It was one of the most memorable meals we've ever had. Part food, part experience and part occasion - our 12th Anniversary.It all started with a chilled glass of Prosecco as we were browsing the menu (although she didn't I know I read that menu about 10 times as I was prepping for this special dinner). And after a few minutes, we decided to order the four-course-prix-fixe. My wife's first course was grilled polpo; a crusty yet tender octopus on a bed of roasted fingerling potatoes, pickled onions and tonnato sauce. You all know how hard it is to cook octopus, but this one was certainly perfect. On the other side of the table, I was delighted with my gambero rosso, a prawn cooked slightly translucent with a light aioli, chopped sopressata and fried chick peas. It was the perfect combination of texture, flavor and beautiful plating. As the night went by, we got to know our server who lived in Sicily for a while and who didn't have any problem adding commentary to our meal - it certainly made our dinner even more special. Not to mention the crisp Vermentino that arrived as our first course ended.
Take two was pasta, ahh! I can still smell it. My wife ordered Gramigna prepared in a Sicilian style. The pasta, a short curly one with amazing texture, was dressed with preserved tuna, tomatoes, capers and raisins. My mushroom Risotto was creamy and aromatic. The only thing that would have made it better - truffle shavings. After we started dreaming about going to Sicily, stimulated by great flavors memories of our last trip to Italy, more inspiration showed up to our table. Hers, roasted bay scallops with chestnut ragu and porcini; mine, a perfectly grilled swordfish. A demi-glass of nero d'avola was our best friend right before we went to dessert lane.
Our new friend offered us the perfect sweet ending to the meal, a glass of brachetto, a slightly sweet and sparkling wine from Piemonte. The first sip made me pause and reflect about the great flavors we had experienced that night. The second sip was happily interrupted by two great desserts: a rosemary panna cotta with roasted fig ice cream and a gianduja with hazelnut chocolate and fior di latte ice cream.
Sometimes food is like a play, where every act has a purpose, where there's a main character that blends it altogether. In this 'play' the protagonist was...everyone's intention. Everything that night had a purpose just like if all the parts were in sync to celebrate our anniversary.
