I was afraid to eat unpitted olives for the longest time, because I couldn't figure out how to discretely discard the pits, and I certainly didn't want to swallow the little beggars. So when I heard about Palmer Lake Brewing Company's Brewery Dinners, at the Warehouse, I got pretty excited. Chef James Africano prepares six courses specially matched to the flavors of six different beers brewed on the premises. Beer is not intimidating. Beer is friendly.
Beer is cheerful and unassuming.
Beer is practically the Boy Scout of beverages, and nobody expects you to spit out a mouthful to get the every nuance of the flavor. And trust me, nobody with a single intact tastebud would ever spit out so much as a morsel of James Africano's food. Our dinner began with General Palmer's Amber Lager paired with a prosciutto and mushroom duxelle en croute with chive aioli. I'm a particular fan of amber lagers, and this one was eminently drinkable, full-flavored but light. The prosciutto and mushrooms were combined in such a smooth manner that you couldn't tell where one began and the other left off.