{Dead End Wine Dinners}
You’ve got to be
thinking…wine and barbecue??? Together???? No way.
Well the team at
Dead End BBQ Maryville is pairing our smoked fare with wines from across the
world and let me tell you, it’s a match made in heaven.
Each month,
General Manager MacLean Bell and Manager Levi Beckelhimer meet up with our
local wine distributor to plan for one of the most unique events in the area.
Dead End
Maryville’s monthly wine dinners started out showcasing our traditional
barbecue and pairing them with the perfect wine that we offered in the
restaurant. It was a great way to educate guests on which wines complimented
pulled pork best versus sliced brisket.
After 5 months
of dinners and featuring every item on the menu, MacLean and Levi took their
culinary prowess one step further and went off menu. Since March, they have
been cooking up a five course meal, consisting of seasonal foods and smoked
meats that will blow your mind. They have even expanded their wine pairing
selection.
I attended last
night’s dinner, anxious to see what new dishes the team had come up with. The
previous wine dinner in April, with the watermelon gazpacho and smoked sausage
skewers drizzled with chimmichuri sauce would be pretty hard to top.
The evening started
off with a cold, smoked corn and buttermilk soup with pickled peppercorns. It
was paired with the Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc which balanced out the intense
spiciness of the soup.
 |
| Second Course |
The second
course was a smoked salmon filet, glazed with our peach moonshine barbecue
sauce and served on a mushroom and potato gratin. It was paired with the Zin
Phomaniac Lodi Zinfandel.
I was only half
way through and I was already starting to get full (mind you, the portions are
huge and the wine glasses are filled to the top).
Out came the
third course; a plate of beautiful St. Louis style ribs atop parmesan roasted
cauliflower. The ribs tasted like they were fresh out of the smoker and were
paired with the Filus Malbec from Argentina.
 |
| Fourth Course |
A palate cleansing
melon sorbet was served before the fourth course to prep our taste buds for the
awesome dish to come. And honestly, with it being 96 degrees outside, I could
have eaten a whole bowl of the sorbet and called it a day.
But I moved forward
and graciously accepted the coffee and pepper crusted tenderloin that was set
in front of me. The tenderloin was topped with a pineapple chutney and
accompanied with fingerling potatoes and snow peas. It was paired with the
Natura Carmenere from Chile, which is one of Levi’s favorite wines.
And for the
finale, a goat cheese panna cotta served with marinated strawberries. They
chose to pair this dessert with the Vilacetinho Vinho Verde, which was light
and fresh to round out the dinner.
As usual, I left
the dinner in awe and full. I am so lucky to work with such an amazing group of
people like MacLean and Levi. They have created an exceptional experience that
not only celebrates our style of barbecue, but it shows that barbecue knows no
limits. They are always innovating and their hard work shows as every dinner continues
to sell out.
If you are interested in receiving email
notifications about upcoming dinners, please email Levi Beckelhimer at levi@deadendbbq.com
Best Wishes
& BBQ,
Marlowe
Whittaker
Catering Sales
Manager
