Dinner at Stone World Bistro

New Years Day, my family and I hit up Stone World Bistro & Gardens to have dinner with Greg Koch, the Arrogant Bastard Brainchild and CEO.  Greg suggested we order “family style” and and try a bunch of things.  I usually just gravitate towards the sumptious Mac ‘n Cheese.  Stone Bistro gets a rep for being too pricey but I prefer shopping at farmers markets rather than grocery stores and find it refreshing that I can enjoy great beer while eating a meal that isn’t hopped up on hormones, antibiotics, or high fructose corn syrup- more calories can come from the beers!  And it’s obviously working; kitchen business is up 40% over last year and you will often wait for hours to get a table. 

We devoured the stinky cheese plate, kimchee, pretzels, duck spring rolls, and hummus to start, then moved onto the Beef with Broccoli, Mac n’ Beer cheese (I had to…), Chicken Tikka Masala (great spice), Tempeh Shepherd’s Pie, Yakisoba, and Tofu Stir-fry.  For dessert, the Arrogant Bastard brownies are great but the Chocolate Bacon heaven (I think that’s what it’s called…) was mouth-watering and the Persimmon tart- who knew?  I barely knew what persimmon was but highly recommend trying this!

Of course we were drinking!  From Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere (Greg’s first choice) to the Stone Dry Hopped IPA (delicious) to The Bruery Rugbrod, Stone has an amazing selection of both draft and bottle beers.  And if you think they keep the gardens looking divine, you can thank Greg and his nephew AKA “DD” since they worked all day in the bamboo corner.

Conversation included his upcoming collaboration with Dogfish Head and Victory due out around in a few months- in time for Philly Beer Week.  The recipe hasn’t been developed yet but Greg is looking to brew with sage and also mentioned parsley, rosemary, and thyme (or time?).  He just got back from Singapore and India, where he went to a Ted conference.  Greg also gave us a tour of the kitchen (which is about the same size as the Stone bathrooms…) and the keg room, kept at a comfortable 38 degrees.  And yes, he is looking into opening some place in Europe though the only governmental-type folks to contact him so far have been the French Embassy.  I vote for a place in PA as well, though I’d probably go broke.  11 days in San Diego and I visited Stone 4 times, but this is definitely one of the nicest places to enjoy a beer and a meal in the US.