Bank and Bourbon Review: Bourbon Bash

Located on the ground floor of Philly's Loews Hotel, Bank and Bourbon took over the reigns from Sole Food a year ago. So in an effort to celebrate their success since then, an inaugural Bourbon Bash was hosted on April 28th. Even better, proceeds were used to provide charitable support for DonorsChoose, a U.S.-based nonprofit supporting our public school teachers and students.

Midway through the event, the GM of Philadelphia's Loews Hotel, Sean Clancy, welcomed everyone and introduced newly named President & CEO of Loews Hotels, Kirk Kinsell. Together they noted that including ticket sales to Bourbon Bash [a very reasonable $49 pp], over $32,000 was raised! In fact, the event was so successful that the intent is to make it an annual event.

So what exactly does a ticket to Bourbon Bash get you? Unlimited drinks and tastes of Bank and Bourbon's finest dishes? Check. Steaks aged to 28 days? Check. A killer charcuterie station replete with Benton's Ham, duck rillette, and Birch Run blue? Check. Desserts to satiate anyone with a sweet tooth? Check, check, check, & check. So let's take a look at what was on offer.

Naturally, a broad selection of bourbons were on hand for the night. In addition to the open bar, there were stations throughout the venue featuring Jim Beam's family of bourbons, including Single Barrel, Devil's Cut, and Rye, along with small batch bourbons in the family like Knob Creek and Basil Hayden. Maker's 46 also made its mark, with generous pours being enjoyed all around. There's a reason why some of these bourbons round out my bar cart amidst some Pappy and Elijah Craig. Great everyday drinking. But for those interested in allaying some of the sweet, sweet "burn," there were plenty of cocktails to be enjoyed as well! 

Devil Went Down to Georgia 
Jim Beam Devil's Cut, ginger, pineapple, sage

Clearly the most popular libation, this had great ginger spice notes that were balanced by the sweetness of the pineapple that was brought back by the sage. Through it all, the undertones of Devil's Cut were there. Really nice. 

Level 33
Passion tea, honey syrup, Pinnacle vodka, yellow chartreuse, fresh citrus 

For those who prefer vodka, Level 33 featured citrus flavors that were tempered by honey and anise notes.

The speed of all the lines at the food stations was surprisingly fast. However, the line at the charcuterie station was clearly the longest - at a "snail's pace" of approximately three minutes (read: sarcasm).

 
The fact that Bank and Bourbon had mounds upon mounds of Benton's ham on offer, along with its Tennessee counterpart of aged Hamery and Creminelli Utah ham, was a testament to the quality of their efforts. Duck rillette, stone-ground mustard, Birch Run blue cheese, toasted house-baked bread, pickled vegetables, and other delectable delights rounded out the station.

Clearly, there was plenty more to be had - from seafood to steaks. 

Ahi Tuna | Rappahannock Oysters

The tuna was fresh and seasoned delicately with lime. While the spicy carrot wasn't overtly pronounced, the farro added some texture to each bite. The Rappahannocks were prototypically sweet and not overly briny. The accompanying mignonette helped to provide some balance. 

Salmon 

 

The salmon was beautifully cooked and delicate in its preparation. The mushroom-based sauce helped to bring some depth to each bite.

Duroc Honey-Brined Pork Chop
Fava, peas

The Duroc pork chop was moist and accompanied by gorgeous favas and peas. In fact, as good as the pork was, the star for me were the legumes - great bite and flavor.

Pastrami Short Rib 

The pastrami short rib was beautiful to behold. The rub was pronounced and the short rib had great texture and taste. Less fatty and more pure beef flavor, it had that classic pastrami cure. It was balanced by the watermelon radish.

Cowboy Ribeye 

And of course, the star of the show was the cowboy ribeye. You could taste the beefiness that comes from the month-long age. It was amazing at how quickly these bad boys were being grilled, plated, served, and turned over. The generous servings of steak were tender and well-seasoned. The heft was only heightened by the savoriness of the accompanying mushrooms, which were luscious in their own right.

From there, we naturally needed to end the night with the requisite satiating of the sweet tooth. What better way than by engaging the incredible dessert station. And by engaging, I meant engulfing.

Espresso Parfait

Having tasted the delicious mini Rocky Road and Orange Creamsicle ice cream sandwiches being passed around by the servers, we knew we had to try some of the items at the dessert station. Amidst all the bourbon, the espresso parfait was a welcome spark to the night. The espresso really shined through the custard of chocolate, which also featured a milk chocolate shard atop a quenelle of whipped cream.

Malted Chocolate Cake | Blueberry Hand Pie | Mini Doughnuts

The blueberry hand pies were expertly fried, with a light sugar dusting coating the sweet crust of the pie. The innards were satisfyingly creamy and redolent with warm blueberries. The mini doughnuts weren't so mini. They were huge! More importantly, they were delicious. It took everything I had not to get up to get another and this is coming from someone who doesn't have that much of a sweet tooth. Lightly crisp on the exterior, the doughnuts were fluffy within, without any overt flavors to detract. And the malted chocolate cake? Light, fluffy, chocolate-y, with a malted marshmallow topping? Consider me stuffed, because I ate it all (with some help from the GF!). 

Believe me when I say that Bank & Bourbon and Loews Hotel pulled out all the stops. The quality of the food was surprising for an event that had this many attendees. Even the plating of the individual dishes left me wondering why I hadn't stopped by for dinner just yet. Service was exceptional and the turnover for the food and drink pours were seamless. This is one event that should not be missed. So the lesson here? Mark your calendars for 2016, especially if you missed out this year. I know I'll be on the lookout for their 2nd anniversary bash! 

FTC Disclaimer: While I was invited to this event gratis, all opinions are mine alone and are unbiased.

www.bankandbourbon.com