Cheese, Beer and Events! Oh, My!

So, what are you doing this coming Tuesday, April 20? I guess it all depends on which store you visit.

We're kicking off our lunch hour at Lake St. with a demo starring Andy from Uplands Cheese in Wisconsin. Trivia time: Pleasant Ridge Reserve is the only cheese to have twice won the "Best of Show" award from the ACS
Andy Hatch will be stopping by to demo Pleasant Ridge Reserve and to answer any questions you may have about seasonality, the cheese making process, or their commitment to the land and the animals that are raised there.

Starting at 5:30pm at our French market location Leslie Cooperband from Prairie Fruits Farm will be sampling some of her tasty farmstead goat cheeses. Fresh chevre anyone?

But what are you going to do in the evening say around 7:30? Our suggestion is the Craft Beer, Charcuterie & Cheese class taught by Xian at our Broadway locale. Xian is not only the assistant manager of the Broadway store, but has recently taken on the task of creating a fantastic beer program for all three of our locations. It's true, beer pairs better with cheese than wine does. Come to class and let Xian tell you why!

All of this happens next Tuesday, but what if you're hungry now? Our suggestion is French cheese and Belgian-style beer.

Saint Marcellin is our cheese suggestion this week. This French cheese is made in the Rhone Alps and has an earthy and mushroomy flavor (think truffles). Creamy, silky smooth and milky this little disk of fromage is absolutely delicious and has a tang and slight flavor of fresh baked bread.

What to pair with this truffle, earthy, yeasty silky smooth disk of cheese? Xian says that beer is the answer. Specifically the Rare Vos from Ommegang brewery in upstate NY. This Belgian-style beer has a little bit of spice to it with along with strong orange, caramel and biscuit aromas. This fruity, yeasty dry beer has a fantastic balance of bitterness, acidity and minerality and is just a perfect complement to the Saint Marcellin.

It's March and We're Celebrating!

We've got a lot going on this month. Wine tastings, St. Patrick's day treats and events galore.

Starting on March 11th from 4:30-6:30pm at our French Market location join us as we do a free pouring of our "Voluptuous Winter Whites" featuring selections from Glunz. The following Thursday (same time and location) we'll be doing another tasting featuring selections from Wine Cru "Out Like a Lion Reds" and on Thursday the 25th we celebrate "America's Best" with wines from Wine DOC.

Many of you have asked if we're having a "First Saturday" free wine tasting at our Lake St. location this coming Saturday and our response is yes. Sort of. We've changed things up a bit for 2010.

This coming Saturday, March 6, 2010 we will be conducting our first ever Winter Portfolio Wine Tasting at 53 E. Lake St. from 6:30-8:00pm. Here at Pastoral we are very proud of our portfolio of smartly-priced and thoughtfully selected small production, sustainably-produced wines, spirits and beers. Join wine buyer Jan and Pastoral staff for an evening of tasting and learning all about some of our favorite wines

There is a $5 fee per person which gives you entrance to the tasting, a $5 credit and 15% discount off of all event night purchases. You can reserve in advance online to guarantee your space, or chance it by paying at the door-subject to availability.

Next week we invite you to celebrate the cheeses of Lombardy Italy with Pastoral, Isola and the Italian Chamber of Commerce. If you know anything about Lombardy, Italy you know that this Northern region in the backyard of Milan and the Italian Alps boasts of some of the most amazing classic cheeses. We have special events scheduled four days next week.

Start out at our French Market location on Wed 3/10 from 5-7pm for a delicious cheese tasting. Thursday 3/11 from 5-7pm at Lake st we'll be enjoy tastes of cheeses and delicious regional wines poured by our friends at Imports Inc. Friday come to either the French Market, or our Lake St. location from 5-7pm for cheesy goodness. Cap it all off Saturday at our Broadway location from 12-4pm as we bring the formaggio tasting up north.

It's March which means it's almost time for the annual "greening" of the Chicago River. Stop by for some Ardrahan, Coolea, Tipperary Cheddar or Cashel Blue or attend our class "Celtic in Spirit" on March 16th. Slainte!

Can't keep track of all the events going on this month? Don't worry. Follow us on twitter or become a fan of ours on Facebook and we'll remind you with timely updates.

Last but not least we would like to thank everyone who participated in our survey. We are listening and looking for ways to continue to serve you better in 2010. A special congratulations to Mimi Manzler who is the winner of our survey grand prize of perfect pairings for six months. Call your local Pastoral store so we can get you started!