ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

The Professor and I are participating in Verizon’s ‘Savy Gourmet’ program and have been having fun testing Motorola’s new XYBoard (ZIE-board). We met a group of Midwest friends in Chicago last month to get a few lessons on what this new tablet can do. We’ll be talking about the XYBoard tablet in future posts but now I want to share my take on a particular salad we enjoyed at a top-secret dinner, held in a top-secret place.

Our dinner invitation hinted at what was in store for the evening – ‘Even if you live in Chicago, you haven’t eaten here.’ The Professor and I wondered if we’d be dining on a boat somewhere or maybe a pop-up restaurant. And during the day-long workshop, the ‘top-secret’ dinner remained, well, ‘top-secret’ – even though our hosts and organizers of this event seemed very excited (turns out they love food as much as we do!)

That evening, a relatively short bus ride drops us off somewhere in the city – no restaurants in the area but as we walk through a set of old, wooden doors, I am immediately captivated by the charm of an old-fashioned, walled-in courtyard. And once the doors close, the only sounds heard were from those in our group. Wide-eyed and mouths agape at the scene before us: decades old brick walls, well-manicured lawn with meandering small gardens, a mismatched group of seating options that appeared as if they’d been hand-picked specifically for the space. Storms had rolled in earlier in the day, which thankfully, had dropped the oppressive heat and humidity to more tolerable levels.

The space had once been that of a convent and had seen various owners over the years; it’s now being used to host dinner parties like the one created for us this evening. A collection of bowling balls are used as edging along one area of garden beds, while recycled brick line others; old chairs nestled amongst the raspberry bushes beckon visitors to grab a cocktail and settle in for good conversation while a large tortoise appears to be taking note of any secrets that might be divulged.

Chef Efrain Cuevas of Clandestino Dining, an underground Supper Club, is our host and has prepared a seasonal, 5-course meal that was perfect for this warm summer evening: cocktails and appetizers, then two salad courses, two main courses plus dessert – all paired with beer from a local microbrewery. The food was light, simple, fresh and plentiful.

This particular salad was a standout for me that evening – don’t let the simple ingredients fool you – therein lies the beauty of this gem!

DISCLOSURE: We are participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Gourmets program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for our honest opinions about the product.

7 Comments

  1. Pingback: Asparagus Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette

  2. Pingback: TRAVELING WITH VERIZON & THREE FLOYDS | Smith Bites

  3. All I have to say is…WOW! The dinner, the recipe, the whole entire thing! Loved getting a peek into your special evening, and definitely trying the asparagus. 🙂

  4. I love your adaptation of the salad! What a fun post! Was so darn happy to meet you! 🙂 ~ Katrina

  5. Wonderful recap. You captured the evening beautifully. Love your video of the salad.

  6. How cool! I’m dying to see that tablet!

    The video totally rocks… as I just tweeted, that music is a total mood-setter. 😉

  7. FUN recap, took me right back there. I loved our meal too and your re-make of the salad sounds outstanding!

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