Four Carmel dining establishments are joining the Center for the Performing Arts in presenting Savor the Songbook, a food-themed campaign to raise awareness of popular American songs. The campaign launches June 1, leading into the June 16 Encore Celebration Gala presented by Krieg DeVault.
Chefs at Detour: An American Grill, La Mie Emilie, The Flying Cupcake and Grille 39 have each created a specialty menu item. The creations are inspired by the musical contributions of the Great American Songbook Hall of Fame inductees: Cole Porter, Barry Manilow and the songwriting duo of Alan & Marilyn Bergman (creators of Barbra Streisand’s greatest movie scores including The Way We Were and Yentl).
The specialty items will be sold at the restaurants June 1-16. The songwriters’ biographical information will be displayed alongside the creations. The Encore Celebration gala evening on June 16, including the Great American Songbook Hall of Fame induction ceremony and concert, is the annual fundraising event benefitting the Center for the Performing Arts.
Savor the Songbook menu items and participating restaurants:
Wunderbar cake: La Mie Emilie, 15 W. Main St., will honor Cole Porter’s song “Wunderbar” from Kiss Me, Kate. The Wunderbar cake is a chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream filling (yes, it tastes “De-Lovely”).
Straw-Barry Manilow: The Flying Cupcake, 831 S. Rangeline, will honor Barry Manilow with the Straw-Barry Manilow, a strawberry cupcake made with fresh strawberries and topped with a chocolate sour-cream icing.
“This Duck’s For You” and “Could It Be Makers”: Grille 39 at The Renaissance Indianapolis North Hotel, 11925 N. Meridian St., will honor Barry Manilow and his hit “This One’s For You” with a special appetizer: “This Duck’s For You,” seven duck wing drumettes tossed in peanut-sweet chili glaze, served with gorgonzola dressing. Manilow’s “Could It Be Magic” becomes “Could It Be Makers,” a cocktail combo of oranges, pineapples, raspberries and bing cherries, drenched in Makers Mark with vanilla and cinnamon. Served on the rocks.
“I Get A Kick Out of You”coconut shrimp and “After the Rain” Drop martini: Detour: An American Grill, 110 W. Main St., will honor Cole Porter by serving “I Get A Kick Out of You”Coconut Shrimp and legendary songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman with an After the Rain Drop Martini. Detour will also serve the Flying Cupcake’s Straw-Barry Manilow strawberry cupcake.