Posts Tagged ‘tapas’
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
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, August 29th, 2011
Vinifera, which offers an extensive wine list and modern American food, now has a new edible delight for diners to try. They have added a pintxo menu for patrons to order as an appetizer before their meal or to be eaten as a snack while sipping wine. These dishes will be served on skewers and include:
“Boquerones (Anchovies), Tomato, Parsley and Garlic”
“Caramelized Onion, Tarentaise Cheese and Olive”
“Abruzze, Appellation and Quince Paste”
“Speck & Farmstead Cheddar”
“Harrisa Dusted Shrimp, Olive and Tomato”
“Crispy Baby Artichoke and Smokey Blue Cheese”
“Fresh Mozzarella and Oven Dried Tomato”
“Medjool Date and Lime Chirvel Mascarpone”
All of these fresh ingredients will be taken from the on-site garden at the restaurant. The best part of these tasty treats is that they are priced at only $1 each!
If that’s not enough to get your taste buds watering, Executive Chef Bo Palker will also be introducing another menu of tapas-style plates priced at $3 to $6 each. These items will include:
“Lamb Kafta on Pita with Tzatziki Sauce”
“Lobster Cohiba in Sweet Chili Sauce”
“Portuguese and Venison Sausages with Spicy Mustard and Green Tomato Marsala Compote”
These small, flavor-packed portions are a great way to try a variety of flavors without spending too much money. Since they can be mixed and matched, it provides a more communal sense of dining while also encouraging more conversation amongst diners.
For more information or reservations, please call 703-234-3550 or visit their website here.
Vinifera
11750 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20191
- Mai Nguyen
Posted by ryan / Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
The Barrel Oak Winery of Delaplane is hosting the Third Annual Slow Food Vast Wine Fundraiser on Saturday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m.
This event has several ambitions and noble cause behind it. Besides promoting lesser-known food and wine producers in the area, all the proceeds go to scholarship programs at the John XXIII Montessori Children’s Center in Front Royal.
Anyone can bid on bottles of exemplary wine or exhilarating getaways in the silent and live auction portion of the fun-filled evening that awaits you.
Attendees can “travel” to three regions of the world with their handy-dandy passport to try award-winning wines paired with epicurean delights. The Virginian, Californian, and the Mediterranean tables are quite different from one another. Each themed area has up to four meals and three different wines to choose from.
David and Stacy Gedney of the Apartment 2G Restaurant are in charge of cooking the tapas-style menu. All ingredients are from local farms that practice “beyond organic agriculture.” These include Ayreshire, Fields of Athenry, Briarmead, Echo Ridge, Brown Stone Ranch, and Polyface, among others.
Event coordinator Mark Accettullo was adamant in his belief that these purveyors deserve our loyalty and support. “All of the producers we highlight are committed to uphold and promote principles that are good for our taste buds, landscapes, animals, and bodies,” he said. “They represent everything that is good and noble about farming.”
The evening is scheduled to end at 11 pm, but not before the dessert underneath the stars. Decadent delights like cream puffs, chocolate pave, and lemon mousse pavlova will be paired with special Ports that have been aged to perfection.
Buy your tickets now in order to attend this exciting event. You can still donate to the cause even if you can’t make it.
Call (540)-660-5641 or e-mail mark@slowfoodvastwine.org for more information.
-Ryan Robertson
(image: John XXIII Montessori)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Just weeks after shuttering their Ashburn store, the Sorrento Grill folks have reemerged with a new vision for their displaced property: Sorrento’s Tapas Lounge.
Partner Jay Banaei confirmed that they were forced to abandon their Ashburn post in late December because of an ongoing real estate tussle (Banaei says the original strip mall owner succumbed to foreclosure, leaving the current tenants with toothless leases), but noted that they were fortunate enough to scoop up the vacant spot directly behind their original Herndon eatery to launch the tapas project.
The latest venture plays up Sorrento’s Mediterranean focus (plenty of salads, lamb and hummus offerings), but also brings in some unexpected elements, including:
* fruit smoothies (four berry blend, guava-passionfruit-orange),
* custom coffee and tea drinks (Columbian coffee cut with Ghirardelli cocao, ginger-spiced chai), and,
* a more fully developed wine and beer program.
Menu expansions include small plates like: grilled portobello with shaved manchego, paprika-spiked chicken, smoked lamb with feta and fried calamari witih cilantro aoili. The restaurant will also field around a half dozen entree-sized platters building upon their many preexisting kebab offerings.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, April 3rd, 2009
A pair of downtown McLean eateries will give way to a developing bistro/wine bar concept next week, once Corner Bistro and Le Mistral formally pass the dining torch to the forthcoming Rouge Blanc on April 10.
(Image: Rouge Blanc)
Investor Al Laroussi says Le Mistral chef Yomi Famiyi will remain behind the burners at Rouge Blanc, but indicated that the entire menu has been reworked to feature less costly and more family-friendly selections.
“Prices were just too high,” he suggested, noting that Le Mistral devotees consistently gush about the food and the service but tended to bristle at the outlay required for even a light meal.
As such, many of the Continental standbys (stuffed veal, roasted squab, artichokes Provencal) have been shed in lieu of quirky small plates (crab dumplings with ginger carrot beurre blanc, marinated anchovies with mixed peppers) and pared back entrees (a classic calves’ liver dish will resurface as a liver and onion plate). Traditionalists, however, will still be able to indugle in classic preparations via a few big ticket items (Dover sole imported from Holland, a gourmet duo of veal sweetbreads and foie gras).
According to Laroussi, management wants to make as seamless a transition as possible.
So patrons will be able to enjoy the remaining Corner Bistro tapas items at the Le Mistral bar (Corner Bistro, itself, formally closed earlier this year; Joe’s Burgers moved into it’s spot and has since expanded its own menu) as well as the full Le Mistral carte through next Thursday.
Assuming everything goes according to plan, Rouge Blanc would then hit the ground running next Friday morning.
And what about those unsuspecting fat cats who might wander in next week fully prepared to spend a mint on their Le Mistral favorites?
“They’ll find out it’s [Rouge Blanc] extremely, extremely affordable,” he said of the new venture’s more fiscally pleasing program.
–Warren Rojas
José Andrés Unveils Hora Feliz
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
Lean times call for bold initiatives (learned that from this dude named Barack-something-or-other), and restaurateur José Andrés is ready to rip this recession a new one with his $4 “Jaleo hour” deals.
(Photo: Luis Magán)
From 4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Sunday through Friday, all three Jaleos–including our award-winning Crystal City branch–will serve up assorted tapas (including signature offerings like patatas bravas and gambas al ajillo), homemade sangrias (stand down, VA ABC!), standard rail drinks and select draft beers. By-the-glass Spanish wines will also be available at half-price.
Reciprocal specials are expected at Zaytinya and Oyamel, as well.
Meanwhile, there’s other changes afoot at Jaleo … (stay tuned)
–Warren Rojas