Earlier this year, Ballast Point Brewing brought on a new chef to helm its culinary operations. Since arriving, Tommy Dimella, has endeared himself to his coworkers, contemporaries and guests, revamping the menus at the company’s eateries at its Miramar headquarters and Little Italy brewpub, as well as helming culinary operations for restaurants in Downtown Disney, Long Beach and, soon, San Francisco. A well-traveled 30-year kitchen vet best known locally for his time at Solana Beach’s Pamplemousse Grille, Dimella has also wowed palates with off-menu creations cooked up for special events. We pried Dimella from his prep duties to ask him about the direction he’s taking Ballast Point’s edible offerings as well as the dishes and beers he’s been most excited about so far. In addition to answering our questions, he was kind enough to share recipes for two of the dishes currently gracing his menu. Read on and enjoy those sharable, beer-infused apps.
What was your focus when you first arrived at Ballast Point?
My main goal is to make sure I’m staying true to the beer, the craft and the quality. When I came onboard, I assessed all the operations to see where they were with that in mind. So many restaurants try to do like the Cheesecake Factory and have a something-for-everyone menu. There’s no balance and half the menu is items you’re not really happy about but feel you have to have there. That’s what I wanted to try to avoid. I wanted our menu to be focused and have a lot of attention on every dish. Does it make sense? Are there beers on the menu that can pair with that dish? That’s how we started building the menu we have today.
How are you putting your stamp on Ballast Point’s menu?
We’re trying to stay out of the fryer. Too often, taproom and gastropub fare is heavy. I want to lighten things up. You’ll still see some classics and standard you’d expect to find in the taproom, but also fun lighter presentations. One of the main examples on our menu is a romaine-heart “hand salad”. We take hearts of artisan romaine lettuce that are densely packed with leaves, cut them into quarters and put an avocado Green Goddess hummus on top, then sprinkle it with everything-bagel spice and garnish it with sliced watermelon radishes. You eat it like you’re eating a cracker and it’s packed with a ton of flavor.
Have you worked much with beer as an ingredient in the past?
My previous experience was mild as I was more on the wine end, so I was really excited to dive into beer and learn more. When I first got here, I took all of our beers and cooked each of them for 30 minutes just to see what would happen. I tasted them for sugar content and bitterness to see what the playing field was, which beers I can cook with and which don’t react well to heat. I don’t feel that every dish has to have beer incorporated into it. We put the Calico Amber Ale in our short-rib sauce and the malt and sugar in the beer thickens the sauce up so nicely. Meanwhile, we have other beers that are good in vinaigrettes.
What’s a particularly successful beer-and-food pairing you’ve executed?
I came up with a really great pairing for our Watermelon Dorado Double IPA. It was strawberry-and-ghost-chili-glazed chicken wings with fresh strawberries, Thai basil and mint. When I brought those out for our staff to sample, they went crazy for them! Also, we had a beer dinner with Tommy Gomes [from Point Loma’s Tunaville market and the Outdoor Channel program, The Fishmonger]. He brought in a 125-pound bluefin tuna and did a butchering demo for 40 guests. While he was breaking it down, I was creating dishes paired with beers. I took an around-the-world approach, doing an Italian-style carpaccio, a Japanese-inspired poke, and smoked-and-salted toro [belly fat] with a Southern “comeback sauce”, stone-fruit mostarda and a kale slaw. It was a show-stopper, even for Tommy, who said that needs to be a signature dish for me from now on.
What Ballast Point beers does your palate gravitate toward?
One of my favorites is Swingin’ Friar Ale. It reminds me most of beer versus hazies or double IPAs. It’s the one I can drink the most of and I really, really enjoy it. That said, I like Aloha Sculpin [hazy IPA] and Periscope [double hazy IPA] a lot, too.
RECIPES
ALOHA SCULPIN IPA & HONEY-SOAKED STRAWBERRIES WITH WHIPPED GOAT CHEESE
- 2 oz Aloha Sculpin IPA
- 2 oz honey
- 6 oz strawberries, hulled and sliced
- Whipped Goat Cheese (recipe follows)
- lavash crackers or sliced flatbread
- extra virgin olive oil
Whisk the beer and honey together in a mixing bowl. Add the strawberries and stir to coat. Let stand for 1 hour.
To serve, spoon dollops of whipped goat cheese down the center of a horizontal plate. Top the cheese with the strawberries. Place the crackers in the goat cheese around the strawberries. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.
Whipped Goat Cheese
- 5 oz goat cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup unflavored Greek Yogurt, plus more, if necessary
- zest of 1 lemon (or 2 Tbsp minced preserved lemon, to substitute)
- 2 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp sea salt, plus more for finishing
- 1 tsp dill, minced
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the goat cheese, yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and salt. Blend until the mixture is smooth. If necessary, add additional yogurt, 1 tablespoon at a time, to reach desired consistency. Taste and season with additional salt as necessary. Fold in the dill then spoon into a serving dish or store, refrigerated in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature before serving.
SCULPIN IPA BEER CHEESE SAUCE WITH PRETZEL BREADSTICKS
- 1½ cups half-and-half
- 1 cup Sculpin IPA
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- chives, finely chopped
- pretzel breadsticks or sliced baguettes
Whisk together the half-and-half and beer. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until it is completely incorporated. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Continue whisking while slowly adding the half-and-half mixture. Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, cayenne and garlic powder. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, the reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, whisking frequently, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Adjust the heat to low, then add the cheese, a handful at a time, whisking between each addition until the cheese is fully incorporated. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
To serve, transfer the dip to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately with breadsticks or baguette slices for dipping.
Recipes courtesy Tommy Dimella, Culinary Director, Ballast Point Brewing