The pandemic has exacerbated the need for sensory delights: food, drink, and atmosphere. The gastropub menu is quick to fill this deprivation with endless beer menus and quality dishes abounding with ingredients. Until everything fully reopens again and one is able to venture to a favorite haunt to soak in the joy of creativity with food and drink, the Epicurean beer drinker can dabble with these recipes and recommended beer pairings from notable (and desperately missed) gastropubs or bistros.

While it is no substitution for an in-person chat with the chefs and barkeeps, these dishes and sips are sure to temper COVID fatigue and cabin fever symptoms.

Adele’s - Nashville, TN

1210 McGavock St.
Nashville, TN 37203
Website: www.adelesnashville.com

Adele’s is nestled in the vivacious Gulch neighborhood in the epicenter of Nashville. Back in the day, the Gulch housed the rail yards (dating to the 19th century) and earned its name due to its natural sunken land depression in the city. Now the neighborhood is a walkable, hip mixture of business and residential living. Adele’s enchants diners with vibrant and complex flavors using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. The team radiates passion and are pleased to discuss their process with guests while exhibiting their skills in the open kitchen. For the humble home cook, Chef Sam Middeke’s Chilled Pea Salad with Cilantro Pesto is full of spring color and flavors and is a manageable recipe to prepare that can be refrigerated and enjoyed in multiple sittings. The cut cilantro, mint and parsley leaves in the salad make beer an appropriate accompaniment.

Patricia Grim, Adele’s bar manager, suggests matching the salad with a Nashville’s own Tennessee Brew Works' Tripel Star. The Belgian-style Tripel uses a yeast strain from Westmalle Abbey. True to most abbey ales, it “packs a punch at 9.0% ABV. It is slightly sweet and very aromatic, and it has notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, apricot and clove.”

“My second pairing is a lighter option, but just as delicious,” says Ms. Grim. “Bearded Iris Pep Talk Pilsner is made with a blend of three different hops: Hallertau Blanc, which offers notes of lemongrass, white wine and citrus; Nelson Sauvin, which is from New Zealand and doubles down on the Sauvignon Blanc vibe; and Perle, which offers some spice.”

Chilled Pea Salad with Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients:

1 cup dried black-eyed peas
1 cup dried red beans
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 lb sugar snap peas, removed from pod
1 heirloom tomato, chopped
4 bay leaves
4 thyme sprigs
3 sprigs mint

Pesto:
2 bunches cilantro (plus more picked leaves)
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
7 basil leaves
3 each garlic cloves
Juice of 2 lemons
¼ cup toasted walnuts
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 cup olive oil

Instructions:

1. In 2 separate containers, soak dried black-eyed peas and red beans overnight in 2 ½ cups of water, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and a tablespoon of kosher salt.
2. Once soaked, drain water from each and discard.
3. In 2 separate medium pots, add the following to both the black-eyed peas and red beans, 3 cups water, 2 Tablespoons salt, 2 sprigs of thyme, 2 bay leaves, 1 chopped onion, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar.
4. Bring both pots to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20-25 minutes or until tender.
5. Strain off liquid from both the black-eyed peas and red beans. Discard liquid and allow both to cool.
6. Make pesto in a food processor or blender, combine garlic, cilantro (stems included), parsley leaves, basil, walnuts, fish sauce, lemon juice until just incorporated, a little chunky is ok.
7. In a large bowl, add snap peas, heirloom tomato, cooled red beans, cooled black eyed peas, pesto, picked mint, picked cilantro leaves, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Toss carefully until evenly distributed.
8. Serve at room temperature.

Beer Pairings

Tennessee Brew Works, Tripel Star (9.0% ABV)
Bearded Iris Brewing, Pep Talk Pilsner (4.2% ABV)

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The Bad Apple - Chicago, IL

4300 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
Website: www.badapplebar.com

The Bad Apple in the North Center neighborhood of Chicago is a local’s landmark for bites and beer now showcasing 140 brews in bottles/cans and 25 on tap. Their burgers have a cult following and the menu changes seasonally. Owner Kevin O’Hare shares that they only use proprietary ground beef from famed butcher Pat LaFreida and leverage a local specialty bakery “that adds extra butter to our buns, so they are much better than at some other places.” Recreating the crowd-pleasing Montoya Burger, your best local butcher’s choice ground sirloin and favorite buttery bun will suffice. O’Hare recommends pairing the Montoya Burger with Chicago’s Pipeworks Ninja vs Unicorn Double IPA. The Manchego, charred green onions, and Romesco sauce is a zesty combination and complements a hoppy, light citrus-noted and unfiltered IPA.

Montoya Burger

Ingredients:

1 brioche bun
1 burger patty
1 slice prosciutto parma ham

Romesco Sauce*

1 slice Manchego cheese
2-4 green onions, trimmed

Romesco Sauce: (Yields about 1 cup)

¼ cup roasted red pepper (drained)
¼ cup sundried tomato
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp toasted almonds
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
¼ tsp Spanish paprika
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
A pinch Kosher salt

Instructions:

1. Cook oil and garlic on medium heat until garlic begins to brown slightly.
2. Add garlic oil mixture and remaining ingredients into food processor, blend until smooth with small chunks to create the Romesco sauce.
3. Blacken 2-4 green onions under broiler for about 5 minutes, watching closely not to burn completely, then julienne cut.
4. Assemble burger with patty, prosciutto, a dollop of Romesco sauce, cheese, green onions on top of the brioche bun.

Beer Pairings

Pipeworks Brewing Co., Ninja vs Unicorn Double IPA (8.0% ABV)

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Boneyard Saloon - Park City, UT

1251 Kearns Blvd (at The Yard)
Park City, Utah 84060
Website: www.boneyardsaloon.com

The Boneyard Saloon in Park City, Utah is a mountain town gastropub bustling year-round with an après skiing scene. Beer drinking in Utah requires tuned reconnaissance to find an establishment replete with brews, food and a killer vibe. Boneyard Saloon delivers. Après skiers, hikers, golfers, mountain bikers, and simply happy diners congregate to indulge in tasty options ranging from pork belly lettuce wraps to chicken-and-dumpling pot pie. Their Hot Bird sandwich is a standing menu institution, served on a potato bun with coleslaw and sliced homemade pickles. For those of you with quarantine time on hand to make your own pickles, you are ahead on the assembly. Otherwise a jar of traditional whole dill sliced chips will perfectly crown the sandwich coated in homemade hot sauce.

Food and beverage Director, Jason Yelton, recommends pairing the Hot Bird with Bohemian Brewery’s 1842 Czech Pilsner. “This is a crisp and refreshing beer that never disappoints. The beer will not overpower the Hot Bird, as it plays as a nice complement to the spice, without finishing flat.” A denser pairing option is Level Crossing Brewery’s Suss it Out Rye IPA. “The spicy hop bitterness plays well with the house-made hot sauce of the Hot Bird, delivering complex flavors and aromas.”

Hot Bird Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 fried chicken breast
1 potato bun
¼ cup coleslaw
Sliced dill pickles
Hot Bird Hot Sauce
 

Hot Sauce Recipe

(Yields about ½ cup to coat 2 chicken breasts)

¼ cup hot sauce with aged peppers
¼ cup water
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Cajun Louisiana seasoning
2 tbsp maple syrup
½ tbsp molasses
¾ tsp white pepper
¾ tsp mild chili powder
¾ tsp garlic powder
¾ tsp onion powder
¾ tsp salt

Instructions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine and whisk together hot sauce ingredients.
2. Coat chicken with hot sauce.
3. Assemble sauced chicken on bun, add coleslaw and sliced pickles.

Beer Pairings:

Bohemian Brewery, 1842 Czech Pilsner (4.8% ABV)
Level Crossing Brewery, Suss it Out Rye IPA (6.9% ABV)

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Relish Photo Courtesy - Joseph Murray

Relish - Portland, OR

6637 SE Milwaukie Ave
Portland, OR 97202
Website: www.relishgastropub.com

Portland restaurants are doing everything they can to keep doors open offering limited yet enticing menus. Relish, in a quaint neighbor setting in the Sellwood area, is owned by Ahkil Kapoor. Chef Codie Elliot had been working in the Portland scene for years before joining Relish and managing its seasonal and locally sourced menu. Relish houses 20 taps, a 3rd of which rotate with the season. They prepare a sauteed kale and cauliflower recipe, which makes a hearty side or (for vegetarians) a full meal.

Mr. Kapoor suggests pairing the dish with IPAs to balance the bitterness with the earthiness and heartiness of kale. Oregon Beer Award winner, Breakside Brewery’s flagship beer is strong with citrus and brings out the fresh lemon juice in the sautéed kale and cauliflower. The Cryo IPA strong with Mosaic hops, also bringing a fruity nose to the sautéed dish.

Sauteed Kale and Cauliflower

Ingredients:

1 bunch Lacinato kale, destemmed and chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice (half a lemon)
½ tbsp white wine
1/4 tbsp shallot, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cauliflower, cut into florets
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Toss cauliflower florets in olive oil, salt and pepper, in sheet pan.
2. Roast in oven at 400 F for 20-25 minutes until slightly browned.
3. Heat oil in large pan on medium heat until hot.
4. Add shallot and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant
5. Add kale, lemon juice, chile flakes, salt and pepper, sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add roasted cauliflower and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Beer Pairings:

Breakside Brewery, Breakside IPA (6.2% ABV)
Everybody’s Brewing, The Cryo IPA (6.9% ABV)

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