Lovers& Friends Dinner Party 2022
On February 10th, Chef Michele Ellis of Mickey’s Cheesecakes, Carlos Ramos of Up Elevated Cocktails and myself, transformed a spacious venue in Humboldt Park Chicago into the perfect ambiance to bring in the Valentine’s Day spirit. Every year it’s increasingly harder to get you and your partner and/or friends into your favorite restaurant to celebrate the 14th. With impossible parking situations, sold out reservations and food shortages, we saw an opportunity to create an experience for people to enjoy the holiday without the stress and hassle.
At 7:30pm guests began filling in in groups and individuals and pairs for cocktail hour and mingling with other event goers. The candles were lit, exquisite drinks at the bar brought people pouring in for more and the energy in the room became pleasantly roisterous. Thus, the first course was served.
When it’s cold outside I believe nothing kickstarts a meal better than a hot bowl of soup, making this a no-brainer. Roasted Butternut Squash Soup garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds, crema and fragrant togarashi chili spice. One of my absolute favorite soups and you can find my recipe on my YouTube Channel. Check it out and subscribe while you’re there, it helps the channel greatly <3.
Guests were given the open to choose from four different entrée options: Chicken, Steak, Pescatarian and Vegetarian. The most popular choice, Top Sirloin Steak served with sweet potato purée and blistered campari vine tomatoes. The runner up but the most classic on the menu, Chicken Supreme served with english peas, roasted peewee potatoes (I didn’t make that up) and glossy demi-glace.
My personal favorite for how aesthetically pleasing and bound the flavors were, Lobster & Ricotta Ravioli served with a spiced and subtly sweet, tomato chutney with a lobster sauce reduction and lemon vinaigrette to cut the richness of the dish. Surprisingly no one ordered the vegetarian course but if you did you would’ve got the best Cauliflower Asado with roasted chickpeas and chimmichurri sauce.
Guest had the options of some of Chef Michele’s most popular cheesecake flavors: Turtle with caramel chocolate and salted pecans, Glazed Red Velvet and the most amazing Strawberry Crunch cheesecake with a white chocolate glaze. Bite by bite guests began satisfying their sweet tooth and grabbing more custom cocktails and before we know it the volume of the room was louder than it had been all night. Some began dancing, others laughing hysterically (they probably had infused courses) and everyone taking photos amongst themselves or with photographer David Austin.
Many thanks to everyone who celebrated Valentine’s Day weekend with us and shared in the experience. HUGE thank you to our team and loved ones who showed up early to help us transform the space and set up. Apologies to those who couldn’t get tickets before the sell out but we know we’ll be seeing you first in line at our next event! Thanks for reading and go follow the team: Chef Michele Ellis, Mixologist Carlos Ramos, Sous Chef Jessica Johnson and Photographer David Austin!