One of Astoria’s most creative chefs is offering a special six-course dinner celebrating the Oregon hop harvest.
Each course will be paired with a fresh-hop beer, carefully selected for its unique flavors and aromatics.
Jake Martin, who owns Daphne with his partner Silqet Ra, is co-hosting the Oct. 24 dinner with Fort George Brewery.
“It was awesome that they came to us,” Martin said. “It’s a challenge.”
It will be the first event put on by Daphne, which opened earlier this year on Ninth Street and has been busy establishing itself as a jewel in the city’s fine dining scene. The 24-seat restaurant is known for using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients in its dishes.
Martin has been studying the brewers’ tasting notes and is looking forward to doing his own beer sampling before locking in his picks.
“We’re trying to compliment [the dishes] rather than contrast,” he said.
While the menu is still evolving, the chef said he’s considering starting with a spicy beef tartare and late-season tomato salad before moving through a trio of “protein” dishes, including black cod and pork. For dessert, a molasses spice cake with citrus sorbet is penciled in.
“That’s where we are now, but a lot could change,” Martin cautioned.
In Oregon, proximity to the Willamette Valley farms makes it feasible to brew with fresh hops, which degrade quickly and must be in the tank within 24 hours for maximum potency. The harvest typically lasts about six weeks, ending in mid-October.
Fort George is brewing a record nine fresh-hop beers this year, with two still to be released.
Cameron Pierce, distribution manager for the brewery, will be at the Daphne dinner to discuss the chosen beers. A five-ounce “taster” will be served with each course.
Some of the beers recommended for the dinner are not made by Fort George. On the list are offerings from Block 15 Brewing (Eugene), Great Notion Brewing (Portland), Double Mountain Brewery (Hood River) and Little Beast Brewing (Portland).
The beers will be primarily IPAs and ales. Fresh-hop lagers, while delicious, will not be featured since the harvest of those hops was early in the season.
“We want the beer to be as fresh as possible,” Pierce said.
Tickets to the dinner cost $120 and are expected to sell out quickly. Call (503) 298-0809 or visit daphneastoria.com/about.
