Dogfish Brewery takes on Chicha

Dogfish Head Brewery, the makers of the delicious festina peche, the beers we have all been drinking this summer, is at it again. Sam Calagione, founder of the brewery has taken on making Chicha the traditional Peruvian method, but the process is a bit more complicated than normal beer. You actually have to chew the maize in your mouth, spit it out, and then you boil it with water. Yes they do chew and the spit becomes a key part of the brew. Saliva has natural enzymes that break down the starch in corn, which turns into sugar, which ferments into alcohol. Little did he know it was a huge physical endeavor for his mouth.
Read more....

Congrats to Woodberry Kitchen

This morning I got a text from co-"la mesita" partner about Woodberry Kitchen and how they were referenced in one of her favorite blogs, apartment therapy. Turns out that Woodberry Kitchen was named one of the top 10 new restaurants in Bon Appetit. You know how sometimes you read on all these restaurant lists and say to yourself "Oh I wish I would have eaten at one of these on the list so I know why they were chosen"? Well, we ate there and I can surely agree with the people at Bon Appetit. The whole team is knowledgeable and friendly. The menu is well thought out with great local ingredients and love put into it. Click here for the article. I wish I could be in Baltimore this weekend. I guess I shouldn't complain because we are about to have a fun Mexican themed beer dinner this weekend with live Jarocho music. Ok, I feel better now.

¡Que Viva México: su comida y sus tradiciónes!

September is Mexico's month!

Grilled shrimp in a jicama taco
with watermelon pico de gallo and tlacoyos de huitlacoche
Fathom IPL
Ballast Point

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Chile Pasilla relleno de picadillo
-- vegetarian option available --
with frijoles negros
Abandon Ship Smoked Lager
Ballast Point

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Ensalada de espinaca, ejote y betabel with aderezo poblano
Longfin Helles Lager
Ballast Point

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Pastel de tres leches al chocolate
with spiced ganache
Black Marlin Porter
Ballast Point

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Live Jarocho music

Food, beers, & a Wedding!!!

We just got our hundreds of pics from our wedding in digital format and we are so excited to share some with you. This post is on food, but there will be more to come on the actual place. Our photographer did an amazing job to say the least. If you are thinking about someone for your wedding you seriously need to consider her. Check her out at QWeddings. The place where we got married is called Hotelito Desconocido, probably one of the best private, intimate, and breathtaking beaches in Mexico. The name says it all, it is definitely a hidden hotel gem with impeccable service and a setting that will make you never want to leave.

The dinner table awaits the authentic handmade Mexican food.

What better breakfast than menudo after a night of hard partying!

I just love this beautiful and lively picture of beans, one of Mexico's many treasures.

Huachinango (snapper) a la parrilla with some garden fresh squash, chayote, and onions. Simple, healthy, and beautiful.

Da beers. Gotta have these ice cold, especially when its about 85 degrees and lots of humidity, plus we were celebrating. I do prefer negra's though, let's be clear on that one.

San Francisco Solo

I recently visited the bay area sans Juanito and
I had to post a few pictures from the
Academy of Sciences.
Living roof, rainforest, penguins, glowing jellysfish....
you have to see the sea dragons and the male cardinalfish,
which incubates the eggs and cares for the young in his mouth!


And what better way to say it?
RECYCLE COMPOST LANDFILL

Garden Date

Saturday morning in the garden on a bed with a canopy above you, big white fluffy pillows, baby kicks, dreams and lots of color....

Menu:
shirred eggs with fresh garden delights:
sauteéd zucchini and topped with arugula and tomatoes
apples with honey
cornbread with fresh strawberries
english breakfast tea

Thank You! July, July, July, Oh My!

Another exciting evening to celebrate the seasons!
This time we were fortunate enough to have an amazing kitchen to work in and we took full advantage of this! It definitely was able to accommodate our largest group yet! Thanks to Holly & Fred for your home, Kevin and Jackie for your kitchen love, Aileen for your photo magic and Jeff and Ballast Point for the awesome session beers!

F really outdid himself with this one. We had thrown out the idea of cooking some meat underground and he absolutely ran with that idea. It took 160 bricks and lots of elbow grease during the 4th of July weekend for this new appliance to be in place.

The pit began warming in the early morning hours around 7am by throwing about 20lbs of charcoal in there. The pork was marinated and then wrapped in banana leaves, placed inside a roasting pan, and layed down in the pit. It was then cooked in the pit for about 4 hours where it reached temperatures of over 500 degrees. The pit was then covered by a metal plate and soil thrown above it to ensure no air sneaked in.

The real deal...dug with love and stacked with passion! It's no wonder the pork tasted so amazing ... shouldn't we all construct an underground pit in our backyard?

Grilling is always a summer favorite with too high of temperatures to operate an oven inside. It's absolutely worth it to buy mesquite charcoal...not briquettes!
The corn with its protector, was grilled with the husk which achieves the same texture of the kernel as boiling would, but with a smokey grill flavor.
The peaches were grilled with branches of rosemary thrown into the charcoal to give an herbal smokey taste...

When July takes over the kitchen....

To begin: Tomato consommé
See our post here about how it was made.

1st: Crispy zuchinni flowers stuffed with ricotta & mint served with a spicy peach chutney paired with Avery's 16 saison.

The ricotta cheese stuffing had lemon zest and red peppers that brought out the saison's zesty aroma and its light effervescence. The peach chutney added some balance on the sweet side and brought it all together.

2nd: Pibil inspired Pork served with Berry Beer Baked Beans
paired with Port Brewing Co. Hot Rocks Lager

It was no coincidence that this underground course was served with a beer that practices the same methods in preparation! The berry beer baked beans were baked for hours with a raspberry lambic. The beer's malty sweet characteristics cut through the pork's flavorful fat and the marinade's rich flavors.

3rd: Grilled Peach Salad with Prosciutto and a Creamy Dressing
paired with Marin Brewing Co. Stinson Beach Peach Ale
As always, we love to offer the greens in between the meat and the sweet. The spicy arugula and the saltiness of the prosciutto balanced perfectly with the creme fraiche and goat cheese in the dressing.
Simple and cleansing in preparation for the sweet.

4th: Warm Strawberries with Pimm's and Vanilla Ice Cream
paired with Bayerischer Bahnof's Berliner Weisse served mit schuss style with
Castle Brewery's St. Louis Framboise
Of course everyone loves dessert, but this one had dessert in the beer, too. The handmade crumbled shortbread cookies with the broiled strawberries, essences of vanilla and ginger and handmade ice cream paired beautifully with the tartness of the berliner and the framboise kicked in to balance the sweetness.

Thanks to everyone for a beautiful evening under the July sky!