Bell's Dinner @ The Porter

YUM!

That's all I have to say. Well, not really. Molly and Nick put together an evening of delicious food paired with one of Georgia's newest brewery arrivals, Bell's Brewery. Hailing from the tiny town of Galesburg Michigan, Bell's produces some of the best craft beer in these United States.


The Menu:

Fennel Soup
Bell's Oberon
*
First of the Season Heirloom Tomatoes, tomato mousse, gelee, garden basil
Bell's Oberon
*
Beef Tender, wrapped in lardo, hickory smoked, Nick's garden pickled vidalia
onions, potato salad
Bell's Amber Ale
*
Local Georgia Strawberries, black pepper ice cream, angel food cake, candied grapefruit zest
Bell's Pale Ale
*


The cold Fennel soup was a lovely introduction to warm weather dining and the Oberon's crisp feel and slight wheat taste was a nice complement and palate opener. Since it was not on the menu it was also a nice surprise.

I grow heirloom tomatoes, I roast tomatoes for salsa, I stew tomatoes for sauce but rarely do I just sit down and eat tomatoes. The 'first toms of the season' proved that a slice or two of plain ole tomato is a good thing. Juicy, plump and floating on an amazingly light but flavorful pond of gelee, the season's first fruit cut the cream of the Fennel Soup and sent us down a new path that, once again, the cirtus fringe of Oberon was a PEFECTLY paired to guide. Topped with a dolop of Tomato Mousse that had the most delicate infused essence of tomato, this was an IRON CHEF winner for the secret ingredient of tomato if there ever was one. This paring spoke volumes of session drinking and eating, all summer long. I do not know how I missed the photo op here.

Beef, it's what's for beer dinners. Praise be to Nick for cooking the entre'e to perfection. Did I say perfection? Yes. I did. No need to ask how I wanted my temp, just bring it to SPOT ON! Wrapped in a web of pork and resting on a bed of potato salad, garden fresh pickled vidalia onions and paired with Bell's malty and somewhat toasty grain Amber Ale, this was actually all the beer dinner I needed. I should have let Tryon eat half of my serving since he stands a full 5" taller than me. But I didn't.



Let them eat, Caaakkke. Anyone that knows me knows that I like cake. The person that produces Angel food cake that looks like my grandmother Violet's biscuits and tastes just as good as they look is my new BFF. Period. Put it in a monkey dish with fresh local strawberries, black pepper ice cream, candied grapefruit zest, pair it with Bell's Pale Ale and you can marry right into the family. I believe you get the gist of how much I liked this over the top dessert.

That about does it for our first Porter Beer Dinner but not the last. I suggest that you stay tuned in and check their site for the next paired event. Don't forget about Monday nights at The Porter for the best beer deals in Atlanta.

Cheers to Molly & Nick!