Scott Sheridan, the Southeast Representative for Stone Brewing, was his usual enthusiastic and knowledgeable self. He was funny too, except that Merry-go-Round joke. He and the cooking staff gave us great descriptions of the beer and food, with a little history thrown in. I was really impressed how much the chefs and management got involved in the dinner. This was one of the best dinners I've been to.
The appetizer course was the aforementioned Sea Island Nachos. These were nachos with a creamy sauce and large chunks of salmon. They brought three large plates for a table of six, which, you would think would be plenty, but we finished it off and would have eaten more. Turns out this was good planning by the restaurant as we left the restaurant absolutely stuffed. We gave the Nachos a 4.5. The beer was Levitation Ale, Stone's lightest beer, which we gave a 4.0.
The salad was an Arugula and Beet Salad with an IPA vinaigrette. The dressing was a little thick, but still good. We gave it a 3.0.
Then they brought a trio of local oysters, one fried, one Rockefeller, one with sausage. All were excellent, and went perfectly with Stone IPA, one of my absolute favorite beers. The Oysters were a 4.25, the beer a 4.75.
Then they brought beer braised pork ribs with sweet potato chips. Oh my god, these were covered with an amazing, crispy layered sauce that had a slowly building heat. Awesome, 4.75. The beer was Arrogant Bastard - liquid arrogance. Another phenomenal beer - 4.75!
For desert, Smoked Doughnut Holes with Chocolate served with Stone Smoked Porter. I didn't quite get the smokiness, but they were still excellent - 4.0. The beer was lighter than you might expect from a porter, delicious and smoky - 4.5
All in all this was a great experience. The company at the tables was awesome, and Scott was a great spokesman for his beers. Can't wait for the next one!!
