Gourmet Food & Beer Pairing + Cake Love

Last week I was sitting at my desk trying hard to talk myself out of going to the gym after work.  I was doing a very good job at it too but the side of me that knows better resisted like a champ.  At 4:30 I packed up my things and headed for the door determined to conquer a Treadmill and an Elliptical Machine. Exercise is an important and necessary part of my life now because it keeps me healthy and allows me to continue doing something I truly enjoy… trying new dining experiences and happily indulging in familiar ones.

One such experience included the sampling of a gourmet meal paired with craft beer followed by some delicious desserts via invitation from Joe Salome with Social Joe Marketing and the Atlanta Food Bloggers’ Society.

The meal was prepared by French-born Chef Christophe Le Metayer, one of three collaborators behind Christophe’s To Go. This gourmet retail store and catering company offers a variety of convenient fresh meal solutions which is good for those of us who don’t really have as much time as we would like to prepare a proper one at home. The food we sampled is not on their regular menu but it was inspiring and delicious.

Each of Chef Christophe’s courses was paired with beer crafted by Second Self Beer Company.  The makers behind the brew infuse their culinary knowledge into the flavor profiles of each beer making it easy to pair them with food. Although my temperament is more suited to wine, I sampled a Thai Wheat ale that night that I genuinely enjoyed.

This particular beer was paired with Chef Christophe’s Clear Thai Chicken Soup and Stuffed Chicken Wings.  The soup was pure comfort in a jar. Let me rephrase that.  Sipping this soup was like inhaling a cloud of warmth and feeling it embrace you from the inside out like a heated blanket on a brisk day. For me, following the soup with the Thai Wheat beer was like hitting the reset button and clearing my palate to prepare it for another round. Warm soup and refreshing beer seem to go well together.

Other pairings included:

Chef Christophe’s Twisted Cheese Dip paired with a bold Red Hop Rye. The dip contained chorizo, saffron, chocolate, lime zest, chipotle and cilantro and was served with crudites.  The sauce was the kind that would make you want to run your finger around the dish so you can get every single bit of it.

Chef also prepared Cabbage Wrapped Braised Pork Cheeks served with bites of apple, endive & kale and Belgium Paupiette of Braised Cheeks. The dish was paired with Saison 2015.

Our tasting was followed by Sweet Treats from Piece of Cake along with our final beer sample, Bleeding Heart. This ale was inspired by Red Velvet Cake with cocoa and vanilla being the common ingredients.

Before digging into the spread of goodies our hostess prepared for us, we were invited to decorate our own cupcakes. This is where our evening turned into what felt like a party. It was so much fun and the cupcakes are amazing. I’ve been a fan of Piece of Cake for years and have yet to meet a confection of theirs that I don’t like.

I obviously decorated a Red Velvet Cupcake. Check out that swirl.  It’s so fab. Later there was a cake decorating competition which yours truly won. The night as a whole was one to remember.

Visit the websites below for more information about the convenient gourmet food, craft beer or sweet treats featured here.

Christophe’s To Go

Second Self Beer Company

Piece of Cake

Disclosure: I joined members of the Atlanta Food Bloggers’ Society for this menu tasting hosted by Piece of Cake on Collier Rd. While the meal and beverages were complimentary, I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way. You can view my full Disclosure Policy here.