I’m sure you remember me mentioning 5 Napkin Burger’s Beer & Bourbon Series, staring with the Kelso Brewery event, held on October 6th. So excited for this to take place, I ran a promotion through the help of my friends at 5 Napkin to send a lucky Fooditka reader and their guest to the event au gratis. That lucky winner happened to be Diane and her husband who I was lucky to meet at the event and even have dinner with. Needless to say, it turned out to be a spectacular night of indulging, making new friends and learning some neat things about beer and food.
The Set-Up:
As is the case with all 5 Napkin Burger run events, the Kelso dinner was nicely organized and went off without a hitch.
It began in 5 Napkin’s private party room (the same one I had my Fooditka re-launch celebration). There, we gathered as a group of food and brew lovers, got to meet Kelly and Sonya, Kelso’s brewers and tasted Chef Andy’s “beer tailored” menu.
I liked the intimacy and the insider feel of the private room. And even though we moved into the main dining room for the actual dinner and dessert, we were still treated like exclusive guests—approached by Kelly who engaged us in fruitful conversation about the beer, food or anything we felt like chatting about.
Beer & Food:
The beginning of the evening started with passed hors d’oeuvres and beer, while the middle-end of the event involved table-side service. It was the perfect mix, in my opinion, letting us warm up to our fellow party-goers and then officially breaking bread with them.
Beer & App Hour – This was my favorite part of the event, when we got to taste Chef Andy’s uniquely constructed apps, all including Kelso’s beer as an ingredient. The addition of beer in the Crispy Chicken Nuggets, the pulled pork sliders and the beer/cheddar soup was evident but in a subtle, intelligent way. It was clear that the beer was added, but it was done in a way that brought out the best in each dish and accentuated its other components.
The chicken nuggets to start were (as its name foreshadowed) amazingly crispy, flavored by a smoky bbq sauce that had a hint of Kelso’s lager. Each bite was intensely addicting and I appreciated the mix of dark and white meat that went into this. This was no engineered meat concoction, as I often picture when I think of a mass-produced nugget.
My other close favorite was the pulled pork slider, which was slow cooked for 18 hours in a beer reduction. The end result was tender, juicy and nicely spiced meat, its hearty taste cut by the refreshing carrot and jicama slaw and cilantro on top. If they haven’t thought of this already, I’d highly recommend putting this baby on the regular menu – or at least their happy hour menu. Please…?
A third app served during the beer & app hour was an aged cheddar and beer soup – the perfect accoutrement to beer, I think. The flavors were strong and tickled the back of your throat in a comforting way. Pieces of smoky, thick-cut bacon peered through the pumpkin-colored liquid, which were a lovely surprise that made this soup an even greater treat.
For the entrees, we were graced with 5 Napkin Burger’s signature burger (with their rosemary aioli), which I’ve had many times and always enjoy. For more info about this burger, you can see my previous reviews.
Whoopie Pie
– Dessert is my favorite aspect of any meal, and this one absolutely sealed the deal for me. And as everything else on the menu that night, it was accentuated with Kelso’s brew - the Flemish Red Ale, which is known for being sour. Overall, the taste was spectacular – a little spicy, a bit nutty with deep flavors of maple.
The Beer – We had the pleasure of tasting 7 different Kelso ales that night, and I sure learned a lot. For one – I didn’t know there were this many varieties, a lot of them being very rich in flavor, ingredients and taste. Something else I learned, which made a whole lot of sense in retrospect is that 5 Napkin’s Signature Ale is actually Kelso’s Nut Brown Lager, except under a different name. It’s no wonder that Dan and I are constantly impressed by it, ordering it time and again when we come here for dinner or for their Happy Hour offering.
So besides the 5 Napkin Lager, which is a dark, full-bodied malt, my other favorites included the Recessionator, the Pilsner, and the Flemish Red Ale. All three beers are very distinct, the Recessionator, a thick, malty, nutty brew with rum toffee flavorings; the Pilsner a drier, European-style beer that reminds me of the beers I have when visiting family in Slovakia; and finally the Flemish Red Ale, which is Kelso’ rendition of a sour beer that’s aged for 6 months. I first tasted the latter at 5 Napkin’s Captain Lawrence event last year, and it was a bit much for me to take – good but very, very strong. Kelso’s version however, was a lot lighter, slightly sweet and paired really well with the Whoopie Pie.
Service and Cost:As is customary for 5 Napkin, the service was outstanding and always on point. The pacing of each course was just right, in that we didn’t feel rushed but at the same time we didn’t find ourselves waiting for anything too long. I really liked the special attention we got from the brewers, which is the real value of attending something like this. It would make for a really nice gift for an uber savvy (or curious) beer lover.
The cost of the dinner is $60 per person and includes tax and gratuity – really not bad for all the special attention and the ample food and drink you’re getting.
3 Mmmms
5 Napkin Burger - 35-01 36th Street, Astoria, NY 11106
718.433.2727
N/Q Train to Steinway Street, R/V/G Train to Steinway Street
www.5napkinburger.com
Exciting stuff readers...as I told you last week, 5 Napkin Burger is graciously hosting another Beer & Bourbon dinner series starting this October. And what's even sweeter is that you have the opportunity to attend!
For those of you still unfamiliar with this event, it's a fabulous up-close-and-personal way to meet local beer brewers, ask them your burning questions and of course sample their goods. All of this takes place in the company of some of the juiciest, meatiest burgers packed with flavor and fabulosity that we call 5 Napkin.
In addition to their usual grub, they'll also be featuring special dishes keyed to each event. This could include anything and everything from fondue with pretzel bread to vanilla cupcakes with vanilla porter icing. Mmmm...licking your lips already?
Here's how to enter this giveaway:
Please leave a comment on this blog post and tell me about why you'd like to attend this event or your favorite 5 Napkin burger variety.
Your comment will grant you one entry into this giveaway for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the October 6th event, featuring Kelso Brooklyn brewery.
For extra entries, please Tweet about this giveaway with the #5NBFooditka hashtag or tag me in your Facebook post.
You have until Wednesday, September 28th to participate. A winner will be chosen at random, through random.org and will be announced on this website and via email. Please make sure to leave your email in your submission. Winner will receive a pair of tickets, which includes a guest pass.
Good luck and tell your friends...
If you'd like to buy tickets for this event, you can always do so here.
5 Napkin Burger - 35-01 36th Street, Astoria, NY 11106
718.433.2727
N/W Train to 36th Avenue
5napkinburger.com
Last week, I was lucky to attend a fun blogger's get-together organized by the folks at 5 Napkin Burger. I always look forward to coming here, as I'm a sucker for a good, juicy burger, but I was also thrilled to hang with some of my fellow Queens and Manhattan food bloggers, some of which I've never met. As is usually the case, there was lots of picture taking and plenty of geeky blog talk, which was just dandy with me. Here's who came to dinner:
Meg and Mackenzi - My colleagues from We Heart AstoriaJon from Eatery RowCaryn and Laura from 89th and Broke 5 Napkin provided a lovely setting with plenty of yummy treats, some of which I haven't yet tried. I'll dig deeper into those mostly, as I've told you about 5 Napkin before and then I'll also highlight a fun event series they'll be featuring soon.
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip - Never have I ever ignored hot, oozing, stringy artichoke spinach dip and I wasn't going to start now. 5 Napkin's version was sophisticated, accompanied by long endive spears to keep things healthier and at the same time, classier. If you're looking for a crunchier bite, you can pile this deliciously warm concoction on the crunchy crostini that also comes as a side.
Pork Taquitos - After reading a nice review from Brad, I had to try these. Mmmm...the pork was tender, with a thick tangy sauce and bursts of flavor from the fresh salsa. The crunch from the hard taco shell provided more excitement - a proverbial party in your mouth. Cheers!
Sushi Combo Platter - While I wouldn't normally get sushi at a burger joint, this looked (and tasted) incredibly fresh. I tried the spicy tuna and the shrimp avocado rolls - the flavors exploding in my mouth. Delicious fresh seafood mixed with crunchy veggies, the whole thing was encased in perfectly cooked sticky rice and a delicate casing, that held everything together. For a sushi enthusiast or an ambivalent like me, this is a great choice.
Burger Salad - My dining companion Danielle went for this 5 Napkin "Burger Salad," which had all the components of a burger, except the bun. Although I didn't actually taste it, I marveled at this salad and Danielle complimented how rich in flavor it was. Another perk was the 5 Napkin sauce, which served as the dressing.
Tater Tots - What can I say...as a proud Eastern European, I love me some carbs and that's why I had to indulge in these little spirals of goodness. As Dan would say (and I agree), they're more like croquettes than traditional tater tots since they have a crispy breadcrumb exterior and a soft, mashed potato interior. I also loved that they were flavored with rosemary, one of my favorite fall/winter spices.
Espresso Brownie Sundae - The first thing I noticed right away when this landed in front of me were the peanuts. For those of you who know me, it won't come as a surprise that that was almost a deal breaker, as I'm not a fan of peanuts or peanut butter. But...despite the minor personal setback, I decided to dig in and in the end, was very glad I did. Smooth, clean-flavored vanilla ice-cream lay comfortably in a clear drinking glass, topped with silky espresso caramel and dark chocolate brownie bits. Fluffy whipped cream topped this festive dessert cup as well as salted peanuts, which as you know, I could've done without.
Besides trying this tasty food, I also wanted to inform you that 5 Napkin will be launching a special called the Beer & Bourbon Dinner series, starting on November 16th going through December 14th. During this time, you'll be able to sample unique micro-brews and bourbons, paired with a special menu, concepted by Chef Andy D'Amico. Sounds delish...so go get your eat and drink on!
5 Napkin Burger - 35-01 36th Street, Astoria, NY 11106
718.433.2727
N/W Train to 36th Avenue5napkinburger.com
