by Alex Gonzalez
Last Wednesday, Lake House Bar and Grill, located by White Rock Lake, hosted a whiskey pairing dinner, with food prepared by Chef Ian Tate (So & So’s, Nova). The whiskey, which was provided by Herman Marshall, was served in the form of various cocktails and paired with each of Tate’s dinner’s four courses. Whiskey is not for the weak, however when paired with strong, flavorful dishes, it goes down pleasantly.
Upon arriving to the dinner, guests were given an old fashioned. The old fashioned, albiet heavy in alcohol flavor, was probably the lightest drink of the night; giving guests a precursor of what was to come later. Guests were then given a plate of sliced duck ham, with shredded cheesed showered atop. The duck ham was placed upon a bed of arugula lettuce, all making for a delightful balance of sweet, savory and bitter.
For the next course, guests were given Tate’s version of carne asada, which consisted of a lengua mushroom demi, with sides of cilantro rice and borracho beans. Now, the idea of eating tongue may sound a bit daunting, but when given the right sauce and spice, it is quite a delicacy. Plus, pairing the dish with Herman Marshall bourbon neat, makes for an adventurous combination.
The third course, which was probably the highlight of the night was the lobster gruyere toast. The lobster gruyere toast is Tate’s spin on the traditional lobster roll. With meaty chunks of lobster and oozy gruyere cheese, this toast tastes sinful yet heavenly. Perhaps this will go down as one of Tate’s signature dishes. The lobster gruyere toast was paired with a shot of Herman Marshall blended whiskey.
For dessert, Tate got in the holiday spirit with a Herman Marshall bourbon eggnog. It made for a light conclusion to a lovely dinner and paired wonderfully with the bourbon zabaglione dessert with Texas grapefruit.
Chef Tate’s food stylings with Herman Marshall whiskey are a match made in heaven. Next time you’re in White Rock, you’d certainly be remiss if you didn’t pay Lake House a visit and try a pairing or two.
