Monday, August 12, 2019

Back to Monk's Cafe for dinner



Let's see if this thing still works. In all probability, I put too much "material" on social media that could instead make for better-reading blog posts here. But I'm beyond apologies; it's the way these days, it seems.

Enough hand-wringing. Let's talk about Monk's Cafe. Let's talk about how tomorrow, Tues. 8/13, will not only be the day that would mark my father's 96th birthday (!), it will also mark exactly 13 years and 11 months since I got things going with my first post here on The Brew Lounge.

It happened to be an epic beer dinner at Monk's with Dominque Friart and her St. Feuillen brewery in Belgium. By all accounts, it was the typically excellent beer dinner that Monk's had been and is known for in pairing foods and beers. My writing, on the other hand, was a bit raw now in hindsight. But it led to better writing, networking, embedding myself in the industry, writing for numerous print and online outlets, including my Beer Lover's Mid-Atlantic 416-page book covering the best of the region.

I bring this up because tomorrow night sees Monk's putting on another display of carefully considered beer and food pairings -- this one, featuring all things local on the plate and in the glass. Beers to be featured will come from Brewery Techne, Second District, Sterling Pig, Stoudts, Tired Hands, and Yards.

Beer dinners had reached, oh five or so years ago, the point of being a dime a dozen. Everyone wanted a piece of the action, though the best stood out head and shoulders above the rest. Some of the most usual suspects doing it well, like Monk's and all Iron Hill locations, have let these special, fixed price dinners mostly fade from the event calendar. At least, let's say, they're no longer held on a regular basis. Suppose it's just a sign of today's consumer preferences, but I'll still miss them and helps me look even more forward to what awaits at 7 p.m. tomorrow night.

I was in the back room at Monk's this past Saturday late night for the dessert course of a progressive dinner around the city. The pecan pie and Firestone Walker Parabola had me instantly anxious to return in three nights. If I do things right, you'll be able to check back later with my breakdown of Tuesday evening's tastes, sights, and sounds.





© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2019. All content is owned and uniquely created by Bryan J. Kolesar. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Kolesar is strictly prohibited. Excerpts, images, and links may be used with advance permission granted and only provided that full and clear credit is given to Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Contact Kolesar at TheBrewLounge@gmail.com


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