FOOD- THE DISH- Wine child: Enoteca births new wine list

Sip some new wines and enjoy enoteca's classic fish-bowl view of the Mall.
PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR

Enoteca general manager Megan Headley tells us that the trendy Mall wine bar recently debuted a new 95-bottle wine list.

"We change the list twice a year, and this is our third list and our most exciting, in my opinion," she says. "I taste with distributors for months leading up to the change and seek out the most artisanal producers in the 21 wine-producing regions of Italy."

The result, she says, is a chance to offer everything from a half glass of Bianchetta ("an indigenous white from Liguria, a region that exports very little wine due to the difficulty of harvest on such sloping vineyards") to a bottle of Sagrantino from wine-making legend Paolo Bea in Umbria.

Headley says she has always likened the creation of a new wine list to giving birth, a comparison that now has new meaning for her– she returned from a 12-week maternity leave at the end of April.

"I still hold to that comparison," she insists.

Good-bye, Gallaudet

According to Boar's Head Inn's spokesperson Pat Burnette, executive chef Mark Gallaudet is handing over his ladle. 

Gallaudet, who became top cook in 2006, is going to work for US Foods, a large producer of specialty foods, Burnette says. In the meantime, a search is under way for a new chef to take over the Inn's three kitchens (in the Old Mill Room, Bistro 1834, and the Sports Club), bakery, thriving catering service, and staff of 40. Quite a tall order. But Gallaudet, an ex-Marine and veteran of Operation Desert Storm, issued some sound advice when he arrived, something a new commander of the stovetops might be wise to heed.

 "Look after your associates and make sure they have the tools they need to do their jobs," he told Dish. "Then decide what you want to do and make it happen. No regrets." 

Wine romp

Wintergreen Winery hosts its annual "Romp, Stomp & Chomp" Harvest Celebration on Labor Day weekend Saturday, August 30 and Sunday, August 31 from 10am until 6pm.  

Surrounded by the Blue Ridge, visitors can enjoy live music, grape stomping, wine tasting, and local foods sampling. Saturday kicks off with Ralph Rush's acoustic Piedmont and Delta blues, and ends with 2008 Sedalia Blues Festival champs The Biscuit Rollers and their "old time blues for the soul." On Sunday, the Rollers kick off the festivities, followed by Trent Wagler and the Steel Wheels playing their original Americana roots music. 

Baked breads, prosciutto, salami, imported and domestic cheeses, pates, olives, crackers, chips and salsas and other "wine friendly" light picnic fare will also be available to buy.

The admission is $10 (children are free) on each day. For a schedule of the weekend's activities and directions, visit the website at WintergreenWinery.com or call 434-361-2519.

Our Orzologies

In our story on health code violations at the Tavern ["Critical violator: Twice-closed Tavern vows a cleaner menu," August 14], we mentioned that Orzo Kitchen & Wine Bar on West Main had had no health code violations since 2006, suggesting they might have had a few before that. We neglected to mention that since Orzo opened in 2006, their record has been spotless from the beginning. As our story revealed, that's no small task. Plenty of restaurants besides the Tavern have a history of health code violations, which can be viewed on the Virginia Department of Health's website, vdh.state.va.us.

 Food Not Bombs at Tonsler Park

The Virginia chapter of Food Not Bombs, a grassroots organization founded in 1995 and dedicated to feeding free vegetarian food to hungry people and protesting war and poverty, serves up a free meal every Sunday at 1pm at  Tonsler Park (at 5th and Cherry). Phone: 296-3963 Email:

 All this food news was first reported online. Check it out at readthehook.com/food/

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