This week at SOHO we will complete our Spanish tour! Flight night on Wednesday, August 25, will feature wines from Spain’s Valencia region.

 

Located in the east of Spain, Valencia has long been one of Spain’s most productive wine regions. Foodies will also recognize the region as the birthplace of paella. Inspired by Valencia’s renowned food and wine, SOHO is offering the following tapas and varietals through September 2:

 

2005 Marques de Gelida, Cava Rose Sparkling, Penedes

Serrano ham-wrapped manchego cheese with sautéed bread crumbs

 

2007 Casa de la Ermita, Viognier, Jumilla

Paella with clams, chorizo and roasted chicken

 

2007 Evodia, Garnacha, Calatayud

Grilled hanger steak with chick peas and herbed olive oil

 

Guests can sample a full flight for $17 (three three-ounce tastings and a small cheese plate) or choose a wine and tapas pairing for $12. The small plates and wines are available individually as well ($9/ per glass and $6/per tapas).  I hope you’ll join us this week! Please click here to make your reservations.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve written about the latest beers and cocktails added to SOHO’s menu. This week, I wanted to highlight one of our longtime menu gems – the SOHO cheese plate.

 

 

SOHO Cheese Plate

Before I delve into the details of SOHO’s cheese plate, I thought I’d share two of the entertaining cheese-related facts I came across while preparing this post. 

 

• You can take a cheese profiler quiz here and find out which cheese best suits your personality.
• In 2007, over 1.7 million people around the world logged on to cheddarvision.tv to watch a 44-pound round of cheddar maturing. Nicknamed “wedginald”, the cheese was eventually auctioned off for charity. Today, cheese-lovers can log on to the site and watch the progress of “cheddwood.”

 

Hopefully, this trivia has whetted your appetite and you are ready to experience great cheese! SOHO selects fine hand-crafted cheeses to be featured on the cheese plate and the offerings change regularly. Guests dining this week will enjoy the following:

Sant Gil D’Albio
Semi-hard aged goat’s cheese from Catalonia, Spain
St. André triple crème Brie
Soft cow’s milk from France
P’tite Basque
Semi-soft sheep’s milk from France
Foglie de Noce
Walnut-wrapped pecorino from Tuscany, Italy

Of course, cheese pairs well with wine, so feel free to try the cheese plate ($9) with one of the many varietals we offer. Our servers and bartenders are always ready to make a recommendation. See you soon!

Ready another Spanish escape? SOHO is traveling to Spain’s Rioja region for flight night on Wednesday, August 19.

 

Muga Vineyard – El Estepal

Rioja (named for the Oja River) is Spain’s most highly acclaimed region for the production of fine wine. Protected from inclement weather by mountains to the north and west, Rioja enjoys nearly ideal conditions for producing high-quality wine. The regional cuisine of Rioja is varied, but potatoes with chorizo and heavy stews are often on the menu. The following Rioja wines and regionally-inspired tapas will be featured on SOHO’s menu through August 25:

2008 Muga Blanco, Rioja

Spicy chorizo with potatoes

 

2005 Muga Reserva, Rioja

Grilled Berkshire pork tender tips with pisto (Spanish ratatouille)

2004 Abadia Retuerta Rivola, Sardon de Duero

Grilled chicken livers and wild mushrooms

 

Whether guests choose to sample the wine flight (three three-ounce tastings and a cheese plate) for $17, a wine and tapas pairing for $12, or enjoy the flavors individually ($9/per glass and $6/per tapas) it’s hard to go wrong!

Last week, I wrote about the latest beers added to SOHO’s menu. Well, we didn’t stop there – we’ve added a new cocktail list as well!
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To entice you to stop in and try one of our new drinks I’ve included a few recipes below. We hope you’ll let our expert bartenders whip up a drink for you – or feel free to mix your own and enjoy (may I recommend sipping while sitting on the porch and watching a summer sunset?).

 

First up, the “Melontini”

Recipe:

2oz Hanger 1 vodka

1 1/2oz Marie Brizard watermelon liqueur

2oz fresh OJ

Garnish with fresh lemon

 

Next, the"Tennessee Fruit Tea”

Recipe:

2oz Jack Daniels whiskey

1/2oz Cointreau Orange liqueur

1/2oz Dekuyper Sour Apple

1/2oz Peach Schnapps

Add a splash of cranberry juice and sweet & sour

Top with iced tea

 

Finally, the “Cucumber and Ginger Collins”

Recipe:

2 oz Hendricks Gin

Top with ginger ale and a splash of sweet & sour

Garnish with fresh cracked pepper, fresh mint, and a cucumber slice

 

Of course, if your favorite drink isn’t on the list it’s no problem – we can likely mix it up for you. And, please feel free to let me know your favorite drink in the comments section. Since we update the menu weekly, we’re open to suggestions!

SOHO continues to explore Spanish wines and flavors – this week journeying to Spain’s Catalonia region for flight night on Wednesday, August 12.

 

The island parts of Catalonia, the province of Spain that stretches along the Mediterranean coast from the French border south past the city of Tarragona, are well-known for a cuisine that includes earthy combinations of fruit, meat, and poultry. These dishes pair well with the distinct Garnacha-based wines of the Catalan regions of Priorat and Monstat. (Side note: Garnacha is known by its French name, Grenache, outside of Spain). SOHO’s wine and tapas pairings this week showcase these distinct regional flavors:

 

2008 Esperanza Avelino Vegas, Rueda
Roasted boneless quail breast stuffed with dried figs, on a bed of grilled scallions

 

2005 Mas Donis, Cellar de Capcanes, Monstat
Lollipop lamb chops with grilled peach and mint olive oil

 

2007 Can Blau, Monstat
Braised chicken wings picada (Spanish mole with nuts and chocolate)

 

Diners can choose to sample the flight (three three-ounce tastings and a cheese plate) for $17. Or, guests can sample the wines and tapas individually ($9/per glass and $6/per tapas). Finally, there is the choice of a wine and tapas pairing for $12. These items will be available on SOHO’s menu through August 18. We hope you’ll join us for a taste of Spain this week!

 

Summer may be winding down, but the fun isn't quite over yet. There’s still time for a few more adventures, such as catching a Braves game (I recently had a great time watching them best the Mets), an outdoor concert, or heading to Six Flags (I love the Goliath – despite inevitable minor panic attack I always have before riding). SOHO still has the summer spirit as well – and we’re celebrating it by adding a few new beers to our menu. Perhaps your next summer adventure will be joining us and trying one of the distinctive brews!
 
First up, SOHO is featuring Terrapin’s “Maggie’s Farmhouse Ale.” The Terrapin Beer Company, founded by John Cochran and Spike Buckowski, introduced its first beer, the Rye Pale Ale in April 2002 and quickly made a mark, winning the American Pale Ale Gold Medal at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival. Located in Athens, Georgia, the company’s limited release “Side Project” beers are quickly gaining cult status. “Maggie’s Farmhouse Ale” is Terrapin’s latest “Side Project” brew. Farmhouse ales were originally created for the farm workers along the French/Belgium border during the Middle Ages and brewed with whatever grains were available. For their version, Terrapin used barley, wheat, oats and rye. Yum!

 

Next, SOHO is offering New Belgium’s “Fat Tire Amber Ale."

 

 

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After a month-long tour of American wineries, SOHO is headed to Spain.

Flight night on Wednesday, August 5, will spotlight wines from Spain's Northernwestern region of Galicia – renowned for its excellent seafood and white wine, particularly Albarino from the town of Rias Baixas. SOHO's Chef Joe and wine expert, Bob Matthews, have tapped into these regional highlights for this week's wine and tapas pairings:

2007 Burgans, Albarino, Rias Baixas

Grilled sardines stuffed with serrano ham and bread crumbs

 

2007 Gran Feudo Rose, Bodegas Julian Chivite, Navarra

Saffron seafood stew of shrimp, mussels, and octopus

 

2008 Paso a Paso, Sauvignon Blanc, Bodegas Volver, La Mancha

Smoked mackerel with potatoes, lemon, and olive oil

 

As always, guests can sample the full flight (three three-ounce tastings with a cheese plate) for $17, or choose a glass of wine and small plate pairing for $12. The wine and tapas above will be featured on SOHO's menu until August 11. We hope to see you soon!

 

I am proud to report the Sciabica Olive Oil dinner was a resounding success! Thanks to all the diners who have passed along rave reviews. If you didn't have the chance to join us for the dinner last week, no worries! SOHO's Chef Joe has shared the recipes for two of the evening's most popular dishes – the olive oil poached sea bass and lemon-basil olive oil ice cream. Many guests said the ice cream was one of the night's highlights. Skeptical at first, they were converted after the first spoonful. Smooth and silky, the lemon-basil olive oil ice cream was both deliciously sweet and refreshing.

Lemon-Basil Olive Oil Ice Cream Recipe (makes about 1 quart)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup lemon olive oil blended with 8 large basil leaves, then strained (Chef Joe used Sciabica's lemon extra virgin olive oil)

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