Beer Dinner at Zona 78

October 28, 2013 — beer, beer dinner, theme, Zona 78

Last night I took Bob on a dining date featuring his favorite beverage, beer. I used to drink beer, but have all but given it up these days. I still like the taste, so the beer and food pairing was very appealing to me. I drove, so after the taste, I generally gave the rest of the glass to Bob. There was one exception, the Imperial stout. It was my favorite of the evening so I wanted to drink all of it. They poured 4 ounces for each course because the beers were very high in alcohol content.

The chef worked with Mission Brewery of San Diego to create tastes that paired with these strong beer flavors.  I did write on my reservation request a few weeks ago that I am vegetarian, but to make sure I mentioned it to our server when we arrived at the dinner.  It became obvious that they did not have the information.  I am not sure if the server did not mention it, or they do not read the reservations that people write down on paper. I give them points for thinking on their feet and kicking out very good samples for me.  The favorite of all the people at our table was the corn and ricotta fritter, which was a veg. item anyhow.  My plates were visually as good as Bob’s real street food with meat.  The ruben sandwich was superb; Mine had kale instead of corned beef.  The meal ended with a very light beer that I delivered straight to Bob.  We thought the meal and the company, as well as the education we got from the chef and beermeister were well worth the price and the short drive from our home.  This is our second theme dinner at Zona.  Our new beer drinking buddies at the table had been to dinners there featuring other craft brewers, which they enjoyed. The reasons we will return to Zona 78 for special dinners in the future:

• The staff really enjoys putting on the special events, and it shows
• The experts work hard to make a gourmet memorable meal
• The learning component is just right, not too sales oriented
• The people we meet there are fun, interesting, and jovial
• We discover new recipes or new combos to try at home
• The made from scratch food is always tasty and original