Very timely article in the Wall Street Journal about Peruvian Food. Timely because it coincides with the opening of our new restaurant PIQUEO. Our menu will be Pan-American and will include selected dishes from different countries (including Peru). Here is the article which will give you an idea of the region's cuisine:

Food's Next Big Thing: Peruvian 

Well, unfortunately we are at a point in which pictures will tell too much and I want to keep the final product a surprise for all of you. What I can tell you, however, is that construction is proceeding full speed ahead. The bar should be finished in the next week or so. After that we will be finishing the floors. The lights are going up this week also as well as the rebuilding of the bathrooms. We expect to be done with all of the front of the house in the next 3 weeks. Within the next two weeks we will start with the kitchen - but most of the work there will be the repair and addition of equipment. We are also very busy right now selecting flatware, dishes, glasses, etc.

So, if everything goes as planned we should be looking at mid-November for our Grand Opening.

But I didn't want to close this week's update without a picture, so here it goes:

If you didn't attend our last mini-wine tasting event on Tuesday then you missed a fun time learning about French wines. That night we focused on the southern France region of the Rhone (south Rhone to be specific). So following on that concept this week we are adding some medium-range French wines also from the south region of the Rhone.

Here is the lineup:

Domaine de Mourchon "Grande Reserve" Côtes du Rhône-Villages Seguret '07                                                                Bottle $ 

92 points Robert Parker: "It is broad, expansive, and voluptuously textured, with stunning depth and richness. This is about as good as Seguret can be and actually competes with wines that are much more costly. 92 points Wine Spectator: "This is impressive for its array of dark fig, espresso, currant paste and hoisin sauce notes all laid over a tangy, minerally spine that drives the finish along. Mesquite, charcoal and braised beef notes add further dimension."

Chateau Montus Madiran '07                                     Bottle $

80% Tannat and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is an outstanding example of what the region can produce. Attractive bouquet of black fruit shaded with some chocolate and a hint of floral; flavors echo and expand with a deep, dark core of black currant and plum, rich and appealing. Full bodied, well structured and still on the way up, but already delicious.

Clos de Trias Ventoux Rouge '07                               Bottle $

70% Grenache Noir, 20% Syrah, 7% Carignan, 3% Cinsault

A "perfect" balance between the fruit, acid, and tannins. Ripe plum, wild blackberries, and black olive flavors. Structured, silky tannins and acid. Hints of pear drops. Unusual and complex, with dark fruits and long, long finish. A sensual wine. This is a pleasure to drink and deserves good food to match it.

As winter approaches we have included a couple of great soups in this week's specials:

Minestroni Soup - $6

Lentil Soup - $6

Original Neapolitan recipe. Made to order and simply delicious.