On Friday night, the third feast in the Ruth's Chris Steak House TasteMaker Dinner series delivered a learning experience, one that demonstrated how well Scotch — Johnnie Walker, that is — can play with food.
Just under 20 people were in attendance for the five-course dinner, hosted at the Florida-based steakhouse chain's Tampa location, where Jason Green of Diageo served as the ambassador for Johnnie Walker, featured both neat and in cocktail form alongside the classic steakhouse fare.
The evening began inside the restaurant's private dining room. An attentive service team settled in guests enjoying their first beverage, Scottish Standard, and food pairing of stuffed shrimp scampi and lasagna roulade. As a sparkling cocktail enthusiast, I was excited by Scottish Standard — which introduced a unique duo: Scotch and bubbles — with Johnnie Walker Black, Cointreau, cardamom simple syrup and prosecco. A lemon twist garnish hung on the edge of the Champagne flute and complemented the orange liqueur, with cardamom syrup bridging the gap from prosecco to Scotch.
The cocktail's flavors matched well with the dish, too, as a touch of spice graced the filling of the shrimp, beautifully presented as what looked like scorpions rather than the traditional butterflies. While the accompanying lasagna roulade was a welcome addition, the seafood was the standout.
Our second course was balsamic roasted pear salad, with arugula, caramelized pecans and a bit of blue cheese, and a neat glass of Johnnie Walker Black. I was impressed with how great these two were together. The Scotch's notes of butterscotch on the nose matched well with the sweetness of the pear and pecans; the same was true of the salad's arugula greens and a bit of pepper that the booze provided on the tongue.
Red lentil and cauliflower soup, plus the second Johnnie cocktail, Tiki Scotsman, were up third. From the first sip, I was a fan, for this drink made me feel like I was sitting on the beach by a fire at sunset. Lime, mint, nutmeg and tropical flavors of the Fassionola syrup — a key ingredient in the original Hurricane — blended with the Scotch to create a comforting campfire feel. And, overall, Tiki Scotsman paired well with the soup, thick with chopped cauliflower and red lentil that supplied a pop of color. Hints of curry and other delightful spices also wafted from the bowl.
For the main course, Ruth's Chris brought the heat… literally. Petite filet mignon Oscar was served on the restaurant's signature 500-degree plate, and, seriously, do not touch this thing — the plate that is. Highlighted with Johnnie Walker Platinum, the steak was spot on; a perfect medium rare with a healthy topping of crab that justified its "Oscar" classification and not-so-al-dente asparagus. The 18-year-old Platinum had a mellow citrus nose and some honey that turned to caramel with the addition of ice. As signature items, these two were a mighty fine match.
Dessert — tiramisu with espresso anglaise and the legendary Johnnie Walker Blue — concluded our tasting adventure. Not enough awesome things can be said about Blue, another 18-year-old Scotch. To pull off the spirit, one in 10,000 hand-picked cask barrels make the cut, and an event like this worth attending just to get a taste. The tiramisu made for a delicate finish to the meal as well, despite the dusting of cocoa that added a little too much bitterness. Luckily, another sip of Blue fixed that.
Every drink I discovered was a pleasant surprise, while the dinner was, unsurprisingly, well prepared and delivered. There's a lineup of three more TasteMaker Dinners to go this season, so nab a ticket while you can.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to dreaming about that Johnnie Walker Blue.
This article appears in Apr 27 – May 4, 2017.