Last week marked the second annual Dark Horse Beefsteak Dinner at McGreivey’s. This laid back beer dinner hasn’t changed much from last year’s event, which is a good thing. The seat price is an absolute steal considering the amount of food, including all you can eat filet, and beer is served at the event. I didn’t have as much freedom to move around to take as many pictures like I did last year so make sure you check out that post with a little more in depth commentary as well.
On Monday night a whole slew of friends braved the impending “storm” to head out to The City Beer Hall’s Artisanal Beer Dinner (you can check out fellow blogger Kim’s post on dinner here). The storm that night ended up being a dud, but thankfully Chef Dimitrios and his crew, pictured above, put together a dinner and pairings that were anything but.
It’s been a while since my last beer dinner at The City Beer Hall and unlike most of the Wild Game Nights that center around the lineup from a specific brewery, this was open to the full range of offerings from local distributor Remarkable Liquids. It was nice that some limited releases were brought in just for the event and were poured for the first time or not available elsewhere in the state. Let’s take a look at the pairings of the night: Continue reading
Thursday night was the latest of Jared Kingsley of Remarkable Liquids’ beer dinners, this time at McGreivey’s in Waterford, featuring the beers from Dark Horse Brewing Company. Dark Horse, out of Marshall, MI, is known in the craft beer circles for their citrusy IPAs and big, roasty stouts. Oh, and turning down having their beer featured in a Nickleback video because “It’s shit rock and roll that doesn’t deserve to be on the radio”. Just awesome.
It’s incredible to see just how far Tree House has come in the past year. It feels like just yesterday I was asking the only person I knew in MA at the time, Alec of Armsby Abbey, what Tree House’s story was (thanks to Jeff for reminding me of this).
Thankfully Paul and Jeff (neither of whom I knew at the time but thanks to Tree House I now consider good friends) pushed me over the edge and I made my first visit to what has now become one of my favorite breweries. Fast forward to today and Tree House has gained national recognition in the beer community, their beer is traded all over the world, and here they are being featured in a world class beer dinner at one of the top bars in the country, Armsby Abbey.
Freshly extracted lamb brain
– These lil’ guys are gonna be used for the ravioli’s at the Armsby Abbey Hill Farmstead Dinner on Monday night. Can’t wait!
Just click here. I may have just pooped myself.
Reception
VT Cheeses, Fresh Tougas Farm Fruits, Princeton Honey
HF/Alchemist Collaboration Walden
Course 1
(Family Style)
Charcuterie
Smoked Beef Tongue
Rabbit Terrine
Chicken Liver Pate
Head Cheese
Accoutrements (Caraway-Bacon Braised Cabbage, Stone Fruit Mostarda, Pickled Shallots, Crostini)
Hill Farmstead Life Without Principle
Course 2
Watermelon Carpaccio
Compressed Watermelon, Queso Fresco, Shaved Jalapeño, Cumin Oil, Lime Salt, Cilantro
Hill Farmstead Edward
Course 3
Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
Heirloom Tomato, Charred Octopus, Fried Pig Ear, Serrano Oil, Chervil
Hill Farmstead E.
Course 4
Crispy Sweetbreads
Veal Sweetbreads, Squash Puree, Sweet Corn, Foraged Mushrooms, Cultured Goat Butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, Lemon, Espelette
Hill Farmstead Art
Intermezzo
Woodbury Wellfleet Oyster, Corn Foam, Creme Fraiche, Chive
Course 5
Pork Rillon
Pork Belly, Stone Fruit Chutney, Onion Soubise, Preserved Lemon, Bitter Green
Hill Farmstead Society and Solitude 4
Course 6
Lamb x2
Lamb Brain Ravioli, Confit Lamb Shoulder, Pulled Eggplant, Fire Roasted Peppers, Charred Tomato Puree, Salsa Verde
Hill Farmstead Civil Disobedience 4
Course 7
Sweet Relief TBD
Stone Fruit focused goodness from our Pastry Chef
Hill Farmstead Anna
They go on sale at noon. This might be a good birthday present to myself.
Cooperstown, NY: Outstanding Beer Dinner at Brewery Ommegang with Ric Orlando – Part 2 [Hell Dinner]
(Continued from Part 1…)
At this point the wait staff brought out something I wish was sitting on the table the whole night: salted habeneros. This was a simple mix of salt, vinegar, and habeneros ready to kick up any dish that needed a little lot of kick. I put just a spoonful in my mouth and while I had spent the rest of the night determined that I wasn’t going to need a drink of water, I had to break down and take a gulp. This was exactly was I needed on the Tie Dye Pie!
The fourth course was the one I was looking forward to least: Espresso-Habanero Glazed Escargot, Tortelloni, and Edamame paired with the Ommegang Abbey Ale. I’m not a big fan of molluscs of any form (I can sometimes choke them down with a little lubrication from some melted butter, but beyond that, no thanks). They just look… slimey. With a little encouragement from my tablemates, I chowed down. OK, not nearly as bad I expected. And with the habanero sauce, I cleared the plate. I’m not saying I would go out of my way to order this again, but this has definitely squashed me fear of snails and if they end up in front of me I won’t mind tackling them again.
The fifth course was the one I was looking forward to the most. I mean, it had “Harissa from Hell” in the title. After Googling what the hell harissa was, I couldn’t wait to try a ghost chili version. This was served with Lamb Shank Tagine paired with Art of Darkness, the only beer on the menu I haven’t had yet. Expectations were high for this course. But the thing about the harissa is that it has a ton of different ingredients and spices in it, not just ghost chilies. So after having the salted habeneros, this seemed tame as well. So I piled on the habeneros, obviously! This dish “kicked up” was pretty damn good.
At this point of the night the Chef took his coat off and hung out at the table, to have some beers and BS, which was totally cool. (Yes, his shirt says “Got Dim Sum?”. Totally badass.) We finished the meal with a little dessert: Mocha Chipotle Glazed Chocolate Cupcake, White Chocolate Dipped Serrano Chile and Mole Truffle Pot du Chocolate paired with Three Philosophers. I don’t remember a cupcake, but I do remember a Chinese soup spoon filled with chocolate topped with whipped cream with ghost chili flakes. Chocolate and chili go together so well. It’s one of the reasons I like Cigar City’s Hunahpu so much (which would have paired incredibly with dessert, btw). All of this was amazing, except the serrano. This was the hottest thing we tasted all night. I don’t even know why this was. Serrano’s aren’t even that hot. But I took one bite and threw in the towel and I was not the only one. Many did not even touch the thing. I don’t blame ‘em.
I can’t get over how good this dinner and the night as a whole was. Ommegang’s new digs are beautiful and was the perfect setting for a dinner like this. I can’t wait to go back (for BCTC and Darius Rucker). Chef Ric Orlando puts on such an amazing spread and is such a good storyteller he provided the meal and the entertainment for the night. If you’ve never gone to one of his New World locations, stop what you’re doing and do so immediately. And if you’re smart, you’ll keep an eye out on the Great Beer Deserves Great Food Blog and make sure you hit up the next event.
matthew 'fuj' scher 