The Continuing Adventures Of Doctor Popeye

The Upstate’s Wine Guru

doctorpopeye — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:22:45 +0000

Richard Peck, Wine and Beverage Director for the Table 301 Restaurant Group, has the distinction of representing the only restaurant in South Carolina’s upstate region to garner a 2011 Wine Spectator magazine’s “Best of Award of Excellence” accolade. This is the second highest award given by Wine Spectator for restaurant wine service. It is presented annually, and in 2011 only three restaurants in South Carolina were selected for a Best of Award of Excellence. No restaurants in South Carolina received the magazine’s highest honor, the “Grand Award.”

I recently had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Peck, who has been a wine enthusiast for the better part of four decades.

DRP Mr. Peck, what was your first introduction to wine?

RP) For whatever reason, my fascination with wine began as a teen. Perhaps it seemed interesting and “sophisticated,” when I was a kid from a small town in a state better known for Bourbon and tobacco. Regardless, when I graduated from university, a friend and I each bought copies of Frank Schoonmaker’s Encyclopedia of Wine. We started tasting from A to Z. My interest continued over the next three decades of my career, which was in publishing and technology, before I became a wine professional. Thankfully, during those years of avocational passion for wine, I had the opportunity to travel internationally on business, and always made sure to add a visit to whatever region/appellation was nearby. Self-study and travel were my first instructors.

DRP) How long have you been the Wine Director at Soby’s?

RP) I began as Sommelier and wine buyer at Restaurant O in 2005 — one of the other restaurants in the Table 301 restaurant group that includes Soby’s. My current role is Wine & Beverage Director for all of Table 301, including Soby’s, Devereaux’s, The Lazy Goat, and Nose Dive (our new gastropub, where we’ve also introduced wine on tap).

DRP) What wine-related qualifications/certificates/accolades do you have?

RP) I am a CWE (Certified Wine Educator) in The Society of Wine Educators. This is the highest certification in the Society, and requires passing a knowledge examination — both objective and essay exams — along with blind tastings to do varietal identification (8 wines) and wine faults tasting (7 faults, as well as identifying the unflawed control wine). The CWE also requires an assessment of the candidate’s teaching abilities.

I am also a Certified Sommelier, Court of Master Sommeliers, which requires passing a knowledge exam, along with satisfactory performance in a blind tasting, and a real-time evaluation during which the candidate actually serves a Master Sommelier — demonstrating the ability to provide gracious service (opening sparkling or decanting an old wine), while answering questions about food pairings, cocktails and spirits, and more.

DRP) What is your fondest vinous memory?

RP) Such a different question! Hard to pick one, but generally speaking it would be the point at which I realized that place equals taste. Wine in itself is fascinating, and fermentation science would be sufficient for a lifetime’s study and practice. But the realization thatterroir matters — that wine is “a conversation with the earth,” as Matt Kramer wrote in Making Sense of Wine (1989) — was the epiphany that makes wine worth serious attention.

That said, one of my earliest vinous memories is a 1961 Château Beychevelle, which was extraordinary! I paid, perhaps, $15 for the bottle in the early 1970s. In more recent years, Yves Cuilleron’s Côte-Rôtie ”Bassenon” has become a favorite for its elegance and intelligence. Although I love Burgundy, most of us (short of Clive Coates) find ourselves humbled by that appellation, and should. But if I am permitted one Pinot Noir about which I can speak with some knowledge, having worked at the winery, the 2001 Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County Pinot Noir was pure pleasure — classic Pinot nose, and gorgeous color, made with balance and grace prior to today’s trend toward overly extracted, overly alcoholic New World Pinots. I have one bottle left from a case I purchased in the early 2000s. My wife and I both like it so well, I can’t open it without her permission.

DRP) If you could drink any one bottle of wine right now, what would you choose and why?

RP) Right now? I’m desperately warm, as a result of our unseasonable South Carolina “winter,” and so am enjoying a bottle Claude Riffault’s lovely “Les Boucauds” Sancerre — a favorite appellation of mine, for its sense of place.

DRP) What are the relative strengths of the Soby’s wine selection?

RP) Soby’s cellar features almost 600 selections and has received nine successive Wine Spectator ”Best of Awards of Excellence,” with five “Awards of Excellence” prior to that. We feature both breadth (Old and New World), and depth (verticals and large formats). In our market, California Cabernet Sauvignons are highly prized. We offer a wide range, with local favorites including Silver Oak, Caymus, Shafer “Hillside Select,” Harlan, and even Screaming Eagle, when available. One of our wonderful young sommeliers, Kevin Born, is now responsible for the Soby’s cellar, while I’m responsible for Table 301′s overall beverage program.

DRP) What are the weaknesses?

RP) Perhaps every adventurous sommelier will tell you that the weakness of his or her cellar is the inability to show an even greater range of interesting varietals. While a good somm does everything possible to inspire and educate his/her market, the reality is that perishability (white varietals and rosés that need to be enjoyed young), inventory management, and slowly changing preferences prevent offering everything we’d like — particularly in markets with fairly traditional tastes.

DRP) What new direction would you like to see the wine selection at Soby’s take?

RP) We’re taking a number of new directions that are exciting. With respect to selection, we have launched a systematic program of investment that will result, we hope, in earning Wine Spectator‘s Grand Award in 60 months. This honor, of course, depends on the judges’ evaluation not only of the cellar, but of our service standards, wine education program, and more. It’s presumptuous to say we can simply make a plan and achieve that honor. But we are approaching the task seriously and with the humility that one hopes will result in a good outcome. At minimum, our guests will certainly enjoy an even more stellar collection of wines.

We also have introduced iPad wine lists at Soby’s, using Incentient’s SmartCellar application. While printed wine lists are still available for guests who prefer that format, the iPads offer the opportunity for guests to “drill down” where they are interested. For example, someone might select “Wine,” followed by “Bottles” (as opposed to “By the Glass”), followed by “Red,” then by “Varietal.” At that point, if some varietals an unfamiliar, another click will take the guest to wines featuring that varietal. There, the guest can read about the varietal itself, see a map showing where it is grown, and read tasting notes for the wines in which it is used. We’ve found, since introducing the iPads, that guests are ordering a greater range of varietals — some which might have remained untasted in the past — and are also seeking out our verticals and large formats.

Finally, although the following new direction has not yet been implemented at Soby’s, Table 301 (our corporate restaurant group) has introduced wines on tap at our gastropub, Nose Dive, and expects to roll-out this option in our other restaurants as more wineries package wine in kegs. The distribution system is lagging behind guest acceptance, if our experience is typical. Thankfully, a number of wineries are willing to keg, if asked, and the infrastructure to provide more selection (particularly through the expanding efforts of Silvertap Wines in San Francisco and Sonoma County) is developing.

As-Yet Unrealized Potential

doctorpopeye — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:06:10 +0000

BRiOSO Fresh Pasta – 601 Main Street, Suite D, Columbia, SC 29201

This restaurant has been “coming soon” for months. The concept seems to be an Italian diner concept (think Pei Wei with pasta.) The staff-to-customer ratio on my visit was 1.56:1. This should be unnecessary in a restaurant where customers order at a counter. Service was attentive, if not particularly sophisticated or professional. The house wine is a terrible flabby, sweet pinot grigio which is so lacking in acidity that one wonders whether sarcastic quotation marks surround the words “pinot grigio” on the label. The black truffle ravioli was very bland, literally gray in color, and served garnished with a very fine herb chiffonade, which did nothing to enhance the flavor profile of the dish. The pasta was served in a sugo di funghi which was the culinary equivalent of a thick fog: dense, gray, and utterly uninspiring. The prices were comparable to nearby establishments. The table cards promised exciting dishes (sausage and pear ravioli) which did not appear on the menu.This restaurant stands to improve quite a bit if they can iron out a few kinks in service and overhaul their menu.

4.5/10.

Columbia, SC Restaurant Reviews

doctorpopeye — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:14:45 +0000

Drip – 729 Saluda Avenue, Columbia, SC 29205

Columbia’s hottest breakfast spot is Drip. It’s got everything: A turkey and brie sandwich with grape jam, a staff that will make you feel like a guest in someone’s home and patiently explain what a “traditional macchiato” is, the option to get fruit instead of chips, all-day breakfast availability, a real-life Aunt Bee…

“What is a real-life Aunt Bee?” I hear you asking.

You know, it’s that thing where a kindly older lady from the Carolinas brings fresh homemade cakes into the shop each day.

Unlike most establishments in five points, you won’t find a bouncer, because the door is guarded by ten bleary-eyed USC students waiting for their first cup of joe.

8/10.

Jasmine Deli – 601 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201

The sushi here is well-made. The pieces are well-constructed utilizing ingredients which compliment each other. The pieces are of the correct single-bite size. The use of vinegar in the rice is liberal, which this reviewer found to be unusual, but enjoyable. The prices were typical.

The downfall of Jasmine Deli seems to be the concept. Namely, that there isn’t one. Or at least that there isn’t a well-defined concept. The restaurant is promoted as being “Mediterranean” in nature, which is vague at best. The fact that sushi and sandwiches are also served at this establishment is just confusing. The Mediterranean theme is also not borne out in the restaurant’s decor, which is not indicative of any particular cohesive style or theme.

The procedure for ordering and being seated is quite unclear to a first-time customer.

Even though there are many things that could be done to improve the over-all quality of experience at Jasmine, it must be said that dining there is not unenjoyable. The food tastes good, the prices are more-or-less average, and the food is prepared competently and quickly.

7/10.

Cocktails for All Seasons

doctorpopeye — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 10:36:52 +0000

Poetess Mary Clemmer referred to Indian Summer as “the dead summer’s soul.” In a sense I feel it is. The waning days of summer leading into Autumn truly capture and amplify the steamy golden embrace of the season which Walt Whitman described in his Diary in Canada.

Indian summer, attains its amplitude and heavenly perfection, — the
temperatures; the sunny haze; the mellow, rich delicate, almost
flavoured air: Enough to live — enough to merely be.

In thinking about the immutable march of the seasons, one can’t help but reminisce on memories of seasons past and look forward to seasons to come. Certainly, as Marcel Proust knew well, there is nothing stronger than food and drink to evoke memories and transport one to a specific temporal destination. With that in mind, Doctorpopeye has prepared the following cocktail recipes for the reader’s enjoyment.

Summer

The stifling heat of summer tends to require cool and crisp refreshments to slake the thirst. This recipe is a variation on tinto de verano, a summer beverage popular in Spain.

750 ml Las Renas Monastrell Bullas (or similar Spanish red wine)
750 ml Perrier (or similar sparkling water)
Limonata, meyer lemon juice, or aranciata to taste (Doctorpopeye recommends 4-6 ounces)

Serve from a pitcher or punch bowl into champagne flutes of white wine tulip glasses.

Autumn

The residual heat of summer coupled with the first chills of winter necessitate a balanced beverage in autumn. One that is slightly warming, but still refreshing, and not overly rich. This recipe is Doctorpopeye’s own interpretation of spiced apple cider.

8 oz. Strongbow Dry Cider (Or local cider, if one is in the West Country)
1.5 oz. Goldschläger Swiss cinnamon schnapps

Serve cold in a Collins glass.

Winter

The bitter chill of winter necessitates rich, warming drinks. Such refreshments evoke an air of hospitality and light in this bleak and lifeless season.

1.5 oz. VSOP Cognac (No need to break out the XO, as some of the flavors will be masked by other ingredients.)
1.5 oz. Creme de cacao
4 oz. egg nog

Serve chilled just below room temperature in a brandy snifter.

Spring

Spring is the season to celebrate renewal and rebirth. A spring beverage can be moderately rich and impart moderate “warmth” to the taster’s palate. The following recipe incorporates a traditional lenten/Easter beverage: bock beer.

500 ml. Spaten Optimator
1 Scoop of your favorite spring fruit ice cream (Doctorpopeye recommends homemade apricot, if you’re handy in the kitchen and have ample rock salt on hand.)

Serve floats in Maßkrüge.

Doctorpopeye hopes that these recipes will enliven your parties for seasons to come. And, as they say in the legal disclaimer business, “please drink responsibly.”

New Kid on The Block

doctorpopeye — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:13:58 +0000

2322 – 2322 Mac Davis Lane, Lubbock, TX 79401

For those unfamiliar, 2322 is the hotel restaurant at The Overton Hotel. The Overton, a hotel and conference center, is a recent addition to the Lubbock skyline, and is located on the east side of University Avenue near Jones SBC Stadium. The food at 2322 was served quickly and presented beautifully. The bone-in ribeye was prepared to my exact expectations (medium rare with a warm red (not pink) center) and was seasoned par excellence. The grilled baby asparagus were served al dente and complimented the other elements on the plate both visually and gustatorially. My favorite touch, though was that instead of boring steak fries or mashed potatoes, the bone-in ribeye was served with Kartoffelsalat kissed with a spicy vinegar sauce. The wine list at 2322 is more than adequate by local standards and would be adequate at a fine hotel in a larger metropolitan area such as Dallas or Austin. Dinner entrees at 2322 cost an average of $4 less than dinner entrees at Cafe J, the only restaurant which is comparable both geographically and in the quality and style of fare offered. The waitress performed her job in an efficient, but not cold fashion. The manager patrolled about the dining room asking each table whether their food was satisfactory. This would have been less off-putting had their been some ambient noise in the dining room so that each cookie-cutter inquisition wasn’t plainly audible to all and sundry. Indeed, the only ambient sound in the nearly empty dining room was the sound of sports on a television drifting in from the lounge. The visual aspect of the dining room could also use improvement. The layout gives the impression of an airport terminal, with long rows of booths lining the walls. During the summer, bright outside light continues to flood the dining room from the lobby well into the evening hours, which this diner found to be somewhat unsettling.

Ribeye Medium Rare

On the whole, it must be said that the experience was largely positive.

7.5/10

Men don’t eat quiche.

doctorpopeye — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:51:50 +0000

Cafe J – 2605 19th Street, Lubbock, TX 79401

When I was invited to Sunday brunch by one of my female friends I didn’t know quite what to think. On the one hand, brunch is typically expensive and bland. On the other hand, brunch usually means there will be bacon. I said yes. As it turned out, my suspicions were erroneous on both counts. Cafe J serves a formidable panoply of fare including brunch classics such as quiche and eggs benedict, as well as more interesting options like chile rellenos, and chicken and waffles. The bloody marys are a great value at only 3 dollars, and are served at the optimum level of spice and potency. Dishes range from $9 to $14, which is on par with comparable options. (Benedict’s in Addison springs to mind.) The decor at Cafe J is excellent, and the service is quick, helpful, and affable. Cafe J is also open for lunch, dinner, and cocktails.

8.5/10

An Open Letter to the Owners and Management of Rain Uptown

doctorpopeye — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 05:27:59 +0000

To Whom it May Concern:

I will not be returning to Rain Uptown ever, and will publicize this fact through Urban Spoon, Open Table, www.doctorpopeye.com, and any other available media outlets unless something is done to right the egregious wrongs visited upon me at the hands of your restaurant staff.

Below you will find a summary of my past two experiences at your restaurant.

My first experience at Rain Uptown:
I came in, was seated, ordered mussels followed by a Greek salad. The mussels were delicious and everything was going great until the salad came out. Greek salad was supposed to come with a balsamic vinaigrette, but this was plainly not on the salad. When I asked my waitress politely she informed me that I was wrong, and that there was in fact dressing on the salad. There was not. After I insisted, she brought me oil and balsamic vinegar to MAKE MY OWN SALAD DRESSING.

My second experience at Rain Uptown:
I arrived at 7:00 on the dot and was told there would be a 15-30 minute wait. I agreed to this and went to the bar. 45 minutes later I was seated. I waited an additional 10 minutes for any service. I ordered. I watched baskets of bread being served to adjacent table who already had their entrées. Not a scrap of food found my table until 8:25, when my seared tuna appetizer arrived. My waitress acted surprised when I complained. I flagged down a hostess and asked to speak to a manager. I never heard from either the hostess or a manager again all night. by 9:00 when I had finally finished the chicken curry pasta, which did taste amazing, I had had it. I asked a waiter to get me a manager, which he didn’t. He suggested I speak to him instead. I calmly made it plain that I was dissatisfied and that I will not be back to this restaurant unless corrections are made. He took down my phone number saying that a member of management would be in touch with me that night or the next day. It has now been sixteen days and I have had no response.

Personally, I would suppose that the reason I never got to speak to a manager is that the management is so embarrassed by the way in which the restaurant is operated that they do not want their faces to be seen in public. Obviously no one at Rain Uptown takes any pride in their work.
If you can think of a way to demonstrate that you value your customers, let me know. I welcome the opportunity to give a shining review of the ways in which you’ve corrected your errors, but until then I will take every opportunity to warn people about the horrendous flaws in your restaurant.

Sincerely,
James D. Perl
Outraged Patron

O Bacon! My Bacon! Rise Up and Hear the Bells!

doctorpopeye — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:09:34 +0000

I was recently given the opportunity to interview Stefan Schachtell, one of the co-creators of Bakon Vodka, the bacon-flavored vodka. When I first heard about this product, my initial reaction was “Really? Americans are so fat that we need bacon-flavored vodka now?” But upon further consideration, what Schachtell, Liden, et al. are doing is actually quite cool, because they are claiming for the manly man a category of spirits that many felt would be forever off-limits: flavored vodkas.

DRP What was the genesis of Bakon Vodka?

SS Much like the, “your peanut butter my chocolate” story, we put bacon in our bloody mary and fell in love with it. We have a friend who is obsessed with bacon; to the point where he bring bacon to camping trips but organizes the entire camps order so that we have enough. I mean, the guy has has a personal butcher. He brought bacon to the party where we were making bloodies, and we combined the two. Sven Liden (one of my partners) and I started discussing the merits of flavored vodkas, and we thought to ourselves, “no one is making bacon flavored vodka…let’s do it!”, and the rest is history.

DRP Are there other meat-flavored beverages on the market? Did you try any of them before coming up with Bakon?

SS At the time of our launch there were no commercially available meat flavored spirits. We refer to ourselves as, “The #1 meat flavored spirit in North America.”

DRP Do you think that Bakon Vodka is a novelty product, or is it developing a serious and loyal following?

SS As you can imagine, there wasn’t a lot of data supporting American’s love for meat flavored spirits, but we’re definitely seeing a movement towards savory cocktails of which Bakon is a part. We have states that are going through more and more Bakon every month, which definitely reflects a growing love affair with our vodka.

DRP When will Prime Rib Vodka be available?

SS Never.

DRP How does one garnish a Bakon Martini?

SS We usually suggest a rim of salt or a salt/sugar combination for some of the sweet cocktails like the Bakon Chocolate Martini. There’s a great martini invented in St. Louis at “Prime 1000 Steakouse” that combines equal parts Bakon and pickle juice with a salted rim. It’s awesome.

DRP What about a Bakon on the rocks?

SS Bakon has a incredibly intense flavor profile; intentionally so that it comes out in a cocktail. People that drink Bakon straight are the same sorts of people that enjoy peaty scotches and heavy wood bourbons.

DRP Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, West Virginia, North Carolina. These are states where (according to www.bakonvodka.com) Bakon Vodka is not available. I have a hard time believing that there are more bacon enthusiasts in Portland, Seattle, and NYC than there are in meat country. When will Bakon be available in Texas?

SS Well, we’re now available in Colorado! Texas is coming soon, nothing firm but we’re looking at May.

DRP Who is Bakon Vodka’s key demographic, and why?

SS We think that we have a few key groups of fans. Obviously, first is People who love Bacon. The second is People who love Bloody Marys. The third is People who love to experiment (or the consummate bartender). They are interchangeable and it’s more than likely that people belong to 2 or more groups!

DRP Polar Ice and Vermont Gold make maple flavored vodka, now there’s Bakon Vodka… any plans to develop a pancake-flavored vodka?

SS Equal parts Bakon vodka and Pinnacle Whipped (whip cream flavored vodka) = THE WAFFLE SHOT. It’s awesome.

DRP It’s been a pleasure interviewing you, is there anything else you’d like to add?

SS The pleasure was all mine!

If you’re interested in finding out more about Bakon Vodka, please check out the website (www.bakonvodka.com) or the facebook page (www.facebook.com/bakon)

Disappointment

doctorpopeye — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:51:22 +0000

Hayashi Hibachi – 4220 82nd Street, Lubbock, TX 79423

I had very high hopes for Hayashi Hibachi. I read the reviews on urbanspoon.com before going and was excited by the mere prospect that there might be decent sushi in Lubbock. Alas, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Upon entering the restaurant, I was pleased by the appropriate and tasteful decor. I was seated promptly, although the host did not ask whether I’d prefer to sit at a table, hibachi, or the bar area. As I looked over the menu with mounting anticipation and excitement, I was approached for my drink order in a timely manner. Once my drink was in hand, I promptly placed my order: one “Dallas” roll, one “West Texas” roll, one shrimp tempura roll, and two pieces of octopus sushi.

Then began the waiting game. I watched the people at the next table receive their sushi, begin to eat, and finish eating. A quick glance at my watch revealed that a half hour had elapsed.

My waitress returned with the Dallas roll and the West Texas roll. The Dallas roll was decently good, and I was hopeful that this would be a harbinger of things to come. Unfortunately it was here that my luck ran out. The flavor and texture of the West Texas roll emulated that of garbage. I finished fewer than half the pieces of this roll. Luckily, I thought, it was then that my shrimp tempura roll and octopus sushi arrived. I thought wrong. The octopus was chewy, and judging from the aroma- nay, odor- was way past its prime. I left the other piece of octopus untouched. The shrimp tempura roll, a classic staple of american sushi bars, could have been the saving grace of Hayashi Hibachi. Unfortunately they made a miserable cock-up of that as well. Sushi pieces are supposed to be one bite in size. the cross sections of this roll seemed to be the size of frisbees. The shrimp tempura roll contained far too much rice, lettuce (?!?) and a barely noticeable amount of shrimp.

The bill came.

This sordid affair cost me $40. For that price, I could’ve had 6 rolls and three Grey Goose Le Poire and sodas at Chaucer’s on a Monday night, or a mountain of shrimp tempura rolls (done the right way) at happy hour at Zenna.

If you’re in Lubbock, just get a steak.

1/10.

Southern California… At Least the Weather’s Nice…

doctorpopeye — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 01:18:47 +0000

In this edition of The Continuing Adventures of Doctor Popeye, I’ll review several of my dining experiences from Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Camarillo. I would like to start off by saying that I’ve never been a huge fan of Southern California. Everything’s too expensive, the traffic’s bad, the air’s toxic, and the people are just weird… but not in the good way like the people in Austin or San Francisco. There are only two good things about Southern California as far as I can tell:

1) The weather’s nice.
2) Package liquor costs about half what it does in Texas. This paradox is probably what allows the people who live there to tolerate it.

When they aren’t treating their “glaucoma,” getting stuck in traffic, or engaging in a race riot, the people of “SoCal” enjoy perhaps the broadest variety of food to be found anywhere in the world.

Santa Barbara Shellfish Company – 230 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

This place is a little bit touristy. It’s on the wharf and it’s expensive, but I’ll be damned if the food isn’t delicious. Eating local crab and drinking Anchor Steam next to the Pacific on a sunny day is a treat for sure. The service was good, the portions were huge, and the food was all well-prepared, if not memorable. One deviation from the standard American seafood menu is the California Spiny Lobster, which is available seasonally. Some guy at the table behind me kept reading the headlines from “People” magazine, but I suppose this isn’t really the restaurant’s fault.

7/10.

Steamed Local Crab

Anchor Steam Beer

Los Arroyos Mexican Restaurant – 740 E. Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010

Over priced. I paid $35 for lunch for two. What I got was essentially fast food Mexican.

4/10.

Fajitas at Los Arroyos

Yoshinoya Beef Bowl – 11090 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Worst restaurant ever? The only thing “Beverly Hills” about this place are the prices. This fluorescent hell was staffed by inept mongoloids. The food was entirely inedible. I threw my whole portion away after one bite. Clientele included two adult cinema producer types and several strung-out junkies. If you ever find yourself at Yoshinoya Beef Bowl, sigh and wonder where your life went wrong.

0/10.

The Brewhouse – 229 W. Montecito Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Sublime food, interesting entertainment, and delicious beer brewed in-house typify the experience at The Brewhouse. The jerked chicken was delicious, spicy and sweet, although it was served at room temperature. Other than this chicken mishap, my experiences at The Brewhouse were entirely positive. I also experienced the Brewhouse Enchiladas made with filet mignon pieces, wild mushrooms, ancho-lime cream and pepper jack cheese served with black beans and a “Corn Cake”. This was truly a great dining experience. Two bars.

8.5/10.

Enchiladas