Pinch Me: Pinxtos Come to NoVA!
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, September 26th, 2011
Pinxtos are here!
Image: fedor kondratenko/Shutterstock
For those of you who don’t know, pinxtos (pronounced peen-chose with an American accent) are a type of food from the Basque region of Spain. Slightly different from tapas, they are smaller, in one or two bite-sized portions, to be enjoyed out with friends before moving onto tapas with your main meal.
Pinxtos are generally creative, various concoctions of seafood, meats, cheeses, and vegetables on top of mini toasted bread, usually held together with toothpicks (which, in Spain, are used to count the number of pinxtos you have eaten, and thus to determine how much you are to pay—usually €1-3 per pinxto, depending on the variety).
Vinifera is now offering $1 pinxtos (which is a steal, when compared to Spain’s with the euro conversion) as a part of menu to be eaten up with their selection of over 300 wines, available in flights of three, so you can really feel Spanish in America (and, in Spain, no meal is complete without wine). Vinifera’s Chef Bo Palker has even created the pinxto menu using fresh herbs and vegetables grown in his garden on-site at the restaurant!
The pinxto menu features:
Fresh Mozzarella and Oven Dried Tomato
Harrisa Dusted Shrimp, Olive and Tomato
Crispy Baby Artichoke and Smokey Blue Cheese
Caramelized Onion, Tarentaise Cheese and Olive
Boquerones (Anchovies), Tomato, Parsley and Garlic
Abruzze, Appellation and Quince Paste
Speck & Farmstead Cheddar
Medjool Date and Lime Chirvel Mascarpone
All I have to say is YUM! Especially to the last one—dates and cheese are two of my favorite things, especially when cooked together; personally, I would say the only thing that could make them better is if they’re wrapped in bacon.
And if $1 pinxtos don’t seem to fill you up, Chef Palker also has tapas style dishes for $3-6, including:
Lobster Cohiba in Sweet Chili Sauce
Portuguese and Venison Sausages with Green Tomato Marsala Compote
Lamb Kafta on Pita with Tzatziki Sauce
Vinifera offers their patio, equipped with fire pits to add warmth as the weather gets starts to get cooler, to enjoy their new pinxtos and wine.
“Our pintxo and small plates menus are a versatile dining option created to encourage conversation and a communal dining experience for our guests,” said Chef Palker. “They are intended to be mixed and matched to satisfy varying appetites and allow people to feel comfortable trying a range of flavor profiles without breaking the bank.”
Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro is located in The Westin Reston Heights (11750 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston; 703-234-3550).
Salud!
-Julia Harbo
Tags: drinks, fall, food, Gut Check, happy hour, julia harbo, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA, patio, pinxtos, spanish, tapas, vinifera, wine