A taste of Hollywood at Wauconda's Side Lot Brewery

Wauconda's Side Lot Brewery brings the flavors from your favorite movies off the big screen and onto your plate. What's being called "A night at the movies pairing dinner" is a ticketed event scheduled for Sunday, August 14th.

"There are so many iconic dishes and cocktails we all know and love from the movies, so we thought it would be fun to build a special menu around those," said Phil Castello, Side Lot Brewery's managing partner.

The menu includes items like The Brown Derby Hollywood Cobb Salad, Goodfella's Prison Pasta, Ratatouille, Jurassic Park Chilean Sea Bass, and the Pulp Fiction $5 Milkshake for dessert.

"Each of the four courses will be paired with drinks such as the Blues Brother's Orange Whip or a California Pinot Noir from Sideways because we're not serving Merlot!" said Castello, referring to Paul Giamatti's character from the 2004 film Sideways.

This event is one of many the unassuming brewery has curated over the past year, some of which included a Full English Breakfast paired with their house-made brews. And a chili cook-off that put the Side Lot staff against each other to see who could whip up the best pot.

Side Lot recently hosted a tasting of fine wines guided by Castello, a Sommelier who is hosting another event, The Great American Bourbon Tasting coming up on August 9th.

"We're a brewery but passionate about excellent wine and crafted cocktails. My goal with events like these is to get people to think of Side Lot as a destination for more than just beer." Castello said.

Side Lot Brewery designed a food menu that stands out from other restaurants in the area. You can enjoy dishes like a poke bowl, chicken shawarma, and fried green tomato Sandwiches alongside the Smashburgers and chicken wings you would expect to see at a brewery.

"Don't forget about brunch!" Castello enthusiastically said as we were ending our conversation.

"We offer a brunch menu every Saturday & Sunday starting at 8 am. And every Sunday, fresh donuts are delivered to us by Elder + Oat Bakery in West Dundee." Castello said.

The unique flavors cooked up at Side Lot Brewery and the extra effort they put in to make their food and beverages stand out, make this spot worth a stop any day of the week.

Tickets for the Night at the Movies Pairing Dinner and the Great American Bourbon Tasting are limited. You can purchase tickets at SideLotBrewing.com and by clicking on the reservations tab.