Having visited this brewery twice and having met Jef Versele in 2001 on the night before his nuptials, we had to attend this dinner. Besides, I figured they'd be serving some of my favorite beers.
The ubiquitous George Hummel introduced Jef to the group who proceeded to give a history of the brewery in his family. He is the 7th generation who has run this brewery and hopes that one of his children will follow in his footsteps and take over when he is too old.  But, being too old is a relative term. Jef's grandfather is 86 years old and still comes to the brewery every day. We met him in '01 also as he rode into the brewery on his bicycle!! See what beer does for your longevity!
Soon the festivities began!
The dinner started out with the Monk's Flemish Sour Ale which is brewed by Van Steenberge exclusively for Monk's and was accompanied by  what appeared to be foie gras on a french bread slice...tasty nonetheless.
A smoked rabbit salad w/sour cherry dressing and bucheron was up next served with Cherish Kriek, one of their lines of modern-day lambics....lightly sweet and refreshing.
The next course was a most exquisite selection. One of my favorite beers, Piraat, was paired with what was basically a Cuban sandwich made with wild boar, Ardennes ham, and truffle cheese served with pickled onions. The strength of the tripel stood right up with the spiciness of the sandwich and melded beautifully.
By this time, many of us were looking for relief from all the food, but the best/worst was yet to come. A couple of huge herb rubbed cowboy ribeyes showed up at the table and I couldn't believe it was for each of us! Served with some stoemp and courgettes, I knew this was a losing proposition for me. I picked at the potatoes and squash and a little bit of meat and wrapped the rest to go. My most favorite beer of Van Steenberge's lineup came with the entree, Gulden Draak. This magnificently big beer has enough caramel and sweetness to come out on top of the herbs and steak. It is 10.5% and has a nice warmth. Love it!!!!
Of course, I always save room for dessert! La Bete Noire is a chocoholic's delight! The dark chocolate mousse cake served with fresh raspberries was paired with, of course, Cherish Framboise, another of the sweet lambics produced by VS. It's slightly tart finish contrasted nicely with the bittersweet chocolate and complemented the tart raspberries. Tom always chooses the best desserts!!!
We got a chance also to talk to Jef who now has 3 children after 5 years of marriage. God Bless him!! He told us to come back and visit again and we hope to.
As usual, we waddled out of the restaurant and headed home. Check out my Events list and www.monkscafe.com for future events. See you at the next one!