It’s rare we see what actually happens in a restaurant’s kitchen. ”Reality” TV shows like Top Chef and Next Food Network Star hardly scratch the surface of the true night’s service. With good reason, too, a successful service will have very little drama and hopefully be pulled off without a hitch.
For the first Atwater Brewing Beer Dinner at Bourbon Steak, we were lucky enough to experience the dinner from the behind the line. A four course beer dinner means each course has to be prepared in a strict timeframe. This requires an entire of team of chefs and cooks to work on each dish. While each course is being plated, there is a palpable level of excitement, maybe even anxiety, racing to make sure everyone gets their food at proper temperature. Watch the slideshow below for a peek into what the inner workings of a kitchen looks like.
Bourbon Steak and Atwater Brewing Beer Dinner
Menu:
Chef Randolph Supnet puts the finishing touches on the oysters
First Course
Dirty Blonde battered Oyster Rockefeller with Pernod braised salsify paired with Dirty Blonde Ale
Chef de Cuisine Shawn Simpson on Dirty Blonde, “It’s probably the perfect beer. It goes with everything.”
Parmesan breadsticks ready to go out.
Second Course
Detroit Pale Ale and Cheddar Fondue with house made parmesan breadsticks paired with Detroit Pale Ale
Chef Beau Burnett plating gnocchi
Third Course
Boudin Blanc (French peasant sausage made with pork and chicken) served with sautéed leeks, pickled yellow mustard seed, and fresh potato gnocchi with butter and fresh herbs paired with Teufel Bock.
Atwater owner Mark Rieth on Teufel, “It’s an eclectic and unique beer that you probably have four or five different flavors from start to finish.”
Plating the Argentinian Steak entree
Fourth Course
Argentinian Skirt Steak with classic chimichurri sauce and dirty rice made with chicken gizzards, fresh ground spicy pork sausage, and jalapeno. The dish was finished with grilled lime. Paired with Uber Ursa Imperial Pilsner, which was launched that night.
Rieth says, “Imperial has been used in the beer industry for six or seven years and it’s basically for ‘double,’ double the amount of hops, double the amount of malt, and typically doubles or triples the alcohol content.”
Cherry Stout Floats almost ready to go
Fifth Course
Cherry Stout Float with house made cherry ice cream, hot fudge, and cherry gastrique floated with Atwater Cherry Stout and served with salted streusel and toffee. Paired with Cherry Stout.
“We love a traditional stout, but we also enjoy using things from Michigan,” Rieth says, “One thing in Michigan is we’re known for our cherries up in Traverse City, so we used a Montmorency tart cherry concentrate.” He continues, “It imparts at the beginning a nice, tart cherry taste but the finish is all stout.”
The Uber Ursa should still be available in stores as part of the Atwater Single Batch Series.
This was the first in a series of beer dinners at Bourbon Steak. Check out Bourbon Steak’s website for upcoming beer dinners and other events. They’re also on Twitter.
