NYC Tastes

The main reason for our trip to Philadelphia was very simple...beer.  It was the annual release of Pliny the Younger, an Imperial IPA from Russian River that is virtually impossible to get anywhere on the East Coast.  The event was scheduled to kick off at 11:30 am at Monk's Cafe.  We arrived at 10:00 am and there were already over 100 people waiting in line outside.  Luckily Monk's has done this many times before and they had a set up that worked perfect.  A little over two hours later and we were sitting inside each with our glass of Pliny. It was amazing how many people showed up for just a taste of this beer.  I have to admit it was wonderful...not my favorite Double IPA but a great one for sure.  I actually enjoy the Pliny the Elder a bit better, which they also had on tap, in addition to some other fantastic beers. And some amazing bottles... I mean really amazing bottles... It was fantastic   W...

Remember that fabulous Beet tasting menu I enjoyed in Philadelphia last year?  I loved Matyson so much it immediately went into my top five places of all time. We had a trip planned to Philadelphia this past Sunday and the first order of business was heading back to the restaurant for another meal. The tasting menu on Sunday is slightly different than the week day offering.  They still choose one ingredient for the base but instead of five course there is only four and it's $35 instead of $55.  As always, Matyson is BYOB so when we saw pork as the ingredient we decided to create a beer pairing for each course on our own.  To begin BBQ Pig Tails, birch beer glaze and celery root slaw paired with Russian River Damnation. This is my first experience with pig tails and I have to say it will definitely not be my last....these were amazing!  They were similar in texture to a spar...