"pairing" news and stories

When the makers of Four Loko set out to produce their canned caffeinated liquor concoction, we doubt they saw a four-course pairing dinner in their future. Philadelphia chef Matt Levin will, in fact, hold such a meal at Adsum restaurant next Monday, December 13. (Did we just hear the engines of every student-owned car in America begin to rev?)

Like many wacky ideas, the Loko dinner began as a joke on Twitter, but 15 minutes later, chef Levin already had 37 would-be RSVPs, reports the Philadelphia City Paper. The beverage faced its first ban in New York last month and may soon follow suit across the country, but Levin had already started stockpiling the drink when he found out it might potentially be gone for good.

What pairs best with Four Loko? Other than Funyuns and Easy Mac? Meat, of course. As in the "BBQ Picnic" featuring Loko pearls and pickled watermelon paired with Lemonade Loko. Then there's the Morrocan Lamb 'Sausage and Peppers' paired with a "Loko Yoko" cocktail. To satisfy your need for sugar and carbs, see the vanilla pain perdu (essentially a New Orleans-style French toast) served with Loko slushy and gelée paired with a Watermelon Loko. To finish: a Loko Pâté de Fruit (a fancy name for fruit jelly candy) to drink with Fruit Punch Loko.

OK, it's not dinner at Jean Georges, but it's pretty inventive. And maybe even delicious. The dinner runs $35 with two seatings at 6 and 8 p.m. That's a lot of Loko in two hours. Designated drivers highly recommended.

Jonathan Waters. Photo: Robert Messick.

Strawberries with wine? It's not a pairing most people ask Chez Panisse sommelier Jonathan Waters about. In fact, he can't remember anyone ever asking him to take the sweet-tart berry -- which has dotted dessert menus for much of the summer -- and combine it with a crisp, ethereal vino. Champagne, yes, but wine, no.

"It's pretty rare that somebody would have strawberries with wine," says Waters (no relation to that other Chez Panisse Waters), who has worked at the restaurant for more than 20 years.

That said, he thinks the two are a very plausible match and was up to the challenge. We caught up with him to chat strawberries, Alice Waters' practice of finishing a meal with seasonal fruit, and his thoughts on organic wine.

Do you guys ever serve whole strawberries?
We do. We serve them at the end of a meal. Alice's idea is that the perfect end of a meal is a fruit. If you have ever read [David Mas] Masumoto's book about peaches ... we only serve strawberries for a very short window because it's a short season when they are perfect.

Does the restaurant serve them other ways?
We serve strawberries with other things for a longer period, like macerated strawberries over sherbet or strawberry shortcake.

The Philadelphia Daily News recently ran a column by beer reporter Don Russell, a.k.a. Joe Sixpack, about the growing number of restaurants that employ beer sommeliers. As the name suggests, these are folks that orchestrate a restaurant's beer selection, from consulting with the kitchen to helping diners pair beer and food. Russell has no problem with the existence of such a position, but he takes issue with the title, saying that the French term (and its connotations) has no business being paired with the word beer. His answer? Cellarman (or cellarwoman), an old British term for the person charged with the upkeep of a pub's beer supply and equipment. Personally, I'm just excited by the prospect of more restaurants having such a person. I don't much care what they're called. Still, Russell's piece is fun and definitely worth a read.

[Via Fark]

The drink of choice for curry fans is beer. The mild flavors complement the complex spices and the cold bubbles are refreshing and palate-cleansing, especially if you happen to be eating a spicy dish. Why aren't wines paired with curries, though? One reason is that there is no cultural tradition of wine-drinking in India. The popular line is that they are too heavy-tasting with curries, and either the wine or the dish itself ends up being too acidic to make a pleasurable combination.

The truth of the matter is that some wines don't go with curries and the reason turns out to be tannins. High tannin wines taste harsh and bitter with chilies and some spices, so selecting light, low-tannin wines will help you to make a better match with a curry. Suggestions include gewürztraminer, zinfandel, merlot and rosé, opting for fruitier flavors to counteract any potential bitterness. Choose a sparkling wine if you crave the palate-cleansing sensation of carbonation.

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Some of you may recall a stir created last month by news of a study that many claimed debunked the harmonious pairing of cheese and red wine. Well, Slate's Mike Steinberger recently spoke with U.C. Davis professor Hildegarde Heymann, supervisor of the wine and cheese study. Heymann feels that the results of the study were grossly misinterpreted by the media. The tasters, apparently, weren't wine experts, but rather university students and staff. The wines, mostly from California ranged in price from $7 to $20. While the cheeses did make the wines taste less intense, tasters were still very much able to distinguish the better wines of the bunch, Heymann told Steinberger. Moreover, in some cases, bad cheese may even mask the more offensive characteristics of bad wine.

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