As I walked past Cafe Ba-ba-reeba in Lincoln Park a few weeks ago, I noticed a sign promoting the restaurant’s art and wine dinner series, which would be featuring the works of Goya. And since Goya is one of my favorite artists, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see his work paired with wine and delicious tapas!

The event cost $50 plus tax and tip, but it was definitely worth it. For that amount per person you get:

• A six-course meal
• A six-course wine tasting
• A lecture about Goya given by a representative of the Art Institute
• Two free passes to the Art Institute
• A $10 coupon for your next meal at Cafe Ba-ba-reeba

The food and wine were amazing. Each course was a relatively conservative portion, but regardless, six courses is A LOT of food and I was stuffed by the end. The menu was wonderful, filled with the restaurant’s focus for the month – rice & grains – along with seasonal ingredients like butternut squash and pumpkin. And of course there were typical Spanish ingredients like manchego cheese and jamon serrano.

The lecture was interesting, with the Art Institute lady talking about Goya’s life (I never knew he went deaf after a serious illness) and putting his work into context. Since the lecture focused primarily on Goya’s works that can be found at the Art Institute, I was disappointed that there wasn’t even a mention of his Black Paintings (my favorites), but was glad to learn more about his less-known works.

All in all, it was a great event and I’ll be looking out for future art & wine presentations.