St. James Beer Dinner

A few weeks ago, St. James proprietors Danielle and Richard Sutton, Stein's Deli's Dan Stein, and Chef Daniel Esses teamed up to put on a wonderful pairing of beer and food. The good folks from NOLA Brewing Co. also joined in and served some of their delicious brown ale all night long a la Lionel Richie.

NOLA Brewing Co. Brown Ale. I almost drank one thousand of these.

An amuse bouche of smoked redfish pate on a mushroom pinwheel with an essence of beet puree. Very gorgeous flavor in your mouth with the beet juice cleaning up the palate.

Braised pork belly with beer laden sauerkraut. The fattiness of the pork belly mingled quite comfortably with the acidic twang of the tender sauerkraut. I would have liked a touch more crunch on the pork belly but this is really just splitting hairs.

Loved the above. Beef cheek ravioli with sauteed kale. Just a wonderful example of pasta and simplicity.
Cheeses and quince paste.
Chocolate cake with an Ayinger ice cream and raspberry puree (the kind you buy from a secondhand store).

Each course was paired with a beer. Some standouts include a Fuller's ESB and a blonde Bruxelles. There was also an espresso stout paired with the final dish, which was very interesting. There were some beers we were not fond of, but that is a good thing. Disappointment would have reigned supreme had we been served Miller High Life and Blue Moon. So it was very enjoyable to get out of our comfort zone and try different beers. And for that, and the food, it gets a Birdie.

This Wednesday from 5-7 pm St. James will host Jeff Roberts, author of The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese for a meet and greet. Bart Bell from Huevos and soon to open Crescent Pie and Sausage Co. will be on hand passing out small plate creations. Huevos, if you haven't yet been, is worth the trip. Cost is free!