Tag Archives: food pairing

Belle Vie Belgian Beer Dinner Thursday

Check out this Belgian Beer Dinner tomorrow at Belle Vie in Midlothian Thursday March 21st starting at 6:30pm.  Six Belgian beers will be paired with the cuisine of Chef Xavier.

MENU

1st course
La Soupe à la Bière Belge (Belgian Beer Soup)
Chimay White

2nd course
Les Coquilles St Jacques au Velouté de Choux Fleur (Scallops served with a Cauliflower Velouté)
OR
Le Poulet à l’Estragon (Chicken with tarragon special sauce)
Hommel Popperings

3rd Course – Le Trio d’Entrées
Le Hachis Parmentier Facon « Bruxelles » – (Mashed potatoes with meat and sauce)
&
Le Chicon au Gratin – (Endive with ham, served with Bechamel sauce)
&
Le Filet de Cabillaud et Sabayon à la Kriek (Filet of Cod served with a Cherry Kriek Sabayon)
Monks Café, Leffe Blonde, Maredsous 10

Le Dessert
La Véritable Gauffre de Bruxelles et sa Glaçe au Spéculoos
(Traditional Belgian Waffle served with Homemade Speculoos Ice cream)
Lindermans Peche

The cost for the dinner is $60.95/person plus tax and tip.  Call Belle Vie at (804) 379-3338 to make reservations.

Belle Vie European Bistro
1244 Alverser Plaza
Midlothian, VA 23113

Andy Hannas’ Farewell Devils Backbone Beer Dinner At Acacia

Next week will be  Andy Hannas’ last week as sous chef at Acacia Midtown before leaving Richmond at the end of the month. To commemorate this event,  Devils Backbone rep Warren Haskell and Andy have planned a beer dinner next Wednesday March 13th starting at 6:30pm. Andy has been responsible for planning the menus for many of Acacia’s past beer dinners and desert pairings.  If youhave enjoyed any of his past preparations, you are going to want to come and say good bye.   

MENU

Reception
Chapel Creek Oyster on the Half Shell with Pickled Ginger Mignonette
Pin of Garland (dry hopped blonde ale)

1st Course
Fluke Sashimi, Pickled Plums, Tempura Sea Beans, Yuzu Ponzu, Foie Gras Emulsion
Congo Belgian IPA

2nd Course
Miso Glazed Grouper Cheek, Napa Cabbage Salad, Toasted Rice Powder
Vienna Lager (classic german style amber lager)

3rd Course
Housemade Spiced Pork Sausage, Peanut and Scallion Waffle, Bok Choy, Hoisin Sauce
Schwartz Bier (german style black lager)

Cost for the dinner is $30/person excluding tax and gratuity.  Reservations are recommended. Call (804) 562-0138 to RSVP.

Acacia
2601 W Cary St
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 562-0138

Whole Foods Presents Allagash The Cookbook Tonight

Allagash Cookbook1Tonight, Wednesday  February 6th, is the night Allagash comes to Richmond in a big way as Whole Foods Short Pump prepares dishes from Allagash: The Cookbook  to be available on their hotbar.  Copies of the book will be for sale for $35/each with author James Simpkins on hand for signatures.

Special drafts and bottles available for tasting and sales include:

FV 13
Yakuza
Smoke & Beards
Confluence
Interlude
Mattina Rossa (samples only)

The special food menu will be available throughout the week in the following locations

Chef’s Case
citrus cream crab cakes
Chicken Plantain Roulades
Grilled Swordfish w/Peach Salsa
Spicy Bacon-Chili Meatloaf
Grilled Lamb Chops w/ Mint Pesto
White Bean SaladPlatter Bar
Grilled Chicken and Cheddar Salad

Hot Bar
Stuffed Peppers

Pizza
Sausage Pizza

Soups(revolving)
Buffalo Chili
Pozole con Puerco
Chicken and Dumplings
Beef Barley and Bacon Stew
Sweet Potato Bisque

Head over to the Facebook event for more information.

Screens N Suds Belgo-American Beer Dinner

To start off the celebration of their fourth year raising money to fight Multiple Sclerosis, Screens N Suds has teamed with TJ’s at the Jefferson to host a Belgo-American Beer Dinner tomorrow Friday October 12th starting at 7pm.
MENU
First Course
Roasted Fall Apple with Rabbit Mousse, Walnut Pangani Crisp
Leffe Blond & Hardywood Singel

Second Course
Savory Tiramisu: Pork Cheeks, Parsnip Mousse, Maredsous Roasted Root Vegetables, Pork Rind Coco
Maredsous Brune & Flying Dog Disobedience Dubbel

Third Course
Fennel Roasted Branzino with Coriander Spaetzle, Tomato Vermouth Nage
Bosteels Tripel Karmeleit & The Bruery Tradewinds Tripel

Fourth Course
Homemade Fig Newton with Blue Cheese Ice Cream, Salted Caramel
De Dochter van de Korenaar Embrasse & Ommegang Three Philosophers

The cost for the dinner is $50/person plus tax and gratuity. Tax and Gratuity.  A portion of the dinner proceeds and all of Screens ‘n’ Suds sales will benefit MS Society Central Virginia Chapter and Virginia Association of Free Clinics.

Dinner starts at 7pm. For reservations or more information, call TJ’s at (804) 649-4672 or email jonathan.kibiloski@jeffersonhotel.com. Cheers!

TJ’s at the Jefferson
101 W. Franklin St.
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 649-4672

Tempting Goose Island Beer Dinner at The Magpie

The Magpie is having a beer dinner featuring Goose Island tomorrow Wednesday August 8th at 6pm.  The menu from Owen Lane sounds absolutely delicious. I really wish I could attend but a food allergy and another commitment will make me miss it.  This just means you will have to go for me.  The Magpie has long been on my list of need to check out restaurants in Richmond.  With a menu like this, I may have to check them out sooner rather than later.

MENU

Course One
Nelson county peaches, prosciutto vinaigrette, fresh mozzarella ice cream, fried basil
Summertime

Course Two
Butter braised lobster BLT, Pecan wood smoked bacon, heirloom tomatoes, romaine hearts, deviled quail eggs, caviar
Sofie

Course Three
Poblano braised Berkshire pork cheeks, banana encrusted smoked camembert, spiced rum reduction
Matilda

Course Four
Smoked pheasant sausage, sous vide black, sweet bleu cheese, basil, pecans
Pere Jacques

Course Five
Pepe Nero ice cream float, vanilla ice cream, art in the age root liqueur
Pepe Nero

The cost for the dinner is $60/person. Call the restaurant at (804) 269-0023 for reservations.

Maybe tweet me a picture or two so I can live vicariously through your meal.

The Magpie
1301 W Leigh St.
Richmond, VA 23220

Flavor Festival Enters Second Year

Flavor – Beer, Wine, & Food Festival is back for its second year this Saturday, June 2nd from noon to 6pm at the Innsbrook SnagAJob Pavilion. A $25 sampling ticket will grant you access to over 60 beers on tap in the main area of the festival, including 9 beers from Wild Wolf, 10 from Sierra, 6 from Sam Adams, 4 Duck-Rabbit (including the new Hoppy Bunny ABA!) and many, many others.

For $10 more, you can get into the VIP section, which will feature a cheese and chocolate pairing by Whole Foods Short Pump with 9 special beers exclusive.

Exclusive Beers
Sierra Nevada Hoptimum
Sierra Nevada 2010 Bigfoot Barleywine
Ovila Belgian Quad
Thomas Creek Chocolate Orange IPA
Wild Wolf Strawberry Schwarzcake
Brew Ridge Trail Collaboration Ale (Belgian Wit brewed with honey and pear), brewed by Blue Mountain, Devil’s Backbone and Wild Wolf at Wild Wolf Brewery
Samuel Adams Dark Depths Baltic IPA
Samuel Adams Norse Legend Sahti (Nordic Ale brewed with juniper berries)
Cricket Hill Imperial IPA

Cheeses (all Whole Foods Market exclusives):
Havanero Cheddar
Robusto (Aged Gouda)
Smoked Seaside Cheddar
Azores Flores
Belavitano Balsamic

Chocolate
Caramel covered with Dark chocolate and sea salt paired with Bigfoot Barleywine

Head to the Facebook event page or festival website for more information.  Buy tickets for the festival here.

Innsbrook SnagAJob Pavilion

4901 Lakebrook Drive
Glen Allen, Virginia 23060
(Map)

Turning Restaurant Week into Beer Dinner Week

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that this week is the spring edition of Richmond Restaurant Week benefiting Feedmore.  Restaurant Week is the perfect format for testing out your beer pairing skills.  Of course, this works best at places with beer on draft.  Group participation would be required if using bottles.

Note: No restaurants have agreed to the pricing laid out below.  It’s just my wild imaginings.

Draft scenario

Pretty straight forward. Let’s say the restaurant’s highest draft beer is $6. You could request three four ounce pours of different beers with each course and agree to pay $7.

Let’s take Six Burner’s Menu for instance. Here’s what I would try to do. The beers I chose are only from the memory of my last visit there.

Course 1

P.E.I. Mussels, gruyere cheese caramelized onion beer broth with Hardywood Singel

Course 2

Skirt Steak and Frites, spicy cilantro tomatillo avocado salsa with Legend Brown Ale

Course 3

Chocolate Brownie, hazelnut gelato with Heavy Seas Black Canon

Bottle Scenario

With bottles, you will want at least two people to split 12 ounce bottles into 6 ounce pours.  Of course, this is the more costly method as you have to pair for each bottle.

Here are the places doing restaurant week that I know either have beer on tap or in bottles.

Six Burner

Bistro 27

Secco Wine Bar

Tastebuds American Bistro

Tarrant’s Cafe

Tobacco Company

Acacia Mid-Town (bottles only)

Once again, none of the places above have agreed to anything but I hope they think it sounds like fun if asked.

Hardywood Park Singel Reuben Sandwich

What can I say about Cassie Keene? She is the beer goddess that has greeted me at every beer tasting at The Empress. She has been featured in Richmond.com’s 5Qs with a Foodie where we learned about her love of kimchi.  On heels of announcing her upcoming restaurant, GinkgoRVA, I also learned that she will be having a kimchi and beer pairing at Kitchen Thyme on June 10th.  Fast forward a few days when Cassie tweets:

Lucky for you, she agreed to share her recipe and boy did she deliver.  Cassie proves once again that beer is what’s for dinner.

Enjoy!

PS. Today is also Cassie’s birthday so if you see her thank her for this tasty recipe.

Hardywood Park Singel Braised Corned Beef
Ingredients
2.5 – 3 lb. corned beef brisket flat
2 garlic cloves
2 medium shallots, peeled and chopped
24 oz Hardywood Singel
6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Put the corned beef fat side down, into a large dutch oven.  Add the garlic, shallots, pickling spice, and Singel.  Cover and place in oven.  Braise this for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Turn the meat.  Braise for another 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Turn meat again and add carrots.  Cover again and place back in the over for another 2 hours.  After 2 hours, check the brisket for doneness.  You should be able to puncture the roast easily with a fork.  Put it back in the oven for 30 minutes if it needs more time.  Remove the brisket from the pot and loosely wrap in foil.  I refrigerated mine overnight and then sliced it for Reuben sandwiches the next day.  It is much easier to slice thinly when it’s cold.

You can speed up this recipe by braising on the stove.  Braise on low heat for 90 minutes.  Add carrots and braise for another hour and a half.

I’m sure there’s a way to do this in a slow cooker.

*enjoy eating the beer infused carrots

Hardywood Park Singel Braised Sauerkraut

Ingredients
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1 dash dried thyme
1 lb fresh sauerkraut
6 oz Hardywood Singel
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions
In a large pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add a 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions, season with salt and cook until the onions have turned golden brown. Add 1 clove minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon chopped rosemary, dash of dried thyme, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir continuously for another minute. Add 1/2 lb fresh sauerkraut and 6 oz Hardywood Park Singel.  Simmer at medium-low temperature until all the liquid has reduced.

Hardywood Park Singel Reuben Sandwich 

Ingredients
Rye bread
Thinly sliced Singel Braised corned beef
Swiss cheese
Singel Braised Sauerkraut
Thousand Island Dressing
Butter

Directions
Heat grill pan over medium heat. Assemble sandwiches. Butter both sides of the sandwich and grill each side until it’s golden brown and the cheese has melted

Public Sale for Savor Tickets Starts & Ends Today

If you were planning on following Hardywood to SAVORSM: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, the public sale for tickets start today April 5th at noon (10am MDT).  Tickets will sell out quickly as they always do.  To help you out, here are separate links to Friday and Saturday night sales:

SAVOR Friday June 8th Tickets

SAVOR Saturday June 9th Tickets

Still have doubts about how much fun there is to be had at SAVOR?  Here’s a little ode I wrote immediately after last year’s event.

Ode to SAVOR

SAVOR, how do I love thee, let me count the ways.

Yes, there was the outstanding American craft beer.

Yes, there was expertly crafted food.

Maybe, it was the new breweries beaming with pride.

Maybe, it was the educational but entertaining salons.

In the end what, I really think makes Savor a great event were all the people I talked to on the sidelines, asking them what they tried and recommending some favorites of my own!

2012, here we come!

Good luck in getting tickets this year.  Hopefully, I will be joining you as well.