Festival Report: Long Grove Strawberry Festival

As much as Brandy loves Chicago, sometimes she just needs to get out of the city and remind herself that not everywhere is a metropolitan paradise.  "Sometimes I forget there are places with wild growing trees that haven't been planted by a land scapping company or the city park authority," as she likes to say.  And as Brandy is not a native to the Chicago area, she also loves any excuse to explore the outter reaches of what they call Chicagoland (a phrase which always makes Brandy picture a theme park with cutesy gangster mascots and a fiery roller coaster ride), so it is perhaps no wonder that when word reached her of the Long Grove Strawberry Festival, she felt it might make for a nice day trip.  Enlisting her friends Bailey and Hawk to come along (both of whom were more experienced in the typical American suburban experience than Brandy), the three landed firm footed in Long Grove, ready for a wonderful afternoon of berry binging.

Long Grove, which is about a 45 minute drive from Chicago, is a small but scenic village with lots of historic buildings dating back to the 1800's that reminded Brandy of her homeland in the Europe.  Eccentric little shops line the meandering cobble stone paths of downtown Long Grove, winding their way across stone and wooden bridges that cover a picturesque stream running past many of the old world style buildings.  In the last few years, the village has become known as a food festival haven, hosting not only the summer Strawberry Festival, but an Apple Festival in the fall and a Chocolate Festival in the spring.  "The thing about getting out of the city is I'm always so shocked by how even the busiest suburban square is so quiet in comparison," Brandy mused as they exited the car.  "I love how the air doesn't seem choked with pollution," Bailey grinned.  "I'm just glad we're going to a food festival that won't be jammed to capacity," said Hawk.

First stop was the booth labeled The Great Grape for some quick, sweet bites.  Bailey indulged in a bag of peanut butter filled, chocolate covered pretzel bites, which though a little messy in the heat, had an awesome hit of salty and sweet.  Hawk and Brandy were more curious about their name sake confection, milk and dark chocolate covered grapes, which came served cold and in a lavender paper cone.  "I don't know... isn't this the strawberry festival?" Hawk protested.  "I think it's clever.  There's going to be thousands of chocolate cover strawberries, but whose going to have heard of chocolate covered grapes?" Brandy countered and ordered up a cone.  One bite had everyone convinced these were a terrific idea; cold inside, but not frozen, so that all their juices came rushing out in the first bite to mingle with the thin layer of crisp, velvety chocolate, these little beauties were a truly unexpected delight.  Though the milk chocolate was tasty, everyone agreed that the slightly bitter dark chocolate was a better compliment to the sweetness of the grapes.

Next stop was the booth for the Long Grove Confectionery, which had a host of strawberry donuts on offer.  Hawk and Bailey grabbed a half dozen, while Brandy sprang for one of the specialties, which had a rich butter cream filling sandwiched inside the donut.  Brandy loved the soft cake like texture of the donuts, and although they appeared to be bursting with strawberry goodness, the flavor wasn't quite as exciting.

Wandering around the charming little village proved to be a much needed dose of perspective for city folk such as Brandy, Bailey, and Hawk.  For an hour or so they wandered along the adorable cobble stone avenues, ducking in and out of shops to see what kind of treasures there were.  Brandy loved the little coffee shop known as Beans and Leaves, so much so that she had to be dragged away when Bailey suspected she might settle in amongst the tins of loose leaf teas and never leave again (the same was true when Brandy spotted a little spot marked High Tea with Geri, which Bailey wouldn't even permit her to enter).  Bailey's favorite stop of the day was at the Long Grove Popcorn Shoppe, which sported a wide variety of sweet and salty flavors of popcorn (though sadly they ran out of the strawberry flavor very early on in the day).  Bailey grabbed a bag of Chicago Mix (a combo buttered, cheddar, and caramel corn for those unfamiliar, like Brandy), which she happily munched on as they continued to wander.  Although there wasn't any food to be found in some shops, Hawk loved getting lessons in his heritage from an Irish gentleman at Paddy's on the Square, who talked the group through some Irish history and some of their possible lines of ancestry ("You're descended from a great warrior," he told an amazed Bailey, "And your ancestors were some of the original natives of Ireland," he told Hawk.  "And my ancestors probably built the first pub in a cave somewhere," Brandy joked).  There was also a Scandinavian market, whose cooler full of imported sodas caught Hawk's eye.

Deciding to go inside and enjoy a little air conditioning, the trio headed for the historic Village Tavern.  There they sampled three delicious specials: freshly made Strawberry Daiquiris, a Strawberry BBQ Chicken sandwich, and a Strawberry BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger.  Brandy loved the sauce that topped to the two sandwiches so much that after their lunch, they headed to a little booth down the road for Smokin' T's, which was selling the stuff by the bottle and by the jar, along with some of their other signature sauces.

They were so full by time they made it to Sweet Whimsy Pastry Shop that they could do nothing but stare in wonder at the gorgeous desserts on offer, like the gigantic strawberry macaroons and strawberry filled cream puffs.  The same was true when they spotted one booth offering corn on the cob slathered in strawberry butter, which Bailey and Brandy had a very hard time passing up.  They settled for stopping by another booth offering mountains of different chocolate covered fruits (pears, apples, and even jalapeno peppers) along side bricks of amazing looking fudge (sadly, they were in such a food induced haze that Brandy forgot to notate to whom the booth belonged), where Brandy purchased some Blueberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Mint, English Toffee, and Chocolate Walnut Fudge to take back with them.

A break from the city was definitely welcome, but the three were glad they headed out when they did, avoiding the downpour that arrived in the late afternoon (this was a bonus to Bailey's plan of keeping Hawk away from the strawberry pie eating contest, which he vowed to win.  "I think it's for children," she protested, to which Hawk replied, "Good!  I'll definitely win then!").  Halfway out of town, they were already making plans to return for the apple festival in the fall, at which Bailey and Hawk hoped their favorite beverage, cider, might be on the docket.  "Ah, days like this almost make me miss living in a quiet little village," Brandy sighed, "Although, if I really did move out to the suburbs, I'd be probably be dying for a day trip into the city every weekend.  Still so much brunch to be tasted..."

Remember to visit Bunny and Brandy's Facebook page for more pictures of the festival!

Valentino Vineyards or A Day in Wine Country

Greetings friends of Bunny and Brandy!  Before we begin with our regularly scheduled blog post, we have exciting news for all of you!  At 2:00pm CST today, Bunny and Brandy will be giving away a Brand New Nescafe Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine as a special holiday treat for our loyal readers!  To win this lovely miracle of caffeinated engineering (which Bunny and Brandy previously profiled in this post), simply log into this space at 2:00pm CST today to find out the specifics.  And now for this week's post:

Today we have a bit of an unusual review for you, dear readers, in that you will not see a single piece of food in it!  That's right, today's post is about a lovely "liquid brunch" Brandy attended.

Outlandish, we know, but this all started when Brandy's dear friend Bailey Blue phoned her up and asked her for some company at a wine tasting at a vineyard in Long Grove.  "A vineyard in Illinois?" Brandy exclaimed, one eyebrow firmly raised in suspicion (it took 20 years just to convince Brandy that good wines were to be found in California, let alone anywhere else in the USA).  "You must trust me on this.  It's going to be a lot of fun!  Plus...you get to drink wine on a Sunday morning without looking like a lush," Bailey insisted, and other such assurances eventually persuaded Brandy into joining her.

The two arrived at the long driveway in front of Valentino Vineyards in Long Grove, IL just after noon, or as Brandy calls it, "The Glass Lifting Hour."  The beautiful winery sat in the middle of the 20 acre estate, surrounded by winding rows of grape vines and other lovely foliage that gave one the feeling of being in the middle of a Christmas card before the snow had been painted in.  Once at the main house, Brandy reported feeling as though she was entering someones house (as indeed she was, as the winery also played home to its founder and owner, Rudolph Valentino DiTommaso, and his family.  The tasting room and wine shop was in what seemed like a converted kitchen that overlooked the back of the estate, which housed even more grapevines and a marvelous little pond where we're told weddings are regularly held.  Brandy, who was still sceptical, but wasn't going to turn down a drink, took her seat with Bailey at a table in the back of the room and awaited the presentation by Rudolph himself.

Leaning casually against a wall as though he was telling an amusing story to a house full of distant relatives, Rudolph explained how his viticulturalism began as a hobby he'd learned from his Italian grandparents, then grew to a reality after purchasing the 20 acre plot of land, originally for development of custom built houses.  He explained with great joy the differences between the variety of grapes he grew and how through a long, laborious, and expensive process his winery had just been certified organic.  Then came the part Brandy had been waiting for, the tasting.

First up was a Seyval Blanc 2006 (retail $37 a bottle, special price $15), a white wine made from a rare grape hybrid.  It's appealing deep golden color hinted at its nutty and appley notes, which Rudolph mentioned goes very well with dishes like sushi and lemon chicken.  The mouth feel was incredibly smooth and the finish pristine.

Next came the Bianca 2005 (retail $33, special price $19), which was more full bodied than the first wine.  Brandy got a sort of caramelly/burnt sugar taste when she tried this wine, which she especially liked.  Rudolph suggested pairing it with spicier dishes like Thai curry.  Bailey mentioned that this lovely wine was her favorite of the day and later bought a bottle of it to take home with her.

Then came the Signature Red 2006 (retail $66, special price $47), a smooth and subtle wine that Rudolph said would go with a simple salt and pepper steak.  The flavor of this wine was just too lacking for Brandy, who likes something a wee bit stronger, especially in a red.

Following that was the Dechaunac 2006 (retail $63, special price $ 46), which was a touch sweeter than the previous wine, with hints of bright red fruits.  Food parings for this wine were said to be salmon, turkey, or anything peppery or grilled.  Apparently, this wine had won an International Medal, to which Brandy responded, "Well I have an Olympic Bronze in Curling, but you don't see me wearing it to wine tastings."  Bailey politely tried to explain that no one in the room was in competition with the wine, not even Brandy.

The Marechal Foch Reserve 2005 followed (retail $54, special price $39), a burgundy style wine with a deep garnet color.  This was Brandy's favorite of the reds, as it had a deep earthiness with hints of black cherry and just the tiniest bit of chocolate.  Brandy found this wine very easy to drink like the others, which was explained when Rudolph mentioned that his wines were low on sufites, thus giving them a more natural smoothness and preventing headaches for those who were sensitive to such additives.

As a bonus, Rudolph threw in his White Port, which Brandy had been eyeing on the wine list (retail $69, special price $49).  Fortified with Cognac, the port had a lovely floral bouquet, and was brilliantly sweet and light with no thick syrupy mouth feel one sometimes gets with red ports.  As with most ports, Rudolph suggested it pared well with fruits, cheeses, and chocolate.  This was Brandy's winner of the day, and she was so impressed with it that she purchased a bottle of their Limone Dessert Wine to sample at home.

Brandy's worry about an Illinois based vineyard has since been dispelled and she has been raving about this friendly, inviting, and educational visit.  Unfortunately, Bailey was still unable to convince her that wearing a medal to a wine tasting is not the "in" thing to do, unless you are yourself a bottle of wine.

P.S.  You know you're getting close to the winery when the little fellow in this picture appears outside your window.