Special 12/28/12

Special this week: Chicken Cordon-"bluish"
Chicken, Ham and Swiss Cheese nestled in flat bread dressed with honey mustard. Your choice of drink (tea, coffee, or soda) and dessert. All for $10.99!

Back by popular demand is Chicken Tortilla Soup!

And watch for a  'molto delizioso' menu update!

Special This Week 12/12/12

The menu deal this week is an $8.99 "Christmas Salad" Special.  Cranberries, walnuts, shredded Parmesan cheese, chicken, tomato and croutons top a bed of Romaine lettuce and is dressed with a cranberry honey mustard dressing.

Choice of dessert - New York style Cheesecake, Chocolate Mousse Cake, Double Decker Pumpkin or new seasonal delight - Double Decker Peppermint Crunch

and to drink:
Tea, Coffee or soft drinks

All for $8.99


Soup for the week is Chicken Noodle.


And "spirited" eggnog is still pouring in three variations:
Traditional
Spiced
or Creamsicle

Gift Ideas for the Wine Lovers in Your Life

Here are a few gift ideas available at Off the Vine for the wine lovers in your life. 

A selection of favorite Christmas wines from North Carolina  wineries.  And yes we have the  hat and scarf sets so popular last year back again this year.  These cuties to dress up a bottle of wine for giving are locally crafted.

A wine journal for keeping track of favorite vintages, wine guides , bottle stoppers and a trusty cork screw 

Half-bottle of champagne from Laurent-Perrier, one of the oldest family  owned champagne houses in  France.  A little something extra special for a someone special.

Our Menu

Or the "meat and potatoes"

Chef Salad

Build Your Own With Kettle Chips

And we are back ...

It has been awhile since there was an update.  Off the Vine got moved into its new home at 124 West Swannanoa in Liberty.   For my return to blogging, we shall start out with a visual tour of the "new" Off the Vine.

Front bar area

Our culinary team busily working on orders

Early "lunchers"

These "Awesome Finds" for wall decoration were found locally.  Flowers locally sourced also, from Garrett's Flower Shop.

Back room

Corner fireplace in the back room and promoting local artists.  These works by Edi Smith.

Unusual Uses for Wine - Tips for Home and Health

Wanted to share these interesting tips:

From EcoSalon:
Wine is more than just a social platform.
You pop the cork on that 2004 Bordeaux that you've been saving for a special occasion, only to find that it's gone so tart and vinegary, even the most ardent wino wouldn't touch it. Don't pour it out!
You could use it to trap flies, dye fabric, clean the counter top and make your skin glow. Try these unusual uses for spoiled or leftover wine, and learn a few enticing reasons to knock back a glass of the good stuff at least once a day.
Captions courtesy of EcoSalon.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/02/unusual-uses-for-wine-tips_n_1069324.html

Saint Paddy's Day (pre-Celebration) Siler City, NC

With all the signs of Spring tempting us, the "itch" to get out, about and do some exploring is getting stronger.  Friday night, March 16th, offers an opportunity to do just that.  Liberty's neighboring town to the south - Siler City will be launching their Third Friday Artwalks for 2012.  Not only will there be galleries to explore, open shops, music to entertain and a Farm to Fork dinner, Paperbacks Plus will be hosting Bear Creek Brews for an early start to St. Patrick's Day celebrations. 

Bear Creek Brews is one of the newest additions to the North Carolina map of breweries and brew pubs published in Southern Brew News.  Brew master Dave Peters will have an an assortment of beers with him for trying, including: Honey Pale Ale, Scotch Ale, Red/Irish Style Ale, Wit Bir Belgium Wheat, Dirty Blond Ale, and Joy's Blond Ale.  Several of these will be on tap, bottles and growlers will also be available so you can take home a favorite. 

For more information and details, check out the below links:
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=387924497901984&id=111616212199482
http://visitpittsboro.com/events/third-friday-artwalk

Valentine's

Valentine's Day is upon us.  Much has been written throughout time on love potions, aphrodisiacs, romance and ways to woo, court and express three words - "I love you."  In case you may still be looking for an idea or two to let that special someone (or those special someones) know how much they mean to you this blog entry will offer a few suggestions; some traditional, others perhaps a bit more unique. 

Wine and chocolate is a fairly traditional choice for Valentine's gifting.  A first rule of thumb for pairing wines and chocolate is to remember that the percentage of cacao in the chocolate will determine with what it pairs best.  The chocolate of a light milk chocolate will be drowned by a heavy cabernet sauvignon.  Conversely, the flavor of a 90% cacao chocolate will clash dramatically with a  sauvignon blanc.  So think about how bold, rich and powerful the wine is, then make your chocolate choice.

White chocolate pairs nicely with Champagne (or a sparkling wine), as does very light milk chocolate. If you like pinot noir, get a slightly darker chocolate ... merlot, darker still ... cabernet or zinfandel, super dark and rich. And if  extreme decadence is your pleasure, then pair a good Port with dark chocolate truffles.

http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/chocolate-red-wine-cake-recipe?click=recipe_sr

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now if you are in a baking mood, you might want to try this Chocolate-Red Wine Cake for your sweetheart.   Inspired by  Anne Willan's 2001 Cooking with Wine, this fluffy, not-too-sweet cake, uses just enough wine in the batter to give it a slight boozy flavor.

From Food & Wine

  

Veering from tradition a bit, instead of trying to find a wine to go with your chocolate how about pairing a beer with your chocolates?  The malty flavor of a Belgian dubbel goes well with tangy, fruity chocolates.  Traditional lambics and/or sours can make a nice match with white chocolates.  Milk stouts (brewed with lactose sugar which adds sweetness and body to the beer) complement coffee ganaches or intense dark chocolates well.  And last, but not least spiced chocolates and Youngs Double Chocolate Stout make for a yummy match.  

 

 

Thanks Martha!

 

 

 

 If you are feeling crafty you might want to try a hand at creating a Valentine of X's & O's like these:

http://pinterest.com/pin/150870656236771419/

Happy Valentine's Day

and

Happy St. Trifon's Day!

Thanks to Garrett's Flower Shop for the Carnations!

 

 

 

Sources:  http://drinks.seriouseats.com/

http://www.bottlenotes.com

Pint Side

This blog entry is going to hop over to another type of vine and preview the new arrivals on tap for the beer tasting Saturday night, January 28, 2012. 

First up is a "local" offering from Boone Brewing Company,


their Blowing Rock IPA Ale which was once described to me as "an IPA for beginners." 

Next in line is another IPA, this one from Heavy Seas.



For those familiar with IPA's (which I will describe a little more in depth later for those who aren't), no you aren't seeing things.  This IPA is indeed black.  The style may be an oxymoron but fans of Heavy Seas' Loose Cannon will likely enjoy the addition of black malt.

*Beer trivia fact - IPA is the acronym for India Pale Ale.  First brewed in the 18th century, this pale ale was heavily hopped for preservation as it was shipped to India for consumption.  They tend to have high IBU's (International Bitterness Unit - Blowing Rock IPA's is 60 IBU and Black Cannon coming in at around 100 IBU's).  

Late breaking news on Saturday night's event.  We have had to make a substitution in our line up and instead of the Black Cannon, we will now be sampling 21st Amendment Brewery's Back in Black Black IPA.  This is a new to us craft brewery and they have some pretty exciting things on tap.  Check out their website at:  http://21st-amendment.com/ 


Next on board is a traditional German Pilsner, from Ureich Brewery.

 
 Pilsners are a type of pale lager.  (Lager:  German meaning storage). The name from the city of Pilsen (Plzeň), Bohemia, in today's Czech Republic, where it has been developed since 1842.  Pilsners usually have a very light, clear colour from pale to golden yellow, and a distinct hop aroma and flavour.

And to round out the evening, things will go to the dark side for "dessert" with Terrapin Beer Company's Moo-Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout.


 Stouts are dark beer made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water and yeast. "Nourishing" and sweet "milk" stouts became popular in Great Britain in the years following the Second World War.  "Chocolate stout" is a name brewers sometimes give to certain stouts having a noticeable dark chocolate flavour through the use of darker, more aromatic malt; particularly chocolate malt — a malt that has been roasted or kiln until it acquires a chocolate colour.  Moo-Hoo, (as do some of the chocolate milk stouts - Young's Double Chocolate Stout and/or Rogue Brewery's Chocolate Stout) add actual chocolate to the brewing. 

Should be another fun night with our buddy Ben.