In my family you know Wednesday as Clinic Night, which means mom will be out saving lives and won't be home for dinner. So when my my dad told me about this beer pairing dinner on a Wednesday night, I didn't hesitate to replace my mom as his date.
At first I was just excited for a little daddy-daughter date with some brewskies and good food, and then I found out that the beers were from Cedar Creek Brewery. If you didn't read about CCB before, it is the brewery at Cedar Creek lake, that my dad helps out with. (Dave wanting to spend his retired days at a brewery...shocker). So Dave and I headed through the puddles of rain back up to good ol' Plano and over to Taverna Rossa.
first course: "Patio Pounder" Pale Lager with a heirloom tomato/watermelon/feta/mint vinaigrette
The pale lager is a great starter beer that was very refreshing with more floral tone. This brew paired perfectly with the light fruit/veggie salad. Dave and I were thinking how we can mimic this salad, while all the other men at the table were shocked at how delicious vegetables and fruit could be.
second course: "Lawn Ranger" Cream Ale with fish&chips and "mushy peas"
The cream ale went from velvety to a little more hoppy. The hops counteracted with the fried cod and the creamy yet spicy chipotle tartar sauce. The fish was cooked perfectly and the batter was light and airy without neglecting the beer battered flavor. Dave is the king of fish&chips and these passed the test with flying colors.
third course: "Dankosaurus" India Pale Ale with adult grilled cheese and beer tomato basil soup
This wasn't my first time to try the "Dank", however slowly progressing through the other beers to this one really brought out the hoppiness without it being overwhelming. These pieces of Texas toast were stuffed with Havarti cheese, bacon and caramelized onions. We were all shocked by the full portions, however that didn't stop me from eating it all with an occasional dunk in the creamy basil tomato soup.
fourth course: "Gone-A-Rye" Double Rye IPA with baby back ribs, coleslaw, and veggie succotash
I'm not a huge Double IPA girl, but this was actually really good. It definitely kept up the bitter and hoppiness without being too heavy. At this point, we were already so full from clearing out the 3rd course that Dave and I went splitskies on the ribs and took the rest home for Mom. The ribs were good, however with Dave as my dad, I will never order ribs at a restaurant again in my life. (The man can do ribs like nobody's business).
fifth course: "Spinning Mule" Coffee Porter with brownie & Henry's vanilla bean ice cream
I'm not going to lie, I was beyond full at this point so a porter did not sound so appealing...until I tasted it. This was by far my favorite beer, it has such refreshing and creamy undertones and wasn't heavy like other porters I have had in the past. A bite of the brownie was enough for me, however it was delicious and beyond chocolatey. Don't worry I ate all of my vanilla bean ice cream. I mean it would have been rude since Henry of Henry's ice cream was there himself! If anybody is in Plano, head over to Henry's to try some amazing homemade ice cream.
*Apologies for the blurry brownie. After 5 full beers things start getting a little hazy, but still delicious.
Overall a great event filled with many flavors, great beers, and too much food. Check out Cedar Creek Brewery at local Specs, Whole Foods, Central Market and Total Wine!
