Ladyface Ale Dinner at City Tavern

*Post by Mark.

Culver City's best gastropub has already impressed us with their CT burger and 22 taps pouring California microbrews. So when City Tavern announced a five-course dinner paired with brews from one of our favorite new local breweries, Ladyface Ale Companie, we were excited to check it out and have Nick of TreasureLA join us for the experience.

Ladyface owner Cyrena Nouzille and brewer Dave Griffiths were on hand to introduce their beers and explain how they would pair with City Tavern Chef Jessica Christensen's special menu. The meal was a departure from the regular menu for Chef Christensen, who designed each of the five courses to share a picnic theme.  

Our first course: an amuse of deviled egg with asparagus and roe. Part of what we liked most about the deviled egg was what wasn't in it. We enjoyed how simple the egg was, devoid of overwhelming spices. Instead, the clean flavor of the amuse was accented only by a topping of creamy, salty roe and accompanying crisp slivers of asparagus. And the bite paired well with the Trois Filles Tripel, a clear golden brew with a yeasty aroma and slightly fruity taste. The Belgian-style beer was very drinkable- a great pour and a great bite to kick things off. 

For our second course: an orzo salad with crab, avocado, and a beet vinaigrette. The huge lumps of crab distinguished the orzo salad  from typical picnic fare and a tap from our table's salt shaker evened out any under-seasoning. To pair with it? A Chaparral Saison, a farmhouse-style ale made with local sage honey and primed for slow-sipping. Along with a touch of spice and citrus, the balance of malt and hop helped hide the higher alcohol content of the hefty Saison.

The third course was the unanimous favorite: a potted duck confit with crisps. While the luscious, perfectly seasoned confit was great, the topping of duck skin fried chicharron-style nearly stole the show, and is something I wouldn't mind seeing on more menus. To pair with our favorite course of the night: the Chesebro IPA- perhaps my favorite of Ladyface's brews and the beer that made me first fall for the brewery. The hoppy double IPA, ripe with juicy citrus and pine aromas, was a very nice compliment to the rich, fatty flavor of the duck.

Fourth, our entree course: the smoked cocoa-rubbed tri tip sandwich. We really enjoyed the tender, smoked meat and the hearty roll. The thick, crusty bread made it a little difficult to bite into the husky sandwich, but a quick disassembling allowed us to enjoy the meat and bread separately. The colorful potato salad accompanying the sandwich played lighter than the gloppy, mayonnaise-laden stuff you see at outdoor get-togethers. And this batch of Picture City Porter paired especially well as the brewer specially infused it with cocoa nibs for the occasion. 

For dessert: spiked watermelon and peppered strawberries. The strawberry shortcake-like dish came smothered beneath a dollop of cream and was presented alongside a helping of booze-infused watermelon straight from Chef Christensen's own garden. This final course was paired with the sazerac-oaked red rye, a tasty single-hopped red ale to finish things off. 

Of course the meal ended up being a blast and the service was fantastic. City Tavern has already done a few dinners with beer pairings from a local brewery and the Culver City gastropub plans to host more in the future. 

It was also a pleasure to talk with brewer, Dave Griffiths who made his rounds about the busy dining room to chat about Ladyface's history and brewing process. We've been procrastinating a visit to their Agoura Hills tasting room for far too long. 

Good food, great beer, and better company - I can think of a lot worse ways to spend my evenings than at City Tavern's beer dinners.

Disclosure: This was a comped meal.