A moveable beer feast
A coast-to-coast fantasy beer dinner
Vino's Brewpub: One of the stops in our feast
Somewhere between the stereotypical hot dogs or pizza and the cuisine à la bière the Belgians
have given us, are the meals that most of us order in brewpubs.
Many brewery-restaurants host beer dinners to educate customers about how to pair beer and food
and about the delights of food prepared with beer. For such evenings, their chefs create special
menus, and while that is fun, we thought it would be interesting to put together our own beer
dinners from items we've found on brewpub menus.
This is truly a fantasy dinner, a progressive feast for time-travelers. After all, Stan is ordering
his appetizer in southeastern Pennsylvania, while Daria enjoys one from California. Then Stan is
off to the Mountain States and Daria to Texas.
We also must pretend that we have bottomless, cast-iron stomachs. Many of these items would constitute
a meal by themselves. Also, brewpub menus change, so the restaurants may no longer offer some of these dishes.
Time to eat. And drink. Prosit.
Appetizers
Stan starts with the Smoked Gouda Cheese Loaves with Roasted Peppers and Balsamic Vinaigrette from
Victory Brewing Co. in Downingtown, Pa. Victory's beers have developed a cult following in the three
years since the brewery opened, so it's not surprising the brewery's pub puts the same emphasis on quality and fresh ingredients.
The recipe for Smoked Gouda was conceived to show off the restaurant's woodburning ovens.
The wedges of cheese are combined with whole-grain mustard and spices and wrapped in puff pastry, and
served with marinated roasted red peppers atop a bed of specialty greens tossed with balsamic vinaigrette.
The acidity of the peppers and vinegar contrasts nicely with the creamy cheese and rich pastry.
While it's hard to visit the pub - located in a former Pepperidge Farm bakery - without ordering HopDevil
India Pale Ale or one of the legendary seasonal beers, the recommended beer here is Victory Festbier, a very fine Märzen.
Daria orders the Garlic Fries from any of Gordon Biersch's fine establishments. They're so simple,
yet so delicious, that restaurant reviewers regularly single them out. Garlic Fries are a great way
to whet the appetite, while you wet it with one of Gordon Biersch's German-style lagers. Two of our
favorites are the Dunkel and the Märzen.
Gordon Biersch was one of the first brewpubs to realize that the strength of the kitchen usually plays a
vast part in a brewpub's success. While some menu staples can be found at all locations, the chefs incorporate
regional ingredients into many of their dishes. The food's presentation is something to admire as well;
often, the plates are works of art.
Salad
Daria chooses the Grilled Vegetable Salad With Sesame-Ginger Vinaigrette from Copper Tank Brewing Co.
of Austin, Texas. Green and red peppers, tomatoes, corn, onions and portobello mushrooms are grilled
over an open flame, then tossed with greens and a delicious, Orient-inspired dressing. Copper Tank
recommends pairing it with a hoppy pale ale or pilsner.
Stan orders Caesar Salad with Focaccia from Il Vicino Wood Oven Pizza & Brewery, which operates in
Colorado Springs and Salida, Colo., and Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N.M. Each of the pubs is
attractive for different reasons - for instance, Salida was recently picked as one of
those small-towns-you-haven't-heard-of-but-should-want-to-live-in by Men's Journal.
The pub in Santa Fe, which doesn't have a brewery, is only two blocks from the famous Plaza.
The Caesar Salad offers a fine excuse to order Wet Mountain IPA, a hop attack in a glass
that follows through with a proper balance of malt. The IPA complements a solid dose of
garlic in the salad. The Focaccia, which includes honey in the recipe, stands fine by itself.
Soup
Stan orders Stilton Cheese Soup from Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland. Great Lakes
uses its Dortmunder Gold, a Dortmunder Export-style beer, in the recipe. Great Lakes'
Burning River Pale Ale is a perfect complement, cutting right through the rich cheese taste.
Great Lakes' brewpub is located just a block from Cleveland's West Side Market and
uses many fresh ingredients from there. The pub is in a building that dates to 1860
and once housed the Market Tavern and McLain's Feed & Seed. There are eight cozy
dining areas, and while the tap room with its magnificent mahogany bar and back
bar is terrific, we favor a spot in the sandstone beer cellar.
Daria orders the Roasted Corn and Chipotle Soup from Blue Corn Café & Brewery in Santa
Fe. This is a thick, creamy soup for those who really love the taste of fresh corn.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce add some heat to cut the sweetness, and smokiness
to complement the roasted corn. Brewer Cullen Dwyer recently won Best of Show at
the New Mexico State Fair Pro-Am, and several of his beers would pair nicely
with the soup. She'll go with something malty but not too sweet or heavy in body, like a Vienna lager.
Blue Corn is in a Pueblo Revival-style building on the outskirts of Santa Fe, with plenty
of seating both indoors and out, and a large bar area. A non-brewing Blue Corn is right
on the Plaza, and nearby is the fine dining landmark, La Casa Sena, which has the same
owners as the Blue Corns. The walls of La Casa Sena's cantina are covered with
paintings by Frank Applegate, Stan's great-uncle. We've found most styles of
beer pair well with them, and are best enjoyed while listening to the cantina's
singers perform show tunes.
Entrée
If she weren't already having two corn dishes, Daria would order the Shepherd's
Pie from Gritty McDuff's of Portland, Maine. It's hearty and flavorful comfort
food made with a good dose of creamed corn. Instead, she'll go with the Anasazi
Chicken from Cottonwood Grille & Brewery of Boone, N.C. This dish combines
grilled chicken breasts with a sauce made with ancho chiles, goat cheese, wine,
brown sugar and Parmesan cheese. The chicken and sauce are topped with "tobacco"
onions - onions coated in a spicy flour mixture and fried -- and served with black
beans and saffron rice. The result is a dish that's greater than the sum of
its parts. With Anasazi Chicken, you'll want a beer that's not overpowering,
but with enough flavor so that it won't get lost. Cottonwood recommends an amber ale.
Stan orders BBQ Pork Tenderloin with Jamaican Jerk Seasonings and Tamarind-Apricot
Glaze from Deschutes Brewery & Public House, Bend, Oregon. Owner Gary Fish points out
that the emphasis was on food when the brewpub opened 10 years ago, and even
though Deschutes has written a terrific beer success story - opening a
separate microbrewery that has grown into a regional brewery - the brewpub
remains much the same. While the shiny copper-topped bar may beckon when
you walk through the door, stop to look at the specials board. There's an
everyday pub menu, then an endless variety of special dishes posted for both
lunch and dinner. Deschutes' Black Butte Porter underscores the earthiness
of the barbecue and complements the spiciness of the seasonings.
Dessert
Daria selects the Sticky Toffee Pudding from St. Louis Brewery & Tap Room in St. Louis.
It's not really a pudding in the American sense; it's a dense, rich cake made with dates
(think plum pudding), topped with a warm caramel sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.
The Tap Room's foody Oatmeal Stout goes perfectly with this. Hang around in the
popular brewpub and try one of the cask-conditioned ales, while watching the
brewers at work behind floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
Stan orders a Chocolate Calzone from Vino's Brewpub in Little Rock, Ark. The traditional
calzones and pizza here would make any big-city Italian restaurant proud, but this bit
of chocolate decadance isn't a menu regular. You'll have to call owner Henry Lee in
advance and may have to do some begging, but when the calzone arrives with chocolate
zigzagging across the top, you'll be glad you did. Lee recommends serving it with a
hazelnut brown ale, but that's not a regular at Vino's, so you may want to go with
the Lazy Boy Stout or one of the rotating specials if it seems appropriate.
Vino's is a fine place to finish a meal, because at least four nights a week there's
live music in the back room. The club emphasizes alternative rock and folk music,
including Celtic. Green Day and Better Than Ezra played there before they became
famous. There are plenty of suits and ties at happy hour, but Vino's is also popular
with the tattooed and pierced crowd. "We're a little too laid back, a little too
weird for a lot of people," Lee said.
Not the sort of place you expect to find cuisine à la bière, at least until you get to dessert.
This story orginally appeared in All About Beer Magazine in 1998.
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