(Matt's notes) BEER BREAKFAST 2.0 @ SECCO WINE BAR Sunday, May 6, 2012
When Secco hosted its first Beer Breakfast in January, we were pleasantly shocked to discover how many of you embraced our crazy-pants notion of serving high-octane brews at 10AM as a good (or, at least, a fun) idea. Doing another beer breakfast seemed like no-brainer.
Of course, that didn't stop us, and our hysterical fear of repeating ourselves, from brainstorming a slew of other, similar yet different Sunday morning events. Sadly, the results where less "similar yet different" than they were...well,"terrible and weird" -- a Communion-themed, wine and wafer pairing class; an (Adam's) Apple Cider Drag Brunch; a NFL Tailgate Party with dry sherry and no TVs. Bad. Idea. Jeans.
But once we got word that the boys at Hardywood Park were willing to create a version of their Mocha Belgique with our signature Lamplighter coffee blend, we stopped beating our heads against the wall and fully embraced the idea of Beer Breakfast 2.0!
BEER BREAKFAST 2.0 @ SECCO WINE BAR
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Breakfast Menu (available 10AM - 2PM)
house-made corned beef & potato hash with a soft egg
brioche with house-made butter & raspberry preserves
strata with asparagus, mushrooms, ramps & gruyere
Scotch eggs with red onion confit & whole grain mustard, mayonnaise
rice pudding parfait with fresh strawberries, honey & citrus
smoked pork belly, stewed beans, roasted tomatillo & poblano pepper salsa, poached egg & grilled Billy Bread
Featured Beers
Hardywood Mocha Beglique (Secco Beer Breakfast version)
chocolate porter brewed with locally-roasted coffee, aged in Virginia whiskey barrels & poured from a 5 gallon pin spiked with a pound of SECCO-blend Lamplighter coffee. 7.2% abv
Evil Twin Biscotti Break
porter made with espresso, vanilla & toasted almonds.7.5% abv
This is not a ticketed event, all items are served a la carte. As is the norm, seating will be done on a first come/first served basis, with reservations being taken only for parties of five to eight (info@seccowinebar.com or 804.353.0670). Please keep in mind the size of our establishment--the smaller your party, the more quickly we can accommodate you.
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Weekly Wine Tasting at RCC: Friday, April 27th, 5-7pm
Viva Italia!
(Peter's notes)
Usually, being on the brink of May marks the arrival of  full-blown Spring-if not outright Summer-like conditions here in Richmond. That said, the nor'easter that dropped a ton of rain on us earlier this week seems like it will linger long enough to keep us in a cool-to-mild pattern over the next several days. With this refreshing-if-temporal blast of mild weather in mind, I've put together an all-Italian lineup of wines for you to taste this Friday. Here's what we're "forecasting" for this week: Villa di Quartu 2010 Vermentino di Sardegna "Poetha": Produced on the island of Sardinia, this dry, savory white wine has herbal and peppery notes meshing with delicate fruit flavors. It sings for seafood, but also works well as an aperitivo!
Cantina Nalles 2010 Schiava "Galea": Made from a grape also known as Vernatsch, this lighter-bodied red, from Alto Adige in northern Italy, has delicate strawberry, earth and spice notes. Distinct from but sometimes compared to Pinot Noir!
San Lorenzo 2009 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo: Aged for a full year in French barriques, this fuller-bodied dry red wine from the northern part of Gli Abruzzi region offers a melange of fig, prune, floral notes along with licorice-like spice notes. Superb and reasonably priced too!
Agostino Parra & Figli 2008 Barbera d'Asti Superiore "Moliss": Produced in the "Moliss" vineyard near the town of Agliano Terme in the heart of the Piedmont region, this elegant, full-bodied style Barbera offers loads of dark berried fruit and spice aromas.
Le Rocche Malatestiane 2011 Albana di Romagna "Baciami": Lightly sweet, this fruity white wine from Emilia-Romagna has plenty of pear and yellow fruit notes. It pairs well with mild, creamy blue cheeses but also with not overly-sweet, fruit-centric desserts.
(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! I'm seeing RED!! And no, I don't mean that my politics have suddenly changed or that I have a terrible sunburn. I'm talking about cheese, of course. Red Hawk and Red Row to be precise. The former hails from the Cowgirl Creamery in California and the latter from Virginia's own Caromont Farm, just shy of 100 miles from where I now sit.  Other than the fact that these two American cow's milk cheeses have the same first name and are both super-delicious, they actually couldn't be more different. Red Hawk is a triple cream, soft, washed rind wonder that creates a perfect balance between salty richness and delicate  stinkiness. I'm not usually drawn to the triple creams, but this one is a clear exception. Red Row, on the other hand, is a dense, raw-milk, semi-firm tomme with a lovely complexity and a lingering finish. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but this cheese has really come into it's own, of late. So, come on by and try a bite, won't you? And if you are at Secco, try the Red Cloud while you are there! Dang, these Red cheeses are everywhere I look! photos courtesy sara adduci
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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 & spinach soup, lemon crème fraiche
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Third Course (Pick One)
~cardamom gelato, espresso crumble
~cream puffs with vanilla bean crème 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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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 
Restaurant Week If you haven't made it in for Secco's Restaurant Week menu yet, there's still time!
While we don't take reservations, we've been seating people almost right away (especially twos) so far, but coming early is the best way to avoid a wait. And we're one of the few restaurants serving Sunday night!
Here's a sneak peek at some of the most popular dishes:
 pork belly porchetta & artichokes barigoule bay scallop crudi, pink grapefruit, vanilla brown butter, fresh tarragon 
roasted beets, shaved radish, whipped fromage blanc, saba emulsion 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. info@seccowinebar.com
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(David's notes)
Beer of the Week Devils Backbone Belgian Congo 
What if an India Pale Ale-style beer had been made in Belgium to be shipped and consumed in the Belgian Congo? From this question springs this Belgian-style Pale Ale. The hops in this beer are pronounced but slightly more subdued then you might expect. This is not unlike some English style pale ales and is certainly more similar to the general application of hops in Belgium. The beer is then fermented with a Belgian a yeast strain. This combination pushes the acidity up and creates a rather surprisingly delicious and refreshing effect. Come on by we'll have a bottle open for sampling.
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Beers of Note
New Belgium Shift
Emilisse & Stillwater collaboration 'Holland Oats'
Brian Strumke traveled to the Netherlands to brew this fine Dutch amber ale at the tiny brew pub Emilisse.
A store favorite, this fine smoke ale is brewed with malts from the Schlankerla brewery in Bamberg.
Evil Twin Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room Jeppe's huge Imperial stout brewed at De Molen!
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Wine-o-the-Week
(Peter's notes)
Marcel Lapierre 2011 Raisins Gauloise Vin de Table
Lighter-bodied yet so gulpably-delicious, this dry red wine from the illustrious Lapierre estate in the Morgon cru of Beaujolais has been a favorite of mine for a long time now. I've often been found on Wednesday afternoons drinking a glass of this at Secco Wine Bar while working on wine orders and tasting notes and emails. It's a pretty civilized way to conduct business, I must say. My only consternation is that I have somehow or other managed not to offer this for sale at River City Cellars . . .or maybe subconsciously I want all of it for myself. At any rate, this luscious red wine, imbued with ripe red currant and fresh cherry flavors, is poured by the glass next door at Secco Wine Bar, and is (finally) available at River City Cellars for a mere $13.99 per bottle. I'll do my best to leave a few bottles, I promise!
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