Tuesday, August 28, 2012

pangaea two brews cafe

yesterday my friend liz sends me a note saying "come to Pangaea with me tonight and sample their new menu?"
what?
yes please!

and off we go.

this is a local bar/cafe here in town serving up some of the best brews around and now some pretty delectable small plates - although truth be told - they could serve me saltine crackers and i'd be perfectly happy.
their beer list is that good.
this isn't my first visit here - it will certainly not be my last.
but one of my most favorite things about this place? 
it's cozy. 
at dinner time there are kids in there. my daughter thinks this is the coolest place ever and loves when stop for a snack and a cocktail (she of course is having a sprite - i'm not that horrible of a mother).
big family style tables with long bench seating. it's inevitable to make friends and meet interesting people and really have a great night sitting shoulder to shoulder talking about what else? beer!
last night the couple sitting next to us had different salads so we all took bites off each other's plates! 
hilarious!
then of course shared and critiqued everything else that came our way.
very, very great evening.

anyway, last night they did a special 'open on Monday night' to debut the new food menu and liz and i agreed it was worth every penny. 
from gueze lemon vinaigrette (and beer) to smoked pork shoulder sandwiches (and more beer) and desserts made with some of their favorite brews (and more beer) it was definitely a very fun and tasty evening.

here's their info - Pangaea Two Brews Cafe
stop in for a visit as soon as you can.

i took a few photos to share (mostly of beer) of some of the dishes we sampled...

this Maredsous started our evening.
my new favorite! it is lovely!

then a lovely speech by Rob - the owner (who is also lovely)

our first dish.
arugula spring salad with this fantastic gueze lemon vinaigrette.
geuze is a beer (i didn't know that) it's on their beer menu. 
i forgot to order one.
next time.

next up was a small plate of hummus and fixings.
very nice combination when you mix the hummus with the feta cheese.

followed by these pork tacos that liz and i both said we could have eaten 2 dozen more of.
great flavor. 
great balance of cool onions and cilantro with the spicy salsa and smoked pork.
i think the comment was "this ain't your average street taco"
we did ask the guy waiting on us what the marinade or rub was for the pork and he of course said he didn't know...not sure i completely believe him...hmm...

next was a chicken sandwich with a homemade apricot marmalade.
much discussion regarding this sandwich. 
one person said "the apricot jam has no business being at this party!"
i kind of disagree.
i thought the sandwich overall was a touch too sweet, but i loved the flavor of the apricot with the chicken.
pretty tasty all together.

next was the pork boy.
i need to figure out the allagash bbq sauce...it's fantastic.
i should of purchased a bottle of the allagash beer...rats...looks like i'm going to need to stop in soon.

somewhere in there we also had some of this.
another favorite.

then ended the evening with this little taste me.

lastly, here is what they offer for dessert.
we didn't get this far because of all the craziness we had already eaten (as you can see)

NEXT time...i'm starting with dessert (and beer)

go visit soon.