Right next door to Dolce Vita in Fairfax, a new business has opened.  It’s part wine shop, part neighborhood hangout, part restaurant, and all good.  If you love happy hour, but hate eating the disgustingly greasy fare most bars serve up, try Dolce Veloce.  With sommelier and restaurateur Joe Ricciardi at the helm, the variety and quality of the wines has been chosen by an expert nose and palette.  The food has the same discerning taste applied.  As Joe says, “The best chefs, they recognize flavors.  Like with pairings; you pair them for a reason, not just because you say so…  Once you know the flavors, the rest is easy.”  And Joe should know, having owned his first restaurant at age 18.

When you walk into the wine bar, note the large honeycomb wall.  The clay tiles keep the wines at optimum temperature.  Dolce Veloce specializes in wines—over 300 of them—and small plates called cicchetti.  Wines start at $5.99 per glass, but that’s not the best part.  If you fall in love with a wine, Dolce Veloce sells the bottles at wholesale cost.  If you really, really love the wine, you can even buy it by the case, as many of Joe’s regulars do.  Furthermore, Joe reserves a private wine refrigerator for off-menu wines, and he keeps it full.  If you’re looking for a wine that’s special, different, or rare, Dolce Veloce can accommodate you.  And just in case you aren’t partial to wine (you know who you are), Dolce Veloce also serves beers and liquor.  A double-sided specialty mixed drink menu completes the bar offerings.

As for the cicchetti, the prices range from $2.75 to $10.99.  This is not the less-than-appealing plate of pre-frozen appetizers deep fried to order.  I sampled seven different items, all fresh and delicious.  To begin, Joe cut a cacciatorini — made in Brooklyn — at the table while explaining that the name for the little salami comes from the hunters who would carry them in their pockets while hunting.  The little slices were about the same size as a fifty-cent piece and the taste was amazing.  Joe also brought bresaola to the table, which is very thinly sliced cured meat.  It practically melted in my mouth, and it’s imported from Italy.  Joe explained that the meats are cured in what amounts to huge closets lined with wood.

After the sliced meats, a parade of food made its way to the table.  I tried the arancini first.  Traditionally when made in Sicily, these rice balls are about the size of a baseball and have a meat filling.  The Dolce Veloce version is about the size of a ping pong ball and the rice and meat are mixed together, then the ball is rolled in breadcrumbs and fried.  The outside was slightly crispy while the inside was soft and well-seasoned.  Marinara sauce completed the dish with a little zip.

The next dish I tried was the Panini Romano, which was served on the house-made foccacia.  The grilled chicken had been marinated, and the spinach added a nice crispness.  The sandwich also contained one of my favorite foods: roasted red peppers.  A little fontina cheese, which had melted very nicely, added the perfect finish.  The bread had a good crispy crust from the press, and magically, all the ingredients stayed in the sandwich.  Since the Panini are only $6.99, they are the perfect quick lunch.

Next, I tried Seppia Ligure, which is cuttlefish served over slices of roasted potatoes.  I had never had cuttlefish before, but I can guarantee I would order it here again.  For the uninitiated, the texture is similar to scallops, but a little firmer.  The simple seasonings and olive oil enhanced the fresh-fish flavor, and the warm potatoes were an excellent complementary food.  If you or someone you know is skittish about trying cuttlefish, try it at Dolce Veloce.

The dish I tried next was the most amusing way to serve food that I’ve seen in awhile.  The pizza cone looks like a waffle cone, but it’s stuffed with cheese and meat.  Well, actually there are four varieties; I tried the sausage and pepperoni style and it truly was like eating a large piece of pizza rolled up.  The sauce, cheese and meats were high-quality and delicious, like everything else, but it only costs $6.99.  If you’re out with the kids and want a quick snack, the pizza cone is definitely the way to go.  Since the crust wraps around the filling, a grown-up can eat and look dignified at the same time.

The last dish I sampled was the rollatine di zucchini.  Essentially, zucchini is thinly sliced lengthwise, wrapped around a variety of cheeses and baked.  The taste is fantastic.  Since the ingredients are fresh, it’s easy to taste the different cheeses.  Rolling them up in zucchini is a great idea since the vegetable does well with a number of cooking methods.  The dish was finished with marinara sauce and had a little basil sprig for garnish.  Since I love zucchini, this dish was easy to love.

I highly recommend visiting Dolce Veloce for wine shopping.  Stay for the food and have a drink before dinner.  Better yet, come in after date night and grab a little dessert.  Have some really good and fresh food for lunch without breaking your wallet.  This little space has so many facets that you’ll be coming back again and again — for something different each time.

-TKW (Tiffany)