The Irish House and ACBW

I just found out about a whole host of food-craft beer pairings that are happening this week at the Irish House. Chopped winner chef Matt Murphy has created a small plate to pair with a specific American craft beer for every night this week, starting tonight. All pairings are $11.

• Monday, May 13: Stone Ruination IPA served with an Irish cheese plate
• Tuesday, May 14: Ommegang Abbey Ale with fish & chips
• Wednesday, May 15: Harpoon IPA with truffled chicken
• Thursday, May 16: Green Flash West Coast IPA with baked redfish
• Friday, May 17: Rogue Dead Guy Ale with corned beef & cabbage
• Saturday, May 18: Anchor Steam with bacon & cheese croquettes
• Sunday, May 19: Covington Strawberry Ale with BBQ oysters

Also on Thursday, May 16, the Irish House will be hosting a three course beer dinner with NOLA Brewing. It's $45 and starts at 7pm. Limited seating, call 504-595-6755 for reservations.

Here's the menu:

First course

Arugula salad with caramelized apple vinaigrette, toasted pecans, fried banana bread and foie gras mousse, paired with NOLA Blonde. Chef's note: "The peppery arugula and sweetness of the apple vinaigrette pairs well with the refreshing aftertaste with NOLA Blonde."

Second course

Pork cheeks and fried oysters over housemade chips with red bean gravy, truffle oil, and a fried egg, paired with NOLA Brown Ale. Chef's note: "The caramelized flavor of this ale counters the braised meat and the freshness of the oysters while getting the aroma from the mixture of truffle oil and coffee."

Third course

Vanilla crème brûlée topped with whiskey glazed pineapple paired with NOLA Irish Channel Stout. Chef's note: " Heavy and bitter flavors from this stout present an amazing mouth feel from the sweet and light texture of the brûlée, with finishes of vanilla that will leave you wanting another sip."

The following day (Friday, 5/17,) Irish House will be participating in the American Craft Cask Crawl down St. Charles Ave. along with the Avenue Pub. Irish House will be tapping a cask of Parish New Zealand Dry Hop and a cask of NOLA Brewing Citra hopped Blonde Ale, starting at 6pm.

I'm really intrigued by everything that they're doing - the beer dinner sounds great as do the small plate pairings throughout the week. I'm going to try to sample as many as possible!

The Irish House is located at 1432 St. Charles Ave. Phone: 504-595-6755; website: www.theirishhouseneworleans.com