Chew, Then Chug

Mary Poppins tried to make you think a spoonful of sugar would help the medicine go down, but by the time you hit 18, you realized there was no sweetener in that big, bottomless black bag of hers. A bag like that is good for only one thing: smuggling liquor into clubs, restaurants, churches, etc. Believe us — we know. Lola’s on Harrison, home of contemporary American cuisine, is one step ahead of us and Miss Poppins, and on the last Thursday of each month, you can leave the luggage at home. For $60 you can enjoy the monthly beer dinner, a four-course meal paired with rare, boutique microbrewed beers from the Oregon-based Rogue Brewery, and made from the finest hops, malt, and free-range coastal water.

Forget chicken wings and a Heineken — this month it’s coriander-crusted sea scallops and a “Half-e-weizen”; juniper berry brined pork tenderloin with juniper ale; and buffalo short rib braised in and served with hazelnut brown nectar. And since we do still believe that a mouthful of sugar helps the beer go down, the meal ends with chocolate stout cake draped in chocolate stout frosting and served with a frosty mug of – you guessed it — chocolate stout.

Thu., Jan. 31, 2008