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frankfortstation.com dining out
the frankfort station | December 6, 2018 | 19
The Dish
Cooper’s Hawk brings upscale cooking, abundance of wine to New Lenox
James Sanchez
Contributing Editor
Cooper’s Hawk recently
opened its 11th Chicago-area
location in New Lenox, only
14 miles apart from its first
location in Orland Park.
Ed Hammer, general manager
of the New Lenox location,
said people thought it
was crazy to open another
location so close, but when
considering Orland Park
Cooper’s Hawk has more
than 30,000 Wine Club members
— the most of all 33
locations across the country
— opening another location
in the south suburbs was a
no-brainer.
In just a few weeks after its
grand opening, it has eclipsed
1,000 Wine Club members.
To put that in perspective,
Hammer said it took a new
location in Michigan more
than a month to hit that milestone.
“Everybody’s been ecstatic
so far,” Hammer said. “It’s
been very welcoming to the
community. So far, everyone
has embraced what we bring
to the table.”
But guests don’t have to be
Wine Club members to enjoy
the offerings the winery
and restaurant has. Cooper’s
Hawk features a 110-item
menu, featuring scratchmade,
contemporary American
dishes, with flavors from
around the world.
There is the Italian flair
with the shrimp and scallop
risotto ($26.99), in which
the seafood and rich, creamy
Carnaroli rice is mixed with
sweet corn, asparagus, peas,
spinach, Parmesan and white
truffle oil. Even flavors from
Asia can be found in the
ginger soy glazed NY strip
($33.99), accompanied by
wasabi-buttered mashed potatoes
and oven-roasted vegetables.
The Cooper’s Hawk
calamari ($13.99) is glazed
Cooper’s Hawk
2307 E. Lincoln Highway
in New Lenox
Restaurant and Tasting
Room Hours
• 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Monday-Thursday
• 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Friday-Saturday
• 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday
Bar Hours
• 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Monday-Thursday
• 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m.
Friday-Saturday
• 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Sunday
For more information ...
Web: chwinery.com
Phone: (815) 320-7500
with a sweet chili-ponzu
sauce mixture and served
with sesame-sriracha sauce.
And the pan-roasted barramundi
($25.99) is served
with ginger rice, a Thai lemongrass
sauce and vegetables.
But Hammer said the most
popular dish is an appetizer
inspired by south of the border:
Mexican drunken shrimp
($13.99). The dish features
numerous shrimp wrapped
in bacon, doused in a tequila
lime butter sauce and served
Wine Club Memberships
Guests have four different Wine Club options: Variety,
Red Club, White Club and Sweet Club
Pricing
• Red, White or Variety: $19.99 monthly for one bottle
a month, or $37.99 monthly for two bottles
• Sweet: $17.99 monthly for one bottle, or $33.99 for
two bottles
Other benefits
• Discounts on retail wines sold at Cooper’s Hawk: 10
percent off purchasing 1-5 bottles, 15 percent off for
6-11 bottles, 20 percent off for 12 bottles
• 10 percent off on all carryout orders and featured
retail products
• Exclusive promotions for members
• Complimentary entrée during birthday month
• Access to member-only events
with fresh guacamole.
“It’s been the No. 1-selling
item forever, and it will continue
to be No. 1,” Hammer
said.
Each dish on the menu has
a wine pairing, suggested
by the winemaker. Cooper’s
Hawk has wines to please
those new to wine or seasoned
drinkers, with more
than 50 wine selections that
are all produced with grapes
imported from all over the
world by its winery in Woodridge.
For the wines alone,
Cooper’s Hawk has received
more than 500 awards, most
recently winning Best of
Class at the International
Eastern Wine Competition
and Best of Show at the San
Francisco Chronicle Wine
Competition in 2017.
The Napa-style tasting
room is what guests first experience
when entering the
restaurant. There, they can
explore and learn about different
wines through a wine
tasting and expand their palates.
For $7, guests can do a
variety tasting (eight samples)
of white and red wines, from
fruity to dark and bold flavors,
or a tasting of all sweet wines.
For $10, the tasting includes
a souvenir wine glass. A Lux
Tasting ($12) provides samples
of Cooper’s Hawk’s valued
wines. The selections in
all of the tastings rotate every
month and always includes
a sample of the Wine of the
Month.
December’s Wine of the
Month is Barbera Barbera.
The blend brings together
Cooper’s Hawk’s traditional
Barbera — a red wine grape
— it has used out of California
with another Barbera produced
in Northern Italy. For
January, it is slated to be the
Artist’s Red Blend, which is
the official wine for the 2019
Screen Actors Guild award
ceremony.
Cooper’s Hawk’s Master
Sommelier Emily Wines
tweaked the tastings to make
wine more approachable.
Years back, there used to be
only tasting notes on the wine
sheet, but Wines incorporated
FEATURING:
a graph that shows how much
sweetness, tannin, acidity,
body and alcohol is prevalent
in each drink. It also lists the
flavors, scents, origin and the
type of food with which it
pairs.
While having a drink or
waiting for a reservation,
• Health & Wellness • Fitness
• Medical • Dental
• Insurance and more!
MORE INFO: (708) 326-9170 ext. 16
22ndCenturyMedia.com/healthy
The pan-roasted barramundi ($25.99) is one of the top
dishes at Cooper’s Hawk. The fish sits atop a bed of ginger
rice and is surrounded by blistered green beans, grape
tomatoes and a Thai lemongrass sauce.
James Sanchez/22nd Century Media
guests can check out the artisanal
market. Combine all
those elements, and the restaurant
becomes more than
just a place to have a nice
dinner.
“With Cooper’s Hawk, we
want to offer customers an
experience,” Hammer said.
Saturday
Jan. 19, 2019
9am - 1pm
V E N D O R S W A N T E D
Tinley Park
Convention
Center
DEADLINE:
DEC. 12, 2018