Menu 6: A Five Course Dinner with Beer Pairings on 10-19-10

MENU 6. 12718 LARCHMERE BLVD., CLEVELAND,OH 44120 PHONE 216.791-6649

      On October 19, 2010, I had the unique pleasure of covering a Five Course Dinner with UNIBROUE Beer pairings at the new, and very hip urban Larchmere neighborhood eatery and Lounge called Menu 6, located at 127th and Larchmere. What Makes Menu 6 so very special is that this is a "Market Fresh", "Seasonal" restaurant that uses local ingredients as frequently as possible. With Chef Michael J. Herschman at the helm, whom would expect anything less.
        Chef Herschman and myself have similar paths, in that we both trained and practiced our creative wears in my native state of California, in some of the same restaurants, and in Cleveland, Ohio, as well. However, while I stepped off the Chef line for 10 years, after becoming an Attorney and practicing law, Chef Michael Herschman has continued to dazzle Cleveland with his amalgamation of distinct flavors, while practicing seasonality.
    Now, for those of you whom do not reside in a seasonal state, such as my California friends and family, you may not recognize nor respect the challenge that exists in creating and maintaining a seasonal menu using predominantly local ingredients. Here in Cleveland, we thrive on local, sustainability to help support our local inner city neighborhoods with green spaces to feed our hungry and support our neighborhood economies, and help our local farmers get their organic micro farm and cottage industry foods out there to our urbanites and suburbanites. It is wonderful that a trendy spot such as Menu 6 has opened in an up and coming Cleveland neighborhood, instead of playing it safe, and that they have made a strong commitment to sustainability; saying yes to local micro farmers; saying yes to local neighborhood economics; and saying yes to Cleveland, Ohio!
            I was enthusiastic about covering this beer dinner on TV-20.  "ITS A TOUGH JOB, BUT SOMEONE HAD TO DO IT".
        AIRING SOON, WILL BE THE Menu 6 BEER DINNER,  HELD ON OCTOBER 19, 2010 DURING CLEVELAND'S BEER WEEK, WHICH WAS AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER.  MENU 6 FEATURED "UNIBROUE" BEERS, WHICH WAS TRULY THE BEST RANGE OF BEERS I HAVE EVER SAMPLED. THESE ELEGANT AND SOPHISTICATED BEERS WERE PAIRED EXQUISITELY, AS I DESCRIBE HEREINAFTER, WITH THE FOLLOWING MENU:

COURSE ONE:

• Fennel & Chili seared hamachi with sea salt, horseradish & crispy parsnips- paired with Blanche de Chambly.

     This beer was as light and crisp as champagne, and it went brilliantly with the hamachi, the bite of horseradish and the light flavors of fennel and sea salt, contrasted with the crunch of parsnips, enhanced the delicate hamachi, which was complimented by Unibroue's "Chambly", a very pale, smooth on the palate beer.
COURSE TWO:

• Warm arugula with duck breast, smoked gouda & oranges- paired with Don de Dieu

     This was a heartier beer that stood up to the Duck breast that had the nutty arugula intertwined with melted smoked gouda with a bit of orange. This was one of my favorite pairings, it went together like clockwork. The beer was significantly stronger than the first course, a bit on the amber side, and it was a bold beer, but not bitter. Being a Belgian beer, Unibroue beers do not have a lot of hops, and bitterness was not an issue in any of their beers, even the darker ones were smooth and creamy! I loved this beer, and the duck breast was cooked PERFECTLY!
COURSE THREE:

•   Roasted mussels, sweet potato ginger fries, mango & candied garlic- paired with Maudite

         My favorite part of this pairing, food wise, was the Candied garlic, bits of mango and the sweet potato fries because they offset this unique and strong beer, bringing out sweet notes, otherwise not necessarily recognizable. This beer needed sweet notes to accent its boldness and strength.  One of the stronger beers, as far as alcohol content. The Candied Garlic as simple as it is, was SUBLIME!!!!
COURSE FOUR

•  Caraway dusted pork rack, wild mushroom ragout & pancetta- paired with Trois pistoles

        This Course was by far the darkest of the dark beer for the evening, and who knew pork could stand up to a pairing which would normally require something hearty like a beef filet with a rich demi glace. NOPE, Michael Herschman made an amazing pork with just a hint of caraway and added pancetta to the reduced jus, adding a rich and deep flavor, hearty enough to carry this dark, delicious beer. The wild mushroom ragout had deep notes as well, not just earthy, but a substantial foundation of flavors bouncing off your tongue with that mouth-watering pork and explosion of pancetta. Between the beer and this course, the interplay of the two flavors melded together like marshmallows in hot chocolate. Before I interviewed Chef Herschman, I knew that this was one of his favorite courses, and HE NAILED IT! Besides dessert, which is not typically my favorite course, this was my favorite pairing of the night! 

COURSE FIVE

• Carmelized apple upside down cake, sharp cheddar gelato & black pepper almond brittle - Paired with Ephemere

           Okay, now this dessert was not at all like it sounds. First, the black pepper almond brittle was not pronounced, it was only there in tiny increments and was not the least bit interfering. It was meant to be a concerto of flavors, and it was, indeed. 3 WORDS: SHARP CHEDDAR GELATO. this little bit of heaven, a tiny scoop, could have eaten far more, was delectable, and as predicted as I ate it, this was Chef Herschman's favorite part of his favorite course. Yes, the cake was good, and the idea, was a deconstructed version of a classic, which is apples and cheese, and a slice of cheese on apple pie, only far better! The beer "Ephemere" has a clear taste of tart apples, and contains fresh mashed granny smith apples. Although fruity and floral notes are contained herein, there is no doubt that this is an easy drinking beer and was not too sweet at all. It went perfectly with that cheddar gelato I cannot stop thinking about!!!
              Besides the Chambly and the Maudite, this was may favorite beer. All of the UNIBROUE beers are wonderful, and they are out of Quebec Canada. I look forward to cooking with all of these beers, as I found each of them to be wonderful, and as I was drinking them, I began to conjure dishes of my own to pair with and use the beer directly as an ingredient in, many dishes. Look for UNIBROUE to make an appearance in future episodes and recipes from the Saucy Gourmet.
          AS FOR BEER WEEK IN CLEVELAND, I DID MINE IN STYLE, BY ATTENDING A UNIQUE BEER DINNER AT A FINE RESTAURANT, MENU 6, IN THE UP AND COMING LARCHMERE NEIGHBORHOOD. I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU GET YOURSELF SOME UNIBROUE BEER IMMEDIATELY, AND THAT YOU GO TO MENU 6 AND CHECK OUT THE SEASONAL CUISINE OF ONE OF CLEVELAND'S FINEST CHEFS, MICHAEL HERSCHMAN.
STAY TUNED, FUTURE POSTINGS WILL INDICATE AIR TIMES FOR THIS EPISODE. REMEMBER, IF YOU MISS THE POSTED AIRING TIMES, IT WILL EVENTUALLY BE ARCHIVED. CHECK OUT UNIBROUE BEERS ON MY FAVORITE LINKS PAGE. CLICK ON MENU 6 AT THE TOP OF THIS POST FOR THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION AND UPCOMING EVENTS.
CHEERS,
CHEF DENISE DEMMITT, AKA
THE SAUCY GOURMET