Categorized | Beer Tastings, Featured, Food, Philadelphia

I couldn’t think of a better way to ring in Philly Beer Week than to start if off at National Mechanics Bar and Restaurant Flying Dog Gonzo Beer Dinner.  Honestly, this event was crazy from beginning to end.  If you’ve never been to National Mechanics down on 22 S. 3rd St. in Philadelphia, I HIGHLY suggest you check these guys out.  Way way back in 1837 this place was originally a bank called Mechanics National Bank and then, believe it or not, a church and a few night clubs.  The best part is being able to sit down in a church pew, have dinner, and drink a few craft beers.  Also, the line up of draft beers they had was pretty good, nice selection.  And yes, for your friends who do not enjoy the craft beers, National Mechanics does have Miller Lite and others on tap.

Before I even get into the food and beer, I have to mention these two guys at the dinner last night.  One was dressed like Raoul Duke and the other like Dr. Gonzo.  For those fans of Flying Dog, I am sure  you know that understanding between Flying Dog and the artwork on the bottles.  If not, you have some research to do on the Flying Dog’s website.  Anyway, the guys were nuts. From going up on stage with the megaphone showing their one of a kind humor, they played the parts well and I’ve never met anyone that insane.

I am going to do my best to remember the beer and the food pairings since we all had some time to hang out, talk and drink a Firkin of Snake Bite before dinner started.

• The first part of a two course appetizer was Fried Plantain Chips with fresh guacamole, salsa fresca, and Shiitake mushroom tapenade.  It was paired with Flying Dog’s Tire Bite.  It was a killer appetizer, especially the mushrooms, and it paired really well with the Tire Bite.  Flying Dog Tire Bite is one of their lightest beers.  Very light in color and in flavor, but it had tartness towards the end.  This is a beer for one of those super hot days that when you want a beer, this is what you have.  It paired nicely with the Plantains and assortment of salsas.  I could also see this going well with fish and seafood.  HEY, as a matter of fact, guess what the second part of the course was…..Grilled colossal lemon shrimp and spicy tomato basil rice salad topped with micro greens.  This also paired very nicely with the Tire Bite.  Shrimp was cooked perfectly and the rice was awesome.
• The next course was  shredded roasted chicken on grilled naan bread with grated Canadian sharp cheddar.  This was paired with Doggie Style Pale Ale.  This was a very nice pairing.  The cheddar on the Naan Flatbread Sandwich had a nice mouthfeel with the Flying Dog Doggie Style.
• Third course was Filet Mignon skewers in a Thai peanut butter marinade with blue cheese cream and mini Yukon gold potatoes.  I could of sat there all night and ate them.  The flavor of the meat was so good and cooked just right.  This was paired with Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA.  Oh what a beer it was, it definitely is a Raging Bitch!  So many different things were going on in this beer I really couldn’t get a grip on it.  A must try for all you Hoppy Beer Lovers.  The beer paired very well with the Thai peanut butter and blue cheese cream, it seemed to tone down the beer just enough so you could pull out the flavor and enjoy it.
• The last course of the night at my table was dessert.  I’m not much of a dessert type of person but this may have changed my mind about that.  The dessert was Flying Dog’s Gonzo Porter Ice Cream and the drinks were the hard to get Flying Dog Coffee Porter and a shot of Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey.  These Stranahan Whiskey barrels are the ones used to age the Raging Bitch.  It was nice to try the whiskey that comes out of the barrels before they are used for aging Raging Bitch.  Everything paired together so well in this course it was an orgasm of flavors in my mouth.  Everyone started to get the awesome idea of taking the ice cream and putting it in the Coffee Porter.  That was a great mistake because it made everything come together even more that the orgasm became an orgy!

Overall the night was a blast, everyone there had a great time.  It was such an intimate setting with all the people from Flying Dog and Two Guys on Beer that you had the chance to walk around during the course of the night and ask questions about anything you wanted.  No one felt rushed and it was very nice casual night.  Again, I would highly recommend this place to anyone out there.  I am going to have to go back and check out the regular menu when Philly Beer Week is all said and done.

National Mechanics
22 South 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 701-4883

Tags | Flying Dog, Flying Dog Brewery, Flying Dog Coffee Porter, Flying Dog Doggie Style, Flying Dog Gonzo Porter, Flying Dog Raging Bitch IPA, Flying Dog Snake Bite, Flying Dog Tire Bite, National Mechanics Bar and Restaurant, Philly Beer Week, Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey, Two Guys on Beer