Showing posts with label Verdea Restaurant and Wine Bar. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Thank you for smoking: 'Cigars' Light Up in Verdea Restaurant and Wine Bar

from pbpulse.com Tuesday April 2, 2013
by Libby Volgyes

Thank you for smoking: Verdea’s ‘cigars’ light up starter menu in Palm Beach Gardens

Verdea heats up the kitchen with spicy flavors and a chef who melds Floribbean and Southern cookery.

On Chef Rodney Martin’s starter menu, for instance, the Havanas ($11) are smokin’ hot. Two delicious spring rolls (or flautas) lightly fried and stuffed with spicy shredded chicken and chorizo.

Dip these long, flavorful “cigars” into a house-made “mojito” ketchup, and they’ll have you rethinking your concept of a spring roll.

The cigars are seasoned in part with cilantro, cumin and piquillo peppers. And for the dipping sauce, the chef, who has been with Verdea for about eight months, stirs some of his homemade mojo into his homemade ketchup. The result is delicious.

“It’s definitely pungent and flavorful,” Martin said.
Think onions, cilantro, cumin, lime, lemon, garlic, chiles — now take a puff.
“The most fun in that dish is the presentation,” Martin said. “The appetizers here – I didn’t want them too haughty or too far-fetched or far-gone. I wanted to add a certain playfulness without losing the intended purpose of the restaurant. I want fun presentation, but seriously thought through in terms of products utilized.”
And just in case you need more of a spark with your dish – though with those Latin seasonings we don’t think you will – enjoy the little “matchsticks” off to the side made out of fried potato with Sriracha tips (and black pepper on the “burnt” match), all equally delectable when dipped into the Mojito ketchup.
It’s a good excuse to play with your food.

Verdea Restaurant and Wine Bar : 4350 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens; 561-691-3130; open from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The Havanas at Verdea are crisp fried “cigars” (or flautas) filled with Latin-spiced shredded chicken and chorizo, served with house-made mojito ketchup. The starter dish goes for $11. (Photo by Libby Volgyes/Special to the Palm Beach Post)

Click here for more information about Verdea Restaurant and Wine Bar at Embassy Suites Palm Beach Gardens - PGA Boulevard

Sunday, February 10, 2013

The Different Types of Wine

Daily Infographic

Daily Infographic | The Different Types of Wine [Inforgraphic]

The Different Types of Wine [Inforgraphic]

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 06:00 AM PST

Taken from a suggestion in the comments last week, I’ve found myself a nice little infographic showing the intricate web of the various types of wine. In the beginning, all wine starts with the grapes. There are two varieties – black and green. Red wines use black grapes and can have a variety of tastes. Red wines can be dry or sweet, dark or light. Rosé wines also use black grapes, but they are peeled before the coloring process begins, though a blending of White and Red wine techniques can also result in a Rosé. White wines, as you may have guessed are usually concocted with green grapes and can have a range of rich cream-like or light, vibrant taste. Sparkling wine, like champagne, involves a secondary fermentation process causing bubbles; they can range from Red to Rosé to White coloring. The other type of wine is fortified with spirits, usually resulting in a dessert-like taste though dry fortified wines do exist.
Each of these wines has it’s own subsection of being High Tannin, Round or Spicy. High Tannin refers to a taste that dries the mouth, kind of like the feeling of the tongue after licking a popsicle stick (but tastier). Round taste has less tannin and a more balanced acidity resulting in a lush or smooth sensation. Spicy wines have higher acidity and higher alcohol giving a tartness to the taste. Think pineapple juice over apple juice. All in all, this is a very informative infographic, it taught me a few things about one of my favorite beverages. Hope you felt the same.
[via]