing partner of Fountainhead. “Cleetus is everything that Fountainhead stands for. We couldn’t be happier to be working with someone who shares our manic passion for the world of food and drinks.”

Adds co-owner, Darby Putman: “We are thrilled to have Chef Cleetus as part of our team and cannot wait to see what he brings to our food program. We feel it is important that we take our time with the implementation and execution of Chef Cleetus’ menus so that guests and staff can have the best experience possible.”

Chef Cleetus’ new menu will roll out at Fountainhead on April 15th.

Help Wanted: Tasters needed to determine the cask of Kilchoman that is coming into the Chicago market!!! Hang out with Partner and Master Distiller, Anthony Wills.

Be a part of this great experience! We’re tasting 4 rare cask samples and voting on one for the Chicago Market, as well as sampling 4 single cask Binny’s selections. By attending, you will be able to buy futures on the winner very rare indeed.

We will also be featuring our version of Chef driven Islay inspired street food! Everything will be served family style and very casual.

This truly unique event is limited to 25 people. Buy yours today!

About Kilchoman:
A farm distillery on the famed Scottish Island of Islay, Kilchoman (pronounced Kil-homan) is the first new distillery built on Islay in 124 years! Utilizing local Barley and their own Maltings, this is one of the most exciting developments in the Whisky world in quite a while. These malts are tasting out very well and the future looks golden, like their Puritan farm grown barley.

And what better way to celebrate Benedictine’s rich history than with a 4 course meal and cocktail pairing in our Barrel Room?!?!

Tickets are $45 and space is limited!  Secure your spot today!

Menu:

1st course- Bon Peirre served with shredded roast duck, preserved lemon, blackberry vin (spinach, romaine, watercress)

2nd- Bobby Burns served with quail ala orange

TBD(palate cleanser)

3rd-A Few Good Monks a Barrel Aged cocktail served with swordfish w/ herb gremolata, buerre blanc, chardonnay braised cranberry beans

4th- Angels Kiss with BÉNÉDICTINE D.O.M. Single Cask (direct from Le Palais BÉNÉDICTINE in Fecamp, Normandy)served with caramelized baked apple, honey gelato, cardamom cookie crumble

St. Patrick’s Day Menu

Irish Stew

lamb simmered with potatoes & carrots served with wheaten bread……….9

Corned Beef & Cabbage

house corned brisket, braised cabbage, champ and parsley-mustard sauce……….15

Fish ‘n’ Chips

beer battered pacific cod, house cut fries, house made tartar sauce……….10

The Full Irish

Irish bacon, banger, black & white pudding, fresh tomatoes, baked beans, wheaten toast and two sunny eggs……….12