Welcome Jan, and $10 Flights!

I live a busy, busy life. With all the endeavors that BIN 36 has trekked upon over the last ten years, there's the requirement to not only operate a restaurant, but to operate a national wine business and more. That's why, when that right blend of knowledge, personality, and creativity comes alone, I become a happy, happy guy - then again, wouldn't we all be happy if surrounded by people like this? I should be more specific: we've hired a new Beverage Director at BIN 36!

Many of you might even know her, or recognize her face, as she first started working for BIN 36 as a server 2001 and has taught wine classes since. How about that for commitment, huh? So I hope you'll join me in giving a heartfelt welcome, and welcome back of sorts - she's been with Pastoral for the past six and a half years - to Jan Henrichsen. Not only has Jan already been a huge help in assisting with the major change in our wine list recently, but she'll also be writing once a week for the blog. You'll get to know her very well!

And, with the holiday weekend upon us, what better way to ring in our newest piece to the BIN puzzle than with $10 wine and cheese flights for Sunday and Monday. Take advantage of the short weekend, and be it for a quick stop for wine and cheese before a show or that rare Sunday night out with friends, we'll be pouring the vino and slicing up the cheese all day!

Here's to a good ten bucks worth of eating and drinking, and here's to Jan. Cheers!

Foodie the App and Foursquare

Hopefully, this post will be quick and painless...

For a few weeks now, we've dabbled within the realm of foursquare - and once we started, there was a real push in numbers, or "check-ins," to both restaurants. Foursquare is pretty infantile at this stage, as business integration and involvement with the product is fairly minimal. Sure, you can find businesses offering specials out there, but I'd be curious how many of you foursquare users actually have cashed in on specials to the places you go - or if you've even landed at a place just because you knew they had a special. And in our case, we offer a special - a free wine flight to the mayor on Tuesdays and Fridays - but it's exclusive to just one person, even though we've opened it up to two days a week. The rest of those check-ins, they're just playing the game for kicks.

Well, that's about to change. Starting next week, all check-ins to both BIN 36 and bin wine cafe will have the chance to cash in on $10 wine flights. If you're reading this blog, chances are you've had one of our flights - they really are or signature offering, aren't they? And at ten smackers, you're potentially saving a decent amount of cash if you're ordering some of the more expensive options. We're confident in foursquare, and it costs us nothing to be involved. What's so different from offering a special this way, than a more traditional route? It's a similar idea - only foursquare is more involved. More fun!

And then there's Foodie the App. Ari Bendersky made quite the splash with his iPhone exclusive program last fall, and some of the city's best restaurants hopped on board and offered some super original offers to Foodie members. The one hurdle Ari had with the app was that because of its iPhone exclusivity, his marketing reach was limited. Imagine if OpenTable was only offered to those who had an iPhone - it just wouldn't be as big as it is today.

For those who aren't familiar with Foodie, it's a free service that gathers the restaurants all over the city and every day posts offerings, or specials, from those restaurants - again, exclusive only to Foodie members. And the restaurant has the ability to offer anything they want! I actually saw a restaurant offer 20% off the bill if you brought in a wine bottle dated 1972, empty or full. Pretty cool, huh?

But still, cool only for those with an iPhone. Well, not anymore.

Foodie the App now has a blog, weekly newsletter, and a website where anyone can register and book a reservation for an offering. And BIN 36? That's right, we're right there with the changes! In fact, if you go to the site now, you'll find this...

Not too shabby, huh?

As a business owner, I of course worry about "giving the house away." But at the same time, we've talked before about how we've recognized an opportunity to make new friends with the advent and progressive shift in technology. We could pout and whine and refuse to reform to this "social media" blitz, or we can embrace it and learn a thing or two or three along the way to insure ten more years of wine and cheese!

So personally, I prefer the latter. Cheers!

Now Drinking at BIN 36: Beer?

(Chicago's own Goose Island via kyleroth's photostream)

Okay - I am ready to believe that spring is REALLY here. So, it got me thinking about spring and summer wine - and BEER. Yes. I know you think that BIN 36 is all about wine but, beginning Friday, we are introducing a whole new beer list. It's not going to be extravagant by any stretch of the imagination, but I think you will find the new selection thoughtful and, most important, tasty! For me, as the weather turns warm, a good artisanal beer really does the trick. And, while I may not drink beer all night long (fills me up so that I can't eat all the cheese!), I LOVE BEER!

Okay, let me tell you about some of the newbies:

(Classic Duvel via ralph&dot's photostream)

Duvel - A classic golden Belgian ale - though still light and delicious for the warmer weather. This beer is triple fermented and has a wonderfully complex aroma and flavor.

Goose Island - Sophie: Fermented with wild yeasts and aged in wine barrels with orange peel, Sofie is a tart, dry, sparkling ale. A subtle, spicy white pepper note, a hint of citrus from the orange peel and a creamy vanilla finish make Sofie an intriguing choice for Champagne drinkers and beer drinkers who are fond of Belgian Saisons.

Brooklyn - Summer Ale: Available from April through July, this lighter ale is a modern rendition of classic English "luncheon ale" named because they were refreshing and flavorful without being too heavy. The beer has almost a light "bready" flavor with crisp, citrus aroma - really refreshing.

Goose Island - Pere Jaques: Brewed with loads of malt and Belgian yeast, Pere Jacques is a wonderfully fruity, malty ale. Pere Jacques’ complex flavors stand shoulder to shoulder with the Belgian Dubbels enjoyed in the world’s finest beer bars. At the dining table it’s the perfect alternative to a glass of vintage port.

(Brooklyn Brewery at its finest via Samer Farha's photostream)

These are just a few to get your mouth watering, but I am sure you get the idea. We'll keep changing the beers all year long so if you are in the mood for something other than wine, stop by for a BEER at BIN 36.

The Tweetup

It took a week of remission and recovery, but the tweet up was a hit! But let's take a step back...

It was a revelation when computers were introduced to restaurants, when no longer servers passed their orders off, written in perfectly legible penmanship, to the kitchen's expeditor or chef after it was taken. Remember those days? The wheels - you'll see them still in country diners - that orders were clipped to so the expeditor and cooks could easily be on the same page, remember those? Seriously, a revelation computers were! And touch screens, no less!

You have to realize, those days really aren't too far back in our history. So, when writing about what in the world took place out our restaurant last Wednesday night, it's pretty fun to look at it with this perspective. And what exactly did happen?

Well, we shut down a large part of the restaurant, first of all. We pulled away tables and chairs and draped white tablecloths over other tables and lined them with row after row of BIN 36 wine. We lined up tables of cheese and hummus and other snacks and our cheese bar up front glistened with Riedel stemware 8 deep, stretching across its length. But for who?

Well, technically, for you.

Anybody could have come to the event, but as many things now go these days, all of the legwork leading up to the event was conducted online. In fact, in order to attend, every guest had to RSVP on Facebook. Again, restaurants and Facebook? Anybody see this one coming five years ago? But that's the way it goes and sure enough, the response was so overwhelming, we had to cut the RSVP list off. We had nearly 250 confirmed guests a week before the event, and that isn't even including the 100 maybes and who knows how many other potential friends we could've made that night - and our dining room barely fits 150! So yeah, overwhelming is one way to put it.

And we have to thank Metromix and RedEye for helping make it all happen. Between their impressive and talented staff of bloggers and writers and their loyal following and network of readers, the event was in great hands - and, we like to think, our guests were as well with the wine that just kept flowing all night!

So here we stand. Questions were asked about wine, some shy and some educated, but the event is over and the waiting game begins as to when the some-200 guests that evening might return next. Will we even seem them again? Well, that was the point. Let's see if this generation takes to BIN as well as the previous, huh?

Cheers to that!

And, to give you a feel for the night, some pictures courtesy of Metromix.

Tweet Up Tonight at BIN

(Vineyard in Puligny Montrachet, France's Burgundy region,

via Dave Aragona's photostream)

For those who follow closely on Twitter and Facebook, you know that tonight's a big night at BIN 36. We've partnered up with Metromix and RedEye to host our first ever tweet up - and what that means if you don't know? A bunch of people gathering in one place with their smart phones, networking the night away!

We first gave more attention to our social media a few months ago, so we're all giddy with excitement to finally have an event that helps culminate our stance within this scene. Events like this in the past have attracted fifty guests - last Wednesday we had to cut the RSVP list off because we were at nearly 250!

So I thought it'd be great to go back to the interview series I'd been posting with French winemakers, sort of as a prelude for tonight. Those who'll be joining me - I really hope you see how painless it is to talk about wine, even when you've got two bottles in front of you with words you can't understand!

I sat down with winemaker Patrick Leflaive of Olivier Leflaive wines - a Burgundy house - with two completely different looking bottles on the table: Grand Cru Puligny Montrachet and Corton Charlemagne. If you're shaking your head because I've lost you, well hold on a second. Both of these wines come from the same place, which is Burgundy, which is a wine growing region of France (a very famous one at that). Not only that, but both are white wines, and thus known as White Burgundy. The kicker? They're both Chardonnay!

You see, it might seem intimidating at first, but the world of wine is far more familiar than you might think... hope you enjoy the interview, and can't wait to meet all of you tonight!

Recipe Time: Crispy Tempura Green Beans w/ Citrus Aioli

(Green beans! via upturnedface's photostream)

It wasn't so long ago that I wrote about the new menu at bin wine cafe in Bucktown and its bounty of Spring foods. Well, given today's crumby weather,  I thought maybe we could take a sneak peak into the cafe and lift our spirits just a tad - I don't know about you guys, but there's just something about the gray clouds that makes it so hard to get out of bed in the morning, you know? Anyone else feel the same way?

So I wanted to share a recipe and make it simple, bright, and easy - the opposite of these rainy days! And there's one dish at the cafe that really falls smack dab within those categories: our Crispy Tempura Green Beans with Citrus Aioli. Have you had 'em before? You agree with me?

I mean there's just something about that light batter and the snap of the bean when you bite into it... and then that pop of the citrus like the sun breaking through within that cool aioli. Obviously, I'm craving these bad boys right now - can you tell?

Give 'em a chance. Or, if you'd rather have us do the dirty work, stop by the cafe for a glass of wine at the bar even - don't feel the pressure to sit at the table if that's not in the cards. And lemme tell you, a Sauvignon Blanc, and I'm thinking more specifically of the Mason Cellars' Pomelo that we have on the list right now, would just pair so beautifully with this snack. It's light; it's crisp; and boy, it sure dances sweetly with its citrus notes, showcasing the gorgeous notes of grapefruit for which the wine takes its name. But what do I know? I wanna hear what you think!

(Pomelos via psycho röy's photostream)

Crispy Tempura Green Beans with Citrus Aioli
bin wine café
Yield: 6 servings

What you'll need:

1 lb haricot vert, trimmed of stems
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1 cup club soda
3 ice cubes
salt to taste

2 Qts Peanut oil for frying

2 egg yolks
1 cup orange juice, reduced to a syrup
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup canola oil
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste

The dirty work:

First make the citrus aioli, by reducing the orange juice with the sugar to a syrup. Remove from heat and let it cool. In a mixing bowl, add your egg yolks, slowly whisk in the canola oil drop by drop at first to allow the yolks to accept the oil. Then slowly add the rest of oil in a light stream, while continuing to whisk. You should have a thick mayonnaise when done. Next add approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of the orange syrup. Season with both salt and the lemon juice, cover with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to serve.

Begin to heat your peanut oil in a large sauce pot to 350 degrees.

Make your tempura batter by putting the club soda and ice cubes in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in both the flour and corn starch until you get a thin paste. Season with salt.

When the oil is at 350 degrees, place a handful of green beans in the tempura batter, coat them well. Now carefully drop one at a time in the oil until and cook for approximately 1 minute until they are golden brown and crispy. With a slotted spoon, remove the beans from the oil, again being careful not to splatter hot oil on you, and strain on absorbent paper. Serve immediately with the citrus aioli.

Buon appetito!

Upcoming Events at BIN

We have a pretty loyal following, but there's still people out there who know nothing of our Movies in the Loft program. It's a simple idea, really, that a) gets you off the couch and out of the house and b) pits you with, naturally, good food and good wine - three courses paired with wine to be exact. We've been running the program for five years now, which in and of itself is hard for me to believe. Time flies!

So this Friday, we're at it again. If you talk to people who have joined us before, I think you'll find a general consensus that what makes the night so successful is the types of movies we show. I wouldn't go as far to say they're cult classics, per say, but they're by and large off the beaten path sorts of films. The point? We're showing something you probably haven't seen before, or maybe so once years ago and have been dying to see it again... we recently showed Waiting for Guffman. Yeah, need I say more?

If you're even a mild film buff, the name Ang Lee should ring a very familiar bell. Ang directed the Eric Bana driven Hulk, which okay, may not have been his greatest achievement, but followed the film up a couple years later with a movie everybody talked about, if they hadn't also seen: Brokeback Mountain. You might remember it:

Right?

Well, before even Hulk, Ang Lee had directed a series of extremely successful foreign films, the last of which we'll be showing Friday night at BIN.

With its opening nearly sixteen years ago, Eat Drink Man Woman is a classic in so many ways - but my favorite part? The father, our sympathetic protagonist of sorts, is a chef. And a damn good one! Which makes the dinner we'll be serving with the movie pretty unique, because, we're creating dishes inspired by the film! So far, rumor is seaweed, rice cake stew, roasted pork, and kimchi are in the works...

And check out the incredible opening scene of the movie, and the skills and ease at which the character works in the kitchen.

Puts you in a trance, doesn't it?

Obviously, I wouldn't be writing this today if tickets weren't still available. But going off past events, even if tickets are around the day of, they could easily sell like you wouldn't believe in a flash. Call us if you're curious for more, and don't forget Wine 102 is right around the corner, too. In fact, it's this Sunday!

BIN School, movies, and lots and lots of wine. I've got a fun week ahead of me...

It's Spring (I think...)

(Peruvian vineyard via ImAnAmericanIdle's photostream)

Along with all the other changes at BIN 36, we've revamped the wine by the glass program - even have an AMAZING sparkling chenin blanc from Peru of all places. You've got to check it out - fresh and crisp and mouthwatering and delicious - a great warm weather bubbly!

Whenever we change the wines by the glass, it is a momentous occasion. There are many layers to the selection process, the descriptions, the pricing (yeah, somebody's got to do it...), and, then, the execution - reprinting all the menus, hangtags and food and wine pairings.

First, Brain Duncan and our new Beverage Director, Jan Henrichsen, meet with distributors in their warehouse to find all the surprises and hidden treasures. Then, if there is enough quantity, and we think the wine is a good fit within the program, Brian and Jan begin to think about categories and arranging the new selections,

Then, as we work on pricing - and making sure we can provide value to our guests, Brian and Jan work on those descriptions. Often, wonderful selections are rejected in the process because we do not feel the wines drink well for the price. If the quality is in the bottle but the distributor is asking top dollar, we might place the selection on our bottle list, but it will not make the grade by the glass.

The wines by the glass are only for wines that drink beyond their price - not below it. As you might imagine, it is a complicated affair - especially when you change out more than half the selections as we did this time around.

So, there will be a lot of new favorites to discover and enjoy as spring slowly turns into summer. And, now that the wines by the glass have made the transition, Executive Chef John Caputo is working on the new summer menu as I hear it will be warming up any day now... Typically, as the late spring harvest and early summer crops make it to market, John starts to experiment with new items - ramps and fava beans are plentiful right now and on the menu. Soon, we'll have the first of the season tomatoes and even some market lettuces, radishes and beans. And, of course, summer means a whole new style of cheese - summer grass gives the milk at the small producers a special flavor only sunshine can produce. Truly, this is my favorite time of year - everything seems fresh and new and full of potential. So, please stop in when you have some time and see what's new at BIN 36.