No “humbug”—Derek “Bob Cratchit” Eidson and George “Tiny Tim” Formaro are putting on a Dickensian dinner at Django.
By Wini Moranville
Whether you adore Christmas or you feel, like Ebeneezer Scrooge, that “every idiot who goes about with a ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart,” the upcoming Dickensian dinner at Django should put you decidedly in the holiday spirit.
Slated for Sunday, Dec. 8, the family-style meal will be a veritable feast of all kinds of food mentioned in Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” as well as favorite holiday foods of the time. These include classics that endure to this day (oysters on the half shell, roasted chestnuts, stuffed turkey and mince pie), as well as some foods less likely to make their way to 21st-century holiday tables (in Iowa, at least). The latter include braun (head cheese), pork and goose sausages, and steak and Stilton pie.
“I’ve been toying with the idea for years,” says chef/partner George Formaro, who is teaming up with Django executive chef Derek Eidson to present the meal. When choosing recipes, Formaro didn’t just Google the concepts. Rather, he consulted the fragile, yellowing pages of his own vast collection of historic cookbooks; he owns about 10,000 rare and antique books and has a particular passion for those from the Victorian era.
While some special events at Django are held in a party room, this event will take over the entire restaurant. “We’re hoping to do more of these kinds of themed events in the future,” Formaro says. The best way to find out about upcoming events is to follow the restaurant on Facebook.
Tickets for the Dickensian Dinner cost $75 and are available through MidwestTix. You can also check out the event’s Facebook page for the complete menu. Doors open at 5 p.m., with dinner starting at 5:30 p.m.
Wini Moranville writes about food, wine and dining for dsm magazine and dsmWeekly. Follow her on Facebook at All Things Food–DSM.
