Such was the scene at a five-course “fantasy” dinner party hosted by man-about-town Neal Zucker and Brian Duncan, acclaimed wine director of Bin 36, Bin Wine Cafe and A Mano, and held at Spring, chef Shawn McClain’s celebrated Bucktown eatery. Duncan, who was recently nominated for his third James Beard Foundation Award, called on the talented group of chefs he counts as friends—McClain of Spring, Green Zebra and Custom House; Alinea’s Grant Achatz; Paul Kahan of Blackbird, Avec and The Publican; Giuseppe Tentori of Boka, Landmark and Perennial; and John Caputo of Bin 36, Bin Wine Cafe and A Mano—to each create a course for the five-course dinner. Duncan paired each with two wines: “That way you can see what different wines do to the dish,” he said.

While Chicago’s chefs are known as a collaborative, friendly crew, this event took that camaraderie to a new level. “It’s very rare that we get together like this,” said Achatz, who won the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef Award last year. “A lot of these guys have multiple restaurants and travel a lot, so we never have time to interact.”

Upon arrival, guests were ushered to a cocktail reception in Spring’s lounge, where they sipped Bin 36’s 10th anniversary sparkling wine, a mixture of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and noshed on hors d’oeuvres created by Caputo.

Talk turned to fashion when designer Maria Pinto arrived. Wearing a silver leather top and a simple black skirt, Pinto looked every bit the Chicago-favorite designer who catapulted to the national fashion stage. She was matched in style, however, by the evening’s other female guests who arrived sporting bright colors, super-high heels perfect for a seated service and some hardto- miss precious stones.

Following the reception and some final seating adjustments from Zucker, the CEO and president of Corporate Cleaning Services, guests were escorted to a private dining room complete with a large rectangular table lined with peony arrangements. After a brief welcome from Duncan—during which he expressed his passion for wine and the local culinary world and his fondness for the assembled group of chefs (“The amount of talent here is really incredible.”)—the first course was served. “I’ve been looking forward to this since Neal invited me,” said Carrie Lannon, whom Chris Kennedy recently named the vice president of strategic partnerships at the Merchandise Mart. “These chefs are like celebrities to me.”

The first dish, created by McClain, featured seared Nantucket Bay scallops. “They have a warm, woodsy flavor,” said Linda Johnson Rice, chairman and CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, the parent company of Ebony and Jet magazines.

JB Pritzker, founder of New World Ventures and managing partner of investment firm the Pritzker Group, was similarly charmed. “You can taste all the ingredients; nothing masks something else,” he said.

While the guests listened to Tentori present the next dish, the chef insisted they continue the party: “You’re too quiet! You need to drink more wine.”

Duncan happily helped them along, pairing Tentori’s turbot with a Vouvray and a Chenin Blanc, both varietals that follow Duncan’s philosophy of both affordability and approachability.

“I wasn’t familiar with Chenin Blanc, but it was so complex and interesting, not like anything I’ve ever tasted,” Lannon said, toasting her boyfriend, Broadway producer, president and cofounder of Jam Theatricals, Steve Traxler, who won a Tony last year as a producer of August: Osage County, originally a Steppenwolf Theatre production that Traxler is currently adapting for film with the Weinstein Company.

Pinto praised chef Kahan for creating his roast squab on so little sleep. “I ate at The Publican last night, and I saw you leaving really late,” Pinto said, referencing Kahan’s latest hit restaurant. “I can’t believe you did this today!”

Duncan paired the course with his D&S proprietary red wine (a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Malbec, Merlot and Petite Verdot) and his new 2006 Merlot. “This wine got off a plane two days ago, which could usually cause bottle shock, but luckily it traveled beautifully,” Duncan said. “Merlot took a big beating in pop culture a few years ago, so we felt the need to overcompensate a bit with a wine that not only has some structure, but loves the hell out of food.”

The guests responded with an equal amount of love. And then it was on to Achatz’s dessert course, paired with two Rieslings, both from Southern Wine & Spirits. Achatz, who’s known as a world leader in molecular gastronomy, didn’t disappoint here.

“Our dessert is a spin on a holiday spice cake, sous-vide with persimmon, caramelized dairy, pear jus and a bazillion other components,” Achatz said. “That’s just how we roll,” he laughed, hinting at his restaurant’s progressive, and notoriously complicated, fare. “We don’t have a pastry chef at Alinea because we try not to differentiate between savory and sweet. Our philosophy is to blur that line. We want to evoke the emotional aspects of food and cross the boundaries between our craft and art.”

The chef advised guests to push a small rum ball into the rest of the dish. And while the rum didn’t exactly follow the night’s wine theme, everyone enjoyed it nonetheless. ||MA

GUEST LIST

Grant Achatz, Robin and Louis Berger, John Caputo, Brian Duncan, Marko Iglendza, Paul Kahan, Carrie Lannon, Fred and Julie Latsko, Shawn McClain, Maria Pinto, MK and JB Pritzker, Linda Johnson Rice, Giuseppe Tentori, Courtney Thompson, Steve Traxler and Neal Zucker