Downtown St. Pete's Urban Brew and BBQ hosted its five-course Cigar City Brewing beer dinner Tuesday night. But instead of pairing Urban's barbecue fare with the suds, owner Andy Salyards served items from his latest project, the Urban Comfort brewpub.
Though I previewed the offerings with my trusted taster and few others before the 6 p.m. dinner (our food was complemented by beers Urban Brew already had on tap), it wasn't the first time chef Chris Perotti showcased Urban Comfort's Southern-style comfort food.
Graham cracker-crusted citrus cheesecake and braised pork belly sliders with aged cheddar were on the menu during last month's 7venth Sun Brewing beer meal, and made-in-house tater tots were featured at Localtopia last weekend alongside the brewpub's Hefeweizen and Kumquat Hefeweizen brews.
Salyards said comfort food means many things to different people, and that the restaurant, opening in "sprummer" (around spring or summer), isn't trying to produce overly complicated dishes.
"Food can make a setting for the mood," he said, "So the main thing we want to communicate is to make people feel comfortable."
Here's a rundown on what we tasted, and I'm already calling it. You'll want to eat here.
• Wedge salad. The dish had buttermilk dressing, house-cured bacon, grapefruit (yum) and more. According to Salyards, the belly of the pig takes eight days to cure before it's smoked at 155 degrees, and then viola! Bacon. The brewpub plans to highlight salads and more options for vegetarian diners.
Our beer pairing: black lager
Cigar City pairing: Hard Cider
• Brussels sprouts gratin. Baked with a little bit of bread crumbs, nutmeg and Parmesan, these babies were tasty, and disappeared way too fast. You know it's good when you're scraping the bottom of the skillet with your fork. As the dinner progresses, Salyards said, the boldness of the beers and food will slowly increase.
Our beer pairing: saison
Cigar City pairing: Invasion Pale Ale
• Shrimp and grits. The restaurant's take on a down-home classic swapped grits for polenta, which was fine by us. Next to the dessert (more on that later), it was my favorite item. The fresh Gulf shrimp, topped with greens, were sautéed in garlic butter, white wine and black pepper.
Our beer pairing: amber ale
Cigar City pairing: peach IPA
• Chicken pot pie. Rejoice! A flavorful medley of roast chicken, thyme, carrots, onions, peas and chicken stock were baked with a puff pastry in this pot pie creation, which Perotti developed along with the rest of Urban Comfort's grub. It came out piping hot, and was my diningmate's favorite.
Our beer pairing: oatmeal stout
Cigar City pairing: cream porter
• Bread pudding. If this dessert doesn't make it on the restaurant's lineup for some reason, I need the recipe. Accompanied by strawberries, powdered sugar and a lemony glaze, it's sweet and all kinds of swoon-worthy, especially with the beer. Hidden swirls of chocolate on the inside surprised us, too.
Our beer pairing: Belgian strong ale
Cigar City pairing: barley wine
