The Land of Pork and Chocolate . . .

Do you remember me talking about the best day ever?

How I was planning on it?

It happened!

I spent the whole day with my Dear One!

We went to the school assembly and saw Darling Daughter honored and Guitar Boy help with a skit.

Then we went to Kansas City's beer epicenter, Boulevard Brewery! I got to eat a delicious meal made by Chef's Colby & Megan Garrelts, of Bluestem in Kansas City.

Want to know what we ate?  Here it is!

I was thinking this dairy needed to rethink their name . . .

Then I didn't care what their name was!

This cheese had a hint of barnyard that you find in a standard goat cheese. It had been whipped to a fluffy lightness that was incredible. There was a beautiful hint of lemon to it. There's a little pocket of Balsamic must. I gather it's a mix of balsamic vinegar and the grapes used to create the vinegar in the first place. It had a beautiful sweet tanginess that made the cheese incredible tasting. My husband said the cheese almost took on a texture like finely pureed parsnips or potatoes. It did have very satisfying texture. The pea and asparagus salad was crisp, tender and delightful next to the rich cheese.

The Tank 7 beer is one of the Boulevard Smokestack series. My husband had one in the tasting room! It's on the left. It is a beautiful golden color. Very interesting in that you taste the bitter hops at first then the finish is sweet and light! This is a very smooth beer that can sneak up and spank you with it's 8% alcohol content.

Second Course! The N/A notifies us that the beer has no label. It's still in development. Let me tell it's developing LOVELY!

Oh! Oh! Oh! This was delicious! It's pork shoulder cooked for 24 hours in an immersion circulator. So the meat gets beautifully tender and the fat just melts as soon as it hits your mouth. There was the slightest hint of soy, garlic, ginger, and sesame in this.

The vegetables were incredibly tender too. Knives? Not necessary. Bok choy, mushrooms and won ton noodles simply sauced in the juices from the meat and it's marinade. Why mess with perfection?

The entree was all about tenderness and subtle flavor. The beer was so complex it balanced it completely. Dubbel is a beer they've been working on for quite awhile. This iteration had a hint of celery scent to it. It is flavored with anise, cinnamon and coriander. The overall taste is warm, zesty, and citrusy with a smooth and nutty finish.

Be still my heart.

It's not really a luncheon without a little dessert right?

Goodness gracious!

I'll admit I wasn't particularly excited for this dessert. I'm not a huge fan of pecan pie and while I thought that the float had possibilities I wasn't holding out a great deal of hope.

I was terribly, terribly wrong. This is one of the BEST chocolate desserts I've ever had!

No, I don't think the four beers I've had in the last hour has had any effect on my judgement . . . thanks for your concern

The "tartlet" was a delicious sort of pecan-pie-bar-cookie thing. I think I'll call all my future bar cookies "tartlets." I may have to make some chocolate tartlets tonight. I can imagine it now . . .

Guitar Boy: Mommy, can I have a brownie?

Me: No!

Guitar Boy: What? Why not?

Me: I have no brownies!

Guitar Boy: What are those?

Me: Those are chocolate tartlets! Would you like one?

Guitar Boy: But, . . . Mommy?

Gentle Giant: Shush! She's got that look in her eye!

The pecan tartlet was almost candy like. It was chewy, orangey, with a lovely range of cinnamon and cloves flavors. There was definitely an undercurrent of molasses in it too. The float was pure heaven! The "Old Clarence" is actually Boulevard's Bully Porter barrel-aged for a year like a smokestack type beer would be. It had a deep rich bitterness that made the chocolate become a chocolate symphony in your mouth! Bubbly, cold, bitter, chocolate.

What a lovely day!