Meet the High Road Spritz🍊✨
Master Sommelier Ken Fredrickson shares his go-to approach for crafting a refreshing, effortless spritz with professional flair. 🧡
Made with Mionetto Prosecco and Casoni 1814 Aperitivo, this cocktail proves great taste doesn’t have to be complicated! Make yours today! 🌟
This week, we’re enjoying some poured wine (his favorite) with the indefatigable Ken Fredrickson — Master Sommelier, restaurateur, and founder of High Road Wine and Spirits, whose career runs from Charlie Trotter’s and Spago to Jackson Hole, Denver, Las Vegas, and Chicago’s most intentional wine lists. He went from Idaho ranch kid to the 40th American Master Sommelier in just five years, then bet big on his own programs, built and sold distributors, and kept doubling down on family-made bottles with real stories behind them. He joins us in the studio to talk about what that obsession costs, what it creates, and why he still believes in taking the high road.
We’re swirling the glass around how to actually train a world-class palate (and why your nose is lazier than you think), the Wild West politics of wine lists, the future of terroir-driven Italian spirits — and so much more.
Charlie Trotter’s is back. ✨
The legendary Lincoln Park address at 816 W Armitage—once the epicenter of American fine dining—is alive again through Dylan Trotter’s Guest Chef Dinner Series.
For one night only, Chicago’s steakhouse greats— @chefjohnmanion (El Che, Brasero), @brent_balika (Four Seasons, formerly RPM Steak), and @ahernboeuf1012 (Boeufhaus)—came together for a 7-course Wagyu tasting menu that reimagined
Chicago’s most iconic dining tradition: the steakhouse. 🥩🔥
Highlights?
🐟 Red snapper with celery root clam chowder + beef-fat brioche
🥩 Triple-seared Westholme ribeye with lobster + chanterelles
🍖 Short rib with chimichurri + sweetbreads
🍷 World-class wine pairings by @kenfredricksonms , High Road Wine & Spirits
This isn’t just dinner—it’s a living tribute to Chicago’s culinary history and the relentless pursuit of hospitality that made Charlie Trotter’s a legend.
Whether you’re a longtime diner or discovering it for the first time, one thing’s certain: this is a piece of Chicago history you don’t want to miss.
📍 Charlie Trotter’s | 816 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL
#CharlieTrotters #ChicagoFoodie #ChicagoRestaurants #ChicagoDining #ChicagoSteakhouse #WagyuBeef #FineDiningChicago #LincolnParkChicago
WINE!!! we have wine! huge thank you to the team at @highroadwineandspirits , especially @kenfredricksonms for pulling this order together and having it delivered in 4 hours yesterday! just in time for service! we can wait to serve you 🍷
