Hey Bartender

We arrived at Secco late on a Sunday night not really expecting much. We were looking for a place to unwind and maybe enjoy an appetizer after a long evening with friends. It was the only place still serving food at 10:30 on Sunday night, so we weren't sure what would be available.

The first thing that we noticed was the decor. The natural wood color of the bar and tables are cleverly offset by brown leather sofas, black chairs, and a shiny black floor. There is also a really neat mural on the wall behind the bar which was created by a local artist. The large glass windows on both the Cary Street and Sheppard Street sides of the building make the tiny space seem much larger. There are four tables with four chairs each, a few couches that seat four to six people, and ten or so chairs at the bar. The space felt very open and very comfortable.

Since it was so late, I didn't expect very much in the way of food, but I was pleasantly surprised. Secco offers lunch from 12 PM - 4 PM, dinner from 5PM - 10 PM, and an additional menu with lighter fare that's available all day. The lunch and dinner menus offer a wide array of delicious sounding dishes. I look forward to visiting again soon to try some of these culinary treasures.

The menu that we selected our late night snack from contained antipasti, cheeses, soups & salads, terrines & pates, cured meats and salami, and desserts. Since it was so late, we were limited to cured meats, cheeses, and desserts. We decided on meats and cheeses and we weren't disappointed by our options. The selections were some of the best that the world and Virginia had to offer. We chose two cheeses: Idiazabal from Spain and Blu di Bufala from Italy. Blu di Bufala is made from buffalo's milk and there was no way I was passing up the opportunity to give it a try. Our cured meat choice was locally produced. It was a really nice prosciutto that was aged for 14 months.

Secco has a wide range of beverages from French press coffee to hot tea. They also have an amazing selection of bottled and draft beer. Like many of the cool places in Carytown, they feature Bell's Brewery. Their draft beer rotates often, so you never know what might be available.

Since we were in a wine bar, I figured that wine should be the order of the night. I was thoroughly impressed with the wine list. Being affiliated with the wine shop next door probably helps enhance the list tremendously. There were selections from some of the best wine regions around the world. Places like the Rhône Valley, Loire Valley, Burgundy, Bordeaux, all located in France, plus Italy, Spain, Germany, and Portugal. In addition to the list, there is a chalk board behind the bar that lists special wine offers. Our server was very helpful in guiding me through the list.

The wine that she recommended, Jean Royer Le Petit Roy (2008), was outstanding. She described it as a declassified Châteauneuf-du-Pape. For those unfamiliar with Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it is a French wine appellation located in the southern part of the Rhône Valley. French laws dictate which grapes and what percentage of those grapes can be used in the production of wines in an appellation. Despite being made with the same grapes as wines made within the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, the Le Petit Roy cannot be called Châteauneuf-du-Pape because the grapes are grown just outside the designated wine growing area for that particular wine. So, the term declassified refers to wines that can't be classified by a specific wine growing region despite being, in essence, the same wine. This is great news for you and I because these wines are just as good as the classified wines, but they come at a price that is generally lower.

As I said, the wine was outstanding. The color was a dark ruby red. I could tell that it was a Rhone wine immediately. The nose hinted of cherries with a bit of mint. The palate was light and silky with the cherries coming through giving way to a slight tartness at the finish. I savored every single drop just as we savored every single moment at Secco.

So, there you have it, Secco Wine Bar -- uncorked! I enjoy new experiences and Secco was definitely a new experience for me. Not because I'd never been to a wine bar, because I've been to seemingly billions of them, but because Secco is so casual and unassuming that you immediately relax as though you're at home. The staff is not only friendly, but knowledgeable. I can't tell you how comforting it is to know that you can trust your server's opinions and recommendations. I never doubted that our server would have the answer to any question about anything that pertained to Secco Wine Bar. I'll definitely return so that I can experience the rest of the culinary offerings that aren't available during the late night hours. Maybe I'll see you there. Until next time...prosit!!!