Food for Thought

Hey all!

Today's post is about an experience I had last night eating some delightful new foods at a restaurant called George and the Dragon. It's an English/Scottish/Irish pub, sort of a United Kingdoms food crawl. I should point out that I love trying new dishes that I have never tasted before and this restaurant had a lot of fare that I have never had the chance to experience.

First off, I had two English beers that I have never had before (and I have tried beers from all over the world) called Hoegaarden (hope that spelling is right) and Old Peculiar. The Hoegaarden is a white beer, made with wheat served with a lemon. Had a very mild taste served as a draught. The Old Peculiar was served in a bottle, a dark English stout with a very nice taste. It wasn't bitter or overpowering, I liked it.

For food we started off with an appetizer called a Scotch Egg. A hard boiled egg which is then wrapped around a sausage, sort of like a meatball, then coated in bread crumbs and deep fried. It was then cut in four and served cold with a worchester sauce for dipping. It was wonderful in a very surprising manner. I thought that it would be something I didn't like but it was my favorite taste of the night. It would make for a hardy breakfast.

The main course consisted of another traditional English dish, steak and kidney pie.It consists of diced beef steak and diced lamb's kidney, in a heavy, thick sauce of spices and onions. It's a one crust pie, meaning that the dish is covered with a flaky crust but not completely enclosed by the pastry. It was a heavy dish served with English chips (what we would call steak fries, thick cut french fries). It was very tasty but not something I think everyone would enjoy, tough I certainly would eat it again.

Dessert was an English classic, Spotted Dick. It starts out with a hot breaded blend of fruits, consisting of currents, raisins, and citrus peels covered in a hot foamy English custard, that's usually steamed. I enjoyed it a lot, though I don't think the rest of the table did. It was a huge portion and had a very indescribable taste, unlike anything I had ever eaten before. I would certainly order it again and it's definitely something you should try.

I look forward to a return visit to George and the Dragon to sample other English fare, such as there Shepard's Pie and Bangers and Mash ( a personal favorite). It is always an adventure to try new cuisine, and I had a lot of fun.

Thanks for reading.

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Gerrad!