Wine Down Wednesday at Council Oak, Seminole Hard Rock Tampa

Before I moved to Tampa, I had a standing girls night - every Wednesday night, my friends and I would either go out to eat together or cook dinner at one of our houses. Four years later, this tradition is one of the things I miss most from home. Upon moving here, my friends were replaced by my husband Gabe who wasn't always thrilled about going out for martini's or wine on Wednesday nights. Eventually Wednesday nights out came to a halt - until now.....

Seminole Hard Rock's Council Oak Lounge introduced Wine Down Wednesday a few weeks ago and I have a feeling this will become a weekly tradition for us. This isn't your typical house wine ladies night promotion either. There is a large selection of wines for $10 a glass that are generally only available by the bottle. Some of the wines found on the menu go for $80+ a bottle at Seminole Hard Rock. The wines offered include: Chalone Chardonnay, Chateau St Michelle Eroica Reisling, Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc, Dynamite Cabernet, Casalvento Janus Cabernet, Flora Springs Trilogy, Chalone Syrah, Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir, Chateau Greysac Medoc, Wente Crane Ridge Merlot

Along with the $10 glasses of amazing wine, you will also find $10 plates. Yes you read this right - all Wine Down Wednesday menu items are only $10. Gabe and I decided to try out a few from the menu and a few glasses of wine. Since we were sitting in Council Oaks lounge, we also got to hear live music.

The first thing we ordered was the Charcuterie Board. I have a weakness for cheese and meats and am accustom to spending $20 on a board. For only $10, this was a no-brainer. The board included cheddar, smoked gouda, goat cheese, Spanish chorizo, Italian salami, Serrano ham and honeycomb.

The second item we ordered for an appetizer was Barbecue Oysters. This dish consisted of four oysters topped with Carolina barbecue sauce and Council Oak Bacon.

There were a few options for sandwiches, including the most amazing sliders I have ever tried. Not surprising, being Council Oak Lounge offers one of my top three favorite burgers in town. The miniature version of that glorious burger did not disappoint. A house mixture of aged beef, cheddar cheese and topped with caramelized onions.  Holy wow. I may have to order these every single Wednesday.

When we saw the Mini Cheese Steaks on the menu, each offering a different type of meat, we had to order them. This dish was not easy to photograph so not only is it a bit fuzzy, you are unable to see that this is three different mini-cheese steaks - Filet & Provolone, Rib Eye -Gruyere and NY Strip-Aged Cheddar.

On my second trip to Wine Down Wednesday with my friend Nicholas of Never Have I Ever Tampa, we duplicated much of mine and Gabe's night, subbing the cheese steaks for the Grilled NY Strip Flat Bread. The sliders were just as good - if not better this time around and still stand firm as my favorite item on the menu.

Other items on Seminole Hard Rock's Wine Down Wednesday menu are: Bruschetta, Council Oak Chips with Blue Cheese and Truffle Oil, Grilled NY Strip Flat Bread and Ybor City Crab Croquets. Reservations are not required for Wine Down Wednesday and this promotion is available from 4:00pm to 9:00pm on Wednesday's, in case you didn't catch that already :)