LEO/LHB: Critic yells 'Beer me!' as suds go upscale

[Robin Garr]

<table border="0" align="right" width="310"><tr><td><img src="http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/mussels.jpg" border="1" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td>Bistro New Albany and New Albanian Brewing Co. teamed up for an "Extreme Belgian" dinner that paired Belgian beers with various dishes, such as this succulent mussel soup. Photos by Robin Garr.</td></tr></table>LEO's Eat 'n' Blog with Louisville HotBytes
(Extreme Belgian at Bistro New Albany; CarlyRae's)

If you don't think there's any class distinction between wine and beer, you might consider whether you've even seen a drunk slouch into a bar and yell, "Wine me!" Beer, let's face it, owns a downscale, blue-collar image that contrasts with wine's perceived position as the drink the beautiful people sip.

But need this be so? In an age when artisanal brewpubs and microbreweries abound and the term "quality American beer" is no longer an oxymoron, it's arguable that beer - fine, crafted beer made in a wide variety of styles - deserves as much connoisseurish attention as wine enthusiasts are accustomed to lavishing on their grape juice.

Why don't more fine restaurants feature a quality beer list, with food-pairing recommendations, to match the attention they devote to their vino? Shouldn't fancy sommeliers wear a silver-plated church key around their necks to go with the fancy tastevin tasting cup? And why do food critics so rarely ask these questions?

Full reports in LEO and on LouisvilleHotBytes.

Thanks for popping in Robin and I'm glad you guys had a good time! So you know, we are planning a "May Day" pairing that will feature Eastern European food paired with beer as well (maybe Robert can give me some tips on Hungarian?). I guess we can bill it as "Beer drinkers of the world unite" but I think I'll refrain from rolling out the posters of Trotsky and Mao for that one!?" Not quite sure how that will play out in Indiana but I like to live on the edge....Anyway, thanks again!- Dave

We wouldn't want to do Mao, anyway - he was Chinese. You've been hitting that 10th unmarked tap again.

Okay, readers: If we were to do a dinner featuring the cuisines of ex-Commies like Honecker, Gottwald and Kadar, which countries would those be?

The trick for me is finding good beer from the last of the three.

Yes....hold the Mao!! (I've been waiting years to say that)

Wow, I saw this article when I came in today.I was excited to see us finally a blip on the restaurant radar.So far we haven't had any mass market advertising or promotions. Just grass roots word of mouth.Thanks! for coming in and checking us out.

The line "In what may be the longest “soft opening” in local history, CarlyRae’s has been open since the first of the year but delayed its official grand opening until March 15" gave me a chuckle. It's also probably very true.We really wanted to get it right and achieve our goal.To make Carly Rae's a staple of Old Louisvile for years to come.Not just for us but for our community around us. They're local support has been heart warming and humbling to say the least. We care for them as they do us. Now, we are about to open our doors to outlying public and hopefully they will love as much as old louisville has.There was a little more pep in our step today after the write-up hehe.

[Robin Garr]

Wow, I saw this article when I came in today.I was excited to see us finally a blip on the restaurant radar.So far we haven't had any mass market advertising or promotions. Just grass roots word of mouth.Thanks! for coming in and checking us out.

Apologies for the "CarlyMae's" typo in the sub-head and one ref in the story, though ... total brain flatulence. At least we got it right through most of the review.

That review would make Michael Jackson proud!