Meal and Drink Pairings: Basics 101

The general consensus among foodies, beer nerds, wine lovers and cocktail connoisseurs is: “Eat and drink what you like.”

True. However, viewing the drink in your hand as an additional ingredient to your dish enhances your experience and may surprise you. In our everyday diets, we’re missing what nutritional psychologist Marc David, MA calls “Vitamin P”, which stands for pleasure. We need to take the time to find pleasure in our meals, especially when traveling. Whether you are traveling for work or pleasure, you always need to eat. Find the pleasure in what you eat by being attentive, taking your time and delight in your entire meal, including your drink.

Ask an Expert: When talking about finding the pleasure in the entire meal, it makes the most sense to talk to an expert about food and drinks. The most accessible expert is always your server and it’s usually very fun to hear their passion on food and drinks come forward. If you can, go straight to the chef. Chef Jon Harootunian at the Harvest Room in Palos Heights (HarvestRoomRestaurant.com) is the first to say that, “almost anything goes as long it tastes good together.” He believes beer has a tenacity to work well with food that is rich, fatty or spicy. Try the Short Rib Pot Roast, which is pot roast braised with root beer served with potato pave, crispy onions, crispy bacon aioli, and “root beer float” spheres and pair it with a lager or dark beer. The beer compliments the flavor profile by cutting through the fatty meat while also providing a balance on the caramel/malty flavor.

Chef Jon also believes the old adage that white wine should be paired with poultry and red wine with seafood, especially meatier dishes like octopus and sword fish. He also enjoys pairing unique drinks with fun meals. The drink doesn’t always have to be beer or wine. He enjoys pairing Harvest Room handcrafted cocktails, like the Mango Margarita, with Grilled Shrimp and Hibiscus. Or on every Friday night, experience the unique pairing of “Bourbon and Doughnuts.” This pairs three maple-bacon butter cream-frosted house doughnuts served with an ever-changing house pick of 2.5 ounces of bourbon. This is the brainchild of Harvest Room owner and bourbon connoisseur Chris Sirigas, who has said that bourbon, ranges in flavor as much as pinot noir. From the point of view of Harootunian, the bourbon is really malty and aromatic while the donuts are usually a dark chocolate with bacon and they complement each other very well.

Other spots to find your “Vitamin P” can be found at:

• Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant in Orland Park (CoopersHawkWinery.com) – Wine samples with pairing suggestions on menu
• Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant in New Lenox (CoopersHawkWinery.com) – Wine samples with pairing suggestions on menu
• Evil Horse Brewing Co. in Crete (EvilHorseBrewing.com) – Beer samples pair well with a variety of food truck entrees
• Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery (FlossmoorStation.com) – Beer samples that pair well with any of the Brewhouse Specials