As a city dweller I rarely find a reason to dine outside the confines of Chicago. Last week, however, I was invited to dine at Harvest at the Pheasant Run Resort located in St. Charles, Illinois. The invitation peaked my interest, a wine and food pairing menu with Pheasant Run’s private label wine as the showcase.
As a person who dines within the Chicago city limits I wanted to see what the suburbs had to offer. The trek would be long (50 miles + traffic) but there would be wine at the end of the journey. Let’s roll!
Our dinning experience began with Ring-Neck Red (California Blend- Syrah, Petit Sirah, Grenache) paired with duck and Brie cheese egg rolls garnished with slaw and sweet Ring-Neck Red wine reduction (sauce). My first impression of the wine was drinkable, nice notes of raspberry and blackberry. The wine lacks a bit in complexity, it didn’t change much from first sip to last sip. It would be a solid by the glass choice. The egg roll was okay. The duck and Brie paired well. But, for my liking, I would have preferred less dressing on the slaw (and more of the slaw on the plate). The egg roll should have been hotter and crispier. The sauce/reduction also fell flat. I couldn’t taste the wine, it was just sweet. All together the dishes flavors were good, execution seemed to be the issue.
Our second course was the Tiffany Toast, a Nappa Chardonnay paired with diver scallop and jumbo prawns over a confetti of vegetable quinoa. I’m admittedly a Francophile when it comes to Chardonnay. I like them big, buttery and oaked. The Tiffany Toast was young and earthy. It’s not my kind of Chardonnay. I did very much like the dish it was paired with (even with the undisclosed spear of asparagus on the plate…yes, I hate asparagus). The proteins were cooked perfectly. The dish was seasoned well and the sauce was well balanced enhancing both the shrimp, scallop and quinoa (can’t comment on the asparagus because, nope not eating it). I actually think the Ring-Neck Red would have paired well with the dish too.
Our third course was the Long-Tail White (California Blend- Pinot Gris and Viognier) paired with cherry cobbler and home made vanilla ice cream. The wine was vibrant and had a nice viscosity. It was served a bit cold but as it warmed up the wine opened; it became silky with flavors of nectarine and apple. It paired well with the cherry cobbler. The cobbler was filled with delicious tart Door County Cherries. The ice cream was very flavorful and of course melted to make a vanilla sauce that made the cobbler crust even more rich. I would have liked my cobbler hotter, like right out of the oven piping hot, like burn my tongue because I can’t wait hot. Sadly, it was just warm, but still really good. The plump cherries made the dish.
The Pheasant Run private label wine is produced by Rutherford Hill who is a producer of widely available approachable wine. The presentation of the wine was done with with quirky custom labels which I thought was a nice touch.
Overall, I had a positive experience at Harvest. The service was attentive and the restaurant is cozy and charming. I don’t think I’d ever make the 50 mile drive to have dinner but, it would be a consideration if I were ever out in the Western suburbs.
Harvest is offering the special 3-course pre-fixe wine pairing menu every Thursday through June 25th from 5-10 pm. Reservations are required. The cost, a reasonable $28.95 + tax and gratuity.
Harvest at the Pheasant Run Resort & Spa
4051 E. Main Street
St. Charles, Illinois
Reservations can be made by calling: 630-584-6300
My meal was complimentary at Harvest, opinions are my own.
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