SSI and Palmetto paired at Carolina's

The S.C. Aquarium's Sustainable Seafood Initiative is a program that Megan Westmeyer says is designed to educate chefs about what is best to serve customers, given that seafood stocks can fluctuate due to nature's cycles. Chef Jeremiah Bacon, a John's Island native, addressed diners and said, "Getting local seafood to the plate is a big part of the program here at Carolina's." Each course of the five-course meal was paired with a beer from the Palmetto Brewery with brewer Ed Falkenstein on hand to explain the complexity of each frothy offering. Pan-sauteed heads-on medium-sized shrimp and watermelon wheat beer consisted of the first course, and the shrimp were tender and fresh from the docks at Shem Creek. Fried local clams with an 'almost tempura' batter on them consisted of course number two and were paired with the Palmetto Amber beer that "is all about the malted barley." Palmetto's Pale Ale and local swordfish from the Cherry Point docks defined course number three. The Orzo and rice salad served as a bed for the delicious and flaky swordfish that was intended to be dipped in the spicy Miso mustard sauce. Dinner table chatter about bottom fishing regulations followed the Triggerfish fourth course served with Herbed Nage and young potatoes, and paired with a 'test' brew called Pilot Brown Ale - something new from Palmetto that is not yet available to the public; and SSI patrons were happy to be test subjects. The flour-less chocolate cake dessert was matched with Palmetto's Porter brew, which actually has a hint of espresso since it is brewed with a blend of Costa Rican and Kenyan coffee beans. Carolina's will feature two dinner's paired with beer on Sept. 29th with Breckenridge Brewery flavors and on October 27th with Weihenstephan. More SSI here.

PhotosByJeffDennis: Shrimp served Heads-On with arugala; Owner Joe Meloy and Chef Jeremiah Bacon, Swordfish and Miso sauce; Palmetto hops and barley were available for taste testing