Cabanas sponsored a craft beer dinner last Thursday night combining Dogfish Head Beer and the culinary talents of the kitchen staff of Cabanas and Martini Beach and both were impressive. The night was hosted by Nick Vitallo of DFH and he was very informative, telling the story of how Sam started the business and how it’s grown. The first beer of the evening was the DFH 60 Minute IPA and to liven it up it was run through Randall filled with clementine zest, grapefruit zest and jalapeno for a flavorful start to the night. If you haven’t met Randall The Enamel, you haven’t had a hoppy beer. Randall allows you to run the beer through a fillable canister to add some extra flavor to the beer and allows you to add other tastes as well. Check it out on Dogfish Head’s website.
The first course of the evening was a soft-shell shrimp taco with Alvarado and was paired with My Antonia, a continually-hopped Imperial Pilsner. It was originally brewed in Italy and only recently has it been brewed at DFH brewery! Check out the clip on YouTube of Sam discussing My Antonia with his grandmother.
The next serving was a warm sweet potato salad with basil, chives, cilantro and lemon-herb vinaigrette and this was served with Chataeu Jiahu, another rare offering that recreated a beer recipe from 9000 years ago, however the beer had a fresh feel to it and is served in a snifter glass
This was followed by Jerk Scallops with arepa corncakes and Nick matched this with Pangaea, an extremely unique beer. Playing on Sam’s quirkiness, this beer is made with ingredients from every Continent. Before you ask, the water comes from Antartica. The beer is a spicy ale and very flavorful. This beer is also served in a 750ml bottle and poured into a stemed glass and can be served with many different styles of food
The dinner was Braised beef short rib with tostones and candied pineapple and this was delicious. The meat was tender and juicy and slid off the bone and could be cut with a fork. Theobroma was poured with the main course and was a great selection. This is another brew that was is part of the “Ancient Ales” line and is made in conjunction with archaeological discoveries to recreate beer made in 1200 BC and has a earthy cocoa zing to it as well as a spicy kick that finishes it off. Theobrama, the food of the gods, has as unique a taste as it does a story
The evening was finished with a desert of banana coconut flan with burnt orange sauce and was served with Burton Baton, another rarity from DFH and another unique brew. Nick did an excellent job in his beer selection and it was great that he didn’t keep it safe and only serve the middle of the road beers. The Burton Baton is actually two batches of beer mixed together for a 10% ABV, a pleasant end to a great night. This brew is blended in the oak tanks and for someone who also enjoys whiskey, it has that great woodsy taste with some vanilla to mellow it. It was served in a pint glass and a toast was made to George from Cabanas and Nick from DFH for putting together a great blend of food and unique beers. This was Cabanas first foray into the beer dinner and keeping it small and manageable gave it a comfortable feel to it and it was extremely successful. I would suggest you attend their next offering but be prepared to act quickly, it will no doubt sell out.
Find Cabanas online, on Facebook, on Twitter and in person at 429 Beach Ave, Cape May.