Not everyone thinks about drinking wine when they eat spicy foods such as Mexican, Thai or Indian, but the truth is that wine can work quite well with these types of food.  The mistake that most people make with spicy foods is that they choose the wrong wines, not that wine can’t or doesn’t pair with the heat.  Below is a four step process to finding a tall glass with a stem next to your upcoming plate of tacos, enchiladas or chicken en mole.

The first thing that one has to do is abandon all thoughts of Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon.  Though these are the most popular white and red wines in the world respectively, they are not suited to spicy foods at all.  While there are some gifted sommeliers out there that can pair these two highly popular wines with foods containing chiles, it is not advisable unless you’ve tasted both the food and the wine beforehand.  Essentially, oaky wines like Chardonnay (although many other wines are oaky), and tannic wines like Cabernet Sauvignon (certainly not the exclusive rights-holder to tannin) are the worst possible wines to pair with spicy foods.  They literally make both the food and the wine taste worse.

The second thing on the checklist is giving up the notion that slightly sweet or off-dry wine is unsophisticated, or kid’s stuff.  The fact is that we chefs often pair slightly sweet elements with spicy foods in order to temper that chile heat.  This is evident in the classic pairing of sweet, ripe tomatoes with chiles that is ubiquitous to Mexican cooking.  Off-dry wines can function in a similar way, and provide the palate with a refreshing cleanse from the heat of the chiles.

Third, keep the alcohol low.  Alcohol can set the mouth aflame after some chiles.  While this can be a highly pleasant sensation with tequila, highlighting some of the tequila’s peppery flavors, it really backfires with wine.  Alcohol in wines tends to taste “hot” and bitter when paired with chiles.

Lastly, don’t forget the bubbles.  Sparkling wines literally wash the palate clean.  Think of them almost like little scrub brushes which rinse away the chile heat in a physical way.  You’re not limited to expensive French champagne here either, in fact save the fancy stuff for something else.  Prosecco and Moscato from Italy, Cava from Spain, and all manner of New World sparklers can do the trick just fine for a quarter of the price.  Again, be bold and try an off-dry sparkling wine with the spiciest of foods and you’ll find that you might just be able to take that much more heat.

Some suggestions to successful spicy food and wine pairing include Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner, Muscadet, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Vinho Verde for whites.  For reds try Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Spanish Rioja, Australian Shiraz, Syrah and young, California Zinfandel.  Next time you’re at Barrio, don forget that we have all of these wines and many more. We have hand-selected them to pair with the food there and we really want more people to enjoy this unique experience, so give it a try.

We’ve all seen this type of cheese on a menu in our favorite Mexican restaurant…so what the heck is it? Cotija (pronounced Ko-Tee-Ha) is a hard cow’s milk cheese that comes from Mexico and is named after the town of Cotija de la Paz in the state of Michoacan. Cotija comes in two primary versions. One is dry and firm and is similar to a Parmesan while the other is a bit more moist and similar to Feta.

Both are delicious and add a salty, deep and robust flavor that is perfect to use in tacos, soups, salads or over beans. At Barrio, we utilize this cheese as an ingredient in many of our tacos, chopped salad, taquitos and many of our daily chilaquiles and specials.

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a holiday celebrated between October 31st and November 2nd in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. Though it may sound gloomy or morbid, it is actually far from being so. It is a festive and colorful holiday in which Mexicans visit cemeteries and decorate the graves of deceased friends and family members.

In addition, they often make elaborately decorated altars (sometimes called ofrendas) using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed in their homes to welcome the spirits.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years, and to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl.

Here on the home front, we will be celebrating Dia de los Muertos at both Barrio locations on Saturday, October 31st with an all day special menu full of food and drinks. Should be a fun day!

We are very excited to be taking part in two great charitable events next week at Barrio Capitol Hill. The first is “Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out”. It’s a week-long initiative that encourages consumers to dine out at restaurants in an effort to end childhood hunger in America. During the week of September 20th - September 26th, 50% of the proceeds from our featured ‘Tequila Sunrise’ cocktail will go to Share Our Strength. For more information about the Great American Dine Out click here.

On Thursday, September 24th, we will take part in the “Dish Up Literacy” dine-out event to benefit Page Ahead Child Literacy Program. Dish Up Literacy is supported by local chambers of commerce, promoted by local merchants publicized by local newspapers, hosted by local restaurants, and patronized by local families. Our community will come together to raise awareness of the importance of reading, and bring thousands of books to children in need. Barrio Capitol Hill is taking part by contributing 20% of the days sales. For more information about Dish Up Literacy click here.

So stop on by Barrio next week to eat and drink your way to helping some great charitable causes!

Many people ask us for recipes from Barrio. While we are always happy to provide people with these, there are times that we get a bit nervous that the guest will have trouble duplicating the flavors without committing a great deal of time to the process. One of the reasons for this is caldo, which is an all-purpose broth that we use for dozens of preparations. It is made from chicken bones and meat, onions, carrots, chiles and spices such as coriander and cumin. This broth is simmered for hours, meticulously skimmed of fat and impurities, and then strained through a very fine mesh sieve known as a chinois.

This time consuming operation essentially just creates another ingredient that we use around the Barrio kitchen. We use this broth as the liquid for our pozole, we braise meats in it to make taco fillings, and we use it on the kitchen line to moisten vegetables and meats. The caldo is different from a traditional French chicken stock which is made with bay leaves, celery and sometimes leeks. That is one reason that off-the-shelf chicken broth is not a great substitute either, as the store bought broth is usually formulated with the French method.

While caldo might make it difficult to precisely duplicate Barrio’s recipes at home, it makes for some pretty delicious cuisine at the restaurant. There are many dishes which actually feature the caldo such as pozole, while there are others where the caldo helps to build that deep, intense flavor into the final product such as our Chicken en Adobo Tacos. We recommend coming down to try them all!

Developed in 1543 by a Swiss immigrant, Cachaca is the most popular distilled beverage in Brazil and is the product of the distillation of fermented sugarcane juice. The alcohol strength is usually from 38% - 80% by volume and like Rum, there are two varieties, unaged (white) and aged (gold). With only 1% of the produced Cachaca being exported it is very hard to find the gold variety.

International Cachaca Day was started by the Sociedade Brasileira da Cachaca, a Brazilian government organization. It was created to commemorate June 12th 1744: the day when Portugal, then the colonial authority in Brazil, outlawed the production and selling of Cachaca.

In the United States, Cachaca is often used as the main spirit in many ‘tropical style’ drinks including the Caipirinha (pronounced ‘KIE-PUR-REEN-YAH’).

• 2 ounces Cachaca
• 1/2 - 3/4 of quartered lime
• 2 barspoons of sugar (or 3/4 ounce simply syrup) muddle with ice
• shake with crushed ice
• pour entire contents into old fashioned glass

Here at Barrio, we feature 6 different Cachaca Options; Ypioca, Boca Loca, Cachaca 51, Leblon, Pirassununga 51 and Cachaca Samba. You can be sure Bar Manager Casey Robison will concoct a fabulous, special Cachaca drink just for the day! Word on the streets is he is going to utilize an apple and cinnamon puree!

The great thing about most of the drinks at Barrio is that they also come with a great story. I asked our Bar Manager, Casey Robison, to offer a good one up for our blog…without hesitation, he went with our version of the Tequila Sunrise.

Our recipe hails from the Agua Caliente resort and racetrack of the late 1920’s. A sleepy little area 4 miles south of Tijuana, Agua Caliente came to prominence in 1927 when a hot-shot San Diego businessman and real estate developer named Baron Long turned the sleepy mineral springs area into a bustling resort complete with a hotel, restaurants, casino, nightclub and luxurious racetrack. Since prohibition was in full swing in the United States, this new resort area became a very popular place for American tourists looking for fun and frivolity.

The original Tequila Sunrise recipe was used routinely at Agua Caliente as a hangover remedy and sold for 25 cents. During the 1960’s, the drink made a revival in the United States at which point orange juice was added. As you see below, the original recipe did not have orange juice. Most agree it was simpler and had more flavor.

Salud

In a Collins glass:

• 1.5oz El Jimador Reposado
• 1oz Simple Syrup
• 1.5oz Lemon Juice
• Fill with Soda Water

Float:

• .25oz House Made Grenadine
• .25oz Creme De Cassis

Pozole with Traditional Garnishes

Up at Barrio…we kinda like to think so. Pho is a Vietnamese thinly sliced meat and rice-noodle soup dish that is accompanied by garnishes such as green onions, white onions, cilantro, thai basil, lemon or lime wedges and bean sprouts.

In relatively the same “ballpark”, Pozole is a traditional soup or stew from Mexico. It is made from hominy with pork (or other meat), chili pepper, and other seasonings and garnishes such as cabbage, cilantro, radish, avocado and lime juice to name a few. There are a number of variations on pozole, including blanco (white or clear), rojo (red), de frijol (with beans), and elopozole (sweet corn, squash, and chicken or pork meat).

Here at Barrio, we use hominy and shredded pork cheek and then serve cabbage, radish, cilantro, white onion and corn tortillas on the side. We even have a breakfast version with a poached farm egg. Truly a bowl of delicious goodness…add as much or as little of the sides as you like!

Our friends at the Intiman Theatre have offered up a great $5 off deal for our Barrio blog readers! Simply call the theatre at 206.269.1900 and mention promo code “barrio” to receive your discount. In addition, your ticket to any show this year at the Intiman Theatre gets you 10% off your bill here at Barrio! Simply present your ticket to your server.

After the show, stick around to take part in their “White Russian Discussions”. Meet at the bar in the lobby to receive great drink specials on White Russians and take part in a post-play discussion led by a member of the Intiman staff.

For more information on the show, click here.

Barrio is participating in the Tap Project during World Water Week, March 22nd - 30th. Started in New York City in 2007, the Tap Project is based on a simple concept: restaurants will ask their patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water they would normally receive for free. All of the funds raised will be donated to UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean and accessible drinking water to millions of children around the world. For every dollar raised, a child will have clean drinking water for 40 days. For more information, visit the Tap Project website at tapproject.org.