Neal Santos
CHEERS: Beer is obviously attraction numero uno at Philly Beer Week, but many bars and restaurants are taking it upon themselves to organize some serious beer-centric meals.
[ philly beer week 2011 ]
Meet the brewer, kick the keg, drain the firkin, tour the tanks, crawl through 10 bars, drunkenly chase the Hammer of Glory — with so much on your drinking itinerary, it's sometimes difficult to remember that eating is integral to not dying a painful Philly Beer Week (PBW) death. Here are our picks for just a few of the many cheffy, food-forward events for 2011's PBW, which runs June 3 to 12.
FRIDAY, JUNE 3
Eat: Noble (2025 Sansom St., 215-568-7000, noblecookery.com)
Drink: Stillwater Artisanal Ales (Baltimore, Md.)
Details: Noble co-owner Todd Rodgers says Stillwater's Brian Strumke, a relative newcomer to the East Coast craft brew scene, has a meticulous style that jives well with detailed-oriented chef Brinn Sinnott's plates. Judge for yourself with pairings like Sinnott's Korean barbecue cobia loin with Stateside (a Belgian farmhouse/IPA hybrid) and rock octopus with Debutante (another farmhouse brewed with spelt and rye). 5-11 p.m., $65.
SATURDAY, JUNE 4
Eat : Hop Angel Brauhaus (7980 Oxford Ave., 215-825-5357, hopangelbrauhaus.blogspot.com)
Drink: Various breweries
Details: Wake up early-ish to join jovial local beer scribe Lew Bryson for a wheat-beer brunch. Hop Angel is tapping light summer choices from Maine (Allagash White), Colorado (Boulder Kinda Blue and Sweaty Betty), Germany (Franziskaner Dunkel, Schneider Hefeweizen) and, of course, Philly (Flying Fish, PBC, Stoudt's, Tröegs, Victory). The kitchen will serve stuffed seafood crêpes, challah French toast and more. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., pay as you go.
SUNDAY, JUNE 5
Eat: Good Dog (224 S. 15th St., 215-985-9600, gooddogbar.com)
Drink: Iron Hill Breweries (Pa., N.J. and Del.)
Details : Thank Beer Zeus that the triple-floored Good Dog agreed to take this puppy on — it's gonna take all three levels to handle eight brewers from the eight tri-state Iron Hill locations, each of whom are bringing a specialty beer to pair with courses from chef Jessica O'Donnell. Think Sumo IPA (Wilmington) backing up fried chicken brined in the same beer; a Saison (West Chester) paired with chilled saison coco carrot soup; or a bourbon barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout (North Wales) to wash down cute mini Beef Wellingtons. 6-10 p.m., $100.
MONDAY, JUNE 6
Eat: Cantina Feliz (424 S. Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington, 215-646-1320, cantinafeliz.com)
Drink: Victory (Downingtown)
Details : Four courses from Nuevo Mexi chef Tim Spinner go along with beers from Victory — Veracruz-style mussels with Prima Pils and slow-cooked short-rib alambres with the brewery's new Headwaters Pale Ale are just a few of the eats in store. This prix-fixe will be available through June 9. 4-9 p.m., $26-$38 (beer pairing optional).
Eat: London Grill (2301 Fairmount Ave., 215-978-4545, londongrill.com)
Drink: Deschutes (Bend, Ore.)
Details: Philly craft brew heads might be most familiar with Stumptown's Rogue Ales, but Bend, Oregon's Deschutes has been around just as long — they just haven't broken into our market yet. Here's a great intro courtesy of the London: Deschutes brewmaster Larry Sidor will be in the house to talk up his wares (on draft!), which'll complement eats like Michael McNally's Singapore soft shells and braised goat mole. 6-10 p.m., $55.
Eat: Amís (412 S. 13th St., 215-732-2647, amisphilly.com)
Drink: Yards (Philadelphia)
Details: Yards' Tom Kehoe and Steve Mashington are busting out the goooood stuff for this four-courser cooked by Amis chef Brad Spence — the one-off "Brotherly Suds" (brewed especially for Beer Week) and two bourbon barrel-aged treats from the brewery's "Ales of the Revolution" series will pour alongside seafood fritto misto, mushroom/pecorino cavatelli and braised pork shoulder. Stick around after dinner for Amis' monthly industry night, which'll feature Asian street food eats from Buddakan this month. 6-9 p.m., $85, yardsdinner.eventbrite.com.
TUESDAY, JUNE 7
Eat: Resurrection Ale House (2425 Grays Ferry Ave., 215-735-2202, resurrectionalehouse.com)
Drink: B. United Importers
Details: In Philly, if you've sipped a peculiar and exciting craft brew from a country like Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, France or Japan, chances are B. United were the beer geeks who got it into your hand. The import outfit is teaming with RAH's Joey Chmiko, a bit of a rebel in his own right, for a four-course meal paired with some of B's prized beers, including some vintages. Chmiko's cooking grub like a pig trotter and foie gras terrine and braised Elysian Field lamb shoulder. 6-9 p.m., $70, reservations by email only: info@resurrectionalehouse.com.
Eat: JG Domestic (Cira Centre, 2929 Arch St., 215-222-2363, jgdomestic.com)
Drink: Flying Fish (Cherry Hill, N.J.)
Details: This evening, as part of "The Chef, The Brewer & The Farmer" series, will see Iron Chef Jose Garces and his crew crank out six courses that'll make quick friends with installments from Flying Fish brewer Casey Hughes' lauded "Exit" series. Check out fire-roasted Griggstown poussin with Exit 9 (a hoppy scarlet ale); Barnegat Light soft-shells with Exit 16 (a double IPA brewed with wild rice); and more. 7-10 p.m., $75.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8
Eat: MidAtlantic (3711 Market St., 215-386-3711, midatlanticrestaurant.com)
Drink: Stone Brewing (Escondido, Ca.)
Details: Those Arrogant Bastards from Cali's Stone are hosting an adventurous "nose to tail" lamb-and-beer evening at Daniel Stern's West Philly restaurant — sip Levitation Ale and nibble lamb's tongue sliders and lamb liver pate during the meet-and-greet, then move on to Saison du Buff with trotters and lamb gribiche, roasted spring lamb with Stone's stalwart IPA and other eats. 6 p.m.-midnight, $65.
Eat: South Philadelphia Tap Room (1509 Mifflin St., 215-271-SPTR, southphiladelphiataproom.com)
Drink: Founders (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Details: Founders, one of the most well-respected craft breweries in America, has a very special place in its heart for SPTR, one of the first bars to carry their products in the city. Once a year, chef Scott Schroeder spares no expense in putting out a serious feast centered around ultra-rarities Founders honchos Dave Engbers and Mike Stevens dig out of the most shrouded corners of their Michigan cellar. Expect beers like Misty Mountain Hop Brown Ale, All Day IPA, Cerise, the coveted Kentucky Breakfast Stout and something suspiciously named "Cashew Experiment." Schroeder's nine- to 10-course menu is still in development, but he teases possible dishes like salmon pastrami and crab eggdrop soup. 7-10 p.m., $90.
THURSDAY, JUNE 9
Eat: Southwark (701 S. Fourth St., 215-238-1888, southwarkrestaurant.com)
Drink: Sly Fox (Royersford)
Details : Southwark — yes, it's a cocktail mecca, but they know their beer better than most, too — is teaming up with Sly Fox and Hamburg's Country Time Farm for another "The Chef, The Brewer & The Farmer" installment. Four courses, four beers, including a house-cured coppa/dandelion green/radish salad with Pikeland Pils and a meat-lover's pork mixed grill paired with the brewery's Maibock. 7 p.m., $65.
Eat: Doobies (2201 Lombard St. 215-546-0316)
Drink: Carib Brewery (Trinidad)
Details : Doobies owner Patti Brett's Trinidadian husband, Preston, will get to flex his chef muscles for this casual Caribbean buffet event featuring Carib beers from his home nation. Get down on curry chicken, saltfish fritters, mixed greens with coconut milk and other island specialties, and wash it down with bottles of Carib's lager, ginger shandy or royal stout. 5-8 p.m., $17.
Eat: Memphis Taproom (2331 E. Cumberland St., 215-425-4460, memphistaproom.com)
Drink: Various breweries
Details: Memphis chef Jesse Kimball is well known for his skill accommodating vegan beer heads, and this five-course meal is a chance for him to really stick out his animal-protein-free chest. Truffled puy lentils, shiitake/leek dumplings, poached figs and even a vegan cheese course (made from algae, cashews nand brazil nuts!) will be paired with high-end booze from Jolly Pumpkin, De Ranke Mikkeller and other breweries. 6-9 p.m., $70, reservations by email only: info@memphistaproom.com.
SUNDAY, JUNE 12
Eat: Hawthornes (738 S. 11th St., 215-627-3012, hawthornecafe.com)
Drink: Various Scandinavian breweries
Details: Four courses and five Euro beers from the Shelton Brothers importers are on the agenda for this end-of-Beer-Week fête. Think Scandinavian dishes like Swedish meatballs in graddsas cream sauce and seared Pollock over scalloped potatoes; and plenty of difficult-to-pronounce rarities (HaandBryggeriet Hesjeol, a smoked harvest ale; Nogne-O's citrus saison) alongside. 6:30-8:30 p.m., $65, hawthornecafe.ticketleap.com.
For more Philly Beer Week coverage, visit citypaper.net/mealticket.
