I attended this dinner on April 27 at Kessel & March which is situated in the East Village brewery district in East Van.  Featuring a 4 course meal served family style created by  Executive Chef Tony Marzo paired with a variety of beers from local brewer Powell Street Brewery.

Now on to dinner and the pairings!

First Course:

Orange zest, Cocoa Goat Cheese with edible flowers

Paired with Old Jalopy Pale Ale

 

Second Course:

Confit Duck Leg with a spiced orange velouté with Lentils du Poy

Paired with Belgian Witbier

 

Third Course:

Elk & Bison Meatloaf and Rutabaga Puree

Paired with Dive Bomb Porter

 

Fourth Course:

Citrus Crepe Cake

Paired with White IPA w. Citra

My Take:

This dinner was not only a great pairing of dishes and beers, it was also a neighborhood collaboration featuring both Kessel & March and Powell Street Brewery who are both located in the same East Village neighborhood. Chef Tony Marzo played with the beers over a few weeks, tasting and designing his menu. Learning about the beers to present from the notes to the flavours, then they go about creating an exciting menu that tells the story. This story was well played with the different dish pairings.  David Bowkett who is the Head Brewer and Owner at Powell Street Brewery was on hand to describe each of the beers as presented with each of the courses.

My favourite of the food dishes and pairings was the outstanding Confit Duck Leg with a spiced orange velouté with Lentils du Poy, paired with Belgian Witbier, the citrus notes in both the veloute and the beer was magic together. For the last course, the Citrus Crepe Cake was also very well paired with the White IPA w. Citra and delicious with the orange glaze that was drizzled over top of the crepe layered cake.

Kessel & March offers beer and food pairing dinners monthly, contact them for details at (604) 874-1196 or visit them online.

By: Richard Wolak