Friday, April 9, 2010

Coloradoan Review worth revisiting

Here is a link to a great review that the Coloradoan did on us a while ago. The food hasn't changed much since then with the exception of a few more local ingredients being added and all the desserts are now made in-house, so it still seems very relevant. Give it a gander if you have a sec.
Coloradoan Review - Click here

Perhaps we'll be reviewed again in the near future ;) Keep your eye on the Coloradoan...

Monday, March 29, 2010

Tapas Invade Colorado!

You've probably heard the word around town by now but haven't known exactly what it meant. Tapas is the word and the concept is becoming a world-wide phenomenon. So what are they anyway?

Many people confuse Tapas with Appetizers but they really are two different things. To understand what Tapas are let's look at a brief explanation of the history and meaning behind the term.

Tapas literally means "to cover" in Spanish and it is said that they were first used to cover alcoholic beverages like sherry and wine to keep fruit flies out at home-style back yard buffets. Common ingredients like slices of bread and meat were often put right over the glass, and sometimes saucers containing small bites of salty delicacies were used. Of course back then they didn't have a name per se for this behavior, it was just something people did at social events having buffet style finger foods. Typical foods at these events were things like meatballs, olives, fried seafood, pickled veggies, or anything your mom could easily make and stick on a table.

Eventually the idea spread beyond the home into the Spanish restaurant mainstream as a new style of eating. For years now, many Spaniards have gone out drinking with friends after work to share plates of small delicacies to keep hunger at bay until they are ready for a full dinner. It's a way to be social and share experiences with friends and family when out on the town having a good time. It's very common to visit several tapas bars in one night before eating dinner, which is often as late as 10pm. Typical Tapas found in Spanish bars are Bandarillas, Calamares, Cojonuda, Croquetas, Empanadas, and Tortilla española.

Today in America as well as across Europe, Tapas have evolved into a new style of fusion cuisine centered around social drinking. There are literally endless possibilities for creating them. Café Vino has brought this exciting idea to Fort Collins with European/American inspired dishes that can be served as Tapas or as a full meal with your choice of 150 wines, 20 draft beers, fine coffees, teas and cocktails to compliment. If you haven't tried the full-on Tapas experience yet, this would be the place to start.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

The new CafeVino.com web site is officially launched

Well folks, it's finally done! The CafeVino.com redesign is up and running in full force and I could not be happier. This is the beginning of some great things that are going to be happening online for Café Vino. Besides the updated design we've added some social networking features like a Twitter shout out for the chef right on the home page, and links to our Facebook page. Also, the menus are organized with accordion style buttons for pages that have too much info to display at once. There are lots of plans and ideas swimming around for future improvements to the site and we welcome your feedback. For instance, adding profile pages for artists on display at in the café, ratings and photos for menu items, a recipe exchange, online event registrations and other interactive ways to stay connected to the community. Feel free to chime in your opinions about what you'd like to see on the site. Thanks!