Chef Tom Douglas (Dahlia Lounge, etc...) poses with Rose Ann Finkel, Charles Finkel and Linda Stratton from Pike Brewing.

I’ve been to plenty of beer dinners over the past few years, but I was intrigued by the idea of a “beer and food social” hosted by Tom Douglas at the Palace Ballroom. Even better that it was being held on St. Pats day and offered us a low-key way to head out and celebrate with good food and beer.

Tom Douglas is the celebrity chef/owner of Dahlia Lounge (possibly my favorite Seattle restaurant, in large part because of the coconut cream pie…), Etta’s, Lola, Palace Kitchen and Serious Pie. He has been a cornerstone chef for helping to develop the restaurant industry here in the PNW, and he honestly seems like he’d be a great guy to grab a beer with and shoot the shit. He’s always got a couple of solid local beers on tap and in bottles at Dahlia Lounge and Etta’s (I haven’t been to the others), so it wasn’t a complete surprise to hear that this event was being held at his Palace Ballroom.

There were 10 stations set up with a different food item paired with a local beer (standouts in bold):

Pike Kilt Lifter paired with Beer Battered Fried Fish & Tartar Sauce
Big Al Dark Wheat paired with Curried Cashews
Baron Black Lager paired with Salami
Scuttlebutt Triple 7 paired with Garrett’s Pretzel Bites (with some type of tasty dipping sauce)
Georgetown 9lb. Porter paired with Espresso Pudding
Boundary Bay IPA paired with White Sausage
Hales Troll Porter paired with Beef Mole on a Chip
Issaquah Ménage A Frog Tripel with a block of Aged Gouda
Maritime Flagship Red paired with Pizza from Serious Pie
Diamond Knot Whiskey Oaked Slane’s Irish Ale paired with Fried Chickpeas

The Fireman's Pipe and Drum Corps kicks things off.

Things kicked off with a performance by the Fireman’s Pipe and Drum Corps, which made it really feel like St. Pats day. From there, it was open season on wandering around tasting the beers and food while saying hello to familiar faces. I’d love to see more events such as these….just casual gatherings spotlighting local beer and good food.

Cheers to Tom Douglas, chef Warren Peterson and all of the attending brewers/reps for a great St. Pats day.