So I know I’m a bit late for the party. Monk’s Kettle has been pretty extensively covered, and the consensus is that it’s great.   I’ve been a few times, and always found it nothing less than stellar.  Once, stopping in after dinner, we snagged the last order of the night of chocolate-peanut-butter bread pudding. I paired it with a Belgium porter, and it was fantastic. The bread pudding was rich without being too sweet, and was the perfect compliment for the espresso-like porter, with had just the right touch of Belgian yeast twang.

 

 

 

 

My only complaint about Monk’s Kettle is the size – it’s a tiny shotgun layout of a bar, with a single row of tables and bar seats stretching all the way to the back.  Along the back walls, chalkboards all imbibers to contribute to the decoration, as well as suggest beers. It very quickly fills up, and the bar becomes crowded with beer fans.  On a regular night, the wait for a table can be brutal. 

So, we went for lunch.  On a sunny Saturday, the restaurant was busy but not crowded, and we took a seat at the bar and perused the beer menu while waiting for the rest of our group to arrive and a big table to open up. 

 

 
(I call this one my No Salad As A Meal shot.)

 

 

 

I ordered a Oaked Arrogant Bastard, and Eli had an Uncommon Brewers’ Golden Ale, and our out of town visitor Steve had Alaska Smoked Porter.  All were great – I especially liked Eli’s Golden Ale, and find the incorporation of poppy seeds interesting, even though I’m not sure I could detect the poppy seeds.  We ordered a snack at the bar while waiting for our party to arrive – black bean cakes with a corn salsa.  The cakes had a light crunchy exterior, and the salsa was spicy and provided a great contrast.  

 

 

 

One of my favorite things about Monk’s Kettle are all of the little service details they get right.  Starting with the glasswear collection.  Want a wheat beer? They have a glass for that. Want something else?  Pick a beer, chances are it has a glass which it calls home. In the Belgium tradition, each beer has a correct glass, and it is always poured into it.  

 

 

 

Not sure if you’ll like a beer?  Ask for a sample – they have a glass just for that and are happy to help you navigate a sometimes overwhelming beer menu. I HIGHLY recommend asking the bartenders for help choosing a brew, if you can. 

 

 
(What is this? A beer for ants?!) 

 

Finally, they pour the beers correctly.  I know this seems like a small detail, but when you’ve been waiting for a special beer (and usually you’ll have waited) and it can be a bit pricey, it’s important that every detail is right.  It’s kind of like when you get a steak knife to go with your steak – it’s the right tool for the right job, and an important front of the house touch to back up a great beer collection.

When I ordered a Schneider Hopfen Weisse, the bartender poured it by turning the bottle fully upside down, then raising it as the beer poured into the tall glass.  Then swirled the yeast at the bottom of the bottle (only do this with wheat beers), topped it off, and left the bottle with me. See how cloudy it is, with a nice head at the top?  Perfect. 

 

  

 

On a sidenote, there is a great story behind this beer: “This brew is the result of the long friendship of Brooklyn brewmaster Garrett Oliver and Schneider brewmaster Hans-Peter Drexler. Garrett had always admired the delicate balance of flavors in Schneider Weisse, while Hans-Peter had long enjoyed the effusive hop character of Brooklyn East India Pale Ale and BLAST! Garrett’s concept for the collaboration was that each brewmaster would brew essentially the same pale, hoppy weissbock in the other’s brewery, but with different hopping to reflect the local hop flavor. ” Anyways, back to the glassware. 

This attention to detail with glasses extends to every beer.  British ales are served full size British pint glasses. Nitro beers are allowed to rest before being topped off.  Tulip glasses are used for smaller pours of powerful beers.  For example, Brian‘s Allagash Four Quad was served in a goblet, making it easy to appreciate the aromas.  

 

 

 

While we waited for our table, they graciously let me slip into the kitchen to say hello to Chef Kevin Kroger.  There, in an very small, narrow kitchen he was assembling dishes.  I wanted to stay and chat about the theory behind his beer and food pairings, but he was quite busy knocking out lunch for hungry customers.  I took a few pictures, and returned to the bar. 

 

 

 

 

Eventually we got our table and ordered lunch.  It being early in the day, we stuck with the sandwiches, and enjoyed the pulled pork sandwich, as well as the chicken breast, served with home cured bacon and brie.  Both were good – the pork was in a slightly sweet (but not too sweet,) citrusy sauce that was a nice foil for my Hopfen Weisse, and the bacon was pretty much the best thing on the table.  When Brian has to run out the door to feed his parking meter (with my parking card!) I reimbursed myself via stolen bacon.  He doesn’t necessarily realize this happened.  I guess this is a good way to find out if he really reads my blog.  Also, although I didn’t get it this time, I also highly recommend the lamb burger, cooked medium rare. 

 

 

We passed on dessert this time, which is a real shame – they usually have an exciting collection of flemish reds on hand, as well as dark stouts, so dessert pairings provide ample pairing opportunities.  I guess I’ll just have to save that for my next visit. 

 

 

 

Tags: mission, Monk's Kettle

This entry was posted on Monday, November 24th, 2008 at 6:15 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.