Sorry folks. Technical difficulties continue on the Secco blog. While I’m sure you enjoyed reading our 2012 preview (on the first day of May!), that was not intended to go out again.

Again we apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Please enjoy this image as a token of our appreciation.

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 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 and potato hash with a soft egg
brioche with house-made butter and raspberry preserves
strata with asparagus, mushrooms, ramps and gruyere
Scotch eggs with red onion confit and whole grain mustard mayonnaise
rice pudding parfait with fresh strawberries, honey and citrus
smoked pork belly, stewed beans, roasted tomatillo & poblano pepper salsa, poached egg & grilled Billy Bread

Featured Beers

“Cheese is controlled rot.”

That was how Julia kicked off the staff cheese training for the soon-to-be opened Secco Wine Bar roughly two years ago. The opening statement alone had me beaming until long after the last smears of Taleggio were scraped from my paper plate. Having, until then, only a passing familiarity with artisanal cheese, and a palate groomed on reduced-fat Kraft Singles and Polly-O, it was amazing to consider cheese-making as the continuation of a craft  that predates recorded history, and cheese itself as the end product of a choreographed exchange between mammals and microbes, science and intuition, creation and, well, controlled rot. But what made this class every bit as entertaining as it was enlightening, was the hilarious interplay between our two hostesses, Julia and Sara. The latter all smiles, good vibes and cuddly goat stories; the former all snark and sass–mercilessly mocking our country’s fear of raw milk and likening the aroma of a recent shipment of Munster d’Alsace to a “diaper on fire.” My only regret about the whole experience was that it was for employees only and not open to a larger audience. Until…

On Tuesday, April 17th, 6-8pm, Richmond’s two favorite curd nerds will host an all Italian Cheese & Wine Class at Secco Wine Bar. Finally you, dear people of the general populace, can experience the tales of Italian terrior, the alchemy of affinage, and the all-too-accurate descriptions of fermentation and funk that will ruin you for bland, plastic-y, industrial “cheese” for all time. Tickets are $55 per person ALL-INCLUSIVE. Six Cheeses. Six Wines. Two Wild-n-Crazy Italian-American gals!  Seating is limited and going fast so don’t dally…

To reserve your ticket, email us at info@seccowinebar.com with your name & phone number. We’ll call back to get a credit card to guarantee. Or stop in during business hours (noon to midnight daily) and purchase your ticket in person at Secco.

-Matt

Once again, Richmond Restaurant Week is upon us. For a mere $25.12, you can enjoy a three-course feast, while simultaneously assisting Feed More charities in their quest to fight hunger throughout Central Virginia. WIN. WIN.

This year Chef Tim has come up with what looks like his best Restaurant Week menu to date (no offense, Past-Chef Tim)! Course one lets you pick from an array of cheeses and cured meats, hand-selected by resident Cheese Queen Sara; course two offers an extensive menu of super Spring-y small plates; and course three presents a trio of delicious desserts to choose from. And, as if this deal needed any additional sweetening, all Restaurant Week diners will enjoy $5 off any bottle on our wine list. WIN. WIN. WIN. WIN. WIN. WIN…

The small print: During Richmond Restaurant Week, Secco will operate exclusively on a first-come, first-served basis, which actually increases your chance of scoring a table for two in less than 15 minutes; plus we have our new big communal table. (Insider tip: Come early in the week and avoid the crowds!) More info on Spring Restaurant Week, including a full list of participating restaurants, can be found HERE.

SPRING RESTAURANT WEEK @ SECCO WINE BAR
April 23 – 29, 2012, 5pm – 10pm daily
$25.12 per person, exclusive of tax and tip; $5 off all wine by-the-bottle for RW diners
(v=vegetarian; g=gluten-free)

First Course — Build-Your-Own Cheese and/or Charcuterie Plate (Pick Two)

Cypress Grove “Psychedillic” (CA) fresh, zippy goat chevre with dill pollen

tomme de Savoie (FR) semi-soft, raw cows milk with hints of cured meats & herbs

pecorino crotonese (IT) firm, citrus-y, & nutty sheeps milk cheese

Olli Salumeria hot lomo (VA) lean & spicy salt cured pork loin

Olli Salumeria bresaola (VA) delicate, air dried, salted & cured beef

Olli Salumeria prosciutto (VA) traditionally cured 100% Berkeshire pork

Second Course — Small Plates (Pick Two)

pork belly porchetta, artichokes barigoule (g)

farro cavatelli, rapini, aleppo pepper, anchovy butter

asparagus sformato, fava shoots, preserved lemon (v)

medjool dates, pork liver mousse, walnut granola, fried capers (g)

pickled mushrooms, garlic confit & taleggio cheese crostini (v)

roasted beets, shaved radish, whipped fromage blanc, saba emulsion (v,g)

bay scallop crudi, pink grapefruit, vanilla brown butter, fresh tarragon (g)

mixed green salad, roasted pistachio, fresh chevre (v,g)

potato & nettle soup, lemon crème fraiche (v,g)

 Third Course — Desserts (Pick One)

cardamom gelato, espresso crumble (v,g)

cream-puffs with vanilla bean crème patissiere, salted caramel, hazelnut praline (v)

olive oil-dark chocolate ganache, fresh strawberries, sweet basil (v,g)

 ______________________________________________________________

artichokes barigoule – stewed artichoke hearts

sformato – an Italian egg dish similar to souffle, but not as airy

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

If you asked your average American for their opinion on Portuguese wines, the most common response would likely be “Ooh, I love Spanish wine!” (The average American is pretty dumb.) Then again, even the more worldly and wine-savvy among us would probably counter with something like “Well, there’s Vino Verde…then of course you have Port, aaaand….man, how ’bout them Spanish wines, huh?”

Shocking when you consider that Portugal is home to THE OLDEST WINE REGION IN THE WORLD (the Douro valley). A region that this guy calls home.

I don't know how you say "double-fisting" in Portuguese, but I bet it sounds lovely.

This is Miguel Roquette. As owner of the Douro region’s acclaimed Quinta do Crasto winery, Miguel oversees vineyards that date back to the early 1600s. You can enjoy his flagship wine every day at Secco AND, on Tuesday, March 27th, you can meet the man in person! We’ll be pouring a slew of wines from the Quinta do Crasto portfolio and offering special snacks to pair with them. Miguel will be hanging out from 7-9PM, happy to chat about the history, process and inspiration behind his wines. No reservations, no set schedule — just your average chill Tuesday night with a handsome Portuguese winemaker.

-Matt

Julia’s notes:

Admit it, even with the adorable, irresistible, half-drunk come-ons of Anthony Bourdain tempting us to sample the floating food markets of Bangkok, we Richmonders have a little frisson when it comes to the sort of food where a stranger’s lips on our eating utensils are only separated from ours by a barrier of tepid river water. Yeah. My inner germaphobe just died a little, too.

So how awesome would it be if a few trusted chef-friends in a health department-approved kitchen riffed on their favorite street foods from the Med, Middle East & Latin America, while another trusted friend, a self-described alchoholiste, paired these creations with thirst-quenching beer, cider & wine? It would be more than awesome!

……………………………………….

The International Street Food Dinner
featuring chefs from Secco Wine Bar, Pasture, The Empress and Spoon
Tuesday, 3/13/12 @ Secco Wine Bar (6:30pm reception, 7pm dinner)
$65 per person including pairings

Amuse
(Rachel Lauginiger – Secco)
house-made pretzel & beer mustard

First Course
(Mike Braune – Secco)
manouche zaatar* with 3 condiments: mint yogurt, stewed tomatoes & olive tapenade
* Lebanese flatbread topped with a blend of dried thyme, dried sumac & sesame seeds

Second Course
(Joe Sparatta – Pasture)
black-eyed pea falafel, tzatziki sauce*, pickles & dill
*Greek/Turkish yogurt sauce with cucumber, garlic & fresh herbs

Third Course
(Aaron Hoskins – The Empress)
sopes* with braised beef tongue, yucca root, cilantro, crema
*traditional Mexican soft, thick corn tortilla

Fourth Course
(Tim Bereika – Secco)
porchetta*, roasted sunchokes, pickled hazelnuts, creamy onions
*an Italian street food specialty of stuffed & roasted suckling pig

Fifth Course
(John Maher – Spoon)
“dessert poutine*” of funnel cake “frites,” fromage blanc ice cream & cocoa nib “gravy”
*a sweet take on the infamous Quebecois dish of French fries, cheese curds & brown gravy

Email us info@seccowinebar.com for reservations.

]]> http://seccowinebar.com/2012/03/street-food-dinner-tuesday-march-13-2012/feed/ 0 http://seccowinebar.com/2012/02/huddled-masses-yearning-to-eat-cheese-group-dining-secco/ http://seccowinebar.com/2012/02/huddled-masses-yearning-to-eat-cheese-group-dining-secco/#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:25:05 +0000 Secco http://www.seccowinebar.com/?p=1462

Have you heard the news? Secco Wine Bar is expanding!

Now, we’re not exactly talking about a Secco in every city; no Secco Express at Short Pump; no line of frozen small plate dinners complete with dehydrated wine pairings (just add wine). What I refer to is a more internal expansion.

Secco’s lounge now houses this nifty new communal table! Not only does it look cool and boast panoramic views of Carytown, but it allows us, quite simply, to provide more seats for more butts…and we’d love your butt to be one of them (that was weird). This extra seating will help alleviate the wait on busy nights and, most importantly, finally allow us to accommodate large parties for group dining.

For inquiries and more information on group dining at Secco, email us at info@seccowinebar.com or call 804.353.0670.

See you soon!

-Matt

Ugh, Valentine’s Day.

Everyone but the most gullible of mouth-breathers knows that this poor excuse for a holiday is simply a construct of colluding capitalist forces. The product of some shady back-room deal between Hallmark and Hollywood, all part of their collective effort to squeeze every cent they can from the common man.

Well listen up, corporate pigs: You hear that sound in the distance going BOOM, BA-DOOM-DOOM, DAP-BAP? THAT is what you call “the beat of a different drummer,” and I am marching to it. No candy hearts or cheesy greeting cards this year —  no more fuel for the corporate greed machine! And when my lady asks what we’re doing the night of the 14th, while all our friends are out wining and dining and celebrating love, and she’s just been looking for any excuse to wear that cute green dress…the one that makes her hazel eyes pop like two exploding pistachios…pistachios that are now staring at me in disbelief as I explain why we’re splitting a foot-long from Jersey Mike’s for Valentine’s Day dinner…

…oh crap, I better make some reservations.

-Matt

VALENTINE’S DAY AT SECCO WINE BAR: FEBRUARY 14, 2012
6:30pm Reception; 7:00pm Dinner
Two multi-course menus — omnivore ($50) or vegetarian ($45) — with an optional $20 wine pairing.
For reservations: email info@seccowinebar.com with your party size, menu preferences and phone #.
We will call to confirm and get a credit card # to guarantee.

OMNIVORE MENU
Course One
potato-crusted farm egg with leek sauce & roasted beech mushrooms

Course Two
squid ink agnolotti with salt cod mousse, smoked tomato, olives & marjoram

Course Three
lamb loin with fresh lavender, sunchoke puree,crumbled hazelnuts, pea shoots & fleur de sel

Course Four
“rum & coke” baba with dark chocolate crème anglaise, roasted bananas & cinnamon whipped cream

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VEGETARIAN MENU
Course One
potato-crusted farm egg with leek sauce & roasted beech mushrooms

Course Two
puntarelle salad with fried halloumi cheese, capers & fresh mint

Course Three
gnocchi alla Romana with taleggio cheese, crumbled hazelnuts & baby arugula

Course Four
“rum & coke” baba with dark chocolate crème anglaise, roasted bananas & cinnamon whipped cream

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

agnolotti: stuffed pasta similar to ravioli typical of the Piedmont region in Italy
puntarelle: winter chicory (or bitter green) native to coastal Italy near Rome
halloumi: goat+sheeps milk cheese originating in Cyprus–similar in texture to Mozzarella but saltier in flavor
sunchoke (aka Jerusalem Artichoke): the root of a type of sunflower–flavor is slightly sweet and nutty
gnocchi alla Romana: Roman version of gnocchi made with semolina flour, cut into discs & baked with butter & cheese
baba: small yeast leavened cake traditionally soaked in rum-flavored syrup

]]> http://seccowinebar.com/2012/02/valentines-day-at-secco-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-bon-bon/feed/ 0 http://seccowinebar.com/2012/01/devils-backbone-beer-crawl-february-1-2012/ http://seccowinebar.com/2012/01/devils-backbone-beer-crawl-february-1-2012/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:01:34 +0000 Secco http://www.seccowinebar.com/?p=1417

Did you know that one of the most decorated breweries in the world is located in Virginia, at the base of Wintergreen mountain? But odds are, unless you’re a total beer nerd (like myself), an avid skier (like not myself) or both (like these three people), you’ve probably never experienced the delicious, World Beer Cup-dominating beers from the Devils Backbone Brewing Company. But thankfully now, after three years of brewing and racking up awards, Devils Backbone is finally stepping out the cozy confines of its brewpub and invading the Richmond market.

Come celebrate their arrival with us on The Devils Crawl, a three-bar pub crawl on Wednesday, February 1, 2012. Beginning at Commercial Tap House at 6PM, the crawl then proceeds to Secco around 7PM (where we’ll be tapping kegs of their Vienna Lager and Schwartz Bier) before ending up at Caliente at, I dunno, like 8ish? (What do you want? It’s a pub crawl, not a Blue Angels maneuver.)

The Devils Crawl is just one of many events included in Devils Backbone Kickoff Week. Welcome to RVA, DB!

See y’all on the crawl!

-Matt

At 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

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