The Roving Pizzaioli

When you come to the 8th Annual Poverty Bay Wine Festival, (March 2–4 and the Landmark Event Center), make sure you come with an empty stomach! Not only will they have 25 wineries and two breweries at the festival, they’ll also have eight food merchants who are offering delectable Northwest cuisine and desserts.

New to the festival this year, but certainly not new to pizza fans at the Des Moines Farmers Market, is Roving Pizzaioli. Roving Pizzaioli is a mobile wood fired pizza company based out of Normandy Park. It’s easy to spot the Roving Pizzaioli because of their very distinctive copper wood fire oven, which is set on wheels. Co-owners, Marshall Hansen and Walter Smith, along with their team create all kinds of pies, but their specialty is NY style pizza by the slice. At the festival, they will be on hand all three days making warm yummy cheesy goodness, which (we might add) pairs quite nicely with a glass of wine.

Another new offering at the festival is the Poverty Bay Bistro, which will be operated by Rotarian Vince Koester, owner of Koester Landscape Management. Those who know Vince, know that his true passion is cooking. Vince can make a mean burger and is always on the lookout for the perfect burger! Some of the menu choices at the Poverty Bay Bistro will be grilled chicken cesar salad, poached wild salmon, beef stroganoff, and (of course!) a mean cheeseburger. Proceeds from the restaurant will go to fund the charitable projects of the Rotary Club of Des Moines.

Other food merchants available at the wine festival include:

• Panera Bread
• Salty’s at Redondo
• Scotch & Vine Restaurant and Bar
• Redondo Fred Meyer Deli
• M&T Smoked Products
• Forte Chocolates

For more information about the Poverty Bay Wine Festival or to purchase tickets, please visit www.dmrotary.org.

Feeling lucky? Well, here’s an easy way to enter to win Two FREE Tickets to the 8th Annual Poverty Bay Wine Festival, coming to the Landmark Event Center March 2 – 4!

Simply text message the word ‘dmrotary‘ to 90210 and you’ll automatically be entered into the drawing.

The Des Moines Rotary Club is presenting this annual fun fundraiser, and guests will enjoy live music and great food while tasting wines from 20 Northwest wineries.

The festival kicks off on Friday, March 2 at 5:00 p.m. The fun continues on Saturday and Sunday, with more wine tasting, food, and live music.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Corky Cellars in Des Moines (206-824-9462) or at www.dmrotary.org.

All proceeds fund the service projects of the Des Moines Rotary Club, including college scholarships, grants to local schools, safety and recreation programs for children, yard projects for elderly residents, support for the local food bank and the homeless, and projects to assist needy people as far away as South Africa and the Philippines.

HOURS:

• Friday: 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
• Saturday: 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
• ?Sunday: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

MUSIC:

• Uncle Ernie – Friday, 6:30-9:30
• All Stars No Stripes – Saturday, 3:30-6:30
• Ambience – Sunday, noon-2:00
• Stephanie Porter – Sunday, 2:30-4:30

For more information, please visit www.dmrotary.org.

Luso will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with a special Portuguese wine and beer tasting with Latin dancing, Maria Luisa Empanadas, appetizers and more from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10th. Cover charge is just $8 so be sure to mark your calendars for this event:

Fatima Eremita Hemmons

As we do with all our Advertisers, we’re giving Luso a forum to describe their business:

The owner, Fatima Eremita Hemmons (Tina) was born in Goa, the most beautiful former Portuguese Colony on the SW coast of India. She spent many years in England and has been living and raising her family in the United States of America since 1980. Hence, most of the amazing food and wine comes from Portugal, Goa and England. Luso, is a Beer and Wine Specialty Shop. Luso is a retail store. Fatima has wine tasting from 12 to 2pm and 5-7pm and lunch from 11-7pm which includes coxinhas (Brazilian croquettes), empadas (Portuguese) and Maria Luisa Empanadas from Argentina and salad. Let Tina make you a salad with her special olive oil that so pleases the palate. Even better, just come and meet Tina, she’s as warm and inviting as her tasty treats. She also carries bread from Grand Central Bakery and Ice Cream from Full Tilt.

Fatima, as a Certified Health and Wellness Coach, provides informational knowledge to help individuals make necessary lifestyle changes. Using the eight natural laws of health, the body is able to regain a healthy balance and heal itself. Hence, the Health and Wellness Center located at Luso Food And Wine offers various classes to boost motivation, improve cardio and bring in cheer. They offer health and wellness coaching and hydrotherapy by appointment. They also offer other exercise classes as follows:

• Zumba: Features easy to follow routines of interval training to tone and sculpt your body while burning hundreds of calories. Tues and Thursday from 7 to 8 pm
• Belly Dance: Core conditioning focuses on strengthening one’s core through isolation movements. This class gives you a full body workout targeting the abs, thighs, calves, gluts arms and shoulders. Sunday from 2 to 3 pm.
• Salsa: 1 hour of footwork and fun with authentic Cali Style Salsa. No partner necessary!! Come alone with a group of friends or with your partner. Beginners 3pm to 4pm and advance from 4 – 5 pm.
• Samba: features a very prominent teacher, Dora, from Brazil. Samba is a Brazilian dance and a musical genre originating in Bahia. If you can only imagine the hip work and cheerful atmosphere! This class will start on February 23rd @ 6pm.
• Cooking Classes: Start in March to learn about spices and their health properties. This class is for bring together families and communities.

To make it special for the family, friends and supporters of Luso, Tina has invited Alma Y Azucar to create a special Valentine’s Day Performance on February 10th from 7 to 10 pm. Music, dancing, food and wine, who could ask for more! Cover Charge $8.00. Appetizers included.

Check us out on Facebook @ Luso Seattleand like us!

There's plenty of room to dance at Luso!

Luso Food and Wine is located at:

9988 15th Ave SW, Suite C
Seattle, WA. 98146

A cool new spot in White Center, offering Portuguese Wines and Beer and specialty teas and spices from India.

Store Hours:

• Tues – Sat 11- 7pm
• Sunday Noon to 6pm

Here are some videos featuring belly dance instructor Sofia-Fahd:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Des Moines Rotary Club will be presenting the 8th annual Poverty Bay Wine Festival from March 2-4, once again in the historic and grand Landmark Event Center in Des Moines.

Guests will enjoy live music and great food while tasting wines from 20 Northwest wineries.

The festival kicks off on Friday, March 2 at 5:00 p.m. The fun continues on Saturday and Sunday, with more wine tasting, food, and live music.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Corky Cellars in Des Moines (206-824-9462) or at www.dmrotary.org.

All proceeds fund the service projects of the Des Moines Rotary Club, including college scholarships, grants to local schools, safety and recreation programs for children, yard projects for elderly residents, support for the local food bank and the homeless, and projects to assist needy people as far away as South Africa and the Philippines.

HOURS:

• Friday: 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
• Saturday: 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
• ?Sunday: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

MUSIC:

• Uncle Ernie – Friday, 6:30-9:30
• All Stars No Stripes – Saturday, 3:30-6:30
• Ambience – Sunday, noon-2:00
• Stephanie Porter – Sunday, 2:30-4:30

For more information, please visit www.dmrotary.org.

“Thank you for your wines California.
Thank you for your sweet and bitter fruit.”
- Mick Jagger

BTB Advertiser and Friends of the Blog The Tin Theater FREE monthly Wine Tasting Event will be this Thursday, Dec. 15th, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Wine Tastings are a regular feature at the Tin Theater, and are held the third Thursday of every month.

The Tin Theater is located at 923 SW 152nd Street, just west of the Tin Room Bar.

“We will be tasting the big bold wines from the Michael David winery located in Lodi, California.”

Here’s what will be uncorked:

BTB Advertiser and Friends of the Blog The Tin Theater FREE monthly Wine Tasting Event will be this Thursday, Nov. 17th, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Wine Tastings are a regular feature at the Tin Theater, and are held the third Thursday of every month.

The Tin Theater is located at 923 SW 152nd Street, just west of the Tin Room Bar.

“Thanksgiving is America’s chow down feast, the one occasion each year when gluttony becomes a patriotic duty.”?Michael Dresser??The question is, what wines will you serve to accompany your Thanksgiving meal to truly make it a glorious occasion???Join us for our monthly free wine tasting, this Thursday from 5 to 7pm in our new wine cellar!??Here are the Thanksgiving wines that we will be tasting:

VEGA MEDIEN CAVA ROSE
This Cava comes from old Grenache grapes grown in the higher hills of Requena (Valencia). In our cellar we are recovering this variety to produce our rose sparkling wine. Bright red Cava with red currant tonalities, fine bubble and persistent foam. Intense strawberry fragrance with yogurt notes. Creamy texture, crisp and balance acidity.

RIVER’S EDGE GEWURTZTRAMINER
This vintage was a great one for gewurz which produced intensely flavored fruit. The wine was fermented and aged in small stainless steel barrels, and bottled early to retain all of it’s freshness and zest. The wine contains 2.5% residual sugar. The wine has a delightful ripe apple aroma along with a honeyed flavor. This wine tends to have the aromatic gusto and spicy pallet appeal that give it a solid standing with turkey and gravy, bringing out the best in both. This Gewurtztraminer offers a delicious wine option for Thanksgiving day.

FREJA PINOT NOIR WILLAMETE VALLEY
State produced Willamette Valley Pinot Noir at this price? You’ve got to be kidding!Snap it up while you can. This classically Burgundian wine, from a small, family-owned producer, has balanced acidity, moderate tannins, and an earthy bouquet, with hints of pepper and spice on the palate. This is an excellent choice for Thanksgiving. Why? This wine is food-friendly, with soft tannins and a fresh burst of tart acidity that helps to cut through rich dishes.

RAMSAY PETITE SIRAH
North Coast Vineyard: Bellestra.Grape Source: Green Valley.This wine is luscious, juicy and full of life. It is the perfect food wine. Pair it with something substantial.Petite Sirah grapes are one of the prettiest fruits to look at; the clusters are big and the grapes are big, and the flavor is big.

OBELISCO RED BORDEAUX BLEND
Region: Red Mountain, WA. 91PTS WE. Deep purple garnet color. Interesting aromas of black cherry, plum and blackberry fruits, clove and mincemeat spice, peppered sausage then beautiful sweet vanilla toast. On the palate this wine is full bodied with char, toast a bit of astringency and a hint of sweetness and tartness, followed by pepper, black cherry and blackberry. Lots going on here; a complex blend of “Old World” and “New World” character!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?
We are showing all Husky, Seahawk and Monday Night Football games in our theater on the big screen. Come cheer on your favorite teams and enjoy our food and drink specials during the game!

We’d like to give a huge welcome to our latest Advertiser, 909 Coffee and Wine, and their new place next door, 913 Spirits – both of which are offering an exclusive $5 off Coupon!

909 is a popular neighborhood gathering place in Olde Burien with great coffee, fresh-baked pastries, excellent meals, fine wines and a cozy atmosphere. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and even have live music on certain weekends.

One thing we haven’t mentioned is this – BTB Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer is a regular here, and it’s not just because of the great triple grande mocha and fresh handmade scones they serve him every morning.

It’s the people.

Owners Frank Ricci and Kelly Ricci have hired an amazing staff of friendly, hard-working (and fun) people, and this are one of the keys to their success.

One other new reason to frequent this great, locally-grown establishment is this – an exclusive B-Town Blog $5 Off Coupon! (limit one per table, after 5 p.m. only and Happy Hour excluded):

Click image to Print Coupon.

When you step inside the 909 you’re almost always greeted by one of their friendly staff, who either seat you at one of their sturdy wood tables, overstuffed leather chairs near a fireplace, outside on the deck (pending weather) or offers you something to go. If you only have time for a quick glass of wine, or are waiting for your table, you’ll find their granite-topped bar area very comfortable.

It’s usually very busy in the mornings, with lots of neighbors and residents (and B-Town Bloggers) enjoying their breakfasts, lattes, espresso or teas (by Luxe Tea). They offer a full breakfast menu (see all menus here), including quiche, crepes and paninis to more traditional eggs, sausage and toast. Many people bring their work, newspapers, magazines, iPads or other readables while enjoying the bustling and friendly morning atmosphere.

The most recent addition to the 909 family is 913 Spirits, located next door. After a total remodel and installation of possibly the best outdoor dining courtyard in Burien, the 913 expands the Ricci’s offerings to fine dining and much more. With a cozy bar inside and heated outdoor dining, the 913 is a great, very classy addition to Olde Burien.

Here’s more from their website:

909 Coffee & Wine opened its doors in May 2007, the 3rd restaurant operated by the Ricci Family. The Riccis brings over 50 years of restaurant experience to our latest venture. As Angelo’s Restaurants have become Burien and Bellevue institutions where generations of families come together, so is our hope for 909.

909 is a warm and cozy neighborhood gathering place. If you don’t know anyone when you walk in, you’ll certainly have made a new acquaintance by the time you leave. We don’t have a television or offer Wi-Fi because we want 909 to be a place where our guests come together to share, not only food and drink, but themselves.

The 909 family is passionate about what we do and offer. That passion is why we take pride in serving locally roasted Caffé Umbria coffee, bread from Macrina bakery and gelato from Gelatiamo. We make all of our pastries and desserts in house. Our soups and salad dressings are all made from scratch. And we change our menu seasonally to take advantage of the freshest ingredients available.

We want our guests to be able to try a variety of dishes when they come in, so we offer numerous “small” plates as well as larger “entrees.” Our wine selection changes frequently, and we always have 20-30 glass pours, with several tasting flights available. We offer 8 beers on tap, with a focus on local and micro-brewed beer.

We believe that our guests deserve the best food and service we can provide. We want 909 to be more than just a place to satisfy your hunger – we want 909 to be a place to satisfy your soul.

Reserve the 909 for your special event!

For your next event or get together, have it catered by the 909 or better yet, have it at the bistro! Sundays can be reserved and catered for up to 50-60 people. To get more info, just give us a call or email.

To view our catering menu, click here.

Here’s the entertainment lineup for the rest of the month:

• Saturday, Oct. 22nd: Paul Green & Straight Shot (Blues & Jazz)
• Saturday, Oct. 29th.: Jose Gonzales Trio (instrumental & vocal Jazz & pop)

Here’s a video review:

Click here to view the embedded video.

909 Coffee and Wine is located at:

909 SW 152nd Street

Burien, WA 98166
(206) 243-7909
909coffeeandwine.com

913 Spirits is located at (you guessed it…) 913 SW 152nd in Olde Burien.

Their hours are:

Mon-Thu: 8a-10p
Fri-Sat: 8a-Midnight
Closed Sundays

BTB Advertiser and Friends of the Blog The Tin Theater will be holding another FREE Wine Tasting Event inside the theater on Thursday, Oct. 20th, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Wine Tastings are a regular feature at the Tin Theater, and are held the third Thursday of every month.

The Tin Theater is located at 923 SW 152nd Street, just west of the Tin Room Bar.

Here are the wines that will be featured:

Skouras Moscofilero-Roditis White 2010
Roditis 70% , Moscofilero 30%
The color is bright white yellow, with green hues. The nose is complicated and the wine smells fresh flowers, hints of squashed blossoms and fruit aromas such as avocado. A relaxed pace and luxurious texture gives flavours of orange and lemon blossom and touches of jasmine and mint. In the aftertaste the acidity travels across the palate for a clean extended finish.

?Skouras Red St. George Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Aghiorghitiko 90% Cabernet Sauvignon 10%
The color is brilliant, medium-deep violet with pink hues.?On the nose it is vivid and intense with aromas of black cherries, and blackberries with hints of plums, violets, and dried herbs. On the palate it has medium body, moderate acidity with smooth tannins, all in harmony. The aftertaste is moderate with a note of gentle anise seed.

Hestia’s carefully cultivated wine program is based on fruit from specific vineyard sites in several of the smaller sub-appellations located in the Columbia Valley AVA in Washington State. We have vigilantly selected each vineyard site to ensure that it allows us to deliver wines that express the best Washington State has to offer. Hestia Cellars has secured acreage from Andrews Ranch vineyard atop the northern slope of the Horse Heaven Hills, StoneTree vineyard located  off the Columbia River in the early ripening Wahluke Slope, Boushey vineyard in the Yakima Valley, Washington States’ oldest growing region, and Ambassador Vineyard in the prestigious Red Mountain AVA. Grapes from these vineyards are blended to create balanced and complex wines with unique layers of flavors and aromas.

??2009 Hestia Red
65% Syrah, 25% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 5% Malbec –From Andrews Ranch, Stonetree and Boushey Vineyards. 20 months used French Oak. We normally release our Petit Verdot as a single varietal club wine but this year decided to blend the entire production into our Red. Super excited that we did. At 25% it bring an unbelievable amount of color, structure (acid/tannin) and big black and blue fruits to the finished product. Combined with Syrah the result is a big, inky wine with bright fruit notes of blackberry and blueberry framed with spice, vanilla and dark chocolate.

2008 Hestia Cabernet Sauvignon ?(90 pts WS)
90% Cabernet, 10% Petit Verdot – Single Vineyard, Andrews Ranch. 20 months used French oak.  This is a single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, which received 90 points from The Wine Spectator, that tastes like Cabernet should taste, for less than $30.00 wholesale.  It’s a screaming deal. The extra year in the bottle has really allowed it to develop and the black currant and cedar notes jump out of the glass. A deft touch with the oak gives it a level of austerity and restraint that you don’t see a whole lot of in the current Washington Cab market. Tannins are really well integrated and the higher acid levels keep it fresh. We have approx 100 cases remaining.

2008 Hestia Syrah –  420 cases ?(92 pts WS)
97% Syrah, 3% Viognier – Stonetree and Andrews Ranch vineyards. 20 months used French oak.  I think it’s easy to talk about how crowded the Washington Syrah market is, how they just don’t sell, how the pricing structure is wrong, etc. I know it’s tough to sell Syrah in the summer. But now it’s fall. Prime time. Taste this wine. It’s brilliant purple, smells of blueberries, vanilla, spice, other things that are nice and coats the palate. It’s smoky and peppery and finishes with a distinctive meaty note.

BTB Advertiser and Friends of the Blog The Tin Theater will be holding another FREE Wine Tasting Event inside the theater this Thursday, Aug. 18th, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., this time featuring wines from right here in Washington.

Wine Tastings are now a regular feature at the Tin Theater, and are held the third Thursday of every month.

“August is the Governor proclaimed Washington Wine Month,” reads an email. “In honor of this month long celebration of local wines, we will be tasting and featuring Washington wines at our August wine tasting in the Tin Theater.”

Here’s more info:

We will be featuring two wines from one of Washington’s finest producers, Long Shadows Vintners.

Founded by Washington wine pioneer Allen Shoup, Long Shadows is a collection of ultra-premium wines created by internationally acclaimed winemakers from the major wine regions of the world.  Each winemaker is a part owner in this unique winery dedicated to producing individual wines that showcase the viticultural excellence of Washington State’s Columbia Valley.

Chester Kidder, a Bordeaux style red and the popular Poet’s Leap Riesling, and four other stellar local wines.

The wineries of Long Shadows vintners
Founded by Washington wine pioneer Allen Shoup, Long Shadows is a collection of ultra-premium wines created by internationally acclaimed winemakers from the major wine regions of the world.  Each winemaker is a part owner in this unique winery dedicated to producing individual wines that showcase the viticultural excellence of Washington State’s Columbia Valley.

See you this Thursday!

Here are the tasty details:

WHAT: FREE WINE TASTING!

WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 18th, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

WHERE: The Tin Theater, located at 923 SW 152nd in Olde Burien.

INFO: Recently named the #2 Best Indie Theater in KING5?s “Best of Western Washington” poll (read our coverage of that here).

“This month we are featuring wines from Portugal. We will be tasting four delicious wines, aTawny Port and to be unique, an Olive Oil from Portugal. First tasting will be a 2008 Monte Velho White. Intense, elegant and well balanced. Next will be a 2008 Esporao Reserva White. Complex and elegant with a good persistence. Our third tasting will be the Alandra Red. Brilliant ruby color with a clean and young aroma of ripe red fruit. Next we will feature the Esporao “Alentejo” Alicante Bouschet from 2005. Sweet, creamy nose is quite intense with lovely vivid raspberry and plum fruit. Nice definition and spicy edge. Finally, our special pour of the night will be the Esporao Private Selection Red 2005. It’s bright, mouthwatering with a very succulent finish. We are also tasting the Port Tawny and a rich Olive Oil from Portugal.”

For more information, visit the Tin Theater website: http://tintheater.com.

A quote from www.guidedogs.com:

Attending a graduation ceremony at Guide Dogs for the Blind is one of the best ways to really get acquainted with our program. We advise guests to bring their tissues, because it’s always a moving event, commemorating the efforts of our students and their dogs over their past weeks in class. Puppy raisers say goodbye to their graduating dogs, and the graduating class members bid farewell to return to their homes and families with new partners by their sides.

Marlaina Lieberg and guide dog Agnes

To all who participated in the fabulous Guide Us To The Wine 5th Anniversary for Vino Bello and Fundraiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind event, I thank you for your kindness and the gifts of your contributions, your time and your heart! Because you did what you did, we are able to buy 12 harnesses for 12 graduating teams.

These harnesses are expensive, $300 each; they are unique in their construction, and only Guide Dogs for the Blind uses such lightweight and flexible harnesses on their guides.

While I know many of you may be unable to attend, to further thank you for your gifts, I invite you to join Michele and me as we make a formal presentation which reflects your generosity on August 13 at the graduation ceremony held at Guide Dogs for the Blind just outside Portland. You will have a chance to see working guides, and even visit the kennel area to see guides in training. Full campus tours will be available as well.

If you are interested in attending this ceremony which begins at 1:30 PM on August 13, please leave a comment here so I can get you further details.

I cannot express strongly enough how important your participation was in making this fundraiser such a success. Many blind people in the Pacific Northwest move about freely because of our guide dogs, and what you have done is a gift to us all. Guide Dogs for the Blind is wholly supported by people like you; they use no federal or state dollars and are completely privately funded. Once a blind student qualifies for a guide, we have a tuition-free scholarship, which includes training at the facility and any follow-up work we may need throughout the life of each working guide.

If you can join us on August 13, please let me know. I want to be certain to reserve enough seats for folks. Once again, I say a heart-felt thank you for all you did to make this an amazing success for Vino Bello and Guide Dogs for The Blind! Agnes and I value each of you!