A Mighty Mighty Good Time

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I am woefully behind in telling you about my dining out experiences, so it’s catch up time here at TIFFIN. This week it’s all about the restaurants!

The trouble with tweeting and hashtagging your way through a veritable degustation of restaurant openings and menu launches, is that people following along on social media want you to become their social coordinator. Offering suggestions, booking venues, organising menus, wangling deals. Last week I had a large group of colleagues visiting for training. Last year the same group had been treated to a bang up dinner with some stellar hospitality from Tartufo, organised by yours truly. The dinner had taken on legendary status and as they were back in town, they wanted to recreate the memory. So no pressure then. I took to my trusty Rolodex of contacts and connections and it was Mighty Mighty Cue & Brew who came to my rescue. I had been to their menu launch a few weeks back and was happy to return the favour with a bunch of paying customers.

Cue & Brew
Mighty Mighty are about two things. Barbeque (Cue) and quality craft beers (Brew). Yes, it’s another venue doing ‘American Food’, but it’s not what you think. There’s no wham, bam, thankyou ma’am monster burgers and fries here. It’s slowww cooked meats and modern takes on classics. They also offer to cater for vegetarians which is pretty fantastic when you know that Mighty Mighty’s chief focus is meat. Just as well, as we had a pesky vegetarian in our midst.

Mighty Mighty came up trumps with a selection of entrees and platters for $30 a head. There was something for everyone including Red Jack Corn Bread and Buffalo Wings. Both the corn bread and Tarragon scones were hugely popular, particularly with the smoked butter. Even better, the  vegetarian had her own non smoked butter given that beef fat is used in the smoking process. Hard to believe I know but at least some in our group had never been on Pinterest and therefore had no idea what a Jalapeño Popper was (jalapeño stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in smoked bacon). How could they live with themselves? As they popped those jalapeños into their mouth, they declared them delicious and I declared that it was just as well everyone had visited Brisbane to improve their food education. For the vegetarian, a stunning main of Smoked Cauliflower Tortellini with Crumbed Mushrooms and Pea Puree. It almost made me want to become a vegetarian.

Nah – just kidding.

All American Anti Pasti
The piece de resistance though was the All American Anti Pasti plate that I had tried previously at the menu launch. There were items to tempt such as the duck breast prosciutto with the requisite fatty layer and chewy smoky meat that everyone at the table thought was pork and items to delight, such as a very clever mustard caviar that tricked people into thinking it was the real deal until tasted. A slow cooked 63deg egg and generous serve of head cheese with rye crackers made for a wonderful showcase of Mighty Mighty’s claim of ‘modern take’. It was a very upscale dish, worthy of any hatted or starred restaurant.

Beer drinkers were kept happy with beer by the bottle or on tap with funky names such as Abita Purple Haze and Rogue Dead Guy Ale. For those who couldn’t abide beer, there were plenty of wines and other choices on offer, as the bill for numerous bottles of Royal Jamaican Ginger Beer attested. Mighty Mighty does a wide range American slow BBQ including slow cooked brisket, pulled meats, hoagies and more but these would have to wait for another time. At the launch I had tasted an interpretation of Shrimp & Grits where the grits came in the form of pan-fried gnocchi. Not something to share with a work group though. More a dish you greedily keep to yourself. I also noted that they have a lunch deal of a hoagie and a beer for $15 – surely that is one of the best lunch time deals around.

Well fed and watered and certainly well cared for, we took our leave from Mighty Mighty. Interstaters could lay their weary heads on their hotel pillows and the Queenslanders could race home to watch State of Origin.

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Visited: Wednesday 17th June 2105 – Dinner Service

Mighty Might Cue & Brew
7/100 Maclachlan St
Fortitude Valley  Qld  4006