An Elite Beer Dinner At Maxie’s Southern Comfort

I’d had an inkling that I was allergic to bivalves prior to this event, & after eating the few insanely delicious broiled oysters I had during the beer dinner, that allergy suspicion is confirmed: I had a couple of monster pimples on my cheek the next day. (the same thing that happened to me a few years ago when I ate a scallop.)
But you know what? I just learned (thanks Rachel!) that Maxie’s has added those sweet tasty oysters to the menu permanently. *raucous applause*
I see I’m going to have to stock up on Clearasil. If you see a lady with a face full of pimple cream eating a plate of broiled oysters at Maxie’s, you’ll know why.

What?! I haven’t reviewed this yet. Mom brain in full effect over here.
Anyhoo, this was a truly exceptional Elite event, as it paired Maxies (!!) with some delicious beers my Miller Lite-​drinking a$$ wouldn’t have tried if not for this exploratory dinner. I really liked the St. Stefanus in particular.
Let’s do a little course-​by-​course, shall we?
Paired with the St. were bar snacks, some I enjoyed more than others. The little whipped something with radish? Yum. And tiny biscuits?! I love anything I can cram in my mouth by the handful.
Then it was on to one of the highlights of the evening: Maxies new Gulf Style Oysters. These should be called «cult style» as they’re sure to draw a cult following. ah-​ma-​zing! I loved all the buttery deliciousness. Will definitely be coming back for more.
The fish ‘n chips was also delightful. Just the right amount of fluff on that batter. Mmm mmm. Could have eaten about 19 more of those sweet potato fritters. And I loved how the slaw was deconstructed. I can tell you that was the FIRST slaw I have ever enjoyed.
The veal breast, eh. It wasn’t bad, but I had a hard time getting past the whole veal hangup. The blackeyed peas were incredible though, and they even managed to make kale taste pretty decent (major feat, I think kale is rank typically).
Then it was on to the steak. Oh Em GEE!!! Delicious. Just a great cut, perfectly cooked. Heaven.
The dark chocolate cherry torte was a great way to finish, and I appreciated the pairing with the Big Eddy Porter.
I also really enjoyed the narration provided by our beer hosts, as well as the introduction of Maxies staff. Maxies continues to be one of my most favoritest restaurants ever — and now I can’t wait to go back and try some of these new treats!
Thanks again Rachel for organizing and everyone who hosted!

The busy, busy week has lead to this being a long overdue review, but this amazing event at Maxie’s Southern Comfort was unforgettable! I went there not knowing what to expect… Thinking maybe there would be just 5 bite sized appetizers with 5 shots of beer. I was so wrong! This was a deluxe 5 course meal with 6 different half glasses of beer that was so good that I basically stuffed myself!
My votes for favorite elements of the dinner are as follows:
–Favorite appetizer: Stuffed peppers with goat cheese– These were rich and flavorful. Perfect with beer, and would be excellent for a party food.
— Favorite main dish: Veal– So tender and delicious. This was perfectly cooked and was placed in a light au jus gravy.
— Favorite side dish: Sweet potato fritters– These were unique and sweet, but really fitting in the meal. There were so many savory items, that this helped to break up all of the saltiness.
— Favorite dessert: ALL of it! Seriously, that torte was unbelievable. I could eat that every single day for the rest of my life. If that is not on your menu already, please add it, for us all!
— Favorite beer: the very first one, St. Stefanus Belgian Blonde Ale. This had a great flavor and a certain sweetness to it. This helped set the tone for the whole meal ahead!
Thank you so much to Maxie’s, 10^th and Blake Beers, and Rachel F. for putting this all together. SOOO GOOD. Maxie’s, if you need any more help deciding menus, call me. I could eat this all day! ;-)

Our first visit to Maxie’s, and it wowed!
The fish and chips North Atlantic sole was delicious; the steak with stilton butter, with caramelized brussels sprouts, yes, incredible brussels sprouts, was wonderful; the natural jus accompanying the veal blew my socks off; my first adult sampling of oysters (childhood limited to Mom’s insistance of serving oyster dressing (blech) at Thanksgiving, and also a non-​oyster batch for the kids!) buttery, garlicky and divine; but the icing on the cake for me (a beer tolerator) was discovering two great beers to enjoy, the Worthington’s White Shield and Worthington’s Red Shield.
Pair this great food and beer with Unilocalers and this was a Monday night for the record books!

This event was a lot of fun. Thank you to the staff and ownership of Maxie’s, and to Rachel as well, for putting this one. Beer dinners aren’t the easiest to manage for groups as large as this, but it was carried very well and with a lot of patience.
If these items are all evident of the new menu, I’d be looking forward most to their seared flat-​iron steak with Stilton butter. A close second would be the fish and chips dish for it’s completeness in flavors with the sole, sweet potato fritters, apple slaw and pepper tartar sauce.
The beers themselves were enjoyable, but I found my favorite to be the bourbon-​barrel aged Batch 19 for it’s flavor as well as the alcohol content and body.
And it was also great just for the opportunity to chat with people I haven’t seen it quite some time. There are definitely a lot of new faces from the last time I was able to attend one of these Elite events, so I’ve got to take some time to get caught up again.

I’m still full.
Let me start off by talking about the Pickled Pepper Tartar. I seriously would put this stuff on my cereal it is so good! Fried fish is really just a vehicle for tartar sauce (and since I don’t eat deep fried food anymore, any nicely baked fish serves this need for me). The color, flavor, and texture of the Pickled Pepper Tartar is spot on. Sometimes, what takes me away is a side dish or a relish as this. take me away… please.
Now for the Kale. How did you do it? I could eat a bowl of kale and the blackeyed peas. I’ll be honest, the crispy roasted veal breast I enjoyed the least of all the food items. But the Kale was great.
Broiled oysters got a round of applause. seriously. they were great. I’d love to see a «lite» version, perhaps with a bit less of the toppings and maybe not swimming in a pool of butter. not that there’s anything wrong with that!
As for the beer, the English IPA was my favorite, followed by the St. Stefanus Belgian Blonde Ale.
A great event, great company, and great Unilocal!I’m hoping to start eating again tomorrow, once i work off this meal.

Big THANK YOU to 10^th & Blake, Maxie’s and Rachel!!!
I learned how to QUAFF!!!
Apps: The snack mix would impress a lot of people, not sure about the pineapple, raisins were ok, something so free would be great as a snack to order while waiting for a table (as someone metioned at my table);
Radish and «buttery» cream cheese on a bit too dry rye bread… ah, ok. No wows;
Mini biscuit, cute, butter OMG!, spicy jellied stuff — I liked it lots!;
Goat cheese peppers were just deep fried and oozed goat cheese, which is mostly the only flavor (goat cheese shouldn’t stand alone and needs balance), the dipping sauce didn’t make sense. The worst of the night for me.
Beers: Awesome! I loved all of them except the Pilsner Urquell, which I had before and thought I really liked but compared to the rest — it didn’t stand a chance! I did not like the dessert pairing with the Porter… I couldn’t even taste the maltiness of the ice cream as the chef mentioned, all I tasted was Leiny’s Porter. The Worthington’s Red was my pesonal FAV and I will be searching it out.
Best Comprehensive Meal: Rare Beef Flat Iron w Stiliton Butter, didn’t even know what that was and oh my goodness! The pairing with the potatoes with the film around it and veggies and ESPECIALLY the sunflower sprouts! WOW! A punch of freshness, I am super happy the sprouts weren’t dressed, was not necessary. A Gorgeous, Beautiful, Composed, Balanced dish. (although I’d call out the sunflower sprouts more than the brussel sprouts which I did not taste)
Great Notables: Those sweet potato fritters were AMAZING! Never had anything like them and the sublteness was heavenly. If those were an app or side choice, they’d be ordered by me;
Best Black Eyed Peas I have EVER HAD! Love the spicy punch;
Broiled Oysters — I’d order for sure.
Pickled Pepper Tartar — great!
Parsley sauce — yes please and give us more of that! Could only taste on my finger. Pretty, too. And more of those fresh rare types of sprouts with the same restraint in seasoning!
Kale is great, always happy to see it and I liked the texture it added.
Fish: Didn’t do it for me. not sure what it was missing, boring;
Veal: Was so much like pork and the dish overall was incredibly rich and fatty which some people might really like (not me) noodles fell flat and I was envying how much broth my neighbor had…
Dessert: :(didn’t like it. Too strong, too heavy, too much. Would have preferred something lighter, chocolate ok — but it can still be done more gracefully.
Great evening, one I won’t forget!

I meant to bring my menu home so I could write this review but of course I forgot it. Probably because I was so full of delicious food that brain stopped working. Lucky for me others at the fabulous event have better memory. Basically, I can say, «I second that. «. Other Unilocal reviews are on target. I learned more about beer in 1 night that I did in my (cough-​cough) years. I loved the St. Stefanus Belgian blonde ale & the fancy glass it was served in made it that much more special. Bar snacks were not the usual but were so good I hope to see them again. At first I was impressed by the tiny biscuits (so cute) but they paled compared to the stuffed red peppers or fried chicken skin/​etc. Many items on the menu were foods I’d never think of ordering – but I loved every one of them. I can’t believe I ate so much but who can stop when each course brought such joy. My favorite was the Sole with apple cole slaw. Fish light & crispy with great flavor. I’ll be back for more. Service was great, atmosphere perfect, presentation of each dish as good as it gets. Thanks to all who made this happen.

This is going to be a long one, folks. I took notes!
— The Pre-​first Course was an assortment of bar snacks paired with the St. Stefanus Belgian Blonde Ale. The ale was yeasty and just what you want from a Belgian beer. It paired nicely with the snacks. I didn’t want to, but I really liked the one I lovingly refer to as the I’m-not-going-anywhere-near-a-trail mix. Crispy, greasy chicken skin, fried brussel sprouts, potatoes, golden raisins, dried pineapple, and fried cauliflower (though I didn’t notice cauliflower in my cup) The textures were so fun, I can’t wait to eat this again someday. We ate the most adorable tiny biscuits with butter and jam. Even in miniature, they were the right combination of fluffy and buttery. Next in my mouth was a fried sweet pepper with remoulade sauce. Please please please sell these by the basket-​full. So simple and easy to share, I could see these starting out any meal. We also enjoyed the combination of rye toast, salted cream cheese (I swear it was goat cheese, though) and thinly sliced radishes. This one didn’t wow me as much as the others, but it was still delicious.
— Course One paired Batch 19 beer with Gulf-​style broiled oysters. Again, like the un-​trail mix, I didn’t want to like this one as much as I did. With so much butter and melty cheese, I could hear my arteries saying «no», but my tongue screaming «yes». However, I don’t want it to seem like they overpowered the oyster. I loved the texture, and the splash of lemon juice off-​set the greasiness. I enjoyed the Batch 19 with this very much, To me, it was citrus-​y, and did much the same as the lemon juice!
— Course Two brought us to jolly ol’ England! The beverage was Worthington’s Red Shield Pale Ale. I smelled a lightly floral bouquet when I sniffed it, but the flavor itself was subtle, especially after the beers we’d already sampled. This fact was much appreciated with this dish, though. The Sole itself didn’t have much seasoning, but when paired with the pickled pepper tartar sauce, was a match made in heaven. I loved the apple slaw with the fish as well. The slaw dressing was just enough to wet the ingredients without being thick or watery. It let the freshness of the ingredients shine through. With all this, we got sweet potato fritters. I loved the flavor, but I thought they were a little squishy. Maybe if this wasn’t banquet-​style plating, and we were able to eat them directly out of the fryer, they would have been crispy nuggets of goodness. Don’t give up on them!
— Course Three featured the combination of Pilsner Urquell and crispy roasted veal breast with stewed blackeyed peas, saffron noodles, kale, and a natural jus. I’ve had the Pilsner Urquell before, and fondly think of it as a winter beer. Hearty and malty, It accompanied the fatty veal with gusto. However, I must say my piece of veal was about 60% fat, 40% meat. It was seasoned and cooked to perfection, though, so I appreciated what I ate! Especially when sopping up the natural jus. The real star of this plate was the kale. The flavor and mouth-​feel were spot-​on. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the black-​eyed peas for their tiny kick of spice. The home-​made noodles had great texture, but I could barely detect the saffron.
— Course Four! Worthington’s White Shield English IPA made me a little nervous, as I am not typically a fan of IPAs. I swear, when I sniffed this one I could detect fruit — pineapple, specifically. Weird, right? When tasted, this one wasn’t nearly as bitter as I’d originally feared. I actually enjoyed it! But, I have to admit it was out-​shined by the food. (they were good together, but the food was so good, I barely remembered to drink the beer.) Oh, the tender, savory, seared prime Niman ranch beef flat iron steak with Stilton butter. I dreamed about you last night. As full as I was by this course, I found myself wishing there was just a little more on the plate. Not to be forgotten, the caramelized brussel sprouts with carrots should be a dish unto itself. I could eat it by the bowl-​full. So fresh. The duchess potatoes were nice, but I didn’t taste much of the rosemary nor of the roast garlic. I wish we’d have gotten to taste the side intended for the dish! It sounded fabulous.
Finally — Course Five. Big Eddy Baltic Porter with a Dark Chocolate Cherry Torte, Porter ice cream, and the signature Maxie’s fish cookie! Whenever I think of porters, I think coffee, chocolaty, rich beer, maybe a step lighter than something like Guiness. This wasn’t nearly that rich, and I didn’t detect the coffee tones I was searching for. It went splendidly with the moist torte. I loved the obvious chunks of cherries, the frosting was rich and creamy, and the porter ice cream melted slightly into a great sauce.
This menu was well thought-​out and wonderfully executed! Thanks to everyone involved in putting this event on!

I did not realize that the ascension to heaven took only 5 steps, or 5 courses, rather. Unilocal Elites receive some serious perks, but this dinner solidified that fact. We were treated to a bevy of beers and bites that had me excited for a rapid return to Maxie’s. I was there tonight, again, matter of fact. That was the effect this beer dinner had on me. Every course was multidimensional in flavor and was only intensified by the beer pairings. The folks at Tenth & Blake, the culinary team and service staff at Maxie’s, AND the divine Mme. Rachel will lock-​down this event in the annals of Unilocal awesomeness.
There were several portions of the evening’s meal that stood out above the rest. I enjoyed the blonde ale introduced with the assorted bar snacks of cream cheese rye toasts with shaved radish (Amazing!); sweet red peppers stuffed with goat cheese and broiled (Rich and indulgent.); a cupful of cracklings that melded savory bites of fried chicken skin, fried brussels sprout leaves, dried pineapple, golden raisins… so perfect with the ale. The sweetness of the beer beautifully cut the saltiness of the snacks and enhanced the richness of the cheeses. I could see starting any cocktail hour with this beer and the assorted bar goodies.
The second course highlighted one of Maxie’s signature items: oysters. While many of my fellow Unilocalers fell head over heels for this cheesy broiled variety, I am one that enjoys simplicity. Give me a luscious PEI or Riptide oyster with its brine, some freshly grated horseradish, and red chili vinegar, and I lose sight of every other food item in front of me. I felt that the garlic slightly overpowered the delicate mollusk with this course. With the broiled preparation that included cheese and breadcrumbs, the saltiness was «heavy» on the taste buds. There was a great amount of flavor though, and the oyster «meat» was extremely tender. It just needed a little less of something, and I would err on the side of caution with the salt. The beer did not seem to carry enough weight on this round. A bolder choice may have the legs to balance the garlic and make it less pronounced.
The pickle [tarter] in the middle was an enjoyable course. The pale ale found a tasty companion in the sweet potato fritters, apple slaw, and pickled pepper tarter sauce. I ate the sauce with the fritters instead of the fish. My favorite fish fry in Milwaukee is Maxie’s, and I would have preferred that over the sole presented to us. It was slightly greasy, but it did remain light. The fish itself was flaky and tender.
My favorite dishes came toward the end, and I definitely believe in saving the best for last. You want to end with a bang. The seared flat iron steak cannot receive enough praise. It was expertly prepared, melting in my mouth. The decadence factor was kicked up a notch by the best butter that has ever crossed my lips. Whoever created Stilton butter deserves a smooch. I sopped up every last drop of that heavenly liquid with the buttery steak. They seemed meant to be together.
I am a girl who loves her dessert, so next to the steak, the cherry torte found its place at the top of my list. Insanely delicious. And, the pairing with the Big Eddy porter… dead on. The two were so complementary, I felt it right to follow each bite of cake with a sip of beer. I could have that porter alone as my dessert. I will be looking for Big Eddy at my local beverage depot.

WOW!!! What a knockout of an event. A great combo of experts, great food and beer and fun people. This was the first Unilocal elite event I have been to which had a more serious (well, as serious as we Unilocalers can get!) focus on tasting and pairing. I really appreciate Mark’s geeking out for us on beer and beer pairings. Maxie’s food was, well, it was the way all food should taste, all the time. Really special to have the executive chef of Maxie’s and Blue’s Egg on hand, and for them to share about all the food we ate and the thinking behind it. The dark chocolate cherry torte with porter ice cream paired with Leinenkugel’s Big Eddy Baltic Porter was my favorite course. Kudos to Leinie’s for going in such a direction.

Uh, let’s see… what was the coolest thing about this event? Now I feel like Jim Bob Dugger trying to figure out who is his favorite child.
Was it the setting? Maybe. Maxie’s is one of the coolest places in Tosa, if not all of the west side. Throw in 30 – 40 super cool Unilocalers and you know it was going to be a party.
Was it our benevolent team of hosts? Possibly. Mark and Dan, «the beer guys» were awesome. It’s always exciting to listen to someone who cares about drinking beer more than they care about breathing. Or, was it the Blues/​Maxies owners Dan and Chef Joe? The passion these guys have for their product showed in every plate they put in front of us.
Was it the awesome Maxies staff? Excellent service. period. The unsung hero from this epic event.
Was it the food? After the event, all I could do was think about those grilled oysters! My only question: How soon can I get more??? Seriously. Damn. They were phenom! All of the food was great. To me, the oysters and the flat iron steak were my favorites. I can’t wait to see both on Maxie’s menu.
Maybe it was the beer… I am a self-​proclaimed ale hater, but I may have been reborn last night! The Worthington ales were both awesome, but I think the St. Stafanus and the Big Eddy Porter were the stand outs.
And the education… Mark and Dan did a great job of explaining why certain beers and certain types of food go together like Hagens and Daas.
Maybe it was our awesome CM Rachel F. Without her, this event would not have been possible. Hats off to Rachel and everyone else involved. The bar just keeps getting raised higher and higher!

Trying to be short and sweet. but, Wow!, intimate, spectacular, stupendous, incredible, fantastic, resplendent, beautiful, unforgettable beer pairing with each course. I’m so happy and that’s not just beer talking.
Broiled Oysters and tender beef and Mark’s beer suggestions to enhance! The word synergy comes to mind where 1 + 2 becomes 5 its the art of food science.
Which they understand.
Special thanks to all the staff of Maxine’s, Rachel for a Wonderful night to try many of the best of the best food parings from the geniuses of Blues egg and Maxine’s. Upstairs was a great cozy atmosphere for meeting up with the best elites group in MKE. Great to see and chit chat with the old and new Unilocalers and owners.
What an honor to hear from two exec chefs and associate chef who took time to do some chef shop talk after wards. Truly cool.

This was my first Unilocal event.
Rachel says they wont all be like this.
She can’t mean that they won’t all have those terrifyingly delicious oysters though, right? I mean, those have to be some kind of permanent fixture on the Unilocal circuit. Can we just hire Maxie’s to bring a truck-​full of those to any future event?
They could have stopped right there and it would have been a five star review.
My favorite course of the night.
Everything else was, of course, delicious. I thought the veal was pretty amazing. Not what I was expecting, but rich and fatty and soft and unctuous and morally ambiguously great.
The steak was so tender and so perfectly cooked and I was so full by then that it speaks to the capabilities of the chef that I practically licked the plate clean.
Seriously, if they are looking for suggestions to put on the menu just immediately put those Oysters on the menu. Give them top billing. Put the veal on the menu. The steak belongs there too.
Great job by everyone in the kitchen. Great job by my server who tactfully ignored the fact that there was obviously nobody sitting next to me and kept depositing glasses of beer there when I told him otherwise. Great job to Rachel for setting the whole thing up.
I had a great time and I’m a stodgy curmudgeon that doesn’t like anything except used bookstores and cat videos on Youtube.
Thanks again guys.

AGAIN! Can we do that again?
Yeesh. I’m currently on the verge of an epic food coma, so I can’t guarantee that much of this will be coherent. Maxie’s has been one of my favorites for some time. Combine that with beer, the best thing that ever happened, and you find yourself in the middle of one of my day dreams. On to the cold hard facts:
Highlights: Eveything. Damn.
Highest, lightest highlights:
–My absolute favorite course was the Seared Niman Ranch Beef. A great piece of meat prepared perfectly. Dear 8lb 6oz newborn infant Jesus it was delicious.
–Gulf Style Broiled Oysters. I usually stick with raw oysters, but these were phenomenal. Buttery, garlicky, cheesy ridiculousness.
–I don’t know what to call them, but the radish and goat cheese on rye was great.
–The St. Stefanus was my favorite of the beers. I loves me some Belgians.
Negatives:
–I’m going to have to ride my bike 175,000 miles to work off all 5 courses of this awesome meal. I know, life sucks.
Thanks Rachel, Maxies and Tenth & Blake for putting this whole thing together, it was completely legendary.