Scotch Tasting at Churchill's

"What is better than a Scotch tasting?", you might ask.  Well the answer is pretty simple: a FREE Scotch tasting!  Yes folks, free.  Churchill's in Baton Rouge recently hosted a tasting of 12 unique Scotches from two different distributors.  I invited Eusebio and Eric to join me for the tasting because I knew they would appreciate the good time.  Among the crowd were a 10-year-old and a Distiller's Edition from Talisker, a Balvenie 17-year-old, a 16-year-old by The Glenlivet, a 15-year-old from The Macallen, and my personal favorite, a 12-year-old from Highland Park.

Talisker's Distiller's Edition from the Isle of Skye

I'm really glad that I tried the Distiller's Edition from Talisker.  As it turns out, I'm actually preferential to their 10-year version that we deemed "The Marksalot".  You can look here for a few more details about it from an earlier post of mine at The Chimes.

Highland Park 12 Year

This Highland Park Scotch was full-flavored and smoky at the start and the finish.  It was dry, succulent, and delicious and left me wanting more after each swallow even though it left a tingle in the back of my throat. The peat flavor was strong from Highland Park, which happens to be the northernmost distillery in Scotland and it dates back to 1798.  For a more in-depth look at all the Scotch we sampled, check out Eric's post from his Beer, Boo!ze, Baseball, and Other B.S. blog.

After the Scotch tasting we were a little tipsy and a lot hungry, so we crossed the street from Churchill's over to Bonefish Grill for a bite to eat at the bar.  I've already submitted a post about Bonefish Grill, so I'll just highlight this visit's food.

Fried Calamari and Crab Cakes... both very tasty, but Calamari was the winner.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops and Seared Tuna, Tuna won by a landslide.

The Main Course: Shrimp Scampi Topped Filet Mignon, Cooked Medium Rare, with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus

I'm not usually one to order a filet.  I typically leave that to the lady folks.  However, this particular steak, topped with shrimp scampi, was absolutely magical.  The meat was tender and flavorful throughout the entire filet while the scampi sauce with shrimp added a little something extra that paired very well with the beef.  I'm certain that I will order this again during a future visit to Bonefish because it was just that good!

All in all it was a great night of hanging out, trying some new Scotch whisky, and filling my belly with fantastic food.  My life is so difficult, I know!

Bonefish Grill

Bonefish Grill is one of those national chain restaurants that I really can't help but like.  I'm usually such a fan of local cuisine and privately owned eateries that I just naturally stay away from corporate chow.  However, when food is fresh and cooked properly it can be delicious no matter who is seeing the bottom-line profits.  In much the same way that I have been a fan of Fleming's, I'm also a fan of Bonefish Grill.  The seafood selection is always spectacular, the chef creations are rotating specials are sensational, and I always leave there full and happy... of course it helps that I'm usually with Eusebio and only paying an above-average tip whenever I dine there.

My most recent trip to Bonefish Grill was fairly typical of how they all go.  We started with an off-menu Crispy Oyster Appetizer that contained select Apalachicola oysters with a spicy remoulade sauce.  Apalachicola sounds really fancy but unfortunately all it means is that they came from a particular region of the Florida Gulf Coast.  They were really good, but unfortunately one of the drawbacks of corporate dining is not always eating Louisiana oysters!  Oh well, at least they were still delicious, salty gulf oysters, fried golden brown, and served with a spicy remoulade sauce that complimented the magnificent molluscs very nicely.  We also had the seared tuna appetizer.  It was pretty good, but not as memorable as it has been in the past.

Crispy Oyster Appetizer

I have been drinking a lot of wine and martinis lately and was time to drink beer!  Bonefish had one on tap so I decided to give it a try.  Heiner Brau out of Covington, La has recently come out with a Strawberry Ale that I had never had before so I ordered a pint and gave it a taste.  The Strawberry Ale is a light and refeshing beer with just a hint of strawberry so I did not find it to be overly sweet.  I'm not sure that it could really compare to Abita's Strawberry Harvest, but it was pretty good and is available on draught and year round.  I finished my first pint and ordered another!

Heiner Brau Strawberry Ale

For my main course I went back to the daily specials.  I ordered the Atlantic swordfish topped with a crab cake over asparagus.  The entree was served with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.  The wood-grilled swordfish was dense and flavorful.  It was tender and flaky like a typical fish but also had a consistency that reminded more of alligator tail or frog legs than a typical fish.  The crab cake was made of lump crab meat a served with a creamy sauce that had a great taste to it.  A bite of the crab cake and swordfish on one fork was a party in my mouth!  The asparagus was tender with a bit of tang to it from sitting under the fish and crab cake sauce.  The garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables were average but still satisfying to a hungry stomach.

Wood-Grilled Atlantic Swordfish with a Creamy Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Asparagus, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Seasonal Vegetables

For dessert Eusebio couldn't resist ordering a bowl of vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce.  I had a couple spoon fulls myself and it was quite delicious.  It hit the spot and properly capped off the meal.  All in all I left full and satisfied again.  The service at the bar was kind and friendly and our food tasted terrific.  No reason to ever complain about that!