Archive for category Dining Events

Bountiful Broue

Rain was pelting in sideways sheets and the wind was a ‘howlin. Not much could tempt me out on a night like that. Except Belgian-style beer, that is.

Unibroue's "anniversary" ales paired well with meats and cheeses.

Specifically, Belgian-style re-fermented Canadian beer sporting noir-ish labels that depict Quebecois folklore.

Novare Res Bier Cafe held what I can only describe as a seriously kick-ass, nine-beer Unibroue tasting last night. It was well worth getting drenched in the downpour.

Richard, the Unibroue rep, was cheerful, knowledgeable, and told damn good stories. Something about a flying horse and something else about a devil. Well, anyway, I truly did learn so much about these strong, (mostly 9%) award-winning ales that my head is still spinning.

Er. . .or, maybe I’m just a tad hungover (time for some Hair of the Kahn?).

Best-selling golden ale La Fin Du Monde kicked off the evening with its champagne-like effervesence. Triple wheat Don De Dieu followed right on its heels. But the evening really got swinging when the corks popped on the next few beers — Unibroue’s three, hard-to-find anniversary ales and its out-of-stock strong amber, Seigreuriale. Novare Res owner, Eric, matched these four with a savory selection of meats and cheeses.

What I (and many others) particularly love about Unibroue ales is that they pair exceedingly well with food. Balanced and full bodied, these brews have character and complex taste, yet they don’t take your tastebuds hostage (like say, a Victory HopDevil does — albeit in a good way).

Edition 2005, mahogany colored with a rich head of foam, was my favorite of the anniversaries. Paired with a Tuscan ham and blue cheese, the beer’s dark spice and cinnamon balanced the bite of the blue. Adam preferred the Unibroue 17, an intensely malty dark ale with mocha accents. We both loved the Seigreuriale — as did everyone else in the room. Its subtle notes of citrus and apricot tamed the salty salami and pungent New Hampshire landaff.

Quatre Centieme, a frothy blonde ale, held its own as a gingery palate cleanser before the dessert course. Then, hauled out with a bit of theatrics, gooey raspberry-filled donuts helped prove how Trois Pistoles conquers sweetness. Black and port-like, the popular dark ale is perhaps my go-to pick of Unibroue’s easy-to-finds.

Capping off the evening was a display of versatility by the strangely delicious Quelque Chose. Served three ways — lightly chilled, on the rocks, and steeped to 130 degrees — the ripe cherry, clove and honey flavors presented themselves in widely varying degrees. Fruity and refreshing, the iced version was my choice. I promptly pictured myself on a tropical beach sipping a frosty glass — fanned by palm-frond wielding muscle men.

All in all — a fantastic evening with a truly magnificent brewery. I’ll let Adam’s photos tell the rest of the story:

The hand-chalked Unibroue sign announcing the event.

Happy campers sample the brews.

The organizer of a Boston-based barrel-tasting event poses with his wife and oversized Unibroue bottle labels.

The three preparations of Quelque Chose: (From left: lightly chilled, heated and iced).

Coasters bearing Unibroue's distinctive logo.

Trois Pistoles tamed the sweetness of the gooey raspberry filled donut.

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A Taste of Holiday Spirit(s)

It had a cute name. And, I reasoned, “it has Guinness in it –how bad can it be?”

The makings of a Whiskey Mac

The makings of a Whiskey Mac

Bad.

If a forgotten concoction called Christmas Pudding has somehow appeared on your holiday cocktail menu – I’m tellin’ ya — just cross it off right now. It was, as the mastermind behind Portland Food Map declared, “revolting!”

This nasty drink was one of four “obscure holiday cocktails” recently consumed by Adam, myself, the aforementioned Portland food scene guru and fellow food bloggers Kate (The Blueberry Files) and S (Edible Obsessions). Click on over for their insights on our evening of arcane spirits.

Inspired by the season and the musings of local mix master John Myers, we gathered on a wintry night to sample – in order of consumption – the following holiday hooch: Whiskey Mac, Rye Flip, Christmas Pudding, and Glugg.

S, a cheese connoisseur, challenged herself to pair each tipple with an aged treat, and the results were the highlight of the evening. The woman knows her cheese!

First up — Whiskey Mac:
1-1/2 ounces of Johnny Walker Black and 1 ounce of Stone’s Ginger Wine met in a glass and made magic. The sweetness of the wine tempered the smokiness of the scotch and a smooth, golden liquid emerged.  A tad toothsome by the end, this palliative would be too syrupy to sip all night. But, as a pre-dinner conversation starter it gets a big thumbs up!

Bottom line: Have one – just one.
Pairing: A tangy Quadrella di Bufala set off the smokiness in the scotch quite nicely.

The dregs of a Rye Flip gunk up my wine glass

The dregs of a Rye Flip gunk up my wine glass

Next — Rye Flip:
Made with two ounces Rye Whiskey (Sazerac in this case), a raw egg, a teaspoon of maple syrup and a dash of nutmeg, the Rye Flip is essentially an anemic relative of the esteemed holiday classic — Egg Nog. Frothy and a bit viscous in the glass, the gooey gunk was kinda tasty, but felt like a cheap date compared to its creamy cousin.

Bottom Line: Opt for the Egg Nog.
Pairing:
Gabietou, a sheep and cow milk blend, elevated the Rye Flip to another level by providing the missing lusciousness. S knocked this one out of the park!

Then – Christmas Pudding:
A blend of 6 ounces of Guinness with one ounce each of Drambuie and Southern Comfort, the Christmas Pudding, tasted, at first, like an alcoholic root beer. Subsequent sips revealed it to be tragically cloying and – truly – disgusting.

Bottom line: Don’t ruin a perfectly good draft of Guinness!
Pairing:
Not even the lovely, semi-firm Landaff from New Hampshire could save this drink.

Finally – Glugg:
Kate secured the recipe for this marvelous Scandinavian precursor to mulled wine. Simmered on the stovetop and set on fire prior to serving, Glugg is warm, comforting and – literally – loaded with holiday spirits.  A blend of spiced rum, port, brandy, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom seeds and orange peels, it cheers the palate like Christmas in a glass.

Bottom line: Yes!!!!
Pairing:
A Rouge River Blue Cheese wrapped in brandy soaked grape leaves provided the perfect pungent counterpoint to the spicy toddy.

Hold the Cheese

Even though I eat lots of veggies as a matter of course, and I buy organic and local, I also am a “foodie” and with that comes a love of the finer things. So, when you consume as much fabulous Maine cheese and Portland bakery bread and beer and wine and cheese and butter and meat (and did I mention the cheese) as I do, then a periodic cleanse is a good idea. I take 5 days and eat nothing but fruit and steamed vegetables. I store away the wine glasses and martini shaker and drink tons of water (but, I don’t give up the Coffee By Design coffee — I’m not THAT crazy).

Caption Here

What I'm missing this week. Sigh.

It truly flushes my system and makes me more clear-headed.

When you live in such a great foodie town, though, scheduling the cleanse becomes a serious challenge. I was smart enough to stear clear of the Common Grounds Fair and the 20-Mile Meal (read a great write-up by blogger Kate of The Blueberry Files). I marked my calendar for the Maine Cheese Guild’s Open Creamery Day (I did tell you I love cheese, right?) and thought I was home free. I started the cleanse this morning.

But alas, I was just now surfing around for upcoming music shows and there it was on One Longfellow Square’s website — Food & Film — tonight! How could I have missed that? Sponsored by Rabelais Books, the monthly winter event is a favorite of mine. A food-oriented film is paired with the cuisine of a local chef. Tonight it’s “Sideways” and Back Bay Grill. Last month it was “Mostly Martha” and Bresca. Adam and I went to the September event. I’d never seen the marvelous German film (poorly remade by Hollywood as “No Reservations”) and who can resist the food of chef Krista Kern Desjarlais. Certainly not I.

Ah well, next month. I’m off to steam some veggies.