The Knockturnal attended the “Hot Dog High Tea” with CHAIN in Los Angeles, the innovative pop-up food experience founded by B.J. Novak and Michelin-starred chef Tim Hollingsworth.
CHAIN elevates fan-favorite fast food dishes with gourmet standards, and the “Hot Dog High Tea” took a new spin on 8 beloved Chicago flavors in partnership with Portillo’s and Jameson Black Barrel.
The ambiance held all the comforts of chain restaurant classics — arcade games, dim lighting, neon signs, red checkered tablecloths, custom games, buzzers to signify when you’re table’s ready — with undeniably creative decor that transforms the restaurant to a full-fledged immersive experience. You enter through a hidden red door and emerge into a colorful, art-forward atmosphere playing homage to famous fast food spots. Guests immediately feel both right at home and on the ground floor of something new and exciting.
The unique, expertly curated menu from CHAIN took a sophisticated spin on Portillo’s classics, and the bites were served on a three-tier high tea platter. The menu included The Chicago Pup (a Vienna beef hot dog on a poppy seed bun with Chain’s Haute Dog Relish™, umami celery salt, and a tiny dill spear), The Italian Beef & Truffle (a marinated ribeye, truffle giardiniera, provolone, shaved truffles, and Jameson Black Barrel), TheBBQ Chicken Tea Sandwich (smoked chicken thigh with Jameson Black Barrel BBQ sauce on milk bread), Salt & Pepper Pizzelle (a new take on Portillo’s crinkle fries with savory tomato jam), Portillo’s Cheese Gougères (fluffy bites brushed with clarified butter and filled with Portillo’s signature cheese), A Chocolate Croissant (emulated Portillo’s eclair cake with a Jameson Black Barrel-infused filling), Strawberry Shortcake Sandwich (black pepper biscuits with a Jameson Black Barrel Chantilly cream), and the Chocolate Cake (a decadent classic complemented with a Jameson Black Barrel caramel glaze).
Themed cocktails from Jameson Black Barrel were also served upon arrival and throughout the meal, including the Honey Crisp Apple Old Fashioned, the Warm Milk Punch, the Black Barrel Julep, and the Black Barrel Carbonated Tea. Each completed the flavors of the CHAIN bites and tied in the whole meal as a simultaneous nostalgic celebration and luxury culinary experience.
Notable attendees of the event included Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Chief Keef, Katie Maloney, Dayna Kathan, Ryan Cabrera, Lexie Bliss, Kelly Rizzo, Jack Martin, Gray Fagan, Wes Armstrong, Brandi King, Kai Kaster, Natalie Alyn Lind, Grays World, among others.