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(Julia's notes)
It's that time again!
Richmond Restaurant Week Spring 2012 April 23rd-29th It's never too early to plan your attack! You can see all the participating restaurants here, but in the meantime check out Chef Tim's menu for Secco... HOW IT WORKS:
$25.12 per person, not including tax or tip (of which $2.12 is donated to FeedMore & supports Meals On Wheels/Food Bank)RW menu available at Secco Mon-Sun 5-10pm
No Reservations at Secco during RW (which actually greatly increases your chance of scoring a table for 2 in less than 15 minutes; plus we have our new big communal table)
RW diners will enjoy $5 off any bottle on our wine list! MENU:
First Course
build your own cheese and/or charcuterie plate from our cheese queen Sara's extensive list
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Second Course (Pick Two)
~pork belly porchetta, artichokes barigoule
~farro cavatelli, rapini, aleppo pepper, anchovy butter
~asparagus sformato, fava shoots, preserved lemon
~fresh figs, chicken liver mousse, walnut granola, fried capers
~pickled mushrooms, garlic confit & taleggio cheese crostini
~roasted beets, shaved radish, whipped fromage blanc, saba emulsion
~bay scallop crudi, pink grapefruit, vanilla brown butter, fresh tarragon
~mixed green salad, roasted pistachio, fresh chevre
~potato & nettle soup, lemon cr�me fraiche
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Third Course (Pick One)
~cardamom gelato, espresso crumble
~cream puffs with vanilla bean cr�me patissiere, salted caramel, hazelnut praline
~olive oil-dark chocolate ganache, fresh spring berries, sweet basil
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artichokes barigoule: stewed artichoke hearts
sformato: an Italian egg dish similar to souffle
saba: a syrup made from the reduction of grape must
crudi: plural for crudo, which is a preparation of raw seafood in Italy
stinging nettles: an herbaceous flowering plant with a taste similar to spinach
creme patissiere: pastry cream
Thanks for helping support such a great cause. We look forward to seeing you! |
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Weekly Wine Tasting at RCC: Friday, April 20th, 5-7pm
European X-Files!
(Peter's notes)
For this Friday's wine tasting, I've put together a lineup of European wines produced from grapes and/or areas ranging from the less known to the truly obscure. But as in travel (or music or art etc.), sometimes the most rewarding experiences take place when one gets off the beaten track and tries something new. At any rate, here's the lineup this week:
Quinta do Crasto 2010 Douro Branco: Fragrant and fresh, this elegant, medium-bodied white wine from Portugal is made from an assemblage of traditional grapes including Rabigato, Gouveiro and Roupeiro. (If you didn't recognize all of those, don't feel bad. Even after 17 years of working in the wine business, I'd never heard of Gouveiro, at least.) At any rate, this crisp, snappy white wine offers a mesh of grassy aromas along with lush tropical and citrus notes.
Domaine Leon Boesch 2010 Sylvaner "Les Pierres Rouges": Ripe d'Anjou pears and candied citron along with a floral hint come to mind in tasting this dry yet aromatic white wine from Alsace in eastern France. While the Sylvaner grape is rarely accorded much respect, this example definitely has my unabashed adulation!
Weingut Klemens Weber 2010 Riesling halbtrocken: Sometimes, good things come in large packages. Take this one-liter sized bottle of very-nearly dry Riesling from the Pfalz region of western Germany. Perfect for informal get-togethers, this wine has loads of ripe peach and pear aromas underscored by a subtle minerality.
Domaine de Berane 2011 Ventoux Rose: Produced where the southern Rhone Valley adjoins with Provence, this exquisite dry rose, made primarily from Grenache, offers a mesh of floral and ripe peach aromas alongside savory herbal and peppery elements.
Domaine Coston 2009 Vin de Pays de St. Guilhem Le Desert: A blend of 60% Carignan and 40% Grenache lie behind this full-bodied dry red wine imbued with loads of prune, black olives, and earthy elements. Bar-bar-bar, bar-bar-B-Q!
(Unless you love sipping out of Health-Deptment-mandated plastic medicine cups, feel free to bring your own glass to our tastings!)
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Cheese News!
(Sara's notes)
Howdy Cheese Peeps, Italian cheese class was so much fun!! I can't tell you how  happy it makes me to ramble on for hours on end about all things cheese! So, thank you, thank you and thank you again, to everyone who joined us this past Tuesday, we couldn't have done it without you. Now, I just can't wait for the next cheese and wine class! I think we decided on Old World Wines and New World Cheeses, but nothing has been written in stone. If you have any ideas of classes you'd like to see in the future, let us know! Since I'm all jacked up on Italian cheeses, let me tell you about one of my all-time favorites, Taleggio. This soft, pudgy,  washed-rind, cow's milk from northern Italy is, in a word, fantastic. It is rich, meaty, fruity, nutty and has the most divine, creamy, uber-spreadable texture. It is just so perfect smeared on a piece of bread. Simple and delicious. Mmm. This was a big part of my dinner last night, I might add, and the memory is still quite fresh in my mind! I wish I had some more right now, actually. Ooh! Problem solved. I can get the new Taleggio, capicola and piquillo pepper sandwich at Secco for lunch. Perfect. See you soon! photos courtesy sara adduci
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RIVER CITY CELLARS hours:
Sunday-Monday 12-6
Tuesday-Saturday 10-7
(804)355-1375 |
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SECCO WINE BAR hours:
Noon to Midnight Seven Days a Week!
(804)353-0670 |
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News from
SECCO WINE BAR 
New Spring Dishes!  shrimp a la plancha with local asparagus, turnips & fava shoots
sweet-pea soup with lemon creme fraiche (click link below to see in action) sweatpeasoupmovie Secco Wine Bar
located next door to RCC at 2933 West Cary Street, Carytown
open noon to midnight, seven days a week
804.353.0670. [email protected] |
(David's notes)
Beer of the Week
John Smith
Extra Smooth
 John Smith was the oldest son by Sam Smith, but not the brewer Sam Smith, he came later. John decided to by an old brewery, fix it up and start selling beer to the local work force. This he did with great success, and then he died childless in 1879 and his interests were left to his two brothers. One of whom had a son who was brewing at the brewery and is the famous Sam Smith we know. William Smith took this opportunity to open a new brewery in 1884, and thus John Smith was back on the market! This beer is very smooth (hence the name) rather like a cream ale. Along with an easy drinking malty-ness it has a rather light alcohol content of 3.8%. Come on by, we'll have a can open for sampling.
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Beers of Note
New Belgium Shift 
Rather easy drinking pale lager beer, designed for those on the go.
Okocim O.K. Beer 
This classic lager beer from Poland is back, and just in time for the Euros!
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Wine-o-the-Week
(Peter's notes)
Paride Iarete
2010 Uvenere
Produced in the northern part of the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, this medium-bodied dry red wine is made from an assemblage of local "black grapes" led by the illustrious Nebbiolo (at 30%) along with 30% Vespolina, 20% Croatina and 20% Bonarda. Bright berried notes underscored by spices come to mind in tasting this savory dry red. Get it while it lasts! $12.99
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