Rogue started with Morimoto’s Soba Ale and with the popularity and demand they created an amazing cheddar with it. The soba ale is to die for. It is so light and creamy with an intriguing flavor of roasted soba that keeps you drinking. Pairing the ale with the cheddar is an obvious match. The cheedar helps the ale pop and the ale calms the down the cheese.
At first Rogue beers were hard to come across, now the 22oz bottles are in every liquor store around. What makes Rogue Ales different from the rest of the Northwest craft brewers is their wine-like approach with their recommended food pairings, tasting notes and homegrown ingredients. Crazy flavor combinations like the Chipotle and Juniper Berry Ales put Rogue on a whole other level.
If you are in Central Point, Oregon, definitely stop in at the creamery to try as many cheeses as you can and have an unlimited selection of their infamous ales.
Rogue Creamery Rogue Public House & Brewery
311 North Front Street 673 Union Street
Central Point, OR 97502 San Francisco, CA 94133
(541) 665-1155 (415) 362-7880
Every time I walk through Andronico’s, I stop at the beer aisle and stare. Brown Sugar Ale? It always caught my eye, and finally my date said “let’s just give it a try”. I wasn’t going to argue. We barbecued some vegetables and buffalo and topped them both with Bone Suckin’ Sauce (make sure you buy the HOT). The hidden caramel notes of the barbeque sauce and the Lagunitas Brown Shugga’ Ale paired perfectly. If you have an Andronico’s near by, go get some fresh produce, buffalo, bbq sauce, and Lagunitas, you won’t be disappointed.
Info:
- 9.90% ABV
- Smaller head, spotted lace
- Medium Amber in color
- Smells like: Brown sugar (obviously), cinnamon, just all around sweetness
- Tastes like: Extremely flavorful, a bit of citrus came and went with hoppy and burnt caramel with the aftertaste of molasses
- Full bodied
- Velvety and thick finish almost syrupy
- Limited Release
- Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, California
- www.lagunitas.com
Being that the ABV is a bit high, and the smooth beer is so easy to drink…if you look below, my little date couldn’t handle this cervesa.
Zuni Cafe is one of the top rated and most popular restaurants in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. It is impossible to miss, taking up a full corner on Market St. with a giant yellow awning. I have read a bunch of reviews, and everyone raves about the oyster selection and burger. We caught great weather and decided to sit outside on Market. Probably the most entertaining meal of my life; this is by far the best place to people watch in the city.
To drink we had a bottle of Saison Dupont and a balsamic bloody mary. The Saison Dupont is hazy orange with a pure, fluffy, white head. Lots of lace and sediment at the bottom. The nose and mouth get similar experiences with extra citrus (lemon/orange peel) and a touch of coriander. There is hidden spice that comes out in the dry finish. It’s kind of bitter, but sweet and spicy at the same time, which creates a fantastic combination of flavor. There is something about this label that I love, it’s great that the orange look of the beer matches the checkered bottle. I was a little hesitant at first because it was so intense, but it grew on me for sure.
Although I was leaning on a glass of Chateau la Louviere 2005 Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend (12.80gl) from Bordeaux, I opted for the Balsamic Bloody Mary (9.25). My favorite part was the minced red onion which added a lot of flavor and a great texture. It wasn’t spicy enough for my liking but it did have the perfect balance of sweet and sour with their special ingredient, balsamic.
My date and I were both craving hamburgers, which is why we ended up here in the first place. Their House ground burger is described as being on a grilled rosemary focaccia with garden lettuces, aioli, and Zuni pickles. There were extra options to add, Gruyere, Mountain Gorgonzola, grilled onions, and portobello mushrooms. We got the Mountain Gorgonzola and grilled onions. The “zuni” pickles served on the side of the plate made this burger perfection. With the add ons to the burger it came out to 18.25. SO worth it. One complaint, the ridiculous plate of “french fries”. HA. They did call them “shoe string” on the menu, but come on. All I wanted was a french fry to go with my amazing burger, instead I got dried potato sticks that were impossible to pick up and awkward as hell to eat. Using a fork for french fries? NO thanks. Other than that, GREAT lunch!
Zuni Café
1658 Market Street
San Francisco, Ca 94102
415.552.2522
www.zunicafe.com
Published on
October 13, 2008 in
Adventures.
Tags: bacon, Beer, bobby flay, daniel angerer, hefe-weizen, iron chef, klee, manhattan, pale ale, sauerkraut, Stout.
Challenger, Daniel Angerer is the executive chef and owner of Klee in Manhattan, NY. He chose to challenge Bobby Flay for the battle of beer (he should have picked Symon or Morimoto). Anyway, throughout the episode, the dishes described by both chefs sounded unbelievable. Honestly, the execution was disappointing from both sides. Some of the beers used were Ivanhoe, which is an English Pale Ale (most used), Shiner Hefe-Weizen, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen (really smokey), and Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. Angerer was definitely more creative in my eyes, but clearly not the judges as, Bobby took the originality points. Chef Angerer made pretzel spaetzle, popcorn crusted chicken and beer creme fraiche. His best dish was by far his dessert, fruit cobbler with beer meringue that was lightly torched and topped with caramelized bacon. Chef Flay made more than one mistake this challenge, and the judges made this pretty damn clear. Although the judges raved about his dessert, Chocolate Stout cake with beer sabayon and a kick of red chile, the only thing I wish I could have tried was his take on sauerkraut. Served with his overcooked bratwurst, he sliced red cabbage and sauteed it with the Ivanhoe along with sugar to caramelize. Later he added a little red wine vinegar, mustard seeds and chopped tomatoes. I’m going to remake that this week and post the recipe. I was so excited for his manchego fondue, until it curdled and looked like shit on the judge’s table. Angerer ended up winning by 2 points, I was pretty disappointed in both for messing up the best secret ingredient I’ve seen yet.
(Bad quality because it’s a JetBlue screen..sorrrrry)
Meantime Coffee Porter
Being a true porter, there is a robust combination of chocolate, maltiness, and roasted barley. The coffee porter is so smooth and tastes like chocolate covered rich coffee beans. The natural caffeine is also a plus for coffee drinkers!
Info:
- 6.0% ABV
- Fermented with chocolate and lactose
- Big head, heavy lace
- Dark brown in color
- Smells like: Black coffee, chocolate covered coffee beans
- Tastes like: sour when going down, like black coffee, malty
- Velvety and heavy finish
- True to porter
- Each serving is equal to one cup of coffee
- Limited Release
- Meantime Brewery, London, England
- www.Meantimebrewery.com
Grade: A
