Archive for Lunch
Secco’s New Lunch Menu!
Posted by: | CommentsAt least once a night here at Secco someone notices our hours of operation and, despite roughly 20 months of noisy propagandizing on our part, remarks “I didn’t know you were open for lunch.”
At which point I nod politely, hand them a menu, find a quiet corner, and do THIS.
Perhaps one day Chef Tim will unveil his lastest creations Steve Jobs-style (captive audience of millions, mock turtleneck), but right now all we have is the increasing word of mouth, this humble blog, and an unlicensed clip of Big Trouble in Little China to help educate the masses on how truly awesome lunch at Secco is. And, starting this Thursday, it gets even better, as Chef Tim ups the ante with a handful of delicious new sandwiches, including…
Hot Prosciutto Cotto and Fontina Val d’ Aosta topped with Bechamel and a Fried Egg (aka the Croque Signora)
House-Roasted Turkey Breast with Pickled Green Tomatoes, Garlic Mayo, Bibb Lettuce
Cheddar and Broccoli Panino with Caramelized Onions
House-Smoked Salmon with Radish, Dill Creme Fraiche and Greens
These newcomers are featured alongside veteran favorites like our Rosemary Roasted Pork Shoulder Panino, Egg Salad with Fried Shallots (now with an added Curry kick) Grilled Portobello and Gruyere, and, of course, The Lamburguesa.
Joining our signature Field Greens, Chevre, Pistachio and Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette, are two amazing new salads:
Duck, Arugula, Walnuts, Dried Cherries, Stilton Blue Cheese and Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette
House-Smoked Salmon, Mixed Greens, Olives, Carrots and Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette
Factor in crack-tacular snacks like fried chick peas and gorgonzola-stuffed fried olives, our insane cheese list, seasonal soups, natural sodas, Carytown Teas and Tall Bike Coffee…damn, I’m experiencing Kanye-grade pride right now. If I end up storming the stage at this year’s Elby Awards, you’ll know what spawned it.
See the full lunch menu HERE.
-Matt
We look pretty good, even when you’re not drinking.
Posted by: | CommentsSecco may be your go-to spot for wining and dining, but what about for a 45-minute lunch break?
Truth be told, LUNCH at SECCO just may be one of the best kept secrets in Richmond, and undoubtedly one of its best values. For little more than the cost of a gas station hoagie, you can score an amazing sandwich made with REAL artisanal ingredients (like Billy Bread, naturally raised meats, local veggies and farmstead cheeses) all served with fried chickpeas and a mixed field greens salad.
Wanna see something hilarious???
This is a six-inch sub from a “restaurant” which I will not name, as it probably possess enough legal muscle to wipe any record of my existence clean off the face of the Earth. It features compressed meat-like products hailing from an unknown origin (trust me, you don’t want to know), “White American” cheese (reverse racism?) and wilted, industrially produced veggies. It comes with a bag of chips and a soda and costs you $6.75.
This is Secco’s pork panino. It features braised Duroc pork shoulder (naturally and humanely raised, no antibiotics, etc.), fresh goat cheese and a local spicy plum chutney that, when the sandwich is pressed to order, partially oozes through the bread, creating a sweet, caramelized crust. It is served with our signature fried chickpeas and a local field greens salad dressed with a homemade lemon-thyme vinaigrette and costs you …$7.00.
ONE MEASLY QUARTER marks the difference between sad, processed, anonymous food stuffs that harm the environment and pump your body full of preservatives AND a truly satisfying meal made with real ingredients that were raised and prepared by real people who really give a damn. Really!
In addition to sandwiches, Secco’s daytime menu also offers a wide selection of cheese and charcuterie, soups, salads, antipasti, natural sodas, French press coffee, etc. And, of course, should you choose to indulge in a glass of beer or wine with your lunch (you know, like Nick Cage in Leaving Las Vegas…or like EVERY EUROPEAN IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!!!), we still have plenty of that too.
- Matt
Secco’s stellar lunch menu is available every day, from noon to 4PM.
Introducing: The Lamburguesa!
Posted by: | CommentsAdmittedly, when the average person is contemplating where to go for a great burger, a wine bar known for inventive, seasonal cuisine is probably not the first place to come to mind. Then again, most of our customers have little in common with the “average person” and this is not your run-of-the-mill Royale with Cheese.
Esteemed people of the internets, I give you The Lamburguesa!
Ground lamb is seasoned with Balti spice (an ancient Pakistani blend of nearly 20 seasonings), grilled and then topped with feta, sliced red onion and harissa yogurt. On the side: crispy hand-cut fries tossed with sea salt, black pepper, smoked Spanish paprika and fenugreek (a common ingredient in many curries).
Yet before your higher functions have a chance to parse out the delicate play of global spices, the synapses in your primitive brain burst like a cherry bomb, set off by the primordial marriage of muscle, fat and fire. Sure, this is a decidedly forward-thinking, multi-lingual, burger-of-the-world, but underlying its sophisticated exterior is enough juicy, eat-with-two-hands lusciousness to render Guy Fieri mute (could you imagine how wonderful?).
"Dude, I...d-dude...du...d..." (Angels Singing)
And what better antidote is there to the season when social obligation compels us to ingest so many patties of over-cooked, under-seasoned beef at cook outs and company picnics? I bite into my Lamburguesa, emit a muffled grunt of ecstasy and envision a better world, where all cultures coexist in perfect harmony and every member of the human race knows how to grill to a perfect medium.
-Matt
The Lamburguesa is the latest addition to Secco’s stellar lunch menu, available from noon to 4PM, seven days a week.
So, apparently the French make films now…
Posted by: | CommentsWho knew, right? And, judging from a cursory glance at this year’s French Film Festival offerings, they’re not very good at it either.
Plots centered around unlikely friendships, sexual and/or oceanic discovery, THE ENVIRONMENT!?!?! Not a single film with a sassy alien, a homicidal tire or someone in a fat suit as its lead protagonist. Nearly two-dozen works being screened and not one in 3-D! Not one based on a video game! NOT ONE directed by Tyler Perry!!! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE???
So, if you’re the type that appreciates expressive cinematography, nuanced characters or dream sequences populated by anything other than big-breasted chicks with t-shirt canons, you may want to swing by the Byrd this weekend. (View the full festival schedule HERE.)
Of course, those Francophilic freaks at Secco will be joining in the fray. All weekend long they’re offering extended hours (11 AM to midnight) and a special “On the Go” menu — perfect for those with limited time between screenings. They’re even surrendering ending the festivities by taping a firkin of Pommeau on Monday night.
Me, I want nothing to do with this nonsense. Until this hysteria blows over I’ll be sequestered in an underground bunker where I’ll observe a strict boycott on all things French (with the possible exception of wine, cheese, cognac, the Statue of Liberty, the separation of church and state, the Virgin Suicides soundtrack, selected piano works by Claude Debussy and the notion of Democracy as we know it).
-Matt
SWB and RCC: Your one-stop New Year’s Eve preparedness zone.
Posted by: | CommentsRemember last New Years Eve?
Remember your attempt to jump-start that weight-loss resolution by subsisting the whole day on a greek salad and a diet Fanta? Remember how you waited until the very last minute to buy booze and ended up with a “champagne” that was produced and bottled by the inmates of a Bulgarian prison? Remember the epic dance party that broke out minutes after the ball dropped?
Of course you don’t.
Thanks to your empty stomach, you were passed out on a pile of coats in the guest room by 11:15. And, thanks to the crappy bubbly, when you finally regained consciousness it felt like the entire cast of Stomp was rehearsing in your skull.
Don’t make that mistake again! One visit to the Secco/River City Cellars’ New Year’s Eve Preparedness Complex will provide you with everything needed to ring in 2011 with style and grace. Hit RCC to stock up on bubbly, beer and a bevy of excellent wine, then head next door to Secco for THIS…
Fried Mortadella with farm egg, spinach and piment d'espelette mayo ($7 - includes a salad of local field greens and fried chickpeas)
What is this, you ask? This is SUSTENANCE. This is the ultimate foundation for a night of drinking. This is the 300 lb bouncer that will keep all those rogue elements entering your stomach on their best behavior.
Mortadella (a high-quality Italian bologna) is pan fried and topped with fresh spinach, a farm egg and piment d’espelette mayo. This is comfort food of the highest order. Sure, it isn’t exactly what you’d consider “low fat” but, let’s be honest, that wheat berry salad isn’t going to bail you out when you’re swigging Jameson from the bottle at 2AM.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!
NOTE: Secco will close to the general public at 4PM on New Year’s Eve and will not reopen until Tuesday, January 4th at noon. New Year’s Eve dinner is by reservation only and is currently sold out.