Red with meat and white with fish? How about golden, brown or black? Open up your dining colour spectrum with beer. Here are six Toronto dishes that go better with beer.
Mussels at La Société
131 Bloor West, at Avenue Road, 416-551-9929, lasociete.ca
Dish: Sustainable moules frites in saffron garlic broth with Thuet baguette and house-whipped butter ($19)
Beer: Junction Ale
While it’s not easy, sidestep the Gallic and, taking a cue from the Belgians, mussel in with the local Junction Conductor’s Ale. Even La Société admits to the rightness of beer by offering a mussels-and-Stella special on Wednesdays.
Smoked meat at 416 Snack Bar
181 Bathurst, at Queen West, 416-364-9320, 416snackbar.wordpress.com
Dish: Reuben sandwich ($7). No deli Reuben this: house-made smoked brisket on thin Bavarian rye dressed with artisanal sauerkraut and spicy Russian dressing ($7)
Beer: Duggan’s No. 9 IPA
Wine, you insipid puddle of grape juice, don’t even think about tackling this stack of smoked meat, sauerkraut and cheese. At 416, play it by the numbers with Duggan’s No. 9 IPA.
Pizza at Pizza Libretto
550 Danforth, at Carlaw, 416-466-0400, pizzerialibretto.com
Dish: An anchovy, tomato, bufala mozzarella, preserved chili and roast garlic pizza on a thin Neapolitan-style blistered crust ($15)
Beer: Libretto Forte IPA (available in-house only)
Pizza and beer. Enough said. The new house beer, Libretto Forte IPA, is a full-flavoured, thirst-quenching rejoinder to this uncompromising pie.
Cheese at Barberian’s
7 Elm, at Yonge, 416-597-0335, barberians.com
Dish: In a room made for Mad Men, old-school cheese fondue for two ($49) followed by retro flaming baked Alaska ($33)
Beer: Wellington County Special Pale Ale
Dairy and grain (beer’s made from grain) is a natural pairing. You don’t put fruit juice on your cereal, do you? Match this meltdown with Barberian’s offering of Wellington County Special Pale Ale on draft.
Indian at Dhaba
309 King West, at John, 416-740-6622, dhaba.ca
Dish: Incendiary slow-braised lamb balti finished with fresh ginger and coriander ($15.95), paired with equally fiery stuffed baby eggplant bhurven baingan ($10.95)
Beer: Creemore Premium Lager
Slam British culture into Indian food traditions and you end up with balti. Surely not a suitable environment for wine. At Dhaba, your best bet is local fave Creemore Premium Lager.
Fish and chips at Queen and Beaver
35 Elm, at Yonge, 647-347-2712, queenandbeaverpub.ca
Dish: Ale-battered haddock with lemony tartar sauce, hand-cut chunky chips and kitchen’s own ketchup ($17)
Beer: McAuslan Cream Ale
What do you put on fish and chips? Malt vinegar. What’s beer made out of? Malted barley. Voilà. At the Q&B, McAuslan Cream Ale keeps things clean and simple.