Fountainhead Chicago

Gordon & MacPhail Single Malt Scotch Pairing Dinner on 2/7

thefount — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:29:45 +0000

We are honored to have Chris Riesbeck, National Brand Ambassador for Gordon & MacPhail, with us on February 7th for a 5+ course tasting dinner featuring SEVEN fabulous single malt Scotch whiskies. Check out the amazing menu & whiskies below. We’d like to draw your attention to the special treat of the evening – the Gordon & MacPhail Glenrothes 30.

This dinner SOLD OUT quickly!! If you want to be one of the first to know about this type of event, please sign up for our newsletter!

MENU

La Quercia Proscuitto & Olives
Tamdhu 8 yr old

Vanilla Smoked Salmon Rillette
Radish, mustard, crostini
Benromach Traditional

Cocoa dusted Squab
Barley & Orange Gastrique
Benromach 10 yr old

Honey Orange Granita
Linkwood 15 yr old

Haggis pie
Whisky cream sauce
Highland 8yr

Rabbit Confit
Golden Raisin, Pumpernickel Croutons, Bibb lettuce
Caol Ila 1999-10 yr old

White & Dark Truffles
Vanilla Cookies dusted with espresso
Glenrothes 30 yr old

Robert Burns’ Birthday Celebration – 1/25 & 1/26

thefount — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:42:01 +0000

Robert Burns is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is famous for his love of Scotland, haggis, women & whisky. We will be honoring this man on these two days with a special Scottish food menu, scotch ales on tap including Three Floyd’s Robert the Bruce on cask, multiple whisky flights, & paired nips & pints for your drinking pleasure.

We are extremely excited to have Master of Whisky Kyle McHugh in our Barrel Room for a one-hour Whisky presentation and tasting on Wednesday 1/25! We’re rolling out 6 Whiskies to taste for only $10. Tasting starts at 7:00 pm.

Featured Scotch Ales:

Fresh Cask of 3 Floyd’s Robert the Bruce
BrewDog 5 A.M. Saint
Belhaven Scottish Ale

Special Scottish Fare will include:

Salmon terrine with brown bread and horseradish cream
Lamb bridies
Cock-a-leekie
Scotch egg with bibb lettuce and Dijon vinaigrette
Haggis with potato swede purée and whisky cream sauce – a favorite of Robert Burns! Trust us, this recipe is delicious!!

Fountainhead participating in the Lincoln Square Winter Brew event at the Dank Haus

thefount — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:31:59 +0000

This winter we are taking the Chicago Street Festival scene indoors for Lincoln Square’s first annual Winter Brew! We are so excited to be joining the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce and the Square Kegs Home Brew Club for a night of local beer and local food!

On Saturday, January 28th local breweries from around Chicago will set up shop in the 5th floor ballroom of the Dank Haus to showcase the great beer scene Chicago has to offer. You’ll have the chance to taste multiple local beers and discuss what makes each of them unique. Participating breweries include:
– 5 Rabbit Brewery,
– Half Acre,
– Metropolitan Brewing,
– Finch’s Beer Company, and
– Revolution Brewery.
Koval Distillery will also be on hand whipping up amazing cocktails.

If you’re hungry during the event both Fountainhead & The Grafton will be on hand cooking up some of the best food in town! The menu for the evening will be specially designed around the beverages being poured during the Winter Brew.

In addition to the great craft beer and food, the winners of the first Lincoln Square Winter Home Brew Competition will be announced!

Tickets to this event are going faster than anticipated, so we strongly encourage you to buy yours today…we expect to be sold out soon!

New Years Eve at Fountainhead

thefount — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:02:49 +0000

We talked a lot about what to do for New Years Eve this year. We had fun doing our pre-fixe dinner last year, but it just didn’t feel 100% authentic. We thought about having some sort of cover for special drink packages, but that isn’t who we are either. We decided to just do what it is we do best – put on some great beer, coupled with delicous food, fun tunes and fantastic cocktails, all delivered by a staff of professionals you’ve grown to love. We will be tapping special casks of Dark Horse’s Tres Blueberry Stout & Half Acre’s 2011 Is So Over Ale (times to be announced on Facebook & Twitter later this week). Kafcas will be creating a few very special cocktails that are sure to have you begging for more. And the fabulous Chef Sarah has created a spectacular menu just for this evening – check it out below. The full menu will run until about 10:00 pm and then we will have a pared down version running from 10:00 – 1:00 AM.

Come hang out with us! We really hope that the folks we’ve come to enjoy so much (you know we’re talking about you!) will plan to stop by for a bit sometime over the course of the evening & join the party. And if you don’t make it out on New Years Eve, keep in mind that we will be doing a special brunch on Sunday, beginning at 10:30 on January 1, 2012. We will be offering our fantastic Fountainhead Bloody Mary & the house favorite Phil’s Hangover ALL DAY LONG. You can continue your buzz & cure the pain all at the same time!

Let’s ring in the new year together. We’ll even toss in a free champangne toast when the clock strikes midnight. Wear a gown or a tee, a tux or a dickie, whatever you feel like rockin’ out in. We hope to see you under our roof as 2012 rolls into town…I have a feeling it’s going to be a good year. Cheers!!

New Years Eve Menu:

Nosh
Marinated Sevillano, Kalamata Olives & Cornichons
chili de arbol, garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon peel and orange peel.………………………..6

Cinnamon Almonds
cinnamon sugar coated almonds…………………………………………………………….6

Monkey Bread
gorgonzola and bacon pull apart bread, with a side of sausage gravy….………..….…..…7

Frites
cone of crispy house cut potatoes with assorted dipping sauces……………………….…………5

Oyster Board
½ dozen oysters served raw with mignonette cocktail pearls……….….……………..12

Charcuterie
Creminelli Barolo, cantimpalo chorizo, pork rillette……………..……………………14

Caramel Cashew Popcorn
house made kettle cashew caramel corn………………………………………………6

Lagunitas IPA Tavern Cheese & Crackers
india pale ale blended with aged cheddar, gruyere, gouda and parmesan cheeses, served with crackers…………..7

Cheese Board
o’bannon (goat), goodhue (raw cow), smokey blue(cow)…………………………………………12

Cheese Fondue Pot
edelweiss butterkase cheese, sour dough toast points, apples and smoked jalapeno summer sausage…..……9

Small Plates
Arrancini
crispy squash risotto balls filled with brie cheese, served with sage walnut pesto cream sauce…………..….9

Venison & Blueberry Sausage
with apple chutney and chipotle mustard…………………………………………………………..……9

Rabbit & Spatzle
braised rabbit, caraway seed spatzle and edelweiss butterkase……….…….…………………….10

Bay Scallops, Pork Belly & Grits
miso glazed bay scallops, crispy pork belly with aged cheddar-scallion creamy grits…….……10

Prince Edward Island Mussels
mussels, white beans, candied tomato, pancetta steamed in roasted garlic wittekerke cream sauce..…….…11

Salads & Soups

Roasted Beets
roasted beets, house made boursin, mesclun greens with pistachio vinaigrette……………..…7

Kale & Walnut Salad
kale, walnuts, raddichio, oranges with a maple bourbon vinaigrette……………………….….7

Steak Salad
6 oz grilled steak, roasted wild mushroom, butter lettuce and dijon vinaigrette…………….10

Lobster Bisque
finished with butter poached shrimp……………………………………………………………….8

Goat Stew
braised goat in ale, chipotles, bell peppers and cannellini beans…………………………….9

Big Plates

Pheasant Sausage Ragout
with sweet potato gnoochi……………………………………………………………………….13

Mushroom ‘Shepards’ Pie
wild mushrooms, pearl onions, carrot, peas, wheatberries topped with parsnip puree.…13

Amish Chicken
½ roasted chicken with lentils, caramelized squash, pecans, dried cranberries & chicken jus……….15

Roasted Broccoli
quinoa, roasted eggplant red pepper puree with hazelnut vinaigrette…………………..………13

Scallop & Shrimp
Seared scallop, shrimp, shitake risotto cake and almond cream sauce…………………………18

Ribeye Steak
10 oz grilled ribeye steak, parsnip puree, broccoli & bone marrow cabernet sauce……….…20

Sweets

Paddle
housemade white chocolate pistachio truffles, cocoa truffles & a whiskey…………..………………..…12

Ancho Chili Chocolate Pot de Creme
with cinnamon shortbread cookies……..………………………………………….……………..….……….….7

Apple & Brie Bread Pudding
with b.nektar vanilla cinnamon mead crème anglaise & caramel sauce…………………………………7

Cake
by vanilla vixen cakes, ask about our current selection ………………………….…………..……….…..7

Caramel Cashew Popcorn
house made kettle cashew caramel corn…………………………………………………………………6

Fried Cheesecake Fritters
With tart cheery marmalade……………………………………………………………………………….7

Beer Float
Eggnog gelato and beer……………………………………………………………………………………….8

Four Roses Whiskey Dinner

thefount — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:27:18 +0000

We hope you will join us on December 7th for the next installment of our whiskey dinner series as we create a paired meal around the great bourbons of Four Roses. Mr. Al Young, the Four Roses Brand Ambassador, will be here to help us host the event & to present the new single barrel they just bottled & co-branded for Fountainhead & the Bar on Buena. The event is $40 & starts at 7:00 in our barrel room. If you’ve ever been to one of our whiskey dinners, you already know this one will be great! Tickets can be purchased on Brown Paper Tickets.

The food menu is below & the bourbon pairings will be finalized soon!

1st Course
Roasted Fennel Salad with Bourbon Tomato Jam Dressing

2nd Course
Pheasant Sausage Ragout with Sweet Potato Gnocchi

3rd Course
BBQ Turkey Leg with Barley ‘Succotash’

4th Course
Sauteed Duck Breast, Creamy Pecan Grits and Cherry Gastrique

5th Course
Caramel Apple Strudel with 4 Roses Crème Anglaise

Additional Information on Al Young:

Four Roses Brand Ambassador Al Young has a wealth of industry knowledge and experience that spans four decades.

Al began his career in the distilling industry in 1967 in the Quality Department of Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. He moved into management with Seagram’s in his hometown of Louisville, KY. Al worked in their Lawrenceburg, KY distillery as a Shift Supervisor and when the Louisville plant closed in 1983, he was transferred to Seagram’s Lawrenceburg, IN distillery. In 1990, Al moved back to the Lawrenceburg, KY facility, where he served as a Distillery Manager for 17 years, prior to becoming Four Roses Bourbon’s Brand Ambassador in 2007.

As Brand Ambassador, Al handles a variety of Marketing and PR responsibilities including distributor sales training, external website email management, VIP distillery tours and is the company liaison for numerous charitable events. He is also tasked with preserving the Four Roses history and archives, as well as frequently traveling to develop and foster account relationships across the U.S. Al recently wrote a book on the history of Four Roses.

The Fountainhead Dinner

thefount — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:38:20 +0000

Chef Sarah, Beer Director Phil Kuhl, our amazing Front of House Manager Chris Kafcas, and owner Aaron Zacharias have created this event to truly highlight all the things that we love most about Fountainhead: fantastic food perfectly paired with craft beer, wine, and delicious spirits, presented to you by people who are both knowledgeable & passionate about what they do. The evening will begin at 7:00 PM in our Barrel Room with an ’07 Schramsburg Brut Rose and an oyster amuse, followed by 4 beautifully paired courses. To wrap up the evening, you will taste a special whisky presented to you by Ronnie Cox, the Global Ambassador & Director from The Glenrothes. Please see below for more info on the menu & on Ronnie Cox. Tickets are $65 and are on sale now at Brown Paper Tickets.

This is our inaugural comprehensive paired dinner event and we are really excited about it. We hope you will join us to make it a truly special evening.

Menu:
Welcome – ’07 Schramsburg Brut Rose

Amuse – Oyster w/ Fruit Caviar
Paired with Shot of chilled Orzel Vodka

First – The Dirty Greek Octopus
Charred Octopus, Olives, Caperberries, Oregano & Tomato Vinaigrette
Paired with ’09 Lost Abbey Carnival Saison

Second – Honey-Balsamic Glazed Quail, Pancetta-Cannellini Bean Ragout
Paired with Rye Cocktail with St. Germaine, Combier, Orange Bitters, & Grapefruit Zest

Palate Cleanser – J.K. Scrumpy’s Apple Cider Granita

Third – Roasted Leg of Lamb, Curried Arrancini filled with Braised Lamb Shoulder,
Sweet & Sour Eggplant & Lamb Jus
Paired with Petrus Oud Bruin

Dessert – Bourbon Chocolate Cherry Cake with Goat Cheese Ice Cream
Paired with special selections from Glenrothes by Ronnie Cox, the Global Ambassador & Director

Special Guest
Ronnie Cox
Director, The Glenrothes
Ronnie joined International Sales and Marketing operation of The Distillers Company Ltd in 1974 following a year in Spain and in Germany working for wine companies. His link to Scotch Whisky spans 6 generations (that he knows of) through the development and ownership of Cardhu Distillery, sold at the end of the 19th Century, to what is now Diageo.

In his export-orientated career he has travelled most of the world, specializing for the last decade, as Area Director in the Latin American continent with Berry Bros. & Rudd Ltd, the owners of The Cutty Sark. Ronnie is the Director of The Glenrothes Single Malt, marketed by Berry Bros. and Rudd Ltd. the 300 year old wine and spirit merchant based in St. James’s London. The Glenrothes brings him back into regular contact with his passion for Speyside, and a brand considered by experts to be amongst the top three Speyside malts. His position allows him to enjoy two of his passions: Malt Whisky and travel.

He is married with two children and lives in the U.K.

The Great Punk’n Party

thefount — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:09:45 +0000

Join us this All Hallows’ Eve for a evening of all things Punk & Pumpkin… Punk’n!!

We will be playing Punk Rock all night while showing “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” on the tv, followed by other Halloween classics. Below you will find the amazing pumpkin inspired specials that Chef Sarah will be creating. But the best part is that we will be gravity pouring two pumpkin beers, Southern Tier PumKing & Uinta Punk’n, straight out of two large pumpkins. That’s right folks. It’s going to be fan-freakin-tastic.

Punk’n Specials for Halloween:

Squash Arrancini with Sage Walnut Pesto Cream

Pumpkin Stew – Kale, Pumpkin, Garbanzo, Andouille

Pork Chop with Smoked Scallop Kale Ragout and Pumpkin Veloute

Pumpkin Apple Soup with Chipotle Roasted Apples

Pumpkin Cheesecake Fudge Brownie with Pumpkin Ice Cream with Walnut Brittle and Bourdon Caramel

Chef Sarah Launches a New Dinner Menu

thefount — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:48:34 +0000

This summer Chef Sarah McDonnell was hired as the new head chef of Fountainhead. Ownership challenged her to create a food menu that would be just as exciting as their drink menu. She took the challenge to heart. Sarah spent the last several months working with her Sous Chef, Jim Torres, to create an exciting, more balanced menu which she believes the customers will love. The menu debuts tomorrow night, October 4th.

Customers will find that all of their old favorites are still on the menu, however a multitude of new options have been added. Everything is still designed to pair well with the extensive beer and whisky selection that is available at Fountainhead, however a lot of care has gone into ensuring the menu is balanced & the quality of each dish surpasses expectation. It was very important to Sarah that the menu offer something for everyone, regardless of their dietary needs or restrictions. She also felt strongly about working with local farms to bring the freshest food of the season to her customers.

Everything has been carefully taste-tested. The Fountainhead staff is in love with the Chili Garlic Hoisin Marinated Chicken Sandwich…soooo good. Other favorites include the Amish Chicken, the Roasted Broccoli entree, the Rabbit & Spatzle, and the Brandade Fritters. We hope you will make a point of stopping by in the near future & taste-testing a few items yourself. We know you will love it as much as we do!

The Dalmore Whisky Dinner, Sept 13th

thefount — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:25:16 +0000

We are so excited to be featuring The Dalmore in the second installment of our Whisky Dinner Series.

On Tuesday September 13^th, Master Blender Richard Paterson will be with us for a terrific dinner pairing 6 amazing Dalmore whiskies with some of the best food Chef Sarah has to offer. The special treat of this dinner will be the chance to taste the King Alexander III, the only single malt that is aged in six different woods – wine, Madeira, Sherry, Marsala, Kentucky burbon, and Port casks. More information about the pairing menu to come soon.

Richard Paterson became a Master Blender at the young age of 26 and has travelled the globe as an ambassador for Whyte & Mackay, one of Scotland’s leading makers & distributors of Scotch whisky. He has won numerous awards and in 2008 he published his very own book, Goodness Nose. He is known for being a charismatic presenter on the subject of whisky, able to discuss both the history of the industry & the necessary steps to taste & appreciate whisky properly. We are so thrilled that he will be joining us at Fountainhead for this fantastic dinner.

You do not what to miss this night of delicious food, drink, & discussion!

Tickets are $40 & dinner begins at 7:00 in our Barrel Room.

Please purchase your tickets today at Brown Paper Tickets.

Beer Tasting for Charity

thefount — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:19:21 +0000

Most of you guys know that one of our fearless owners, Aaron Zacharias, is also the managing owner behind The Bar on Buena (The BOB) in Uptown. For the last few years The BOB has partnered with the Associates’ Board at Swedish Covenant Hospital to raise money to promote the holistic healing environment that the hospital offers the community. This year the event will be held at The BOB on Thursday, September 8th, from 7:00 – 9:30. Tickets are $35 a person & all proceeds go to the hospital. For this bargain price you will have an opportunity to taste close to 100 different beers from more than a dozen contributors. This is such a great opportunity to try all those beers on your wish list, while also raising money for a great cause. And don’t worry, they will be serving up some delicious appetizers to help you stay on your feet as you go from tasting table to tasting table!

This is a great event for beer lovers as well as those who are new to the craft beer scene, so please forward this info on to anyone you think might be interested. It is for charity after all! Purchase your tickets today by using the link below:

http://swedishcovenantfoundation.org/beertasting

Contributors include:

5 Rabbit Cerveceria

Artisinal Imports

B. United International Inc.

Duvel Moortgat USA

Global Beer Network

Glunz Beer Inc.

Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Merchant Du Vin

Schumacher Imports

Stone Brewing Co.

Total Beverage

Windy City Distribution