Editor’s note: We dragged Derek, a.k.a. Porter Pounder, out of “retirement” to review the new food menu at ReSource. Unfortunately, he forgot his login info for this here site, so hence it appearing under my byline. Trust me, I am not nearly enough of a foodie to properly review any menu, so he was the man for this job. — S

Recently myself, Stoutmeister, and a guest ventured out to ReSource Brewing to try their new food menu. Something that should be covered more in our weekly update is what can you fill up on beer-wise, as well, and leave satisfied. A food menu is becoming more and more common in-house at breweries, along with the food trucks, and ReSource prides itself on locally sourced and healthy foods. They aren’t concerned with your typical fried heavy bar fare. As someone who normally eats quite terribly at bars with all the fried foods and gut busters, this really took me for a surprise at how happy we all were with their food options.

I’ll hit the list of sandwiches down the list as we tried them in order:

The “Traveler” Panini: The first of their two grilled cheese options, this is the simpler one, but by no means is still simple. It starts with perfectly buttery toasted multi-grain bread with havarti and cheddar cheeses. They were super melty and tasty, and it features a very tasty mango/ginger chutney. It isn’t overly sweet or chunky, so it sits within the bread and cheeses well, and adds a nice punch of flavor that’s also not so pungent that it will overwhelm the more subtle cheeses. It really adds a beautiful sub flavor that definitely made me crave more. I recommend pairing this with the Clown Car Kolsch or the Fugitive Dust Hazy IPA for something with a touch of sweetness that will compliment the mango/ginger chutney, and also still not overpower the sandwich.

The “Bella” Panini: This grilled cheese offers the same bread and cheese, but really steps it up with the roasted red bell peppers, sautéed portabella mushrooms with fresh fragrant basil leaves, and a balsamic drizzle. Want to talk about cravablility and being ultra satisfying without even thinking twice about a lack of meat? Then this is for you. The mushrooms and peppers will perfectly fill you up, cooked to perfection for the ultimate burst of flavor in each and every bite. The balsamic is also reduced and oiled just enough to take away too much bite, so that it won’t overpower the rest of the sandwich, and the basil can’t get any fresher. This was the show stopper for the entire table. I would grab this for lunch any day of the week. I recommend pairing this with the Bert Lips Schwarzbier, or the new High on Pino Amber on tap; both are a little sweeter and not overly hoppy, which lend themselves to the balsamic, basil, and roasted and sautéed veggies.

The “Otero” Sweet & Savory Sandwich: For those who prefer cold sandwiches, this is the first of the cold plant-based, hickory-smoked turkey sandwiches. This sandwich, made with cheddar cheese, fresh lettuce, and tomato, also features a brilliant, sweet, but-not-overpowering fig spread and carmelized onions, and has a schmear of avocado mayo. The onions mixed with the fig spread really elevate this sandwich above and beyond your normal turkey sandwich to something worth talking about. I recommend pairing this with the Equality Stout, because it has a more robust flavor with the roasted malts and chocolate tones, which work super well with the fig jam spread within the sandwich.

The “Otero” Tangy & Fresh Sandwich: Some people are absolutely creatures of habit and want a straight-forward sandwich without all the bells and whistles — this one is for you. It still features the same plant-based hickory smoked turkey, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato, and then adds mustard and fresh, vibrant sliced avocado. Sometimes when the wheel isn’t broken, why fix it? I recommend pairing this with the Que, Swiss? Lager or Moral Compass IPA; something fresh and summery to compliment the simplicity and beauty of this sandwich.

Do you want pickles? Because this is how you get pickles. I absolutely admit I am not a pickle fan in the past, in any way shape or form, even fried. However, the team at ReSource may have just changed my mind. Their light, homemade pickles are so fresh, and have a beautiful amount of garlic and fresh dill and don’t overpower anything. I actually ate my entire cup and our guest ate two cups of them and poured the juice over the potato chips. All the sandwiches come with the pickles and chips both, but we lobbied with Shawn Wright, the brewer and co-owner, that the pickles and chips basket should be an item to order all by itself, they’re just that good. I recommend pairing them with everything, since should you just be eating pickles and chips, what beer wouldn’t be good with that?

Lastly, we tried their build-your-own quesadilla, and kept it simple with the caramelized onions as an add on, and picked the locally sourced red salsa and also locally sourced green chile salsa. Hold onto your butts, because they’ve got a kick. The addition of the onions really rounded out the flavor to take the humble quesadilla and make it worth getting, and I could eat jars of both salsas. As good as the faux turkey was in the sandwiches, I can imagine the Impossible Taco Crumbles would have been killer with it as well, and I regret not getting them (those were temporarily out). The build-your-own also features raw diced onion, fresh sliced avocado, sour cream, fresh tomato and jalapeños as options to fit your needs. I recommend pairing these with the Fugitive Dust Hazy IPA or the Helles of a Year! Lager to fit with the chiles and not overpower the add-ons.

And, that wraps up our evening at ReSource Brewing. A special thanks to Sean and the entire amazing staff for having us over, and I’m headed there right now for a “Bella” panini and a pint soon as I finish typing here. Seriously. (No, really, he did just that on Sunday. ReSource will be back open Tuesday from 2 to 9 p.m. — S)

— Derek