Tom Peters and Adam Glickman did something different this time. Stephen Beaumont, Chef Brian Morin and his apprentice, Michelle Usprech drove down from Toronto and took over Monks' kitchen and prepared a special meal for us all. I should say that Stephen is co-owner of the beerbistro and has built a great reputation for doing things first class. This restaurant certainly lives up to that reputation and has singlehandedly raised the bar for Canadian cuisine a la biere. Use of beer in the preparation of the dishes and development of "beer cocktails" has brought renown for this venue throughout North America.
I have known Stephen for several years now and he never fails to surprise me with new and innovative ideas in the world of food and beer.
The first plate was prefaced by a Pilsener from King Brewery in Toronto that is not available in this country. It was accompanied by a Pilsner Maki Roll, Spicy Crab Salad Tempura w/ soya and white beer wasabi. Not being much on Japanese food, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was an outstanding pairing.
Next up was Vapeur Cochon from Belgium, a wonderfully spicy beer, and with it, Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Mousse w/chocolate stout jelly, banana onion Raison d'Etre jam and toast. Again, the number of times I've eaten foie gras can be counted on one hand, but this was very tasty and complemented well by the choco stout jam made with Rogue Chocolate Stout and the Raison d'etre jam.
For the entree, we were treated to another beer you won't see on the East Coast. It was from the Jolly Pumpkin Brewery in Michigan. Roja is a Biere de garde style amber ale. We had a Roast Fruit Beer Marinated Veal Loin w/ sweetbreads, smashed potatoes and wild mushrooms. The veal loin, potatoes and mushrooms were excellent, but I draw the line at sweetbreads. I did not eat them in Belgium, but I decided to taste them here as I was feeling adventurous. They didn't taste bad, but the thoughts of what they are, just make it impossible for me to eat.
Next, we had a cheese plate with Le Grand Chouffe & Le Fetard Quebec, Rodenbach plum compote, honey comb and toast accompanied by Ridgeway Bitter from England. It was an outstanding pairing and prepared us well for dessert.
Not that we weren't already stuffed, a Raspberry Tower, Chocolate Framboise Mousse Skor Bar & Dragon Stout Ice Cream looked and tasted too good to pass up. With it, we drank a "beer cocktail". A blend of Taylor Fladgate Port and Victory Storm King (dubbed "Any Port In A Storm") made the most exquisite beverage. being a great lover of Port and Storm King, this couldn't go wrong! I found it to be the hit of the night for me! I have some excellent Port at home........hmmm??!!
Needless to say, we had a great time and it primed us for the trip to Denver the next morning. Check out my upcoming page on our 5th trip to the "Mile High City" and the Great American Beer Festival.
Upcoming at Monks will be the Holiday Dinner in December...a most unbelievable meal with lots of Christmas beers!!! Don't miss it!!!