JULY BEER DINNER

With Ann unable to go hiking because of her ankle injury, we have been filling our days off with non-strenuous activities.  We enjoyed our two previous trips to Boondock's in West Jefferson for their monthly beer dinners.  So we decided to make the drive again to this North Carolina mountain town for another meal/beer combo experience.

Our first course was honey glazed blackened bacon wrapped scallops.  The appetizer was  served with 80 Acre Hoppy Wheat brewed by the Boulevard Brewing Co in Kansas City.  This appetizer was outstanding!  The blackened flavor highlighted the bacon wrapped scallops while the honey glaze added color to the dish as well as a bit of cooling effect.  Neither Ann or Paul are fans of wheat beers, but the hoppy flavor of this beer almost made it taste like an IPA.     

Paul is patiently waiting for the rest of the eighteen dinner guests to be served our second course.  The fire roasted tomato and corn chowder tasted like a good tomato basil soup that our daughter Wendy has made for us.  The corn gives the chowder a bit of a sweet taste. Sam Adams' Imperial White Beer was served with the chowder, which also helped cool down the heat.

The entree was a jalapeno-cheddar beer brat topped with a Sierra Nevada stone ground Stout mustard sauce. The mustard sauce was extremely flavorful while acting almost as a gravy for the brat.  This dish was served with Confluence brewed by the Allagash Brewing Co. in Portland, Maine.  This beer was a bit heavy, but it complimented the flavors from the brat and the mustard sauce very well.

Our final course was caramel-chocolate pecan cake served with Dragon's Milk beer from the New Holland Brewing Co in Michigan.  The photo below shows just how rich this dessert was.  The cake tasted almost like a ganache, while the whipped cream with chocolate chips added both color and additional flavor to the dish.  The beer also had a bit of a chocolate flavor.  This was a great way to cap off an outstanding meal.

It is good we are about a 90 minute drive from West Jefferson.  If we were closer, we would most likely be eating at Boondock's at least once a week--not good for maintaining our weight.  The food is excellent, and they have over 30 beers on tap.  We have truly enjoyed each of our beer dinners at this fine restaurant and look forward to one or two more before we head home in September.