Sharing the love: New winter menu debuts at Porto
After having spent the summer immersed in the food and culture of Galicia popping up at Tribu and Beatnik Country House located within Bonhomme’s destination hotel, Casa Beatnik, Chefs Marcos Campos, Erwin Mallet, Shannah Primiano and Wine Director Colin Hofer are thrilled to debut a tasting, a la carte, and wine offerings at Porto directly shaped by their time abroad.
Waking up at dawn and walking the markets was one of the most influential activities for Chef Marcos. “Each morning I would see what new produce or seafood there was and call Erwin at home [in Chicago] to see what he would think about a new idea or update to a dish.” This daily journaling continued for weeks between the two. Chef Marcos describes the biggest takeaway from the Galicia immersion is the remarkable respect for the ingredients and their quality–beauty in simplicity and tradition–”if the lobster is perfect, don’t mess with it too much.”
While the Porto team was exhibiting at Tribu, Chef Marcos also feels they were able to further perfect their live fire cooking techniques, something he and Chef Mallet are in constant pursuit of at both Porto and newly opened Coquette, both kitchens that cook exclusively with live fire. It also reinforced the team’s dedication to preservation and fermentation, two techniques that embrace seasonality and elevate flavor.
As a Chef that has always pushed the boundaries of creativity in Chicago, Chef Marcos combines that passion with a healthy dose of letting the city’s best seafood shine in Porto’s new Winter menu. As exemplified in standout new dishes including the Pulpo–a dish directly inspired from one of those early morning farmers market visits–Charcoal Grilled Galician Octopus with Braised Collard Greens, Fermented Sardine Miso, Smoked Potato, Seaweed & Pimentón Powder and the Lobster Salpicón, a Grilled Half Lobster, with Warm Lobster Claw Salpicón, Salt Roasted Rutabaga, Lobster Roe Sabayon, Galician Sea Lettuce Seaweed, Red Shio Koji.
Always thinking of the extraordinary, Executive Pastry Chef Shannah Primiano finds inspiration in classic Spanish and Portuguese sweet dishes before channeling more contemporary methods and intriguing ingredient pairings. In her hands, Porto’s desserts find the perfect balance between nostalgia, sweet, savory and adventurous. Similarly to Chef Marcos, she was also enamored with the ‘unfussiness’ of the cuisine in Galicia during their trip. And while Marcos was eyeing the seafood in the farmers markets, Chef Shannah was too, but for a different reason, “I immediately wanted to serve a dessert in a scallop shell,” she said after one morning at the market. A signature dessert on her menu, Playa, with Spiced Acorn Squash, Barley Malt Foam, Navajas Conserva, Carrot Cake Sand, Roasted Carrot Ice Cream, Nori & Passionfruit Green Tea Gelee, is her representation of the beach on the Atlantic Coast.
Bonhomme’s Michelin Sommelier Award recipient and Director of Wine & Education Colin Hofer, has always had an affinity for Spain. Having lived there for years early in his career, Hofer was delighted to be part of the opening team this year at the Casa Beatnik Hotel as it gave him the opportunity to strengthen and broaden connections with small, uncharted wine producers throughout the region. Hofer aims to spotlight these trendsetting, unsung winemakers who do things differently and are the leaders of a new era of Spanish wine in Porto's wine revamped program, lovingly termed "Spanish Vanguards."
Over the last two years he's been collecting exquisite wines from minimal interventionist winemakers who operate in remote areas most wine lovers haven't heard of yet. The winemakers do share some common traits, such as good farming and stripped down raw winemaking or as Colin says, “they get out of their own way by not doing too much." Also, Hofer looks forward to debuting wine-focused programming this winter at Somm Sundays where weekend revelers can enjoy by-the-glass pours from rare bottles, trending styles and exclusive magnums that would not normally be offered during service.
