River City Supper Club #8 - Barrel Thief on Patterson

River City Supper Club #8 convened at The Barrel Thief on Patterson on a Saturday evening. We arrived at 7 PM to a patron-free establishment. This was good in some ways – we had our pick of table location, we could peruse the wine selection at our leisure. In some ways it was not so good – staff was still not focused and neglected to tell us that us that there is no corkage fee on Saturdays.

Out of the featured red wines that we sampled, only one was truly kick-ass: 2007 Domaine des Hauts Chassis Crozes Hermitage. Hearty and priced right.

Our other selections were Patapon – an interesting non-conformist French red from Coteaux de Loir

And Travaglini Gattinara – nice Italian in the skewed bottle.

We ordered three small slates: Smoked Trout, Duck and Pheasant Pate, and Artichoke-Leek spread. We ate pate, the spread, and smoked salmon (another inattention to detail from the staff on a very unbusy night). My hubby and I are just getting into the enjoyment of pate and this one was good. And even though the salmon was a mistake, it tasted heavenly.

We then ordered cups of soup and most looked forward to the Tuscan white bean and bacon, only to be told after our order was taken that only three cups remained of the soup du jour. Butternut Squash Bisque became the substitute. The bean soup offered a lot of bacon flavor, but was distressingly short of beans. The bisque was decent, but laced with cinnamon and a bit too sweet.

Paninis rounded out the evening and were very satisfying.

As always, the company made the evening stellar, but The Barrel Thief was a bit off kilter.

Hess Collection Mount Veeder 19 Block Cuvée - 2005

Hess Collection Mount Veeder 19 Block Cuvée - 2005




I have now had this wine twice at The Barrel Thief ($9 a glass and $27 a bottle). The blend is superb with a hearty mouth feel. It's the taste that comes to my mind when a Napa meritage is mentioned.



And The Barrel Thief's price is great. The Hess website sells it for $36.

From The Barrel Thief to Brazil

Thursday evening and we found ourselves stepping out on the town once again. First of all, I received a last-minute invite from colleagues to join them at The Barrel Thief in Short Pump for wine and nibbles. I had never experienced the place and eagerly accepted. Wines by the glass ranged in price from $6 - $14 (12 choices in all). The best part was the option of tasting up to two wines before choosing what would be imbibed. I loved this feature! I tasted a 2005 Brouilly ($12 a glass) and a 2005 Hess Mt. Veeder Cabernet blend ($9 a glass). In the end I went with the hearty cab (well-deserved after a day at work!) All wines were also available by the bottle.

To nibble we sampled the local mixed green salad with a light lemon basil vinaigrette ($6), roasted garlic white bean dip with crostini ($6), a cheese sampler that featured a soft goat cheese with truffle ($10), and a sliced baguette with extra virgin olive oil and a balsamic reduction for dipping ($2). All yummy. I especially liked the goat cheese. The slice looked a bit like brie with the rind (which I simply cannot eat), but The Thief did not offer anything so offensive, thank goodness.

The Barrel Thief features bread from The Flour Garden and microgreens from Manakintowne Specialty Growers. When I return (with hubby in tow, hopefully) other delectable offerings, besides the wine, include Teriyaki Tenderloin ($14), Serrano Ham and Manchego Panini ($8), and Nutella and Pound Cake Panini ($5). I am now salivating over the opening of the second Thief on Patterson.

After laughter and conversation at The Barrel Thief I hooked up with my spouse and we travelled further north to Ashland Coffee and Tea to hear a wonderful Brazilian jazz group – Quatro na Bossa. Folks – go see them. They are playing a couple of times at Havana ’59 in September. The sultry vocals of Laura Ann Boyd spread an infectiously happy samba fever to the entire audience. We finished the evening with an espresso milkshake.

Yes, I had quite a lovely evening and you are free to be envious.