Brewer’s Plate 2016: Drinks and Deliciousness by Fair Food
Brewer’s Plate 2016
A Philadelphia food event where wild ruckus fills the air? We didn’t think it was possible. But Fair Food proved us wrong at their annual Brewer’s Plate event where over eighty local restaurants and breweries joined forces to highlight the best brews and bites that Philadelphia has to offer.
Tables overflowing with plates of food and countless glass bottles filled three floors of the Kimmel Center. Guests picked up everything from petite savory foie gras cream puffs to immense glasses of sour cherry Belgian ale, we even tried a chocolate peanut butter stout.
Guests walked (and later stumbled) their way through a sort of food-themed inverted Dante’s Inferno—steadily downing brew after brew as they climbed to the top of the center, and dancing a little more enthusiastically to the live music after each flight of stairs.
Curious about our favorite bites and sips of the night?
Here’s what made the list:
High Street on Market: Baker Alex Bois, Sous Chef Chuck Formoso, and hospitality extraordinaire Thaddeus (?) served up thick slices of malted grain bread topped with smoky slabs of nduja, creamy cloumage, and a hint of citrusy bergamot. Yep, we came back for seconds.
Cherry Grove Creamery: Who can say no to a gooey dollop of brie? Clearly not us. Cherry Grove Creamery served theirs with sticky sweet pieces of dried pear and two different asian pear spreads.
Good Spoon Seasonal Foods: Our favorite (and only) soup vendor from the weekly farmers’ market at Rittenhouse Square handed out bowls of creamy french onion soup and rich beef chili– a welcome and comforting break amidst a sea of wild dishes and flavorful brews.
Urban Farmer: We were excited to see what this station had to offer, as Urban Farmer, a farm-focused riff on a traditional steakhouse, is new to Philly’s food scene. And we weren’t disappointed: the pulled pork sandwiches were delicious, served on fennel rolls and with two different mustards.
Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse: Freshly baked bread smeared with creamy cultured butter is simplicity at its finest, and Bobolink Bakehouse didn’t let us down.
The Vegan Commissary: Let’s be honest. We snagged these buttery biscuits on our way out the door as we emptied our beer glasses for what was probably the twentieth time. The only thing we can remember about these biscuits is the perfect balance of creamy and tart—a sort of peanut butter cream mixed with crisp apple slices and bitter fronds of arugula. Could we be imagining all of this? Absolutely. In fact, those biscuits couldn’t have actually been buttery if they were truly vegan. Accuracy aside—they were damn good.
-Chase Matecun and Sara Schuster