I’m a pub grub kind of girl; the idea of a fancy dinner with good wines and beers intimidated me slightly, but I was excited because I have been trying more new things lately. The staff at Caffé Gelato seemed a bit overwhelmed at first, but as the night progressed, the process began to move smoothly. In some ways, I feel we got shoved into a table in the back because we were younger, but because we had this table for two to ourselves, it added a romantic aspect to the dinner. Whatever the case may be, it took us a bit longer to get served our first drinks. We actually got the food before the beverages, and I didn’t want my pan-seared scallop to get gross, so I ate most of it before my 60 minute IPA was poured. With this reception course, I immediately noticed how well the 60 Minute IPA worked with my last bite of scallop.

Sam and Marnie came back to our section of the restaurant to introduce themselves and the evening as we finished our “warm up” course. My impression of Marnie Old was that of a sophisticated elementary teacher. I’m not saying that because I felt like she was condescending or anything like that, but because she was very good at projecting her voice and addressing the entire room. Sam Calagione, on the other hand, was a bit more timid; he was modest and funny, but mostly he reminded Dan and I of one of our friends in his demeanor. This dinner was on the larger side for the duo, and the layout of the restaurant proved to be a bit of a challenge for them as well.

Our first voting course was served as Sam and Marnie wrapped up their introductions. I may or may not have had a slight buzz from the sparkling wine and sheer giddiness leftover from the initial surprise of the date. That slight buzz may or may not have fueled my description of the mixed greens as “grass” and the eggplant as “baby food.” I was also chewing pine nuts for the first time ever. Dan and I agreed on this course; he said beer, she said beer. The Indian Brown Ale, which I’d never tasted prior to the evening, had an almost nutty flavor that complemented the pine nuts of the salad. The wine, while delicious and fruity, was basically too flavorful and overpowered the lightness of the salad. Perhaps it worked better with a mouthful of eggplant, but it resembled squid or brains or a mix of both, and my experience wasn’t going beyond that first hard-to-swallow bite.

He said beer for our second voting course, and I say that he was completely wrong. However, a few people I chatted with later in the restroom line actually agreed with him on this fact, and they were self-proclaimed wine aficionados. I attribute this fluke in their initial reaction to Midas Touch. As Sam explained, Midas Touch is based on a recipe supposedly found in King Midas’s tomb. It’s a good beer, and I’ve had it before. Following this logic, though, one could argue that my preference of the pinot blanc was due to its novelty to my tastebuds. I maintain that the wine brought out the Parmigianno-Reggiano and fresh basil while the beer overpowered it. The effects were similar to the prior course, but with wine being the proper complement.

Problems arose with the third voting course. I feel that I didn’t give it fair judgment because they ran out of Raison d’Etre and I already had quite the buzz. The pairing of the pinot noir rose with the cider brined pork belly was delicious, and I feel that even if I’d had Raison as I first tasted this delectable hunk of fatty pork goodness, I would have voted wine. Raison is another Dogfish Head brew that I’ve tried on the brewery tour. I believe both times I tried it, I’ve made a face. That should be some kind of sign. The wine, though, expanded the flavors of the pork and the butter beans and joined forces with the mango slices to provide a small party for my mouth. And since the waitstaff came across the Raison after already giving us some extra Indian Brown Ale, I think this might have been the point in the party where I donned the lamp shade.

At this point, I understood the placement of the sorbetto. Unfortunately, what should have served as a breather for us probably just let my blood alcohol content increase. I suppose time was also needed for the preparation of our entrée, and during this period, Sam and Marnie came to talk to our room while Dan was MIA in queue for the restroom. I wish I remembered more of what was said! Apparently some in our room were “upgraded” to a pinot noir because there was not enough pinot noir rose, and Marnie asked them to please disregard the mangos in combination with the darker wine. Sam discussed the creation of Palo Santo Marron, the beer that was to be served with our entrée. For those of you who haven’t been on the tour of Dogfish Head’s brewery multiple times, they age this beer in a very unique, dense South American wood. In a way, it is a bit like wine. It’s very dark, delicious and rich. It was up against a cabernet sauvignon, though, which I have been drinking like grape juice lately. Honestly? The last thing I really remember is cutting my lamb with Dan’s knife since mine disappeared with my pork belly plate. I do not know how I voted other than “OMGSOGOOD!” Perhaps Dan can fill me in on that one.

At some point during the dinner, I made two restroom trips. During both of these, I managed to talk to (annoy?) the people in line on either side of me. On my first trip, it was the aforementioned wine aficionados who were very impressed by this sweet surprise from my boyfriend. The second trip was someone who worked for the brewpub in Rehoboth Beach who apparently shares my birthday (September 20) and strongly believes that I would enjoy the limited edition brew they currently have on draft, Chicha. After this last trip, I returned to my seat to find my chocolate cappucicino cheese cake, my 18% ABV glass of World Wide Stout and a port that I believe I described as a wine lollipop. I sincerely hope that I did not finish my glass of World Wide Stout, though I found this formerly intimidating beer absolutely delicious.

While I may not know who won the wine vs. beer battle, I feel that the dinner was so unique for me that it is almost indescribable. Not to get sappy, but it was a damn good surprise that shows how well Dan knows me. It definitely falls under adventure because I tried a bunch of new foods and opened my mind (possibly a little too far) to the concept of pairing wines and beers, which was something I’ve obviously heard about as a Food Network addict but never thought I’d experience. Furthermore, it was educational. I learned that even if the waitstaff does not pour you a “tasting portion” of an alcoholic beverage, you don’t need to consume the entire sample provided to you. Doing so is a great way to black out slightly and spend a Monday with a slight hangover. All in all, this is probably the coolest birthday present anyone has ever given me.