Tasting menu at Crystal Bridges' Eleven inspired by Route 66

Saturday marks the first day of the newest exhibition at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and Executive Chef William Lyle has prepared a special tasting menu for it at the museum's restaurant, Eleven.

The exhibition, "Open Roads," runs through May 30 and features more than 100 images from 19 photographers that span from the 1950s through today.

Lyle unveiled a tasting menu, available for dinner starting Wednesday, inspired by the "Open Roads" exhibit and three popular dining stops along the famed Route 66. The three-course meal is $49, and for $20 more the meal can be enjoyed with its chosen wine pairings.

The first course is a wild boar sausage and jalapeno-cornbread pudding baked in an herb-infused custard with a tarragon and white wine mustard sauce and served with an arugula salad with quick pickles. The dish was inspired by the Cozy Dog Drive-In of Springfield, Ill, believed to be the birthplace of the corn dog.

The second dish is a bacon-wrapped, Black Angus filet stuffed with gorgonzola and topped with a fire-roasted, Hatch chile compound butter. The steak is served on a bed of creamy grits and spinach and is inspired by Bobcat Bite of Santa Fe, N.M., home of the green-chile cheeseburger. The Hatch chiles in this dish come from New Mexico.

The final dish is a chocolate pie with coffee bean streusal, Airship espresso whipped cream and topped with a Kyya dark chocolate lattice inspired by the photo Wires by Taiyo Onorato and Nico Krebs. The pie is inspired by the Pine Country Restaurant in Williams, Ariz., which shows off a display of its 46 homemade pies it makes daily.

A member meet and greet takes place tonight from 6-6:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., the public is invited to attend a panel discussion with David Campany, curator for the museum, and two photographers from the exhibit. The event is free and will take place in the great hall, but registration is required.

More information on the tasting menu, the exhibit and event registration is available at crystalbridges.org.

NAN Dining Guide Spotlight on 02/26/2016

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