Review: Brasserie JO/Van Steenberge Beer Dinner
By Chuck Sudo in Food on Aug 13, 2008 5:00PM
Popperings Hommel Ale is a golden-style Belgian ale with a good spicy quality that matched well with the passed appetizers. The sweeter and stronger Piraat was also served with the past appetizers, which made for a very good start for the evening.
The first of the passed appetizers: smoked trout rillette served atop a toasted crostini.
Beer Croques Monseiur. This appetizer had a nice kick to it from the liberal use of mustard.
Mini Sheboygan bratwurst poached in beer and served with both caramelized and crispy onions.
Our favorite of the passed appetizers were these gourgeres made with a beer batter. Judging from the sweetness we guess that the beer was Piraat.
This is Wirrerkerke, a wit biere with a nice crisp citrus acidity in the mouthfeel. This was served in place of the advertised Celis White.
Beer and mussel soup, made with Witterkerke. The mussels were already in the bowl, then the broth added. The sweetness of the beer complemented the flavor of the mussels.
Augutijn Trippel Ale. Very strong. Lots of yeasty esters on the nose. Thick mouthfeel to this beer, with a sour finish reminiscent of a saison.
The second course: shrimp wrapped in double-smoked bacon and served with Jarlsburg cheese atop a root slaw. Ringing the course was an aioli made with the Augustijn ale. Everything is better with bacon.
This is Bornem Double Abbey Ale, which was our favorite beer of the evening (yes, even over Piraat). This ale teemed with rich flavors from the roasted malts in the brew. As the chill wore off, we began to notice other flavors like raisins on the nose.
The main course was grilled pork tenderloin served with a beer and honey glaze (Bornem Double the beer used). The pork was served with some braised chard atop a potato fritter. Nicely balanced dish.
Our least favorite beer of the evening was this sour brown ale from Petrus (Oud Bruin). This beer is intentionally spoiled before bottling. Some of the flavors we picked up reminded us of Unibroue\'s Quelque Chose, making us ponder how this beer might taste warmed.
You\'re looking at Pere Joseph cheese served with a spiced fruit compote and house-made caraway stick. Great dish; too bad it was paired with the oud bruin.
The final beer of the dinner was Gulden Draak, a brown ale made from ample amounts of roasted malts that had a near-silken mouthfeel.
Dessert comprised of what we normally would call a breakfast. This is Pain Perdu (aka French Toast) with bananas and a sweet syrup. the idea of eating French Toast at 9:30 at night put a smile to our faces, especially when it shared a plate with...
this amazing sorbet made from Gulden Draak.
We're never bored with pairing beer with food. One reason for that is we seem to never exhaust the possibilities of finding surprising and unexpected pairings. This, and the $49 cost, was what attracted us to last night's beer dinner at Brasserie JO featuring selections from Van Steenberge brewery in Belgium.
The saying goes, "In order to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs." Not all of the pairs worked last night. A spicy cheese and fruit compote dish was marred by the pairing of Petrus Oud Bruin, a strong and sour brown ale, when a lager would have served the dish better. Furthermore, the flow of the dinner was consistently interrupted by Steve Villani, President of Global Beer Network and the importer of last night's selections. Villani's impulsive need for hard selling the diners on his beers overshadowed his passion and knowledge of the product. It also didn't help that Villani described what diners were tasting in the beers after each course was completed.
It was heartening to see a full room in Brasserie JO's Salon Privé room. Jean Joho's River North Alsatian outpost doesn't get the credit it should for finding a good balance between wine and beer. Certainly, Brasserie JO will never be mistaken for a beer-centric bar like Hop Leaf or Map Room, but any restaurant or bar that serves Chimay white on tap will have our attention. Credit should go to Beverage Director Erin Phillips for placing equal emphasis on wine and beer.
