November Postcards from Alba There's plenty happening at Alba this month...New menu items and wines, a great wine dinner, First Bite Boulder, and lots more. Below are a few of November's highlights. Click here to go to the Alba website

November Wine Dinner - "A Taste of Sardegna" Please join us on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 for what is sure to be a great evening of delicious food and wine. Located off the western coast of Italy, Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean. Because it's separated from the mainland by more than 100 miles of water, Sardinian culture, cuisine and wine are quite distinct from the rest of Italy, reflecting centuries of invasion by outsiders including Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Spaniards. The Spanish exerted the greatest influence upon Sardinian wine production, introducing the grapes known locally as Cannonau and Carignano to the island. Cannonau is renowned for its anti-oxidant properties. Whether or not it’s the wine they drink, Sardinians are famously long-lived, with an unusually high percentage of centenarians. The Menu: ANTIPASTO Melanzane alla Sarda Eggplant baked with tomato, bread crumbs, garlic, and basil Sella & Mosca Cannonau Riserva - 2007 ¤ ¤ ¤ PRIMO Zuppa d'Arselle Baby clams simmered in white wine with garlic, parsley, and bruschetta Sella & Mosca La Cala - 2007 ¤ ¤ ¤ SECONDO Stufato di Capra Stewed baby goat with wild thyme Sella & Mosca Tanca Farra - 2007 ¤ ¤ ¤ DOLCE Seadas Deep fried ravioli with honey sweetened ricotta Vietti Moscato d’Asti - 2007 $55.00 per person Call for Reservations 303.938.8800

Join us for First Bite Boulder - November 14-28 First Bite Boulder is a terrific annual event, when many local restaurants offer a three course dinner at a great price, $26 per person. Alba is once again extending our participation for a second week, through Saturday, November 28. First Bite is very popular, so be sure to make reservations. Here's our menu: First Course Mixed Green Salad - Red wine vinaigrette, crispy shallots Roasted Delicata Squash - Oil poached garlic, pomegranate, ricotta salata Fritto Misto - Arancini, anchovy-stuffed sage leaves, stuffed green olives Second Course Chef’s Vegetable Tasting - Selection changes nightly Pizza Speck - San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, Parmigiano, smoked prosciutto Lasagne Verdi - Fresh green pasta, ragù Bolognese Brodetto di Mare - Shrimp, calamari, scallop, and mussels in a spicy tomato broth Third Course Tortino Caprese - Chocolate almond torte Panna Cotta - Caramel and fresh berries Selection of Gelato or Sorbet

Triangoli alle Erbette Returns to our November menu Handmade pasta triangles, stuffed with Swiss chard, prosciutto, and ricotta, with a butter and Parmigiano sauce Alex learned to make this while working at Al Cambio in Bologna. The dish is very simple and a perfect representation of great Bolognese cooking. Click here to see our latest Dinner Menu

Wines Take Flight Every Night at Alba One of the best ways to try new wines is by ordering one or two of our special wine flights – Each gives you three 3 ounce glasses, so two people can sample six different wines for less than the cost of most of our bottles Unravel the Mystery Flight – Three Italians, try to guess what they are A Clean and Crisp White from the North A Luscious and Balanced Red from the South A Rich and Succulent Red from the South Don’t Think Twice (It’s all White) Lunetta Prosecco NV – Veneto – Crisp and vibrant Meinklang Gruener Veltliner 2007 – Austria – Fresh and Bright Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay 2006 – Sonoma – Rich and refined Piemonte Dreaming Stefano Massone Gavi “Masera” (Cortese) 2007 – Clean and crisp Fontanafredda “Briccotondo” Barbera 2008 – Elegant and fruity Rivetto Nebbiolo d’Alba “Lirano” 2006 – Complex and supple Better Red Than Dead Ritratti Pinot Nero 2007 - Trentino – Delicate and harmonious Lucignano Chianti di Colli Fiorentini (Sangiovese) 2006 – Toscana - Bright and smooth Hess Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 – California - Ripe and lush Orville and Wilbur – Be like the Wrights, invent your own flight Pick any three from our By-The-Glass List

Check Out Alex's New Blog Alex posts recipes, new menu items, cooking tips, and more on his blog. He updates it frequently, so be sure to look in and see what's new. Click here to go to Alex's blog

November's Ingredient of the Month - Acquerello Carnaroli Rice You can't make great risotto without great rice, and we think we use the very best. Approximately 80 kilometers from Alba in the Piemonte province of Vercelli, historic rice capital of Europe, lies the 137 hectare (338 acre) Tenuta Colombara. With its paddy fields irrigated by pure water from the nearby Alps, the farm provides a haven of nature where fish, frogs and rare birds such as the hoopoe and red heron thrive. It is also the place where three generations of the Rondolino family – originally Cesare, now Piero and his son Rinaldo - have dedicated themselves to producing a work of art, Acquerello organic carnaroli rice. Our rice is grown using a crop rotation system and is the only rice variety sown on the farm, to avoid the possibility of inadvertent hibridization with other varieties. After the harvest, the unhulled grains are aged from one to three years in temperature controlled silos, a process which, by allowing the rice to “breathe”, optimizes its qualities and organoletic characteristics. Aging renders starch, proteins and vitamins less water-soluble, improving the consistency of the grains and enabling them to absorb more cooking liquid. When cooked, the grains become bigger, firmer, do not stick together, and taste even better. After the aging process, the rice has to be refined and “whitened” and, for this phase, “the screw” – a machine invented in 1875 - is still regarded the best for the job, if by no means the most economical. In this machine, the rice spirals slowly downwards, gently rubbing grain against grain and thus maintaining nutritional values which with other bleaching methods can be easily lost. At the end of the process, Acquerello rice is perfectly polished and honey colored.