Heights Eats

As loyal readers know, we were given a couple free tickets to Brewzilla. Sarah had no interest in going, so I went with my friend Chuck.

Chuck’s first comment was that the Galleria was really active for this time of night. There were large crowds of people there already even though we arrived at 7pm, the start of general admission. We were given a set of 25 tear off tickets, a 5 oz. beer glass and a huge soft pretzel, apparently for the purpose of absorbing some of the alcohol.

The number of participating breweries–eighty–was incredible. Each of these was serving between 2–5 different beers, so there were literally a few hundred available samples. I tried to stick to beers I hadn’t previously tried, and most of them were really good. There was also excellent local representation: 13 breweries from Northeast Ohio. The Brew Kettle’s Quick Kriek was an excellent, slightly dry cherry beer, and Fat Head’s Phantom … continue reading

People often discuss pairing wine and food, but beer’s compatibility with food is sometimes overlooked (although this seems to be changing). As Spicehound has pointed out, there’s a diversity and complexity of flavors found in beer that makes it wonderful with a variety of dishes. I’ve recently taken to enjoying Belgian-style beers with restaurant meals. While the food at Fire would be great with tap water, the Ommegang Three Philosophers (Quadrupel Ale with a hint of cherry lambic) I had lately there took everything up a few notches. The carmelization of the malts in some beers (i.e. Maillard reactions) often work well with seared meats. Alton Brown recently pointed out that both porters and porterhouse steaks originated at restaurants that served British porters, and that, not surprisingly, a porter is great with a porterhouse steak.

Sometimes a beer even only seems to fully reveal itself in the presence of food. I don’t generally like Dogfish Head’s Theobroma (a chocolate-cayenne-honey beer) but it … continue reading

This will be the first of three reviews for restaurants in Traverse City, Michigan. Cleveland readers may ask, “Why should I read this?” First, the beaches on the shore of Lake Michigan are beautiful and clean. The pictures below are from a few years ago (Sarah the photographer didn’t come along this time) but not much has changed:

The state of Lake Erie is a bit sad in comparison. Sleeping Bear dunes, about 35 minutes away, are great as well, where you can climb to the top or just look down at a stop along the scenic drive. I grew up in Traverse City and visit both of these sites regularly when I go back. The winters are brutal, though, which might be part of the reason everyone is so happy (with gratitude) in the summer.

But anyway, the food scene is excellent there as well. I visited Jolly Pumpkin Brewery twice, once with my family and once with friends. Jolly Pumpkin… continue reading

Local brewery Indigo Imp recently release a mixed 12 pack featuring their newest batches. Indigo Imp uses open fermentation, allowing local yeasts to help flavor the beer. So while their style is “Belgian,” the slightly sour flavors of most of their beers is truly regional.

Below are reviews of each of the three styles included:

Candi Man — This is their Belgian Double (i.e. double strength). The smell is yeasty and the flavor is slightly sweet with a subtle yeast sourness. The 7.2% ABV is very much hidden, and this basically tastes like a slightly stronger / more concentrated version of their Blonde Bombshell. This is a very refreshing beer that tasted great after a two mile bike ride.

Devi’s Wit — The appearance is a light straw color, and the aroma is fairly mild with hints of wheat and yeast. This was my favorite of the three, very full-bodied for a wit beer with an assertive, almost floral citrus and … continue reading

I have a weakness for a good hot dog. When I was seven years old, eating Sabrett’s spicy hot dogs from street carts was one of the highlights of visiting relatives in New York City. And I’ve “cheated” after a year of vegetarianism for an all-beef hot dog.

But not all hot dogs are created equal. Happy Dog’s version at the time of our last review was middling, a light pink version that was decent but saved by the toppings. They’ve started custom-ordering their own hearty, meatier all-beef version, though, and now they definitely serve the best dogs in town (or maybe anywhere).

The dog pictured below had bourbon baked beans, hot pepper relish, smoked Gouda cheese, a fried egg and cucumbers:

This was generally really good, but the hot pepper relish wasn’t at all hot. I should have ordered the habanero hot sauce, the one thing on the menu I’ve found that has a genuine kick (although I’ve yet to order the habanero … continue reading

Since the recently opened Revolution Brewing Company was the “Talk of the Town” on the Chicago Urbanspoon, Sarah and I thought we’d stop by for dinner on our recent visit. We both also enjoy brewpubs, especially those with beer cheese soup.

The feel of Revolution Brewing is a bit more upscale than a typical brewpub. More people were wearing ties and button-down shirts than jeans. The staff is very friendly and down to earth, though, and a sense of humor comes through in the naming of some of the beers.

I ordered an Anti-Hero IPA while we were waiting (briefly) to be seated. It was a great beer, full of floral (but not overly bitter) hops which was nicely counterbalanced by subtle malty sweetness.

For our appetizer we ordered the bacon fat popcorn ($4), which was loaded with fresh bacon, cheese and crispy sage. We all loved this (especially Jonathan) and might try something like it at home.

We never pass up the … continue reading

My friends Amy and Sunita offered to take me to a birthday lunch, and I picked the Brew Kettle. I work in Parma, and I hadn’t realized how nearby it was.

I started with the pumpkin ale, and the Brew Kettle definitely makes one of my favorites. New Holland’s Ichabod is a little bitter for me, and Blue Moon’s is a bit thin. While Dogfish’s Punkin is a great beer, it’s very rich tasting. The Brew Kettle’s is lighter and very drinkable. There’s a subtle and medium bodied flavor of pumpkin at the start with a clean, mildly bitter finish.

We decided on the buffalo chicken dip for our appetizer:

It was extremely good, packed with cheddar cheese, buffalo sauce, cream cheese and shredded chicken. It can be almost dangerously addictive, though. We probably shouldn’t have finished it between the three of us, but we did.

Sunita was waffling between the fish burrito and fish sandwich and chose the latter:

The fish was crisp and flaky, not greasy. The tartar … continue reading

Brewzilla

Beer Week Giveaway

Jolly Pumpkin

Indigo Imp Sample Pack

Happy Dog redux

Revolution Brewing Company

The Brew Kettle