Ah, lunch. That brief respite from the noise and chatter of business. Redding Beer Week has been on my brain, and a little lunch date with myself seemed like just the thing…but business always seems to get in the way. My wife took notice as I looked with longing at the schedule and read other blogs touting the joy of each Beer Week event. As such, she offered to drop me at Carnegies for lunch-they boasted ‘all day’ pairings from Sierra Nevada. By the time we arrived-strategically late to avoid the rush-they had closed the kitchen to prep for an evening event. Sacrilege. Want to see a grown man cry? Take away his lunch plans! Want to see him smile again? Enter Mary’s Pizza Shack: they offered Wildcard Brewery pairings with a four course meal. And I’m happy again.
But, you came to read about beer and/or food, not my memoirs. Mary’s kicked it off with shrimp bruschetta paired with the Textbook Pale Ale. The shrimp and sauce were flavorful, the beer cool and refreshing, un-complex but a good compliment to the rich appetizer. Next, I dug in to Mary’s signature salad, and washed it down with the 530 Hometown Ale. Hometown is another refreshing, light offering that sat like a quality canvass under the artistic Italian flavors mixed in to the salad. The third course was my favorite-Double Down Imperial Red with Mary’s specialty Sopressata pizza. The pizza is lively blend of arugula and strong meat flavors; the Red folded over it like a velvet blanket on a fragrant fall evening. By this time, I was starting to slow down. Course four featured Quattro Formaggio pizza-a simple classic, with the aggressive, hop forward support of Fresh Hop Double IPA. As an avid IPA fan with a savory palate finishing up in this manner was almost like having dessert. After such a meal, nothing could remove the sweet smile from my lips.
Cheers!
Babbling Brew 