Last night's Fulton Beer Dinner at Barbette was spectacular. Chef Kevin Kathman mixed local foods with sustainably sourced seafood options that helped show off some of the best micro-brews in town. When we sat down, guests were treated to a short discussion about the importance of good food and community, followed by Heather McDougall's introduction of Share Project, a sustainability-focused start-up recently launched by Heather and her brother John.
Jim Diley and Peter Grande, brewers and owners of Fulton Beer, spoke next, telling us about the beers we'd be sampling and announcing that they'd just leased a new space for their brewery. And then we were ready to eat. And drink.
The menu, listed here along with beer pairings, doesn't do justice to the food we ate or the fun we had. Imagine incredibly delicious versions of what you read here, and then imagine them even better. Mouthwatering crab and shrimp cakes with microgreens. Perfectly prepared fried catfish on a bed of black eyed peas that had been soaked for days. Succulent pork shanks that had been cooked for four hours and fell off their bones effortlessly, on a bed of creamy, flavorful corn. Here's a look at the menu:
First course:
Dungeness Crab Cake with Shrimp
Citrus Emulsion, Assorted Herbs, and Wild Lettuces
Fulton Brewery Ruby Grapefruit Infusion
Second course:
Catfish
Collard Greens, Black-Eyed Peas, Sauce “Tartar”
Fulton Brewery Blond
Third Course:
Braised Pork Shank
Black Truffle Creamed Corn, Bacon Jus
Fulton Brewery India Pale Ale
Chef Kevin Kathman (left) and Brewer Jim DileyDessert course:
Warm Chocolate Cake
Salted Caramel, Espresso Ice Cream
Fulton Brewery Imperial Stout
The beer pairings were exceptional -- the grapefruit infusion and imperial stout were amazingly good, and paired perfectly with our food -- and I was thrilled to spend time with Peter and Jim to learn more about Fulton Beer, how it started (a home brew kit!), and what drives the company. I was especially excited to get to speak with Chef Kevin about the way he sources and prepares food. Having cut his teeth at the world famous French Laundry, Kevin told me that sourcing sustainably is "just the way it's done," and he offered high praise for Hidden Stream and Dragsmith Farms, where he sources much of his food.
This great note from one of our guests sums it up best:
"What a wonderful evening! Please pass on my gratitude to everyone involved. The beer, food, service, atmosphere, and company were all top notch and extraordinary. Cheers to you and your team!"
Thanks for being there, friends. See you again soon.
Lee Zukor is the founder of Simple, Good, and Tasty. E-mail him at lee@simplegoodandtasty.com or follow him on Twitter.
