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Our studio Christmas Party was last Friday evening. We made a return visit to St. Stanislaus Church to eat and drink in the basement. In the wine cellar in the basement! We were there a few years ago and eagerly looked forward to a return visit.
I know what you're thinking, but really, it was a wonderful time. Lots of good food and wine and singing and gifts. What more could you want! This is an amazing Church. The cornerstone was laid in 1886 and the building was completed in 1891. It is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been in.
We were guests of Father Mike, pastor of the church. Fr. Mike is a Franciscan Friar of the Assumption Province of Wisconsin. In another life Fr. Mike must have been a chef because in his spare time he enjoys watching the Food Network and cooking for others.
Here is Fr. Mike welcoming us to his church.
Everyone is hanging on his every word, especially the food part.
As we headed to the basement we passed the kitchen and I peeked and saw a glimpse of good things to come. I caught this quick photo. More about this later.
This sign on the wall (Pod Wieza Stanistlawa) of the steps to the basement is written in Polish and roughly translated means "Under the Tower of St. Stanislaus." And we were literally under the bell tower of the church. The bells were tolling as we headed for the basement!
Candles lit the way down the steps.
We were headed for the Wine Cellar and it truly is a wine cellar. It is, however, small. Move in a couple of tables and some chairs and you have cozy seating for eight. We were nine but were one person short due to Barb's cold but I'm sure with a shoe horn we would have all fit. You can see what I mean below.
Once seated Fr. Mike offered up a beverage to accompany the appetizers. It was a Polish vodka that was infused with buffalo grass called Żubrówka.
The bottle comes it it's own fur trimmed "coat" which may be only decorative but the vodka did a good job of warming me up on a snowy evening.
To go with the vodka was a plate of appetizers which featured two kinds of kielbasa (one smoked,) ham, a kind of vinegar based coleslaw, great pickles and a "condiment" for your bread made mostly from lard. Also check out the separate plate of fresh butter. There were two kinds of bread on the table as well.
Bob our "Esteemed Leader" and gifted orator offered remarks and a toast. Then he sat down and enjoyed the food. Monica wouldn't let him eat any of the lard, however.
The wine rack part of the room appears to be made out of concrete. Many years ago the Friars actually did make wine for church in this room and stored it here. Fr. Mike says that the concrete is wonderful for keeping the wine at a steady temperature year round.
There were candles placed in many of the empty wine bins as well as in the corners of the room. Otherwise there was no other illumination.
After munching on the appetizers the next course was presented. A smoked trout filet accompanied with fresh horseradish and (if I remember right) cranberries in a glaze all on a bed of lettuce.
It was WONDERFUL. (This was what was plated in the kitchen in a previous picture.) Wine was offered all around. Talking stopped as everyone enjoyed the delicious flavors of the trout topped with a little horseradish.
That reminds me that I have horseradish in the back garden that could be dug up and ground into horseradish. Add that to the "To Do' list. Back to the Christmas party.
After finishing that course some were saying they were approaching full. Silly people! There was much more food to come.
Bring on the Borscht!
That's right. Beet soup. At least that's what most people would think (me too.) This was indeed Beet Soup with a full flavored vegetable/chicken based broth with julienned beets. There was also a traditional accompaniment alongside, which by now I have forgotten the name of. It was kind of like an egg roll with potatoes and cabbage inside. Very good.
From my chair I could enjoy the soup and the glow of the candles.
After this, some people thought they were full. (Pace yourself folks, there's more food to come.)
Next up was Pork loin, a potato pancake and pierogi. Not just any pierogi, but cherry and strawberry filled pierogi. The Pork loin was topped with a mushroom reduction.
The ravioli added an enjoyable sweet taste that went well with the earthy flavors of the pork. The potato pancake helped to balance out the other flavors. Interestingly enough, there was no salt or pepper on the table and I never looked for it until the subject was brought up later.
Enjoy!
After that, several people WERE actually full. But, there's still more to come!
Next came a Refresher course. Fresh raspberries with a side of a lime flavored liqueur. I don't remember the name of the liqueur but a few poured their drink over the raspberries and enjoyed it that way.
Following this course it was definitely time for a break. Time to get up and walk around. Stretch the legs.
Sing a little bit!
Well, we weren't in good shape to do any singing. Everyone was pretty stuffed. So we went back up stairs and listened to someone else sing. Specifically the Ohio Boys Choir.
The choir was upstairs performing in the church sanctuary. We were in time for their final set of the evening. Fr. Mike had good seats for us up front.
They were absolutely delightful.
We sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful music. The boys were full of confidence and had a great stage presence in front of a crowd.
Here you can see some of the beauty of the church behind the Choir. The whole interior of the sanctuary is just as breathtaking.
More singing.
The performance wrapped up with some audience participation. Just what we needed to bring back our appetites!
We headed back downstairs and settled into our seats and were promptly served another course!
Yes, it's true. More delicious food. Fr. Mike really knows how to feed his guests.
This course consisted of a braised duck leg, a stuffed carrot and more pierogies, this time filled with potatoes. Fr. Mike told us all about his adventures with duck confetti and how he prepares it.
Everything was once again delicious and at this point I was definitely full!
We were finally done eating. At least done eating downstairs in the wine cellar.
We headed upstairs and relaxed in the living room where a nice fire was blazing away in the fireplace.
And of course, more to eat. Coffee, tea and pastries.
Fr. Mike relayed more of the history of the church as well as the Franciscans.
More relaxing.
We did manage to perform a bit of singing on our part to express our appreciation to Fr. Mike and his helpers. We sang a special version of Good King Wenceslas that Barb composed for the occasion. We did pretty good even though Barb (our best singer) was not with us.
To wrap up the evening we exchanged gifts. I won't bore you with what everybody got except for Mary who was delighted with a snowman trivet as part of her booty and she asked me to take a picture of it.
Here it is.
Now you are famous Mary. Posted on the Internet for all to see.
That concludes the telling of this tale except to once again say "Thanks" to Fr. Mike for the wonderful food and hospitality. I would be remiss if I didn't also say Thank You to Bob and Monica who arranged this return visit to St. Stanislaus and treated us to another memorable Christmas Party.
Merry Christmas to all.
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