Spanish Wine Dinner of the Year

Calling all wineauxs,

If you have ever traveled through Spain, are planning a future trip to Spain, or simply cannot afford a trip to Spain and are looking for the next best alternative, then make your reservations for an extraordinary wine dinner at Rio Mar on Thursday September 16th at 7:00pm.

We at Blackened Out have been working with fellow blog character Spaniard to organize the first of what will hopefully be a recurring series of wine dinners at some of our favorite local restaurants. Hosting the first dinner will be none other than Gerry Dawes, the award-winning writer and travel guide on Spanish gastronomy, wine and culture. Affectionately known as "Mr Spain", Gerry has over 30 years experience wandering the back roads, discovering fantastic little known wineries and exploring Spanish cuisine from inconspicuous tapas bars to the work of Ferran Adria at El Bulli. Gerry has been awarded numerous accolades for his work, including Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. In short, he's kind of a big deal in the Spanish food and wine world.

Gerry has worked diligently with his favorite importers and local distributors selecting 6 different wines for the dinner, which will include vintages and varietals not often seen on local menus. While Gerry has focused on filling the glasses, Chefs Adolfo and Miles have designed a special 9 course menu to match the wines. The menu will feature many specialties from the Galician region, including delicacies such as sweetbreads and stuffed squid. Before dinner and in between courses, Gerry will offer tasting notes on the wine and entertain diners with tales of his visits to the various wineries and regions throughout Spain.

The cost of the dinner is $125 inclusive of food, wines, tax and tip. Reservations are necessary and seating is limited to 60 people. Call 525-3474 to reserve your seat today, as this dinner is sure to sell out quickly. To read an interview with Gerry about the upcoming dinner, check out this nola.com article by Todd Price.

MENU

White Wines: Godellos

A Coroa

Casal Novo

Castelo do Papa

Red Wines: Mencias

Casal Novo

Peza do Rei

D. Ventura Viña Cañeiro

Food served family style in waves

Seafood

Pulpo a la feira Parillada de mariscos

(seasonal fish, mussels, shrimp, clams and hopefully razor clams)

Empanada Gallega

Sardinas Asadas

Chocos Rellenos

Other Dishes

Cecina Estilo Leon de Aqui

Caldo Gallego

Lacon con Grelos

Mollejas con Pimientos

Xarrete de Ternera con Papas

- Menu is subject to change -

Tapas & Touchdowns

Blogger's Note - Today, in honor of this post on Rio Mar, we introduce a new blog character: Spaniard. His name comes not only from his striking resemblance to Maximus, but also his love for the food and wine of España. He is the only person I know who is willing to pay the exorbitant price for jamón Ibérico, which is available at only a small number of restaurants in the city. Guess what one of them is?

The small plate craze has been in full force for quite a while now, with numerous restaurants offering mini portions of nearly everything on their menus. But let us not forget the impetus of this trend. The tapas bars of Spain have been serving tastes of octopus and olives long before boudin balls came around. Rio Mar might not have been the first restaurant in New Orleans to serve tapas (or maybe it was, I don't really know), but it's still one of the best.

In Spain, a "tortilla" is made with layers of thinly sliced potato. Rio Mar's version strongly resembles a classic French quiche, but it's still more akin to it's brethren in Madrid as opposed to Oaxaco. There is usually a "tortilla of the day" on the menu, and this one with chorizo and tomatoes is a fine example.

While in some cases I agree that foreign names on menus are merely attempts at pomp and circumstance, there are times when chefs should refuse to translate so as not to scare away less adventurous diners. For example: you may be weary to order "blood sausage," but "morcilla" sounds too exotic to resist. But whether in English or in Catalan, this stuff is just damn good. The casing is crusty from the grill while the interior has a silken texture and rich flavor.

I forgot one very important point: Rio Mar is NOT strictly a place to get seafood. As if the blood sausage was not enough of a clue, then the best choice on the lunch menu should be: hanger steak with a vibrant chimichurri and yuca fries. It's the next best choice to La Boca being open for lunch.

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Got football fever? Office closing early today? Not sure where to go for a bite and a few beers before the game? Luckily for you and me, Rio Mar has decided to extend their hours for Monday Night Football, serving tapas straight through from lunch until kickoff. You can thank Spaniard for this, as he sent no fewer than 5 emails and made 4 phone calls begging Chef Adolfo to stay open all day.

We who are about to dine, salute you.

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Rio Mar - Birdie