Uptown Grille Stone Brewing Co. Dinner
The Stone Brewing Co. dinner was the first in a series of beer dinners to be held at Uptown Grille. The next event - Bells Beer Dinner - will be held on March 8, 2010.
Course 1
Flash Fried Thai Curry Shrimp paired with Stone IPA.
Sweet succulent shrimp in a light flour batter, each piece has an ideal amount of the creamy & spicy coconut/curry/lemongrass sauce. The citrus notes of the IPA match very well with the lemongrass undertones of the coconut-curry sauce.
Course 2
Grilled Salmon with Ancho Chili Glaze served with Fire Roasted Jalapeno Polenta and topped with sweet potato shoestrings paired with Juxtaposition Black Pilsner.
Flaky & moist salmon coated in a smoky, sweet, & spicy glaze. The ultra-creamy polenta had an intense heat coursing through it & the shoestrings added a crunchy texture.
An unrelenting bitterness was present in the pilsner, which played well with the spiciness of the polenta & ancho glaze.
Course 3
Pepper encrusted Beef Medallion with Garlic Sauteed Spinach served with Brandy Caramelized Shallots and Cherry Demi with Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale.
Cracked black pepper lent a crunch to the toothsome beef. The shallots were incredibly sweet & complimented the slightly tart cherries very well.
While spinach may seem out of place, it provided a reprieve from the sweet and spicy flavors that had dominated the evening so far. The vanilla oakiness of the Arrogant Bastard ale paired perfectly with the shallots & cherries.
Course 4
Pulled Wild Boar presented with Fried Plantains, Char-Grilled Pineapple with Hawaiian style Glaze with Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter.
Cooked for 11 hours with brown sugar & bacon, the wild boar was supremely tender. Intensely meaty without much gaminess, boar was a perfect choice for the final course. The glaze was sweet without being cloying, the plantains & pineapples worked as a foil for the richness of the boar. Grilled tartness in the pineapples & sweet banana-like starchiness of the plantains both worked tremendously with the tropical notes in the porter.
Slightly nutty, a hint of coconut, & a mellow coffee finish make the coconut porter a complex beer that stood well against the wild boar.
Course 5
Turtle Cheesecake with Homemade Caramel & Chocolate sauces with a dollop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Special Holiday Ale
A strong cream cheese flavor was present in the cheesecake, but was balanced by the sweet graham cracker crust & the homemade chocolate and caramel sauces. Interestingly, the ice cream works here as well.
The different levels of creaminess between the cheesecake and ice cream heighten the complexity of the dish rather than dampening it. Speaking of complex, the Holiday Ale (brewed with Michigan chestnuts, juniper berries, white sage, and caraway seed) had all kinds of stuff going on. Mellow herb notes at first segue into berry-like tartness and finishes roasted & firmly bitter. A definite winner next to the super sweet dessert.
Uptown Grille is located at 3100 E. West Maple in Commerce Twp, MI.
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Words by Joe. Photos by Henry.
