This month’s dinner experience took my mom and Brad and me to the College of DuPage located in Glen Ellyn.
My mom’s friend has been completing her coursework in Wine Knowledge and Certification at the college and was serving as a Sommelier at the Waterleaf Restaurant this particular evening. The restaurant also was being run by the students that night. What a unique experience for all involved.
We actually got a tour of the facility with state-of-the-art cooking equipment. It’s quite amazing that this college is in our backyard!
For our first course, we had Tamales de Picadillo and Pork Empanadas with Avocado Salsa, a dish made of minced seasoned pork packed in a cornmeal dough and wrapped in corn husks and steamed. These were very tasty and a good start to the 5-course Caribbean Cuisine Meal we were about to journey down. We began with a Peanut and Potato soup with Coriander, spicy and something a bit different. This bright orange-fleshed sweet potato is not only attractive to the eye but tastes beautiful. The second course included Crab Cakes with Hot and Spicy Tomato Essence. The cakes were cooked to perfection, full of flavor and moist.
The main entrée was Caribbean Lamb Curry along with Eggplant stuffed with Sweet Potato accompanied by Jamaican Rice and Beans. The flavors made me want more! What a unique blend all perfectly prepared.
For dessert we had Quindao, Brazilian Coconut Flan with Mango Sorbet and Fresh Fruit. My mouth was on overload by this point. The Flan was rich and creamy with toasted coconut – great texture and flavor.
Overall I would definitely highly recommend the Waterleaf Restaurant. Great service and food. Though I was unable to try the wines, Brad told me the Sommeliers did a fantastic job! Until next month, happy eating from Jack the Foodie!
