menu changes 9.11.13

Menu Changes 9.11.13

I.                    MEATS

a.        What came off: Coppa, Porchetta di Testa, Salame Calabrese

b.       Ventresca

                                                               i.      Italian style pork belly. Made in-house, sliced thin.

                                                              ii.      Ventresca means belly. This is a very luscious meat.

c.        Wild Boar Cacciatorini

                                                               i.      Made in house, half boar, half domestic pig.

                                                              ii.      Cacciatorini is an Italian salami known as “hunter salami.”  It is a small, rustic salami that was carried by hunters on their excurions to be eaten as a meal/snack.

                                                            iii.      It is a very autumnal salami. Its made with juniper, allspice, nutmeg, and a little cayenne.

d.       Coppa di Testa

                                                               i.      Made in house using a pig’s head. All of the head is used, excluding the brain and eyes.

                                                              ii.      Style of salami common in Rome and Central Italy. Made using pig head. The meat is cut coarsely and put into casing and sliced thinly.

                                                            iii.      The meat is raw when it put into an artificial casing. This is then slow cooked and the artificial casing is removed.

II.                  CHEESE

a.        What came off: Peccorino, Montcabrer, Fontina, Casatica

b.       Manchego de Corcuerca

                                                               i.      Semi- hard sheep’s milk cheese from La Mancha, Spain.

                                                              ii.      Corcuera is a leading manchego producer in La Mancha.

                                                            iii.      This cheese is aged for 3 months, so it is still on the fresher side for a manchego, it is also not as firm as other varieties of this cheese.

                                                            iv.      Rich, buttery, young, moist, and slightly sweet.

                                                              v.      Pair with medium body reds and acidic round outs (like the mostarda.)

 

c.        Comte

                                                               i.      Raw (unpasteurized) cow’s milk, semi hard, Alpine, from Jura Mountain range in France

                                                              ii.      This is the French answer to Grueyere. Probably the most popular cheese in France.

                                                            iii.      This is a versatile, slightly funky cheese

                                                            iv.      Pair with a brown ale.

d.       Dorset

                                                               i.      Raw ( unpasteurized) cow’s milk cheese, semi soft, from West Pawlet, Vermont.

                                                              ii.      This is a washed rind cheese, therefore it is on the softer side and has some stank to it. It is roughly based on Taleggio.

1.       This cheese is aged and allowed to dry out a bit. This intensifies the flavor and also makes it firmer than other washed rind cheeses.

                                                            iii.      It is rich, buttery, earthy, nutty, farmy, and stinky.

                                                            iv.      Pair with a stout, cider or the Jacobins Rouge.

e.       Pantaleo

                                                               i.      Goat’s milk, hard, from Sardinia, Italy.

                                                              ii.      This is a smooth, firm, drier cheese. It is clean, herbaceous, lemony, floral, and a bit sweet.

                                                            iii.      Pair with lighter white wines, like Vermentino, or light red wines.

III.                ROUND OUTS

a.        What came off: stone fruit mostarda, charred romano beans

b.       Grape Mostarda

                                                               i.      The word Mostarda has the root “mosto” which means “grape must” in Italian.  Traditionally unfermented grape juice is used.

                                                              ii.      Grape on grape on grape. This mostarda is made with red wine, fresh grape juice, and red wine. Red and cotton candy grapes are used, cotton candy grapes add a pleasant sweetness. Mustard oil and seed are added along with honey, the mixture is thickened with pectin.

c.        Mushroom Conserva

                                                               i.      Conserved variety of mushrooms that are lightly pickled in sherry vinegar and tossed in olive oil, fresh thyme, chili flake.

                                                              ii.      White beach, chatrelle, oyster, and cremini mushrooms are used.

 

IV.                STARTERS

a.        What came off: Herbs and Lettuces, Prosciutto and Melon, Burrata, Mussels (new set up)

b.       Pear and Pecorino Salad

                                                               i.      Dairy and nut allergy.

                                                              ii.      Features baby kale, toasted hazelnuts, black pepper.

                                                            iii.      Pecorino Romano is used. This is a bold, hard sheep milk cheese. It is much stronger than the pecorino di Pienza.

                                                            iv.      The pears are compressed with ginger.

                                                              v.      It is served with Pecorino dressing that is made by combining the cheese and olive oil.

c.        Ribollita Soup

                                                               i.      Mis with a spoon, cannot be made vegetarian

                                                              ii.      Features house made Stracciatella and Nduja.

                                                            iii.      Very traditional Tuscan soup that translates to “re-boiled.” It is a Tuscan bean and bread soup. It is called “reboiled” because day old bread would be used to make the soup. This is a great summer to fall transition dish.

                                                            iv.      There are four types of beans: lentils, coco beans, cannolini, and chickpeas.  The bean, mirepoix (carrots, onion, celery), and swiss chard are all cooked with pork stock.

                                                              v.      Nduja is not made in house. Nduja (en-doo-shya) is a spicy, spreadable, lightly smoked pork sausage from Calabria in Southern Italy.  It is made of pork pork fat, and chiles. It is loosely based on Andouille sausage from France.

d.       Maine Mussels

                                                               i.      Mis with a spoon, and bowl for shells.

                                                              ii.      Features corn, fingerling potatoes, and pork belly.

                                                            iii.      Mussels will be served in the shell, in a broth, with bread.

                                                            iv.      The pork belly is confit’d, smoked, then cut to look like bacon. It will have a much different texture than bacon, however.

                                                              v.      The broth is made of mussel stock, white wine, and a little cream and butter.

V.                  MAINS

a.        What came off: hanger steak, pork tasting (new set up)

b.       Local Bass “Acqua Pazza”

                                                               i.      Features: tomato broth, fennel, leeks, caper berries

                                                              ii.      Mis with spoon

                                                            iii.      Acqua pazza means “crazy water” in Italian.

                                                            iv.      The fish will be on top of fregola sarda, leeks, charred pearl onions, caper berries, fennel, and lemon argumato.

1.       Argumato comes from Southern Italy. Lemons are pressed with olive during the olive oil making process. It is not an infused or flavored oil.

2.       Fregola sardo is a short, ball-shaped pasta from Sardinia, ITA. It is similar to Israeli cous cous. The fregola will be toasted, which brings out a nutty flavor.

3.       Capers are pickled buds, caper berries are the fruit that the buds will eventually mature into. They are pickled as well.

4.       Leeks are part of the onion/garlic family.

                                                              v.      A tomato broth will be poured tableside.

c.        Pork Tasting

                                                               i.      Mis with a spoon and a steak knife

                                                              ii.      Features: roasted grapes, swiss chard, cauliflower

                                                            iii.      This is a play on a classic Italian dish of grapes and sausage.

                                                            iv.      Swiss chard is 1) sautéed 2) the stems are pickled.

                                                              v.      Cauliflower is 1) pureed 2) the florets are seared.

                                                            vi.      There will be a selection of grape varieties. Grapes will be roasted in the sauce for the dish.

1.       Currently, there are champagne grapes, concord grapes, and cotton candy grapes.

                                                           vii.      There will be a broth-like sauce (hence the need for a spoon.) The sauce will be made of white wine, Banyal’s vinegar, and pork jus.

1.       Banyal’s vinegar is from a coastal town in Southern France known for a slightly sweet wine made from Grenache.  These grapes are used to make vinegar that is aged for 4-6 years in oak barrels.  The vinegar is slightly sweet, slightly bitter, and nutty.

2.       Pork Jus is reduced pork stock and drippings.

                                                         viii.      The dish is finished with grapenuts to impart texture.

1.       Grapenuts are made from grapes, nor are they made from nuts.

2.       Grapenuts are made from malted barley flour, barley syrup, and a bit of yeast.

VI.                PIZZAS

a.        What came off: Tartufata

b.       Tarte Flambee

                                                               i.      This is a classic Alsatian Pizza (Alsace is in Eastern France, adjacent to Germany and Switzerland) particularly from Strasburg which borders Germany. The German name for this pizza is Flammenkushen.

                                                              ii.      It is made with crème fraiche, bacon lardons and onions lightly sautéed in rendered bacon fat. Lardons are small strips or cubes of fat.

                                                            iii.      The base of the pizza is the garlic-crème fraiche base.

1.       Crème fraiche is French sour cream. It is less sour than US sour cream and has a higher fat content.