Tom Douglas with Rose Ann and Charles Finkel, and Linda Stratton of Pike Brewing

Seattle super-chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas is well-known for his local restaurant empire. But, over the past couple of years, Tom Douglas has also been hosting occasional beer and food pairing events that have helped to open casual beer drinkers’ eyes to the wonderful pairings one can create with good food and craft beer. Largely driven by the company’s corporate sous chef and “beer czar”, Warren Peterson, these events are always a laid back affair that offer mostly local craft beers paired with dishes created by Tom Douglas chefs.

This Thursday, they will be throwing their 3rd Annual (I think?) St. Patrick’s Day Beer Blast at the Palace Ballroom in Belltown. In addition to great food and beer, the Seattle Firefighter Pipes and Drums team will be on hand to celebrate the occasion, and prizes will be awarded to “the lucky lads n’ lassies with the best shades o’ emerald,  jig and Irish accent.”

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased in advance at this link. More information follows, including participating breweries and some of the food items to be served.

Something else to look forward to from Tom Douglas is his soon-to-open Brave Horse Tavern in South Lake Union. With 26 taps of beer, 30 to 40 select beers in bottles, and chef Brian Walcyck moving from the Palace Kitchen to take over this new venture, I have high hopes for this pub. According to Warren Peterson, “The food menu is going to be fun and casual, and we are going to really put a focus on the beer.” I was told that Brave Horse is slated to open on March 29, but the date may have been moved back a week or two . I should really try to get a job at Amazon’s new HQ in South Lake Union, just so that I can go here easily after work.