Fire in the Triangle: Battle Videri Chocolate

Myers described the character of his brews to Fire in the Triangle planners, and he said that influenced their choice of ingredients for the cooking challenge this week. Local breweries are being featured each week in the dining series. 

Before Tuesday's secret ingredient was announced to the room, Myers hinted at those raising a glass of Queen Anne's Revenge, "I assure you, this beer pairs well with tonight's dishes."

According to the Mystery Brewing website, the Queen Anne's Revenge "was designed to be a darker version of an English-style IPA, to show off the soft bitterness of traditional English hops but to balance them with the rich chocolate of roasted malt."

Here's a recap of Tuesday's courses, results and reviews. In each round and overall, diners (the Joes) and local media foodies including WRAL Out & About (the Pros) grade the dish on aroma, presentation, creativity and other factors. All scores are out of a possible 30 points.

The chocolate-covered bacon has almost become cliche, but its popularity is unquestioned. The execution on this one was what lowered its scores. Bacon was served in full slices, 3/4 dipped in the chocolate. "If you didn't want people to be able to cut it, why not crumble it?" wondered Johanna Kramer (@durhamfoodie).

The trail of Texas Pete (another NC product!) that encircled this salad made it clear that the first dish was Battistella's.

Kramer was more impressed by round 2. "Killing it," she said.

The melt-in-your-mouth pork belly marked the moment when the murmur in the room was silenced by diners simply digging in. The scores show it was among the favorites across the board. 

Diners expecting a mole option were rewarded with dish 3, and the sauce surely shone. I reached for extra bread to sop up every bit of it.

This aromatic dish wooed diners upon delivery. "Ooh that looks pretty," said judge Leigh Powell Hines (@Hinessightblog). "Fully drooling on the smell," Kramer said.

Not mentioned in the description, but detected in the tasting were candied bits of bacon that added another element to this exquisite blend of flavors. "Bacon is so right every time," another diner said.

The lamb was the clear winner at my table, but the only dish where Pros scored an offering higher than Joes.

By the time dessert courses were served, our expectations were sky high, and this one delivered. Diners called it "beautiful" and "brilliant." A scattering of curry powder added an umph that took this dish to another level.

The anise, an uncommon taste, overwhelmed the chocolate and other flavors in this final dish. We had eaten much and well and many declined to finish this one.

After the chefs took a victory lap through the dining room, they talked about the challenge. "When I heard the secret ingredient, I just wanted to go home," Battistella said. 

Cunningham saluted his competitor and hailed his team. They will face Heron's, winners of the first night of Fire in the Triangle.