Imagine this - a prix fixe menu overflowing with delicious food and expertly paired beers. Does this sound like heaven? Is it too good to be true? Well guess what, that just happened! The NorthEnd Bistro, in Princeton, and Cool Vines partner up on the 2nd Friday of every month to host unique food and drink events. This month, appropriately, was their Oktoberfest event.
Cool Vines, a speciality wine, beer and liquor shop, brings their expertise and fun-loving spirit (pun intended) to each event. Mark, the owner of Cool Vines, removes the sterile formality that often accompanies beer and wine to create a sense of community and enjoyment. This month, the focus was on beers and it certainly did not disappoint. The starters set the tone for the night with cream of potato soup and fresh cut short rib fries with cheese beer sauce. This course was paired with Briery Autumn Maple and Schlenkerla Marzen Rauchebier. The short rib fries were artfully washed down by the sweet, maple beer. The rauchbier, however, with its dark and smoky aroma has the power to bring you back to your memories of campfires and rustic adventures. This robust beer was paired wonderfully with the potato and apple smoked bacon soup. The rest of the courses followed with the same professionally matched beer flights and delicious food. At the NorthEnd Bistro events, and at Cool Vines, with locations in Westfield, Princeton and Jersey City, you can learn about some of the lesser known, artfully crafted beers and wines and how to perfectly pair them with your dinners. It was a great night and the Two Dopes left full and satisfied.
The NorthEnd Bistro: 354 Nassau St. Princeton, NJ 08540
Cool Vines: 21 Spring St. Princeton, NJ 08542