Eight things we learned at The Trenchermen preview party at Architectural Artifacts
Food & Wine Best New Chef 2010 Mike Sheerin, brother Patrick Sheerin and partners Matt Eisler and Kevin Heisner aren’t opening long-anticipated restaurant The Trenchermen until February, but the team kept up its series of sneak previews with a small party Tuesday night at Architectural Artifacts, the Ravenswood antique store and private event space. Why there? Sheerin and company are buying up many of the shop’s eclectic wares as they outfit the eatery, in the former Spring space, explains Eisler, pointing to wine jugs made of cloudy green beach glass as just one example.
Other things we learned from the night:
Watch for the Spring space to be entirely gutted. You won’t recognize most of it, Eisler warns us.
The beverage team is carbonating plum wine.
Carbonated plum wine adds a refreshing note of sweetness to sake. The blend was one of the featured cocktails of the night, and hopefully one that will make the restaurant’s final menu.
On that note, subbing tequila for whiskey in a Manhattan makes for a smoky, balanced, awesome drink that we also hope to taste again—and again, and again.
Pickling a tater tot is not only possible, but advisable. Particularly when topped with prosciutto that’s been cured with cinnamon.
We could eat about 500 crispy frog legs housed in miniature spring roll wrappers. Sheerin brothers, can you cater our wedding, please?
Drinking three tequila Manhattans in two hours is a bad idea when you’ve been to Magnolia Bakery earlier that day and have a box of cupcakes at the ready. A really bad idea.
The Trenchermen (2039 W North Ave, no phone yet) is shooting for a February opening.

















































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