The morning started with a "Reception Beer," to be drunk while we waited for our first course. Three Floyds Alpha Klaus was the choice. It was pretty good, a solid porter. It was relatively hoppy for a porter, but it finished clean so I didn't mind that (normally I do not care for hops much). During this time, we got to know some of our neighbors at the large communal table where we were assigned to sit. The entire place was packed, from the communal tables to the few four-tops around the room.
About a half hour into the event, our first course finally arrived. It was a twist on biscuits and gravy--a light, buttery, flaky biscuit tinged with citrusy orange, which we then covered in ham and mussel gravy from a family-style communal bowl. Really wasn't sure about this combo when I read it on the menu, but it all made sense on the plate. The gravy was creamy and rich, just as you'd expect, but instead of making it with sausage they made it with meaty chunks of ham. Then they tossed it all with mussels, which also went well with the gravy. The whole thing was really, really tasty, and went well with the Dark Horse 4 Elf that it was paired with. The beer is a "winter warmer" style and had a ton of spice. I really liked this one, and I know Tim did, too.
The next course was goose. Yes, goose. I'd never had goose before, but it was pretty good! They confit-ed the legs, then roasted and sliced the breast. They were served with a cranberry relish as well as some whole cranberries that were super sweet and tart, plus a "savory bread pudding" that was essentially traditional dressing, and some cracklings made from the goose skin. Oh, and it was all on top of some greens (we think kale). The confit leg meat was amazing, and tasted a lot like duck confit that I've had in the past. The breast was extremely meaty--it looked more like beef than poultry, really. It was fairly gamey but not overpoweringly so. The cranberry cut through some of the richness, and the cracklings added nice texture. All in all, an interesting and satisfying plate of food. It was paired with Anchor Christmas Ale (link is to the 2012 version--it changes a bit every year). The Ale was dark and had a lot of "Christmas" spices that complimented the holiday spirit of the dish.
The third course was the cheese course--Stilton, whipped with cream to make it not-quite-so-pungent, was served over poached pears with spiced walnuts, what seemed to be candied dates, and bit of granola. It was really interesting--the cheese, even with the cream mixed in, was pretty strong, but the sweetness of the fruits and nuts and the oaty-ness of the oats came together with the cheese very well. It was served with Gouden Carolus Noel, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. This beer was a 10%, and as such was pretty strong and a bit alcohol-y tasting, but it was spicy and fruity and went really well with this course. It had a raisin/prune flavor going on. Very interesting.
Finally, we reached dessert. The course was described as "Chocolate Ganache with Holiday Sweets," and indeed, that's what it was! In addition to a dollop of the smoothest, shiniest chocolate ganache I've ever had the pleasure of eating, we received a little tower of spice cake, some English toffee shards, and a peppermint shortbread cookie. All delicious, and all even better when dipped in the ganache. The beer for this course was the reason that many people attend this brunch--it was the 2012 Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus. The octane on this one went up even higher--14%--so we received a small portion. Whoa howdy, was this a sipper! It was sweet and almost syrupy with some raisin (again) and caramel notes. I enjoyed it, but the small portion was plenty. As you can imagine, it went very well with dessert.
At the end of the brunch, Chef Micah came out and announced that someone had a sticker on the bottom of their plate, and that that person was going to win a special prize. Low and behold, that lucky person was yours truly!! Santa came out to deliver my prize--a magnum of Anchor Christmas Ale and a bottle of Ninkasi Brewing Co Sleigh'r. Tim and I were pretty psyched! We'll be saving those for Christmas or New Year's, I think.Overall, this was a great experience. I tried some new things, I enjoyed the pairings, the atmosphere was jolly, and it was just a lovely time. We hope to do this again next year!
Website: Black Market
No comments:
Post a Comment