Dewar's + Drambuie Presents: Fall Harvest Dinner+ Cocktail Pairing @ Church Restaurant, Boston

Church's new talented chef John Rush prepared a lovely Fall Harvest 5 course meal at a private dinner back in November.  Beverage Director Adam Grushey and Drambuie Brand Influencer, Tara "BlackDahlia" Feely,  paired each course with the perfect cocktail.

First course: 

A silky, creamy oyster on the halfshell topped with crisp, earthy shallots and a Meyer lemon foam.  Chef Rush creatively mounted the oyster upon a heap of coarse sea salt which gave the illusion of packed snow while serving the same purpose.  The wait staff wisely warned patron not to eat it!

First Pairing:
Drambuie 15 year, a Speyside Malt blended with Original Drambuie.  It has more sweet honey notes than spiced, herbaceous notes Original Dram is known to carry.  Quite nice and paired will the cool, creamy mollusk with citrus notes lingering from the foam.

Second Course:
A brightly colored salad with green, leafy, peppery arugula, tender roasted beets, bright blood orange supremes, fennel, crunchy, sweet candied walnuts, and dollops of smooth, creamy goat cheese.

Second Pairing:
A classic "Blood and Sand" cocktail (Circa 1922). 
The blood orange in this cocktail really complimented the salad.


Third Course:

The crust on the halibut didn't quite deliver the crispness I was hoping for, but the halibut itself was delicious.  The mild fish was moist and cooked perfectly.   
The halibut was set on braised cippollini onion and a garlic-parsley puree.  The sweetness of the cippollini onion detracted from the mildness of the fish.  It through the balance of the dish off where a more savory preparation could have saved it.

Third Pairing: 
Fallspice Roy

Fouth Course:
Beautiful tender, brown sugar-braised short ribs served with a sweet corn and apple roasted bread pudding cake, roasted baby carrots and parsnips.  The rich cabernet glace was perfect!

This dish felt like the Holidays!

Fourth Pairing:
Heather and Honey

Fifth Course:

Boozy dessert: A blonde brownie Sundae with rich dulce de leche ice cream, almond praline, and butter "scotch" sauce.

 

 
Fifth Pairing:

Maple Leaf cocktail

The perfect ending to a lovely meal!

Digestif!

  

**Interview with Chef John Rush and Review of Dinner at Church coming soon** 

Brown Sugar Restaurant, Bridgetown, Barbados

We decided to finally made our way down to Brown Sugar Restaurant on our last morning in Barbados for brunch.  We walked/road passed it a half dozen times during our stay and never made it in for dinner service, but buffet lunch turned out to be a great choice.

The owner/manager of Brown Sugar Restaurant informed us that they were featured on The Today's Show: "Where in the World is Matt Lauer" back in November 2011.

It's a beautiful space with colorful furnishings and surrounded by lush plants and flowers.  The staff are all warm and friendly, but we learned throughout our visit that it really is the Barbadian way!

We arrived a tad bit early.  As we waited for the buffet area to be prepared, we were offered cool water as we relaxed in the lounge area and took a few pics.

Their housemade, frozen fruit punch was delicious with hints of banana, pineapple, and berries.

Fruit punch

I was excited to be able to continue my Pumpkin Craze in the Caribbean!  I really enjoyed the split pea & pumpkin soup- a silky, rich, curried Autumnal soup- it was a good, light start for brunch.

Split Pea & Pumpkin Soup

Roast Beef Carving Station served up tender cuts of prime meat

The cold salads were pretty basic with a creamy pasta salad and other leafy salads present.  

The curried black eyed peas & raisin salad was interesting.  I appreciated the sweet and savory elements of it. 

The fried eggplant was fresh, but the coating was soggy.  The fish cakes were also unremarkable. 

Clockwise 12 o'clock onwards: Fried Marlin, Fried Eggplant, Pasta Salad (6 o'clock), Curried Black Eyed Pea Salad, BBQ Chicken.

One traditional Caribbean breakfast/brunch dish I've heard of but never tried was souse.  Souse is a cold pickled pork product (typically a combination of pig's ears, feet, and tongue) that in the States, we call "head cheese".  Brown Sugar served it over a slaw-like salad.  Souse will not become a part of my diet, but at least I gave it a try.

Souse

Again, I found myself trying fish that was new to me (my first on this trip was a few nights before at The Fish Pot).  They served fried marlin which was not dissimilar to a tuna steak.  The meat was flaky and hearty.

Fried Marlin

I also enjoyed the sticky barbeque chicken with smoky, sweet BBQ sauce.  It had a perfect char on the crispy edges of the skin.

The BBQ chicken and the macaroni pie were two of my favorites, only second and third to the pepper pot.

Macaroni Pie

The pepper pot had great heat and a bit of sweetness with hints of nutmeg.  The oxtails were large and the meat tender.

Pepper Pot

 

Large Oxtail in Pepper Pot

Carolyn cooling off after trying her first Pepper Pot!

I also thought the lamb gravy over split pea rice was delicious.

Lamb gravy over peas and rice

For dessert, I sample three things as I didn't want to be rolled onto the airplane.  

All were pretty good, but I really liked the cassava pone with its light, moist consistency and hints of coconut flavors without the dreaded bits of chewy coconut meat.

Counterclockwise: Cassava pone, Bajan bread pudding, and Great Pudding (cake)

 

The Great Pudding (Cake) was definitely rum-laden and moist with bites of fruit.  Carolyn exclaimed, "I can get drunk eating this!"

The Bajan bread pudding was way to sweet for me, but it was moist.

From the beautiful property to the great, warm service and delicious food, Brown Sugar earns its name as the Home of Sweet Bajan Cuisine.