The Kingston Brewing Company, or Brew Pub for short or Kingston Brewery if you don’t actually know its name, constantly surprises me with the quality of their food and drinks. It’s a pub decorated in typical pub stylings, serving typical pub food (at least, on paper), and entertaining typical pub guests (locals and students).
It started in my second year of university when a bunch of friends introduced me to the place, claiming that they had the best beer EVER. Skeptical and already pleasantly buzzed, I called them on it, and we headed over for a few pitchers. Wow, I was totally blown away. It was sweet and smooth and had a pleasantly rich aftertaste.
And then I got wasted and almost killed myself tripping down the stairs to the bathroom. It seems that I drank it a little too fast and had a little too much to drink beforehand. Who knew that the beer would almost be as strong as a mixed drink? Ah, good times.
To get back to my point, since that first night drinking Dragon’s Breath Real Ale, it has become one of my absolute favourite beers. I didn’t love beer, but I started to learn to appreciate it like I appreciate wine.
Jimmy and I walked over to Brew Pub for lunch, just wanting a pint and some nibbles. Jimmy had the Dragon’s Breath Real Ale, and I had a glass of water.
Always curious about what the chef feels like preparing, I ordered the special of the day—Neptune pasta (I think). It was a cream-based sauce with shrimp and lobster, served on fettuccine. It also came with a Caesar salad on the side.
I started eating the salad first. It was sprinkled with fake bacon bits, which turned me off right away. The romaine was soggy because each leaf was smothered in dressing. The croutons were good, but they were far too salty as an accompaniment to the overdressed salad. I didn’t like the salad at all. I finished the salad when it dawned on me that these would be the only vegetables in my lunch.
My first reaction to the pasta was, whoa, that’s a whooooooole lotta butter. Look how glossy that sauce is! I was definitely not disappointed. It’s really all about the sauce. The sauce was buttery and rich and filled with chunks of lobster and shrimp. They didn’t skimp on the seafood at all. I was especially impressed with the lobster. I’m assuming it was first poached in butter because its sweetness enveloped my mouth with every bite. I had never tasted lobster that tasted as sweet as everyone described it as. It tasted good, but this brought lobster to a whole new level. Just wow.
On the other hand, the fettuccine was horrendously overcooked, and didn’t have any bite to them at all. Oh well, the quality of the sauce was enough for me to eat the entire dish. I had to enlist Jimmy’s help in finishing the last few bites—which he gladly accepted—because the butter weighed heavily on my stomach.
Jimmy wasn’t sure about what he wanted to eat for lunch. Actually he wanted to have their nachos (deeeeeeeeeelish!), but I knew that he’d want a real meal after devouring them. He hummed and hawed and finally decided the Italian sausage was a safe bet. This was served with a side of fries and a small cup of coleslaw. I don’t remember what he dressed it with, but he said it was decent. I was too busy making orgasmic sounds over my pasta.
I was surprised that the pasta was so delicious. Of course, it’s not authentic Italian food, but food INSPIRED by Italian culinary traditions can still be delicious. Since we loved the pasta so much, Jimmy asked our server for another of order for takeout. We snacked on it again that night. I gently reheated it in a pan with a little bit of milk (to avoid burning that glorious sauce).
If you ever go to the Kingston Brewing Company, make sure to try their microbrews and specials. I can’t vouch for the specials, but the beer is spectacular.
But what the hell do I know about beer?
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The Kingston Brewing Company
34 Clarence Street (between Ontario and King)
Kingston, ON
(613) 542-4978
Good to hear that they didn't skimp on the seafood (I am a lobster freak and would have loved this) and the sauce sounds good. Shame about the salad and fettucine though! Ah well :)
ReplyDeleteLorraine: The lobster was truly extraordinary. I am definitely on my way to becoming a lobster freak. I just wish I could cook it myself without having to kill them first.
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