HOW DO WE SELECT OUR WINES?
Some of you have seen us (usually around lunch time) in what it seems as a nice and casual meeting among friends - but with a (relatively) large number of open bottles of wine on the table! Well...it is actually WORK. We get to taste several wines in one sitting (sometimes several times a week). And, yes, it is enjoyable but then not every wine you taste is great. Kind of "you have to kiss many frogs to find a prince(ss)" And then, of course, you have to make decisions. Should we buy or not a specific wine? The end of the buying process turns out to actually be an investment decision. It is an investment because whatever you decide to buy you have to buy enough to have in inventory. Kind of like a car dealership - you will never sell all your cars (unless you are getting out of the business) but you need to have a good inventory at all times. Our inventory is in the neighborhood of 600 bottles (for a total of about 170 different labels). In absolute terms that is not a huge number. But then there are the issues of organization, storage, cash flow, quality, twice a week complete inventory counts, value, vintage exhaustion and replacement, and on and on. So ours is not an stationary situation as our wine program needs to continuously evolve and that is why we have to continue tasting wines week after week...forever! So, yes, it is an enjoyable process but...believe me (kidding aside)...it is hard work. Here is today's session #1 at 1:00 PM (with one of our wine vendors - Sarah). We had another session at 1:30 PM:
But at least you can be assured that whatever wine you end buying (at Mezzanotte or Piqueo) is a wine that we truly believe is worthy of being on our menu. Cheers! |
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A LITTLE BIT OF MORE PRESS THIS WEEK!
The last two weeks have been very exciting for us as we gained some press attention. In case you missed them here are the links again:
And then just yesterday we were beautifully mentioned in a Houston Chronicle's feature article titled "A guide to dining should you venture to the 'burbs" - Here is the blurb:
Piqueo: A new contender for OTL (outside the loop) greatness comes from Mezzanotte chef-owner Gerry Sarmiento. It's pretty, the wine list is thoughtful, and there are some striking flavors on the menu of Peruvian small plates and entrees. Don't miss the brilliant charred carrot dish with balsamic and goat cheese; or anything with the huacatay (black mint) sauce.
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TASTING MENU AT PIQUEO EVERY TUESDAY
OK - we tried our new Tasting Menu most of this past week and we came to the conclusion that we will designate Tuesdays as TASTING MENU TUESDAY.
We have been running our WEDNESDAY TAPAS MADNESS at Mezzanotte for a couple of years now. During this time it has proven to be a great opportunity for our guests to try several different dishes in one sitting.
That is the exact idea behind our TASTING MENU TUESDAY. So starting next Tuesday 3/27 we will be offering 2 menus:
- The 11 Course Tasting Menu
- The 8 Course Tasting Menu
And both will have the option to pair with wines. Stay tuned as we will be sending the final menus on our next email update.
Pictured above: (counterclockwise from the bottom) Ceviche de Pescado; Lomo Saltado; Anticucho de Corazon; Chicharrón de Lurín.
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OUR NEW BLOG
Its not really new as I have been posting on and off. The problem is that it had become my outlet to complain about some situations at the restaurants. But that is wrong - I don't think that what I was writing about was entertaining or educational or anything!!
So I decided to refocus and make it a place where I can share interesting things with you. Right now I am focusing on Wine and Food (surprised?)
So,hopefully, you will enjoy visiting every now and then.
Here is the address:
www.mezzanotte.tv/blog
or you can just click the following icon:
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NEW WINES AT PIQUEO AND MEZZANOTTE
We have just finished publishing the latest revision (3/22/12) of our Wine Menus for Mezzanotte and Piqueo. Our portfolios are growing in a very healthy mode. Please come and try something different and new. We have lots of exciting and fantastic wines. We attempt to include as much information as possible in the description to make your selection process a bit easier and more informed.
Also keep an eye for our weekend introductions.
Cheers!
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