My BFF told me about this event on Gilt City and suggested we go check it out. Although I've been to Terzo Piano before and was generally unimpressed, the event listed five Chicago area restaurants participating, so I figured it can't be too bad. Besides, it was offered at a significant discount, so off we went on one of the last cold days of Chicago.
Upon entering, I was surprised by how empty the dining room was. Usually these food events turn out to be complete mob scenes, but this one was a breath of fresh air (literally, there was actually plenty of fresh air for all of us, as opposed to some other events I've been to...). After collecting our voting wine corks and wine glasses, we were unleashed on the five food stations.
This was the second annual Sardinian Lamb Jam, where five Chicago restaurants each create a dish featuring lamb inspired by Sardinian flavors. There was also unlimited amounts of Sardinian wine for pairing with each of the dishes. At the end of the night, guests can vote for their favorite dish with their voting cork. Terzo Piano also graciously included a small buffet of cheeses to supplement the lamb dishes.
The first station we stopped at was Cafe Spiaggia. This dish was pan-seared lamb belly with a red wine sauce, pickled elderberries, pomegranate and crispy salsify. I got excited as soon as I saw the food, beacuse this plate of food sure looks sophisticated. The flavors didn't disappoint either. The lamb belly was crispy and caramelized on the outside and tender & juicy on the inside. The salsify was light & crispy and not the slightest bit greasy. The pops of tartness from the elderberries and pomegranate were the perfect counterpoint to the richness of the lamb. I loved it so much I went back for a second.
The next station was Purple Pig. This was a complex dish: lamb saddle with saffron cream sauce, artichokes and some Sardinian bread which I don't remember the name of. While the dish was well-executed, I thought it was too busy. Every component on the plate was assertive in its own right and demanded the attention of my taste buds.
The third station was lamb comfort food: braised lamb with grits, from Autre Mode. As you can see, the caliber is quite different from the first two plates. Don't get me wrong, it was rich & comforting and perfect for a cold day, but unfortunately pales in comparison with the previous two dishes.
Next is lamb kebob with pinenut fregola salad offered by Terzo Piano. Dave liked the fregola, but I thought these lamb pieces were by far the toughest in texture I've had that night.
The final plate is lamb ribs (I think...by this time I've had quite a few glasses of wine, and needed extra concentration to walk in a straight line to the stations) paired with jicama slaw & chickpea mush. This was very fatty and rich...I like fatty cuts, but this was a bit too much for me. it needed some acid to cut through the fattiness.
This was my favorite wine of the evening, a white paired with the first dish. It was light & fruity, and complemented the fruity flavors in the dish. Sadly, it was not one of the wines offered on the order list, or I'd have happily ordered a few bottles.
In addition to the many bottles of wine, they also offered a complimentary aperitif. I have no idea what's in it, but it was strong & sweet.
The voting closed shortly after 8pm and the corks were counted. Sure enough, my favorite dish by Chef Chris from cafe Spiaggia won! We celebrated with vanilla gelato topped with some other digestif which I didn't care for, so I sent the bf back for more gelato without the digestif :) All in all it was an excellent event. The food quality was definitely up to the standard of their regular pricing, so the discount I got through Gilt City made it an excellent deal. I love how unhurried the service was and the abundance of food & drinks. Very often at these events, both ran out way too soon. Here, there was enough for second helpings. During the event, they also had a projector cycling through beautiful snapshots of Sardinia, and it looks like the wine supplier and his wife are planning a food & wine tour group. I gotta say I am tempted!
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