First Time's The Charm at GGI
Nestled just off State Highway 31 in the little borough of Glen Gardner, the historic Glen Gardner Inn is making a comeback, and if last night's first-ever beer dinner is any indication, it will be a strong one.
Successful beer dinners have several moving parts that need to mesh together: a chef that knows his stuff, a staff that can deliver efficiently what the kitchen puts out, quality beers to match the food and a comfortable setting. And GM Dan Weiss had all the parts running like a well-oiled machine in the restaurant's debut.
The already-charming historic inn is in the midst of some serious renovations that when complete, should render it a "must-visit" for more than just the locals like Roger Freitag, Mayor Mattias Schroeter and Council hopeful Lisa Fielding.
Weiss, a transplanted Perth Amboy native, took me on a brief tour of what is to come, hopefully in the next month. Humphrey's Tavern is the idea, a bricked room with two-hundred year-old recovered wooden floors, high top tables and sixteen beers on tap, all to be enjoyed beneath a towering, two-story brick fireplace in a building that oozes history. The plan also includes patio dining overlooking Main Street in the scenic little borough. Once--if--the weather gets nicer, it should be a dynamite spot.
Because it sure was last night. Chef Larry Cera produced some outstanding dishes in the form of cheeses and fruits, a killer Gazpacho, a delicious Mushroom and Squash Lasagna, a succulent, perfectly-done grilled flank steak and a decadent chocolate lava cake for dessert.
The foods were nicely matched by Founders Rep Natalie DeChico, who possesses a very impressive craft beer pedigree which includes homebrewing with her dad and several "educational" adventures to British pubs. Natalie paired the cheeses with Mosaic Promise, the gazpacho with All-Day IPA, the lasagna with Dirty Bastard, the flank steak with Sumatra Mountain Brown and the dessert with Rubaeus. My table partners, Nancy and Denise, said the pairings were perfect, and the PubScout would certainly concur.
An impressive number of thirty first-time guests were comfortably accommodated in the brick-walled dining room of the old inn for GGI's Beer Dinner Coming-Out Party, and all with whom I spoke were very impressed. Two lasses told me it was their maiden voyage at a beer dinner as well, and they would definitely be attending more--promising to follow this blog (as most knowledgeable beer nuts do) for more entertaining beer information.
Credit goes to owner Michael Keller for taking the beer dinner plunge and to GM Dan Weiss for insuring that everything ran smoothly. A special shout out to server Wendy is also in order.
And the rare special Einbecker Blond Bock that Weiss brought to our table was icing on the cake.
The next dinner is tentatively planned for July. By that time, renovations should be complete.
And the weather might even be warmer.
Cheers!
The PubScout
(And, as always, check out The Gallery Page for more pictures of the event.)
