Social Media Tasting Event
This week we traveled to Greenwich CT to visit the Vinoteca Restaurant and Wine Bar.
The Vinoteca opened in late 2013 and is quickly becoming a fun place to visit for food, fun, and drink, seven days a week! Sunday features a Brunch Menu, Mondays are Burger and Barola Night, Thursdays are Ladies Nights, and weekend nights are billed with the tag line of "Dine. Dance. Decadence."
We stopped in on a Monday night and sampled a wide array of offerings from the Vinoteco menu, including cocktails and a few wines. We were with a group of about 12 so we were able to have a great variety of appetizers, entrees, pizzas, and desserts too!
We started with their Polpettini, House-Made Meatballs, made with veal, pork, and beef, and topped with a delicious Whipped Ricotta.
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| Polpettini, house made meatballs topped with whipped ricotta |
Then we sampled one of my favorite items! Cozze: Prince Edward Island Mussels, red curry broth, and french fries.
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| Cozze: Prince Edward Island mussels, red curry broth, and french fries. |
The mussels were so good, but equally good was the red curry broth. We immediately requested some bread to soak up the garlicky-spicy goodness. The red curry packed a bit of heat that added a great kick to the dish.
Panetto: Italian Grilled Cheese made with Fontina Cheese, with a side of San Marzano Sauce for dipping. It is amazing that something as simple as a grilled cheese can be so delicious when made on a hearty bread with good cheese
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| Panetto: Italian Grilled Cheese, fontina, San Marzano sauce |
We then moved on to several different types of pizza
Pizza: Rustica made with charred tomatoes, olives, sea salt, and olive oil. Quatro Formaggi made with ricotta, gorgonzola, parmigiano, and marscapone cheeses. Spicy Lobster made with marscapone, habanero peppers, lobster, and sweet corn.
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| Clockwise from left, Spicy Lobster, Rustica, and Quatro Formaggi |
Favorite pizza? The spicy lobster, but believe it or not, it wasn't the lobster that made it so good, - instead it was the corn that gave this pie its uniqueness. The sweet corn, rich lobster, and the spicy habenaros gave this pizza a great flavor and fresh taste.
Three types of salads were served, Insalata: Kale with bosc pairs, walnuts, and topped with pecorino cheese, Greek Chopped Salad, with cucumbers, watermelon, feta cheese, and red onion, and Italian Wedge Salad with Bibb and iceburg lettuce, gorgonzola cheese, tomato, and topped with crispy prosciutto.
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| Clockwise from left, Kale Salad, Greek Salad, and Italian Wedge Salad |
Our pasta course consisted of Parpardelle Bolognese, a favorite of our table. While we all agreed it's not the prettiest of dishes, it certainly was one of the tastiest!
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| Parpardelle Bolognese |
Vinoteca loosely translates in Italian to vino, or "wine", and the suffix teca - means "to specialize in." --- So, of course, we sampled some of their wines with our dinner.
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Although I didn't care for the white wine (I like my white wine on the sweeter side) I did enjoy the red. It was a Nero d'AVOLA 2011, a Sicilian wine. Light and slightly fruity.
For our main course we sampled the Pollo Scarpiello, chicken made with bits of cherry peppers, sauteed spinach, and a spicy sausage. Although I don't usually order anything with sausage as I find it overpowers the dish, this was a subtle addition and I found myself truly enjoying the earthy flavor and texture it provided.
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| Pollo Scarpiello |
We also sampled the Salmon Al Arranciata with a blood orange sauce, served with marscapone mashed potatoes,and asparagus. The salmon was wonderful, although the blood orange sauce may have been a bit to tart for our liking.
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| Salmon Al Arranciata |
For dessert we were treated to four different offerings, Cannoli cake, Cappucino Cake, Tiramisu, and New York Cheesecake.
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| Desserts at Vinoteca |
Although I started my meal with their seasonal martini special, the Fig Martini, it likely would have made a better after dinner drink or dessert. Prepared with house made fig voka, a splash of pama liquer, pear nectar, and vanilla syrup, it was delicious!
That concluded our evening at Vinoteca Restaurant and Wine Bar. Our only critique about our sampling was that service seemed a bit 'off' on our visit. When we asked about specialty cocktails we were advised to read the menu. Serving spoons for family style dishes as well as plates had to be requested. Minor things, but noticeable in a restaurant of Vinoteca's caliber.
Vinoteca Restaurant and Wine Bar
33 Lewis Street
Greenwich, CT
(203) 661-2354
vinotecagreenwich.com
On street parking and a metered public parking lot is one door down.
Here's a link to the Vinoteca opening menu - Vinoteca Restaurant and Wine Bar Menu.
Disclaimer: We were invited to this promotional sampling at the Vinoteca Restaurant and Wine Bar by members of the Vinoteca Management and Marketing Team, however, the views and opinions expressed herein are our own.
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