March Postcards from Alba Restaurant and Wine Bar We're not quite ready to open the patio, but there are still lots of reasons to come to Alba this month. We've had a great response to our Denver Restaurant Week menu, and we still have six days before it ends. We have a wonderful regional wine dinner on the 17th, featuring food and wine of the Veneto. There are several new menu items, including Agnolotti del Plin, which Alex learned to make when he cooked with the great chef Nino Rocca at Da Felicin in Piemonte last May. We also have new wines and cocktails, and we're continuing our half-price wines every Monday night. We hope to see you soon! Alba Restaurant and Wine Bar Website

Final 6 Days of Denver Restaurant Week Denver Restaurant Week is a two-week celebration of the culinary scene in the greater Denver metro area. Alba is one of the few Boulder restaurants participating in the event, which offers a multi-course dinner for the fixed price of $52.80 for two, or $26.40 for one. The Menu: First Course Mixed Green Salad Red wine vinaigrette, crispy shallots Lentil Soup Crispy pancetta Mozzarella in Carozza Fried panino of house made mozzarella and fig jam, petite spinach salad Second Course Chef’s Vegetable Tasting Selection changes nightly Semolina Crusted Colorado Bass Rutabaga puree, rapini, lemon-butter spuma Lasagne Verdi Fresh nettle pasta, ragù Bolognese Pizza Salsiccia Sausage, mushrooms, mozzarella, tomatoes Third Course Chocolate Torte Vanilla gelato, hazelnut pralines Saffron Panna Cotta Blood orange segments and syrup Gelato Chocolate, Vanilla, Di Saronno almond Sorbet blood orange cranberry, pear walnut

March Wine Dinner - "A Taste of Veneto" Wednesday, March 17 Veneto The vast variety in the terrain of Veneto with its mountains, plains and the sea is also reflected in its cooking. There is an interesting presence of elements originating from the Far and near East, because of trade made by the Republic of Venice. Venetian ships would return from the Orient with spices, pepper, ginger and saffron, unknown ingredients at that time, but able to stir up the Venetian chefs’ imagination and thus creating a unique culinary art. Highly regarded for its production of quality wine, Veneto is the top volume producer in the north of Italy. Production includes the easy-drinking whites of Soave, made from Garganega, and the red wines Valpolicella and Amarone. The Menu: ANTIPASTO Baccalà Mantecato Venetian style pureed salt cod Maculan Tocai/Pinot Grigio Blend 2008 ¤ ¤ ¤ PRIMO Tagliolini al Calamari Fresh pasta with pea and mint puree and seared calamari Allegrini Soave Classico 2007 ¤ ¤ ¤ SECONDO Guancie di Maile Milk braised pork cheeks with prunes and marinated radicchio Sant’Antonio Valpolicella Ripasso 2005 Optional Wine: Sant’Antonio Amarone 2004 ¤ ¤ ¤ DOLCE Bomboloni Fresh doughnuts with pastry cream and raisin Marsala sauce Maculan Dindarello 2007 $55 per person With optional wine: add $10 Call for Reservations 303.938.8800

Agnolotti del Plin on our new menu Agnolotti del Plin is a typical Piemontese dish that is rarely found outside of the Langhe, the area surrounding Alba. They are square and small, about ¾ of an inch to an inch on a side, and are made using very thin sheets of pasta. The word plin means pinch in the Piemontese dialect, referring to the pinch with which the pasta maker seals the pasta closed. Ours are stuffed with a combination of braised beef and cabbage and sauced very simply with butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and fresh sage. The result is a remarkable combination of flavors and textures you won't soon forget.

An Ingredient We Love: Aceto Balsamico di Modena Aceto balsamico di Modena is a concentrated, syrupy, dark brown balsamic vinegar with a deep complex aroma; just a few drops of it on any dish will impart a unique flavor. Authentic balsamic vinegar is made only in the counties of Modena and Reggio Emilia, which form part of the Emilia Romagna region in Northern Italy. The mosto (grape juice before fermentation is complete) from Trebbiano and Lambrusco grapes is boiled until it has been reduced to half its original volume; this liquid, which is called sapa, is then put into small casks to mature. The casks are laid out in rows layered one on top of the other and every year the content of one layer of barrels is poured into those of the row beneath, and so on. Each row of barrels is made from a different type of wood, each of which infuses the liquid with its own particular aroma: castagno (chestnut), ciliegio (cherry), gelso (mulberry), ginepro (juniper), and quercia (oak). The process takes a minimum of five years, which explains the rarity and the high price of authentic aceto balsamico di Modena DOP. We feature an aceto balsamico from Academia Barilla, aged in oak, cherry, and chestnut barrels. It's paired with our seared hanger steak, as well as on a new dish, our herb crusted pork tenderloin. We also offer a 20 year aged juniper balsamico for an optional surcharge.

A Great New Cocktail for Tequila Lovers - The Devil Wears Lavender Matthew Feldman, our General Manager is a master mixologist, and he never stops thinking about new flavor combinations. His latest is a new drink called The Devil Wears Lavender. This cocktail combines Patron Silver, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, and lavender. The ingredients are shaken and served up in a glass rimmed with paprika sugar. It's a little spicy, slightly sweet, and totally delicious. Come in and try one soon. Cheers!