Back when I used to run a cheese-pairing pop-up with my friend, I learned that in pairings, one element tends to play a supporting role—either the beverage becomes background, coaxing forth the flavors of the cheese, or it’s the other way around. It is that rare union when each enhances the other, when the two don’t merely trade monologues but are in dialogue, alternately stepping forward and back in a delicate ballet. When you find a pairing like that, it transcends.
We held our first pop-up event at my favorite local brewery, Stoup Brewing, whose co-owners Lara Zahaba, Brad Benson, and Robyn Schumacher are friends who have supported me on my creative journey. So it was fitting that my first field assignment for Eater Seattle was covering the opening of Stoup Brewing Kenmore: their new beer-centered taproom and restaurant, where executive chef Jason Stoneburner helms the kitchen.
The space used to be an upscale dining spot, and in its latest iteration it feels like a mid-century modern restaurant meshed with a quirky Ballard pub. On opening night, the crowd seems to represents a cross-section of the greater Seattle area and its food and beverage industry. The patio spills out into a public space full of skateboarding kids; Zahaba tells me how, during the buildout, one of them asked if matcha green tea ice cream would be on the menu.
I’ve always loved Stoup’s beer, but it becomes something new when engaged in a culinary dance. Beer leads, food follows, and then they switch. An umami-rich oyster mushroom and kale pizza cedes the floor to a tart, crisp Saison. A piney West Coast Double IPA asserts itself, then lets smoky eggplant with Aleppo flatbread, a symphony of char and warming spice, take the stage. It all triggers a cavalcade of sense memory: nostalgia and longing mixed with pride, excitement, and anticipation.
Back when my friend and I partnered for our pop-ups, I learned that our natural tendency is to take turns. The night at Stoup Brewing Kenmore was a reminder that mutual enhancement is both a practice and an art. The best pairings are a conversation: leading and following, commanding and yielding, coaxing each other forth into our highest selves.
Words + Photoby Holly Regan