Paired, Month 2

This was actually the 4th Paired dinner, but only our second opportunity to go. This time around Lauren (our host) instructed us to sit next to people we didn't know (oh, the horror!). There were a few familiar faces from the last time around: Jim Norton and Becca Dilley from The Heavy Table, the hosts (obviously), our friend Danielle, and a few others I haven't been introduced to. It was fun asking how people had heard about Paired and the food was another success story for Chef Chris Olson.



The location was a great juxtaposition to the last tiny studio space we ate in. A warehouse in the middle of Roseville that a local brewing supply company uses as its shipping and receiving department.



Appropriately, the food was not only paired with art (paintings and tattoo portfolio by David Dettloff, owner of The Ink Lab) but also with the beer made by Kevin Horkenhimer, an employee of the warehouse.




David describes his background and how he got where he is today





Course one was a non-traditional beer cheese soup. Without a roux this soup was light and flavorful. You can't serve beer cheese soup without a pretzel.


The beer paired with this was Saison, Saison du Baud and was by far my favorite of the five we sampled. It was light and wheaty with hints of banana. I love hefeweizens. While I realize this wasn't technically a hefeweizen, the similarities were enough to please my palate. I'm not going to speak much of the other beers only because I wouldn't do them any justice as I've retired myself from beer drinking for the most part. I can tell you Kyle liked them all, especially the double IPA that was served with dessert.


Kevin describes his brewing techniques and how he approaches the process


The salad was my favorite course. The dressing had the perfect balance of flavor, acidity and salinity to accompany the Mizuna (a delicate Japanese salad green) and the tomatoes were divine. I only wish there were more of the little confit orbs so I could enjoy their flavor in every bite. They also made for a lovely presentation



The main course was a lovely dish of grilled lamb loin with reconstituted currants, roasted shallots and seared artichoke hearts on a bed of quinoa. I could eat artichokes and quinoa until the cows come home, and they were both delicious. The lamb was obviously of very high quality and the currants gave a nice contrast to the gaminess of the meat (yes, I actually enjoyed fruit with my meat. This counts as a milestone in my life).



The dessert was delicious, and being the sweet tooth I am I devoured the whole thing before even thinking of taking a picture of it. You'll just have to trust me. The lemon curd was awesome, and while I'm not normally an IPA fan (or a double IPA fan for that matter) I certainly appreciate how well it went with the bread pudding.

A dinner companion gets a whiff of the hops used as table decor


Chis hard at work while Peter enjoys a sip of his beer


Brooke with the 3rd course in tow


Our dining companions: Jesse


and Aubrey