Last week we attended an amazing beer dinner at Tom Douglas’ Brave Horse Tavern. Actually, the event took place in the space next door previously known as Ting Momo, a Tibetan dumpling house that was open for lunch only. That space is now the Brave Horse Tack Room.
Themed a Farmhouse Dinner, the event featured delicious dishes paired with farmhouse-style ales (and one Kreik). Working largely with ultra-fresh produce from Douglas’ own Prosser Farm, as well as Centralia’s Newaukum Valley Farm, Chef Brian Walczyk created some outstanding dishes to accompany the beers. I have photos and more information about the beer dinner below, but I really want to tell you about something else—the Tack Room.
In the previous configuration, Ting Momo was the small restaurant sharing a wall with the Brave Horse Tavern. Ting Momo recently moved out of the space and now operates as a food truck called Ting Mobile. The Brave Horse is expanding into the vacant space, opening the Brave Horse Tack Room. The annex will be a semi-private space where guests can reserve tables for groups or reserve the entire space for private parties.
If there has ever been anything to complain about at the Brave Horse Tavern, it is the inability to seat a group. If you and six or eight of your friends want to go out for a beer after work, finding a table to accommodate your group was challenging. The Brave Horse is just too popular, too busy, and too good. The Tack Room will now allow guests to call ahead and reserve tables for groups. Details are still coming together, but that is the crux of the deal.
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The Tack Room will start out by adding a few taps—it will have its own bar. Eventually, it may mirror the entire Brave Horse tap lineup. We’ll just have to see how it goes.
And now back to the dinner. I don’t want to rub it in, but it was spectacular. I will only mention two of my favorite courses. I don’t want to torture you.
My Second Favorite: The first course featured Dungeness crab served over a buttermilk cream, along with green apple, pardon chile and radish. Paired with Seizoen Bretta, from Logsdon Farmhouse Ales of Hood River, Oregon. The beer was dry and complex, complementing the sweetness of the crab beautifully.
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My Most Very Favorite: The third course featured a braised pork belly served with, among other things, some deliciously preserved cherries. Chef Brian paired this rich, savory and complex dish with Oud Beersel Kriek, a fantastic old world lambic Kriek from the Brewery Oud Beersel. The acidity and tartness of the beer cut through the richness of the pork and made flavors explode in your mouth. Amazing.
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And now, all the pictures
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