Iron Hill meets Iron Chef

Craft beer continues to infiltrate Philadelphia's excellent restaurant scene.Next Thursday, the 18th, at 7 PM, Iron Hill Maple Shade head brewer Chris LaPierre will host an Iron Hill beer dinner at Jose Garces's Chifa (707 Chestnut Street, 215-925-5555)

The menu, from the press release:

Hopuka Ceviche with sunchoke leche de tigre, sunflower tuile, pickled fresno and sweet potato, paired with Rising Sun IPA, a spicy, citrus pale ale brewed with Sorachi Ace hops;  Peruvian Stew with root vegetables, chorizo, braised beef and rabbit loin, paired with Victoria’s Bitter, a traditional, easy-drinking English pub ale with copper color, noticeable malt flavor and floral, bitter hop finish;  Roast Pig with apple-porter glaze, spicy wilted baby black kale and pork-porter humita, paired with Pig Iron Porter, a dark beer with roasted chocolate notes and slight bitterness;  and Five-Spice Bread Pudding with ginger-pecan ice cream and malted chocolate sauce, paired with Weizenbock, a full-bodied ale with a bready malt character and banana and clove notes.

The cost will be $65 per person, excluding tax and gratuity, and reservations are required. The Craft Beer at Chifa Dinner Series will continue this winter with the brothers from Troegs Brewing Co on Thursday, December 16 and Garrett Oliver from Brooklyn Brewery on Thursday, January 20.

I knew Chef Garces liked whisky; he's looking more and more like my kinda guy.

Saturdays at Village Whiskey

I was out last week, bourbonating, but I got a note from Jennie Hatton about a new Saturday schedule at my favorite Jose Garces spot in Philly, Village Whiskey. (If you don't know why it's my fave Garces spot...jeez, hello, the name?) They're calling the two hours between 2 and 4 PM "Five O'Clock Somewhere" and offering drink and eat specials.

What kind of drink/eat specials, you ask? Different every week, hon. There's a $7 special 2 oz. pour of whiskey, and it's not dopey, either: (ri)1, Ransom Whippersnapper, Dalmore 12, Suntory Hibiki (you know many places in Philly pouring Hibiki?). There are also $6 cocktails coming: Aviation, Brooklyn, the Martinez. They'll also have $5 wine specials and $4 draft specials (and the draft selection was good enough to get them into Pennsylvania Breweries). Check the website for this Saturday's drink reductions.


Eats? How about (in Jennie's own words) "$3 Snacks, including VW Burger Sliders, BBQ Pork Sliders and Pickle Canapes, featuring different house-made pickles each week." The house-made pickles, by the way, really are made in-house, and frickin' rock.


So...to recap: discounted booze and Garces food. Two hours. Saturdays (at least through the end of October), 2-4. My reaction? It's about time someone started having fun with whiskey in this town. (And if we could get rid of the PLCBosaurus, more folks would probably join in!)

Barcade Fishtown? Game on!

Thanks to Uncle Jack for bringing this to my attention (I clearly have to put Brownstoner on my regular reading list): Barcade is coming to Fishtown! I love this Brooklyn beer bar, with its beep-booping collection of vintage arcade games and excellent beer, and the Fishtown branch (how cool is a NYC bar opening a Philly branch; you know they see a good market, right?) sounds great, beer garden and all. Looking forward to this.

By the way, Brownstoner linked out to FooBooz for news of Jose Garces next joint: Frohman's Wursthaus (13th and Chancellor). It's wonderful: things just keep getting better and beerier in Philly.