Brewer’s Plate 2013, Part II: Savory and Sweet Bites and Sips
Continuing the adventure at Brewer’s Plate…
Along with cheese, pork seemed to be the meat of choice at the event.
C19’s executive chef Andrea Luca Rossi whips up a batch of braised pork belly, sautéing the ample-sized chunks with radicchio, raisins, and pine nuts.
Pork trotters are the perfect centerpiece for lettuce wraps.
Varga Bar’s pulled pork sliders.
El Camino Real’s pork on a pretzel bun with sweet slaw and maple mustard.
Khyber Pass Pub catered to both carnivores and vegans alike with their cochon de lait and vegan sausage po-boys.
There is no better way to end a night of feasting than by sampling one’s way through the wide berth of sweets tucked away in the Speakeasy and sprinkled throughout the entire venue. Dessert always finds a way to introduce a second stomach.
Éclat Chocolate doled out samples of silky caramels, Victory Hop Whallop-infused beer truffles, PHL Pennsylvania Dutch Pretzel “Obsession Bar,” and Single Origin chocolate mendiants.
Wild Flour Bakery had beer bread, mini-scones, and oatmeal raisin cookies on hand.
El Camino Real’s chocolate truffle old heathen ice cream melted luxuriously on the tongue, contrasting the crisp crunch of the cinnamon-encrusted cone.
Beer Cakes: name says it all. This toffee creation was moist with a nice crumb. Capogiro served up scoops of their Arnold Palmer (reminiscent of a lazy summer’s day frozen lemonade) and caramel flavors.
At Cookie Confidential, unique flavor combinations like hibiscus and raspberry balsamic took center stage. An unexpected burst of garlic rounded out the caramel tones in the garlic dulce de leche (I can only imagine what this would taste like coupled with the smooth garlic ice cream offered at The Stinking Rose in California). The cayenne chocolate chip featured the classic age-old recipe with a smokey kick.
Night Kitchen Bakery brought their game with incredibly moist cupcakes in chocolate-mocha, vanilla-mocha, and vanilla-chocolate varieties (the pearlescent beads on top made these sweets fit for royalty).
Donna and Company had quite the spread of sweets (clockwise from top left): local stout and pretzel, CocoaBee cinnamon caramel (made with New Jersey honey), CocoaBee pistachio brittle with sea salt, olive oil with sea salt, and CocoaBee salted caramel (also made with New Jersey honey).
Other fan favorites that were gobbled up with nary a photograph taken:
– Weckerly’s Ice Cream: Creamy creamy creamy! Both the chocolate and stout ice cream floats and “Dock Street Man Full of Trouble Porter” ice cream (with brown butter shortbread and chocolate ganache) presented treats you never want to stop eating.
– Field House: The chipotle glazed St. Louis ribs with celery root and apple slaw were tantalizing and finger-licking good.
– DiBruno Bros: The meaty richness of the Pampered Cow Hudson Truffle and Hudson Red easily secured their spots at our next cheese party.
It was a joy to see so many businesses rallying for the same cause: educating the consumer about the importance of eating local and supporting farmers. We can only wager that next year’s Brewer’s Plate is bigger and better than ever.
— Nicole Woon and Katie Behrman