The Basta/Bruery Pairing Dinner Prep
We are moving now closer to the showdown between Kelly Whitaker, Al Henkin, and me on pizza versus Patrick Rue on beer. It all began at, and was inspired by, this dinner at Basta – Wood Fired Eatery and Pizzeria, where Kelly and Al came up with a wonderful tasting menu inspired by some of the beers from Orange County artisan brewery, The Bruery. In this segment you will see Al and Kelly briefing their serving staff on the courses and the beers, including Patrick’s explanation of his IPL (Imperial Pale Lager as opposed to an India Pale Ale). There was a wonderful Farro Salad with Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese (one of my all time favorites), as well as Pan Roasted Divers Scallops, Quail, Rack of Lamb, and a thoughtfully selected cheese course (see Al’s mini-course on cheese and beer pairings in an earlier webisode). Most interesting of all is that Al and Kelly chose to go with a French theme rather than staying in their usual wheelhouse, Italian. Of course, they both paid their dues for years working in fine French dining, so this was but a mere dip into their previous treasure chest of training and a chance to flex their wings.
This all leads to our next webisode, coming soon, when we all sit down and come up with the Signature Pizza/Beer Challenge. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Enjoy this one first, an appetizer, so to speak, of things to come.
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I’d like to save the blog until I have more current posts. It’s a riff on a bumper sticker our CSA farm in Fort Wayne passed out before we moved 3 hours south. We knew our farmer and our food. Our transition to southern Indiana lost that connection until just recently. I’m excited to start plugging into the soil again. (I’m also a Master Gardener.)
I run The Flatrock Flatbread Company, doing the mobile pizza schtick halfway between Indianapolis and Louisville. I only judge beer and make some for storage (it seems I have no time to drink it). But I’m in a good position to connect our local food, beer and wine with our diverse population. Think Indiana, but add 60 architectural masterworks and the corporate and engineering headquarters of Cummins in a small city.
I don’t want to sell you on my dream. But I’m proud of my community and what the business is going to accomplish and I am thankful for your help and inspiration to get this far.