San Wine del Sur

Food News

Nicaraguan Artesenal Beer Festival 2017

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What a great party the Annual Nicaraguan Craft Beer Festival turned out to be.  The port was a perfect venue for the event with the tasting tables under the large covered space in the middle of the complex. There was plenty of room to roam around the place and the backdrop of San Juan del Sur at night was delightful.  The festival pulled in people from around the country as I ran into friends from Managua, Popoyo, Rivas and I´m sure other places were represented.  The main crowd was from San Juan del Sur and we all had a blast drinking, talking and laughing our way through the afternoon.

Lots of beer to taste (18) and it was good beer!  Every producer had something I REALLY liked, at least one.  The Campo table had a stout the was unique and emphasized chocolate and coffee which they infuse into the beer, nicely done.  It reminded me of a sauce that I think can be coaxed into an amazing steak sauce.  The Carreta Nagua folks had a trigueña (blond) that was smooth and full of flavor.  Thier other beers (peli roja and the dark beer) were also excellent.  Martin from Porteña, produced in San Juan del Sur, showed off his line with my favorite being their deep yet smooth dark ale.  I really enjoyed Erdmans from Ticuantepe.  The brewmaster is German and it’s obvious he is passionate about his beers.  Thankfully he color codes his bottles because by the time I got to him I could just remember the colors, not the names.  His red label, a stout I believe, was perhaps my favorite beer of the festival.  A rich beer with unique flavors that were perfectly integrated.  The blue and Green ones were dynamite also.  Moropotente had an enormous booth and impressive list of beers including a Green beer which was my least favorite from them.  Their dark scotch was great as always but they had a bunch of new ones I had never tried which were all fantastic.  They represented different styles from lagers to ales.  My architect friend Jeff noted how cool their booth was using kegs and boards tied together to make the bar.  Very functional and great looking.  San Juan Cerveceria had a big booth also and a nice selection.  I liked their panga drop and bang something or other.  A hoppy beer with a lot of floral notes and an enormous finish.  Their mango beer was deeelicious.

The food stands were conveniently located on a side parking lot.  They did not disappoint with Kenny from Wrap n roll serving up some outrageous noodle bowls.  My wife had the chicken bowl and she was very happy, even let me try some.  I also tried the bratwurst from the cerveceria, what can I say good beer and good bratwurst – perfect.  Taco Spot had their truck churning out their goods to a line of folks and Ceviche express served up another classic beer food.

As the night went on the bands hit the stage (Ciclo and Revuelta Sonora) and put on some colorful shows.  Pirata took the stage and grooved us with ¨mas cerveza para la cabeza¨ and a lot of cool ass rhythms.  The metal rock band was heavy but tight.  Good solid latin rock.  Hard but rhythmic, I liked them a lot and thought they were a good addition to the musical menú.  Everyone was really happy by the end of the night as I ran into Bobby from the Cerveceria and let him know how epic the party was.  Cant wait till the next one.

  • Celebs from Managua and Yessenia

The Marriage of Food and Wine

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A good pairing of wine and food will elevate the flavor of both. It is a trick of the senses. A combination of contrasting or complimenting flavors that fit well with each other and make the other taste better. Like a good marriage one brings out the best qualities of the other. There is harmony within contrast and the total experience is greater than the individual parts. A good pairing of wine and food is a wonderful thing.
 
Some foods match better with certain wines. Sauvignon Blanc and fish for example is a classic pairing. Beef and Cabernet Sauvignon is another. There are endless combinations and some basic rules. Wines high in alcohol pair better with rich foods, light bodied wines match well with milder dishes, whites with white fish and poultry and red wines with red meat. These are basic guidelines but the thing to remember is this: does the food make the wine taste better (and visa versa)? If it does then you have a good match. Nicaragua does not grow wine (wine grapes can only grow in certain latitudes) but has a fantastic selection of fruits, vegetables, seafood and meats.

The food offerings in restaurants are getting more divers and sophisticated and a wine culture is emerging. Events like the San Juan del Sur Food and Wine Series, The Wine Store’s annual Feria de Vino and wine events in Granada and Managua are expanding awareness of using wine with food. As this trend continues the pairings will get better. As restaurateurs realize how a good pairing can elevate the dining experience they will pay more attention to the wines they serve and how they match with their foods. The important thing is to have fun trying different combinations as you discover great food and wine pairings.

What flavors do you crave?

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Although there isn’t a lack of a variety of foods in San Juan del Sur there are some major flavors missing.  Where is the Tandoori Chicken and fantastic vegetarian dishes that make up Indian food? Where is the good Thai restaurant in the country?  How about a great steak house (this is beef country ya know)!  The good news is that folks are constantly moving here and many have the idea of opening a restaurant.   Hopefully some Indians and Thai persons will be inspired to live here.  What food would you add to the list of flavors available here?

On the good side Italian food is beautifully and abundantly represented starting with San Juan Pizzeria, La Vecchia Signora Pizza, La Terraza Restaurant, Cafe Mediterraneo, Mangia Mangia Italian Fast Food and Superfrutto Gerlateria.  Spainsh food also has a couple of versions and price levels starting with El Meson Espanol and the very reasonable el bocadito. Other foods including sushi, asian noodle bowls, gourmet burgers, raw vegan, Mexican and wide variety of seafood are available if you happen to crave them.

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Palermo Tasting Video

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A brief account of our fist tasting.  Villas de Palermo was the scene of the event as the crowd enjoyed pour after pour with some appetizers in between.  All had fun at this casually elegant event which made everyone wonder, “why didnt we do this before”.  The tasting started a thirst for this type of event that continues on to this day as an anticipated night of wine, food and fun.

2015 – Transformations and a Rising Star

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The ever changing restaurant scene in San Juan del Sur saw some transformations, successes and farewells during 2015.  Chinese Restaurant Red Dragon transformed itself in El Sabor which promises a varied buffet of excellent dishes all reasonably priced.  La crepe dropped of the scene halfway through the year and remained a clothing store and coffee shop.

 

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New entries into the scene are two smoothy stalls.  Seems like everyone just became aware that natural juices are good for you (perhaps profitable) and want to join the party.   Fast food Italiian Mangia Mangia is an interesting new option with a beautiful and original variety of italian goodies all reasonably priced and ready for immediate consumption.

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G&G Gourmet switched from a closed restaurant concept where you have to reserve and the menu is pri-fixed to a walk in restaurant (you can still reserve) with a varied menu.  The excellence of the food remains high as cooking duo Gabriel and Gabriela enjoy a well deserved success.  The food and wine pairing event on May 27, 2015 was a big hit as the lucky crowd enjoyed beautifully executed and presented dishes that were carefully paired with excellent wines.

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