One of the things we love about south Florida, there is always something in the area to explore. What seemed to be a typical Thursday, where we were just going to stay in, turned into a full Live West Palm post.
It all began when we received a call from a good friend, Mike Wise, he invited us to the Parched Pig in Palm Beach Gardens for a food and wine paring. Mike knows one of the pastry chefs, Becca Traverse, that with the help of another pastry chef and colleague Sarah Sipe, the two contributed equally to this select specialty menu.
Before we took our seats we stood by the bar and had some drinks to set the tone. Took a look around, as this was our first time at the Parched Pig; the space is inviting, clean, and had a very cute, secluded patio space on the side of the building. Kelly enjoyed a crisp rosé apple cider, while I sipped on a lager. The bar area had a sort of industrial hipster vibe, with the bartenders and servers donned with tattoos and leather aprons.
The food and wine following is about this select menu, that was a very fair $65 a head.
First course was the sweet corn Panna, a cool temperature, circular and soft dish with corn salad cascading atop, all placed on an bed of light avocado purée. Though this looks like a desert, except for the corn, it was a savory dish that was paired with a Nicolas Brut Rose. I don’t drink Rosé, only had a taste, so Kelly had the majority of this wine – as I sat back and finished another beer.
Sweet Corn Panna Cotta with Avocado, Crema, Cotija Cheese, Roasted Corn Salad and paired with Nicolas Brut Rosé:
The second course was my favorite from the two savory dishes, it was a traditional tart crust with a delectable combination of mushrooms and onions. Imagine a stroganoff with a creamier texture and richer taste in a crispy buttery crust. This great item was paired with a Pino Noir.
Mushroom and Onion Tartaccompanied with Crispy Ham and Mixed Greens and paired with Hanzell Sebella Pino Noir:
What they call a Coconut Butterscotch Bar, I call a Hello Dolly, my mother used to make these during Christmas time every year, so to me this was the best desert of the two that were brought out. It’s a graham cracker and butter crust with butterscotch, chocolate, pecans, coconut, and condensed milk. This sweet dish was complimented with the Founder’s Porter, a really delicious porter with flavors of chocolate, coffee and caramel.
Coconut Butterscotch Bar baked with Bitter Chocolate Sauce, Toasted Coconut Ice Cream and paired Founder Porter:
The final dish brought out was a fragrant lemon cake with Stone Fruit. The light, spongey cake was a tasty, sugary delight. The fruit atop created a great pallet cleanser which made it the perfect dish to end the night with. The cake was paired with what they called “Milk Punch.” To our surprise, the beverage was just a light and as delicious as the dessert. Garnished with a sprig of baby’s breath, the Milk Punch had a light, lemon and sweet green tea taste that went fabulously with the fruit and almond cake garnishes.
Lemon Cake with Stone Fruit and garnished with Green Almonds, and Sweetened Creme Fraiche paired with Milk Punch:
Throughout the meal, we had the opportunity and pleasure to meet all three chef’s that helped prepared this elaborate, unique meal. Coolinary Café & The Parched Pig Pastry Chef Becca Traverse, Sarah Sipe, pastry chef of THE REGIONAL Kitchen & Public House, and finally (and unexpectedly) we were able to meet Tim Lipman, Owner of the Parched Pig and Coolinary Café.
Becca Traverse:
Sarah Sipe:
Tim Lipman:
