Stubby's Pub and Grub co-owner Brad Todd said it was always the restaurant's intention to tie its extensive beer selection to its food, but it took the right chef to realize that vision. In October, Todd says Stubby's hired that chef: Brad Clark, formerly of Bunkers in West Allis. After Clark came on board the restaurant hosted several beer-themed dinners, which were so well received that Stubby's has made them a weekly feature. Every Saturday night from 6-10 p.m., the restaurant at 2060 N. Humboldt Ave. offers a <em>prix fixe</em> menu: three courses, each served with a 5-ounce sampler of a different beer, for $30.<br /><br />"I select the beers, and then Brad comes up with dishes to pair with them," Todd explains. "We're usually trying to select some of the most unusual beers we have. We try to keep our tap tower pretty fresh, so we always have a lot of rare, hard-to-get beers to choose from."<br /><br />One of the <em>prix fixe</em> menus earlier this month featured a first course of seared scallops with caramelized parsnips paired with Abita Mardi Gras Bock; a second course of Alaskan rockfish and brown-butter gnocchi served with Victory Yakima Glory (a rich, malty dark beer); and a finale of foie gras crème brulee with New Belgium Cocoa Mole (an intensely chocolaty, spicy ale with a 9.1 alcohol-by-volume percentage). Each beer comes in a 5-ounce sampling glass.<br /><br />"We think it's a great value," Todd says. "There's nowhere else where you can really get food of this caliber with some really unique, higher-alcohol beers. We really want it to take off, because it speaks to what we're really about at Stubby's. We want people to come there and get exquisite food and an exceptional experience, but in a casual environment, where nobody's sticking their nose up in the air."
