Hungry? I’m serving up a little Monday Munchies action with a big girl Barbaresco dinner. Soup’s on at La Contea in the Barbaresco village of Neive. Who’s in?

Buon Appetito!

La Contea
Address: Piazza Cocito, 8 Neive
Reservations: 0173-67126 or 0173-67558 or lacontea@la-contea.it

It was a typical Friday night in Piedmont: we had hungry bellies and a thirst for nebbiolo. Some friends had invited us to Neive for an all-inclusive Barbaresco dinner. If we must!

Dinner is one thing. La Contea served up a feast. Get a load of this spread of traditional Piemontese dishes. All the food, wine, and limitless water, 35 euros a head. WHAT?!

Antipasti:

Yums: Salume del buon norcino (good Butcher’s sausage) + Veal Battuta (Piemontese veal with tuna sauce) + Lingua in salsa dell’ortolano (calf tongue in sauce) + Capricciosa alla neivese (raw beef with olive oil) + insalata russa (russian salad)
Wine Pairing: 2012 Bimba Langhe Favorita (white)

Primi:

Yums: Piccoli ravioli accomodati alle tre carni (small ravioli with three meats)
Wine Pairing: 2012 Langhe Nebbiolo Fiulin Biologico

Secondi:

Yums: Arrosto umido con i profumi ed i sapori del nostro orto (roast veal and roast lamb stewed with garden herbs, sides of polenta and carrots)
Wine Pairing: 2010 Serragrilli Barbaresco Biologico

Formaggio:

Yums: Selection of cheeses with cognà (sauce made of grape must. See ABC Guide to Piedmont Wine for details).
Wine Pairing: 2007 Serragrilli Barbaresco

Parting Gift:

Ha, not only did the Barbaresco dinner fill our tummies and wow our taste buds, but La Contea sent us on our merry way with a box a piece. Inside, a bottle of Barbaresco. For real. It almost feels like they paid us to eat there – four courses, three wines, and a bottle for the road. Yeah. Check this place out – and hit ’em up when they do their all-inclusive meals. What a deal.

Well, that’s all she wrote (and ate!) Have a great week, y’all. Eat good food. Drink good wine. Drop a note with on your favorite munchies and pairings of the week!

V-dawg OUT.

In honor of the first installment of Monday Munchies, let’s get Manic!

Song Pick! Manic Monday, The Bangles