Local 44
I started the evening with an easy drinking Wells Bombardier on cask at another one of our favorite bars in the area. Local 44 and its sister bars, Memphis Tab Room and Resurrection Ale House, are the only bars in the area that were pouring the Wells during Beer Week. Having been drinking a good number of extreme beers for the past several days, this 4.3% bitter brewed from the water from its own well was a much needed easy drinking beer to slowly ease myself into the night.
The Flyers and Black Hawks championship game was just coming on when I showed up at Kite and Key but the Founder’s Kentucky Breakfast Stout that I was so looking forward was already gone. This rare seasonal imperial heavy with chocolate and coffee, aged in bourbon barrel for a year was one of the best stouts that I have enjoyed. At 11.2%, it would certainly wake you up in the morning or put you right back to sleep if you had a few too many.
Kite and Key was featuring three Founder’s beers on this night. Aiiyah knew better that he should stay away from the super hoppy Devil Dancer. Even at 12% ABV, there wasn’t enough alcohol to convince this intrepid drinker to dance with this 112 IBU Devil. The Red’s Rye seemed to be a more logical choice. I like rye beer but I did not expect this beer to be so hoppy! As I was making the “I don’t like sucking on this grapefruit rind” face, Tourist Tree walked through the door and came to the rescue. “Look, I have already gotten you a beer!” “What is it?” Came that look of suspicious from The Tourist Tree. “It’s hoppy, you’ll enjoy it.” She loved it!
The excitement of the Flyers game could not dampen the growling of hunger in Tourist Tree. We left the busy bar and walked a few doors down the street where the aroma of curry welcomed us into a sea of tranquility.
Lamb Dumpakht
Dumpakht is a cooking method which the vessel is sealed with pastry dough. This is the first restaurant in the area that we have encountered a dish cooked in this method.
Our lamb potpie arrived with a ballooning pastry dough completely draping over the small crock like thick melted cheese over French onion soup. A poke through the dough released a steady stream of steam and an intoxicating aroma of curry inviting us to dig further into the crock.
Lamb SaagThis dish had to be good. It had to be good because Tourist Tree downed it in minutes! The flavor was intense and simulating. Unfortunately, the lamb was overdone as well in the dish even the spinach was soft and tender.
Another item that we have not seen served in the usual run of the mill Indian restaurants. This unleavened thin bread was roasted instead of grilled in the tandoori. I liked it very much with its difference in texture and taste from the other breads. It also served very well for scooping up the curry.
The hot mango archi which we ordered as a side carried a slight kick of spice with its sweetness and sourness. We also like the spiciness in the chopped onions that were part of the table compliments along with the yogurt and the brown sauce (after years of eating Indian foods, we still haven’t bothered to find out the actual name for this sauce).
There are so many Indian restaurants in the area nowadays serving similar food in similar style with similar decor that they all kind of mushed together with no distinct personality nor outstanding cooking. King of Tandoor’s food is on par with the area restaurants. I am not sure why there was a pair of salt and pepper shakers on every table in the restaurant but it does try to distinguish itself by offering a few unique dishes. We are looking forward to see if it will set itself apart by offering some solid good cooking (at least by not overcooking its meat would be a good start).
For after dinner drinks, we went to the City Tap House which was doing a “Best of the Best” with the best seasonal beers offered by the top ten breweries as rated by Beer Advocate. The place was not as packed as a few days ago when we were there doing the Bell’s event. We couldn’t tell if the people were there for the Flyers game or for the beer but the girl next to us at the bar drinking a cocktail did not stop talking to her girlfriend about her dramatic dating life with all her loser boys and they did not look at the game at all on the TV.
After scanning the names up and down the beer list for the night, I started with the new Saison du Buff. The beer is the result of a cross collaboration among Stone, Victory, and Dog Fish Head with each brewery doing a batch with the exact recipe but with a different release date. This 6.0% beer was a flavor full of different herbs; parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc. I felt so healthy drinking this herbal mix but unfortunately I didn’t care much about the taste.
The bartender delivered me a small snifter glass of super dark liquid with a huge head. I was surprised by the smaller glass and was wondering if she had given me a sample of this high octane imperial stout instead of a regular pour until I took a sip. WOW! This thing was intense. If there was an umami for beer, that was it! Complex, bourbon-ish, caramelized fruit, chocolate, sweet, syrup’ish, like sipping a super fortified vintage port. This is a beer that has nothing beer-like about it.
As the night was getting late and people emptying out of the bar, Aiiyah admitted defeat. I had tried. A few small sips at a time while savoring the rich deepness of complexity going down my mouth; but I just could not finish the Mephistopheles’. The little glass had gotten the better of me.
Day Six Beer Tally:
Wells Bombardier
Founder’s Red’s Rye
Avery/Victory/Dog Fish Head Sasion du Buff
Ommegang Triple Perfection
Avery Mephistopheles’
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