AUGUST 29, 2009 -- Been to North Park lately? You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the selection of eclectic shops, boutique galleries and amazing restaurants. As a lover of thoughtful food and great local craft beer, I’m, drawn to The Linkery.
A neighborhood restaurant focusing on local, sustainable food sources, The Linkery is described as “farm-driven” by owner, Jay Porter. Farm-driven means they use the best ingredients produced by farmers based on the season and region, and create a daily menu of only the freshest ingredients.
(This is in contrast to menu-driven restaurants that create a menu based on the desires of the clientele they wish to attract.)
Lucky for me, the food at The Linkery is locally produced, fresh and flavorful. And I can have it all here, because their passion for great craft beer equals their passion for farm-fresh food.
With an impressive row of beer engine handles at the bar, there is some form of cask-conditioned beer available every day. Cask-conditioned beers are brewed with only traditional ingredients and allowed to naturally mature over time.
They are unfiltered, unpasteurised, and considered to be a “living” beer due to the live yeast contained within. This live yeast is essential to the beer. It creates a gentle, natural carbonation through secondary fermentation.
Along with these cask-conditioned beers, The Linkery has a fine selection of draft beer. Most beers here are locally produced, and represent the unique artistic creation of today’s American craft brewers.
So with some of the freshest local products on the table—both food and drink—it would be natural to pair them up. Through September and beyond, the Linkery will match their favorite craft brews with original and complimentary dishes.
How about Alesmith’s Wee Heavy Scotch Ale paired with Scotch egg of house-made lamb sausage and quail egg? They also pair Bruery’s Saison Rue with Rye ravioli with clam-and-oyster filling and heirloom tomatoes.
The Linkery has been honored over the years by national publications. It was named in the top 100 Best Farm-to-Table Restaurants list by Gourmet magazine, and 100 Best Places to Drink Beer in America by Imbibe magazine.
The best of both my worlds.
(Tony Clarke is President of Airdale Brewing Company in San Diego--airdalebrewing.com. He writes a monthly beer column for the San Diego Downtown News.)