Monk's Cafe
2/23/10
Tomme Arthur has become
one of the superstars of the beer world. Starting out at Pizza Port-Solana
Beach, he gained renown by making small batch beers with some unusual ingredients.
His beers were sought everywhere, but quantities were limited because of
the capacity of the brewpub's system. Finally, he bought Stone's old brewing
digs in San Marcos and Port Brewing was born. He brews more styles in larger
quantities and is distributed in select areas of 8 states.
At least once a year,
Tomme comes East to host a dinner at Monk's and it is not to be missed.
You can always anticipate some rare beers and outstanding culinary selections.
First up, we were
served a new vintage of Red Poppy, a 5% Flemish Red Ale made with
cherries. Reminiscent of Rodenbach Alexander which was discontinued in
2000, the cherries lent a deeper tartness to the already biting brew...loved
it! It was paired with Duck Pate and was complemented excellently by the
dryness of the beer.
For the next course,
we enjoyed Salmon Tartare with a dollop of creme fraiche and a spot of
paddlefish caviar. Not being a big fan of fish eggs, I found them to be
lost in the salmon and creme....no complaints! It was accompanied by an
'09 Carnevale, the Spring seasonal. It had a light hint of fruit
and Brett which melded well with the salmon.
Known for American
interpretations of Belgian beers, Tomme wowed us with his Framboise
up against Quail stuffed with wild rice and barley. It was a match made
in heaven. We also got a taste of a new beer, Amorosa, which has
not been released to the East Coast yet.
The next course had
2 beers involved! His famous Lost & Found and the elusive powerhouse
10 Commandments. The dry and lightly smoky L & F is made in
the dubbel style but with raisins. The 10 C is an Anniversary Ale of 10%
produced with torch-caramelized raisins and rosemary which gives it a warm,
spicy, licorisy nose & palate. And paired with the Osso Bucco with
potato ravioli and glazed baby carrots, was an awesome experience. We couldn't
get enough of the 10 C!
For the cheese course,
we got 2 rarities. Veritas 007 is a limited edition of about 70
cases of which few remain. It was extremely tart which is fine with me.
We also got a small taste of Tomme's Angel Share Grand Cru some
of which spent 4 years in brandy barrels and others 3 years in bourbon
barrelsand was blended.....wow!!! It was exceptionally smooth with lots
of vanilla and a hint of maple syrup with the viscosity of the latter.
The limited pour kept the sips small to stretch the pleasure. Two cheeses
were served: Forsterkase, a Swiss cow's milk cheese bathed in wine and
wrapped in fir bark and Colston Bassett Stilton. Bleu cheese does not agree
with me, so I passed and ate the Swiss. The flavorful brews cleansed the
palate perfectly and the woodiness of the beers matched well with the cheese.
Last but not least,
his claim to fame was poured. Cuvee de Tomme was one of his first
bottled productions made with raisins, cherries and candi sugar added to
his Mother of All Beers and aged in bourbon barrels. Paired with
a Molten Chocolate Cake with cherry sauce was the perfect ending to a perfect
dinner.
If you ever get the
chance to attend one of these dinners, do it. It's worth the money!