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GREAT NEWS FOR PIQUEO
This morning I was awaken by the very pleasant surprise that Piqueo had received a very favorable review from Allison Cook (The Houston Chronicle). In her review she makes a couple of very good points that we are going to use to refine our offerings. One of them is the very valid point that we should offer smaller versions of our main courses as they are dishes totally new to our audience. I guess we were on the same thought path as Adriana and I were just discussing how to offer something new and exciting in the form of small plates. The conclusion was (and coincidentally this morning) to offer a "Tasting Menu" that would consist of as many different samples of our cuisine as possible. So stay tuned for this!
Now, going back to the review, here it is:
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(ALMOST) FREE WINE THIS WEEKEND!!
In the past we have brought you some fantastic, world class, wines at really unbelievable prices. How can we do this? Well...we taste a lot and we come across with some very special deals. Instead of marking them up to a normal "restaurant price" we pass along the deal to you. Our best wines are those that are enjoyed by many (and not the ones that stay in our inventory for a long time). So...this week we decided to bring two such bargains to both, Mezzanotte and Piqueo. Here are the details: AT PIQUEO VIADER "V" 2006 - $99 (retail price is $125 - only 168 cases were made) Napa Valley, California This is a Bordeaux blend with a primary focus on Petit Verdot (62%) rounded up with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (38%). The result is a vibrant, sumptuous wine with a powerful but inviting presence. Stepehn Tanzer gave 90+ points to this amazing wine: "Bright red-ruby. Aromas of black cherry, licorice and bitter chocolate. Juicy, spicy flavors of black fruits and flowers; not a fleshy wine but silky and fine-grained. Finishes with firm but ripe tannins and lingering notes of currant and dark cherry." AT MEZZANOTTE AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO DOCG REMO FARINA - $59 Veneto, Italy If you have never tried a "world-class" Amarone, then this is your chance! If you have, this is your chance to have it again for a "steal":
Aromas of sweet berry fruit and herbs. On the palate, it is dense and rich with sweet cherry fruit, warming alcohol and velvety tannins. Big, wholly imposing, fruit-laden red with distinctly pleasant 'amarone' (bitter) after-taste.
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SPECIALS AT PIQUEO
This week we have a couple of great specials that we will publish in our menu of tomorrow (still working in the final details).
However, there is a dessert that we can't be more excited about:
DUO DE HELADO - $5
We have come up with an ice cream based on Lúcuma (an exotic and delicately flavored tropical fruit native to the cool highlands of the coastal valleys of Perú). And we have married this "gelato" to a sorbetto made of strawberries and Peruvian rocoto - an extraordinary marriage of sweet and spicy hot!!
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This week we are adding a fabulous sorbetto to our specials menu:
ROBIOLA EN BORSELLINO - $8
Deliciously savory imported Robiola cheese stuffed into a "purse" made with Italian mortadella. Delicately seared and served on top of spinach sauteed with pine nuts and golden raisins.
Two partially deboned whole quails delicately seasoned with porcini mushroom powder; pan seared and topped with a marsala and white truffle sauce. Served over soft polenta
FETTUCINE CARBONNOTTE - $18
Our version of the classic Fettucine Carbonara: Hot cappicola diced small and sautéed with shallots and white wine. Completed with a creamy sauce of Gorgonzola cheese.
SORBETTO AL BASILICO - $5
Just a wonderful way to end dinner: a mix of lemon and basil flavors in a light and refreshing sorbetto. You shouldn't miss this!
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We are very excited about our wine program at Mezzanotte (and also at Piqueo, of course). We were at a private event today where the new releases of Brunellos, Barolos, and Barbarescos were presented. We had a chance to try some really outstanding wines and we will be placing orders for May delivery. Some of the wines are from such small productions that only a few bottles will be available in our market. I will do my best to secure them for Mezzanotte so you have the chance to enjoy really superior wines.
Here is a shot of the action at todays tasting (at a downtown restaurant):
PS: we tasted some 40+ wines (well...somebody has to do it!!)
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PRESS RELEASE - PIQUEO RESTAURANTE
In case you missed it last week here it is again:
 | | Webisode 24 - Announcing Piqueo Restaurante |
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