I tasted and drank the MOST FORKING AMAZING things in Napa California. I’ve been to Napa many times over the years and have been to many of the restaurants and many of the wineries. But Napa doesn’t stay the same. Wineries and some restaurants come and go. Many smaller wineries are getting sold to large wineries. I also noticed that there is a new more hip Napa now. Tasting have gone up dramatically in prices in Napa. Not all but many tasting rooms now are lounges with servers instead of bars you taste at.
This isn’t your grandpa’s Napa Tasting Room (The Prisoner). They seat you here and serve you some dip with crackers. (tasting was around $45.00)
Even old school wineries like Trefethen have converted to the new hip modern way.
Trefethen
(Clos du val)
Some tasting rooms are also show rooms for goods. We did a tasting at a Ralph Lauren Showroom. I did my tasting sitting on a $7,605.00 leather chair. (Trident Wines)
Ralph Lauren….and the $7,605.00 chair.
But not every tasting room is multi million dollar building.
The finest wine I tasted came from this bare bones shack and it was called Pina. Not only was the wine the finest the tasting fee was also the cheapest ($20.00 a tasting)
The Food
Protea a casual Caribbean-Latin-Global order at the counter restaurant with a daily changing menu.
Torc – a new American restaurant. Highly recommended by the locals but what drew me in was that truffles were on the menu.
The Silverado Trail is without restaurants so if one is doing those wineries chances are that you will do a stop at the Oakville Grocery.
Bistro Jeanty serves classic French Foods.
The Acacia House by Top Chef Master Chris Cosentino is in a renovated victorian mansion. They serve Californian Cuisine that’s bold yet refined.
La Calenda is a casual Oaxaco Mexican Restaurant that is part of the Thomas Keller Group.
Gott’s Roadside is a casual American Eatery with several locations.
Bottega is an Italian Restaurant by celebrity chef Micheal Chiarello.
Addendum is only open Thursday – Saturday for lunch (11:00-2:00) and is by Chef Thomas Keller. They only serve three different boxed lunches with changing sides. It has been said by many publications that the fried chicken is the best in the country.
That was just a taste….here are some pictures to savor.
This was just a little taste of where the FORK I’ve been……..Napa California.
We go out to eat regularly and sometimes my husband will order the meatloaf or meatballs. He always tells me that this meatloaf or meatballs isn’t as good as yours. He doesn’t say it to be nice because he isn’t that way. I don’t know why many ….most…….(BUT NOT ALL)……restaurants serve FORKING AWFUL meatloafs and meatballs that have a bad texture or just aren’t flavored correctly or both problems ………I guess I’ve been making meatloaves and meatballs a bunch of times for lots of years so I can make them in my sleep. Anyways Sprouts Market had a sale on Ground Turkey with $1.99 a lb for three lb. packages and Frys Grocery Store had all kinds of fresh herbs on sale for .59 cents a package so I made individual meatloafs (meatloaves is also correct spelling…I looked it up). The meatloafs freeze well. I like to have meatloafs and meatballs in my freezer so I have a quick easy meal sometimes. I didn’t write down the exact measurements for the sauce I made. I always use either my slow cooked (6 hours) peeled tomatoes that come out very sweet or Italian canned tomatoes. I do usually but not always add a squirt of ketchup, a glug of Worcestershire and a big dash of Franks Red Hot Sauce. Not today but sometimes I add Korean Red Pepper Paste or Jamaican Picapeppa Sauce to the tomatoes for a different taste. These meatloafs come out Flavorful, Moist and Delicious and the extras will freeze and reheat very well. This recipe makes 19.5 meatloafs.
Ingredients for 19 servings
3 lbs ground turkey 85% lean
5.5 oz. shallots – fine chopped
1 celery rib – fine chopped
1 carrot – fine chopped
1/2 red pepper – fine chopped
1 fresno pepper – fine chopped
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons vegetable base (for flavor and to use less salt)
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon course sea salt
6 eggs – lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 oz fresh basil leaves – well chopped
1/2 oz fine snipped fresh chives
3 cups whole wheat panko bread crumbs
4 Tablespoons water (or turkey stock or turkey drippings if you have any…today I used water and it was enough)
non stick spray
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Get a fry pan on medium high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot add the shallots, celery, carrot, red pepper and Fresno pepper. Cook a few minutes and then stir in the soup base, salt and pepper. Cook till soft and take off the heat and put to the side.
In a BIG mixing bowl add the turkey, eggs, herbs, panko and water mix well. When the fry pan contents with the shallots is cool add them to the turkey mix and mix well.
Spray your baking sheets with non stick spray. Get out a scale and measure 4 ounces of meatloaf mix and make individual meatloafs. Fill up your baking sheets till you are done. You should have 19 and one 1/2 meatloafs.
Put them in the oven till they are done. (should be about 20 minutes).
Serve with a traditional or non-traditional meatloaf sauce. I like slow cooked tomatoes or Italian canned tomatoes spiked with ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and Franks Hot Sauce. The meatloafs will be Flavorful, Moist and Delicious!
Flavorful, Moist, Delicious Turkey Meatloaf The Forking Truth
There’s a NEW permanent flavor of M&M’s out there and it’s Hazelnut Spread. The M&M’s colors are the traditional ones of yellow, orange, green, blue, red and brown with the usual smooth shiny finish.
The bag is a little weird looking if you’re not paying attention.
Honest to GOD I thought the Blue M was holding a Poop emoji……but maybe I need bifocals now so maybe it’s just me?????
I start by opening the bag and take in a big sniff.
It smells like chocolate.
Pour some out and take a bite to see the center.
They do look a little different with a lighter center.
I eat a couple……..
The texture is different and these M&M’s have a soft center…..at first they don’t taste so different from regular M&M’s. They seem like regular M&M’s but that are oddly soft…….and a faint hazelnut aftertaste.
Then I let one dissolve in my mouth…..At first not any different with the same hard sweet shell. Then I taste the familiar chocolate……Oddly it isn’t till I’m almost done I get the hazelnut….followed by a little salt.
These Hazelnut Spread M&M’s are better to savor than to eat…..
Now if you let them dissolve real SUPER SLOW…….Shell melts….next goes the soft chocolate….next you are left with all hazelnut center that oddly seems slightly harder than really soft chocolate……You definitely get the hazelnut best when you eat them this way….
If you are just eating the M&M’s like a normal person……. The hazelnut flavor is a very good and natural flavor but I wish the hazelnut flavor wasn’t so late to the party. Can’t taste it till the M&M is almost gone and then the hazelnut hit comes followed by a light touch of salt.
************Unless you let these M&M’s dissolve slow as can be you won’t get all the hazelnut flavor.********** (well at least from the bag I tried)
Those were my Forking Thoughts on the Hazelnut Spread M&M’s…..Your opinion and thoughts may indeed differ.
Cauliflower is a blank slate. No other vegetable is as versatile as cauliflower. I came up with this recipe after I made a batch of potato salad with slightly similar flavors so here it is.
Ingredients for about 8 servings
1 large cauliflower – broke down to florets and in a large bowl
1 apple – cut in cubes (about the size of two green peas)
3 Tablespoons dijon mustard
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons hot sauce (preferably Frank’s Red Hot)
1 Tablespoon paprika
fresh ground sea salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons scallions – sliced thin
Directions
Set oven to 375 degrees F
To your big bowl of cauliflower add the apples and set to the side.
In a small mixing bowl add the mustard. With either a fork or a whisk drizzle in the oil and whisk till the mixture emulsifies. Slowly stir in the vinegar until it combines. Slowly stir in the hot sauce until it combines. Drizzle the mixture over the big bowl of cauliflower. Mix well till it looks evenly coated. Add the paprika and stir some more.
Spread the mixture out on baking sheet(s) and put in the oven till the edges start to brown and the cauliflower is tender. (30-45 minutes) I did mine on three 1/2 baking sheets and maybe due to my oven’s uneven cooking mine were done in 30, 35 and 40 minutes.
Finish with salt and pepper to taste and a sprinkle of scallions.
Cauliflower & Apples with Paprika Dijon Vinaigrette
Dining Out with Dogs in Metro Phoenix is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started when my dog Louie came down with aggressive cancer and was only given a 3-6 month prognosis. Louie was also elderly so he couldn’t a lot but he did enjoy going out to eat so I took him out to eat as often as I could. Instead of the 3-6 month prognosis he made it another 17 months. Today I take my current dogs out to eat and they enjoy it.
There are several things to know before you dine out with dogs. Many restaurants in Metro Phoenix have dog patios but not all patios are dog friendly. Some patios are certified Dog Friendly. Most patios are not. Either way it’s always BEST to call a restaurant before showing up with your dog because you never know if the patio is booked for a party as they often are. It also BEST to dine with dogs at OFF TIMES. The restaurant needs your business more at off times. It’s also BEST to avoid other people and other dogs. It’s BEST to avoid as many people as possible because some people don’t share your love of dogs and some people are allergic to dogs and you can be asked to leave. It’s also best to avoid other dogs because dogs like to bark at each other and if the dogs start barking you might be asked to leave. For the reasons mentioned and more DINE AT OFF TIMES and try to avoid as other many people and dogs as possible.
There are some rules for Dining Out With Dogs. Dogs are to be by your side at all times. Dogs are NOT to sit on restaurant furniture or to eat or drink from restaurant plates or bowls. You also need to know that most food and drink that you consume can be harmful or TOXIC to your furry friend. You must consult your veterinarian on a food friendly list and a foods to avoid list. Usually a lean sauce free piece of meat is safe. DOGS are NOT as heat tolerant as you. Over 90 degrees F is too hot to dine out with dogs. All dogs just like people have a different tolerance to heat. Not all but most younger healthy dogs might be able to tolerate up to 90 degrees F BUT ONLY IN SHADE. When in doubt it’s best to leave your dog at home.
We are ready to dine out with dogs now!
I said enough and I’m turning The Forking Truth over to my dogs.
“We are on our way to Pita Kitchen in the Arrowhead Section of Glendale.”
“Pita Kitchen is a fast casual Mediterranean Greek Restaurant in Arrowhead in Glendale.”
“Our male human companion got the two meat plate of gyro and beef meat.”
“Our female human companion got the Greek Salad with a Chicken Kabab.” “I really love that chicken.” “It’s delicious meaty and always moist!” “We wait a long time for it because they cook it real slow and low to order.” “It takes like 25 minutes to get it.” “Our male human companion always says that he’s getting the chicken kabab next time but never does.”
“We Forking love Pita Kitchen especially the Chicken Kabab!”
www.PitaKitchen.net
“WOO HOO!” “We are on our way to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix”
“Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery is a PHO FREE Vietnamese Restaurant that specializes in serving the Banh Mi sandwich.” “They serve about a dozen different varieties of the Banh Mi.” “They also serve many different appetizers, salads, noodle bowls, rice plates, curry and MORE!”
“Today our male folk got the yummy oh so tender and delicious grilled pork rice plate.”
“Our female companion got the chicken and egg roll noodle bowl.” “GOSH that chicken smells good!”
“Move it runt!” “I gotta get chicken first!”
“We FORKING Love Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery! “It’s one of our favorites!”
www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com
“We are on way to Doda’s Pizza in Glendale!”
“Doda’s pizza is a little family owned pizza shop in North Glendale.” ” They got brand new patio furniture with umbrellas so we are checking it out.”
“YUM!” “I smell a cheesesteak and a pepper pizza.”
“I’m Forking Starving.”
“I need some cheesesteak and pizza now!”
“We enjoyed ourselves at Doda’s Pizza!”
www.DodasPizza.com
“We are on our way to Culver’s in Phoenix.”
“Culver’s is a national group of fast food restaurants that is well known for their signature never frozen beef butter burgers, hand battered Icelandic Cod and daily made fresh frozen custard.”
“My folks came here because they were hoping to get the limited walleye pike special that normally runs threw lent to Easter.”
“They are Forking out of walleye so we got hand battered cod and butter burgers and one was for us!”
“Ummmmm butter burgers!’
“The hand battered cod isn’t bad but it’s not as great as the walleye.” “The cod is less meaty and seems to soak up the oil a little more…but is not bad.”
“Can’t wait for my next bite.”
“Maybe someone will drop something?”
“We enjoyed our butter burger and the hand battered cod at Culver’s.”
www.Culvers.com
“That was Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix for April 2019.” “We hope the weather holds out for us because we like going out to eat!”
“We hope to see you next month!”
The Forking TruthIn Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017
Fabio on Fire is a small Italian Restaurant located in Peoria Arizona. This restaurant specializes in serving Neapolitan Style Pizzas, house prepared pastas, baked goods, house made gelato and more. Fabio himself is already established as a mobile pizza vender and bakery that sets up at farmers markets, events and various festivals. The restaurant offers some bar seating, a dining room and a patio.
They start you off with Fabio’s fresh baked crusty bread and olive oil spiked with balsamic vinegar.
We started out by sharing the wood roasted beets over goat cheese with peppery arugula.
It’s delicious…the beets are fresh and sweet. Arugula adds that slight bitterness to balance the sweet. That creamy milky goat cheese. It’s so delicious.
I ordered the bufalina pizza.
This pizza has all kinds of flavors going on. The crust is chewy, very thin but also crisp. The sauce is rich and also sweet from San Marzano Tomatoes. There’s spicy slightly bitter arugula against sweet reduced balsamic and really great bufala cheese dressed with nutty parmesan and olive oil. It works together so well. Another benefit is that the pizza seems very light because it’s so thin. Tonight I ate half and still had room for that amazing gelato.
My husband tried the sausage ravioli special.
The Ravioli are topped with a creamy sauce and fresh herbs and are packed with a generous amount of sausage.
One of the many must get dishes is the Strawberry Gelato from Fabio on Fire.
Trust me…….This is Forking Incredible!
Somehow he made strawberry taste better than strawberry….It’s like a glass of the best tasting strawberry you ever had…..In the past I also enjoyed the passionfruit flavor maybe just as much.
Another one of the must try dishes is the Spinach Ravioli in walnut sauce. (when they are offered)
WOW! Astonishingly great! I think the best ravioli I’ve ever tried anywhere.
A few of the other dishes we tried were- (there are more but I can’t find them)
Veal TortelliniDiavola
I have to say Fabio on Fire is Worth a Fork!
Worth a Fork!
www.FabioonFire.com
Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
I was pretty excited to try the new Cook’s Illustrated Hand Rolled Ravioli because I don’t use a pasta machine. I’ve made delicious ravioli before the more traditional way with a 50/50 semolina and flour recipe but my hand rolled ravioli always came out too thick. The Cook’s Illustrated Recipe is so good that it’s too easy to roll the dough TOO THIN….I had to patch some of my ravioli. But it’s a great recipe to I will do again for all kinds of things. I cut the Cook’s Illustrated recipe in half and made 30 small sized ravioli. I also changed up the filling because I had a lot of spinach at home and just added parmesan and a little provolone to my seasoned spinach. These Cook’s Illustrated Hand Rolled Ravioli are DA BOMB!
Ingredients for around 4 servings
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 oz spinach
1 oz onion – sliced paper thin
1 garlic – ground to paste or microplane
fresh ground sea salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
pinch crushed red pepper
2 egg (for dough)
3 yolks (for dough) (use an egg white to seal ravioli)
1.5 oz parmesan cheese – shredded (plus more for serving)
2oz mild provolone slices (2 slices)
1 cup ap flour (for dough) (King Arthur Brand Flour is recommended…..I used generic flour and I found that this wasn’t enough flour…..I needed around maybe a third a cup more…plus a small amount for rolling)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (for dough)
2 pinches sea salt (for dough) (salt is not in the Cook’s Illustrated recipe)
Directions
Put a big fry pan on medium high heat with 2 Tablespoons olive oil. add the onions, garlic, red pepper and the spinach and pack it down. Cover pan and let it go about a minute. Uncover and stir till all wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a colander to drain. Set to the side.
Make the dough. In a food processor add the eggs, flour (start with the recommendation of one cup), 1 Tablespoon oil, salt (if desired not a part of original recipe). Process about 45 seconds. You might need to make adjustments. If to thick to knead add 1/2 teaspoon of water. If dough is too sticky to knead (mine was) slowly add flour till it’s not sticky. *****SIDE NOTE*****my processor broke during this and I was able to mix the dough with a fork.
Roll the dough out cut either into squares or if you have a pasta cutter use it.
I rolled the dough out about 23 inches by about 15 inches. I had a pasta cutter so I used it and made 1/2 moons.
Each round of pasta got brushed with egg white so it will stick well.
To the spinach mixture mix in the parmesan cheese and insert a small piece of provolone and about 1/2 teaspoon of the drained spinach mixture. Fold and keep going till done. Save pasta scraps and cook them up at the end.
Gently boil the ravioli till they float in salted water.
Serve with tomato sauce (recipe for basic tomato sauce is on this site). Or brown butter with pine nuts or a creamy parmesan sauce.
Cook’s Illustrated Hand Rolled Ravioli
A Special THANKS to Cook’s Illustrated for coming up with a really great recipe!
Gourmet Roasted Potatoes with Fennel Shallots and Fresh Herbs
Ingredients are key sometimes to make something that taste amazing. You might know that even a simple radish will be very sharp tasting from the grocery store but from a farmers market it taste very sweet. Green Beans from the grocery often are very woody but green beans from the farmer’s market are so sweet and tender that they are incredible raw. Well I hit the jack pot when I found these gourmet red skin red flesh potatoes. They are different. These potatoes seem like low starch potatoes and turn super sweet and very buttery and creamy on their own. I knew I had to embellish them with shallots and fennel with not dry but fresh herbs for something so special. These potatoes look like red flesh when you cut them but do turn a purple color when you cook them.These potatoes are very easy to prepare and taste amazing. It will taste like something from a great restaurant. I WARN YOU TO WATCH OUT. These potatoes are so over the top delicious they will get inhaled fast. As soon as I made them I gave my husband a cup of them to try and he came in the kitchen to get more and warned me that he could finish the batch……..Portion size will vary.
Ingredients for around 6 portions
3 Tablespoons canola oil
2 lbs gourmet potatoes (I used red skin red fleshed #1b sized potatoes….other potatoes will taste different and may cook slightly different…….you can probably find the red skin yellow flesh potatoes that have a similar taste) – slice up or crinkle cut around 1/4 inch thick slices.
1 large fennel – remove core and tough outer. Slice about 1/4 inch slices (save a few fronds for garnishing)
4 oz shallots – peel – cut in 1/4 thick slices
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 spring fresh rosemary – chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh dill – chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley – chopped
1 Tablespoon scallions – chopped
1 teaspoon fresh basil – chopped
fresh ground sea salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
Directions set oven to 425 degrees F.
The sliced potatoes go in a big bowl with the canola oil and get mixed up till coated and go on baking sheets in a single layer.
The fennel gets tossed with 1 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and goes on a small baking sheet in a single layer.
The shallots go in a small mixing bowl and get mixed with the remaining olive oil and go onto a small sheet pan in a single layer.
Put the shallots and fennel on the lowest rack and fill the rest of the oven up with the potatoes in the hot preheated 425 degree F oven. Check on things while they are cooking because some racks will finish before other racks. In about 15 – 20 minutes everything should be done.
Use fresh ground sea salt and black pepper to your taste.
Put everything in a large bowl and gently add the fresh herbs.
Garnish with fennel fronds.
Serve.
Gourmet Roasted Potatoes with Fennel Shallots and Fresh Herbs
Everyone will enjoy these Forking SCRUMPTIOUS Potatoes.
FnB Restaurant is a contemporary restaurant located in the arts district of Scottsdale Arizona. They serve an ever changing innovative menu of farm focused, globally inspired cuisine that also showcases the most amazing vegetable dishes. FnB is not a vegetarian restaurant as meat dishes are offered. The atmosphere is formal but also casual. They offer a small patio and have linen topped tables and bar seating.
You might find things on the menu that you are not familiar with such as Farcous….(French Chard Fritters) or Caltuce…….(Obscure vegetable also called stem lettuce), Babna Cauda (warm hot Italian dip) and many more. No fear the menu will be explained to you.
It’s always difficult to decide on what to order because there are so many interesting plates that you would want to try. The menu is usually broken down to cold sharing plates, warm sharing plates and entrees. It’s best to share as much as you can. They start you off with locally made Noble bread and high quality olive that is so delicious it’s impossible to pass up.
We started out with the salad of crunchy radishes, dates, pumpkin seeds with caper anchovy dressing.
It’s looks beautiful and taste light and delicious. The radishes are not strong tasting like the ones from the store. Instead the radishes have more of a sweet flavor. What a great starter!
The next sharing plate is Salmon Gefilte Fish with Pickled Beets, Beet Horse Radish, Pickled Eggs and Buttered Matzo.
WOW! If all Gefilte Fish did taste like this everyone would like them. These are mild with a light texture and enhanced with fresh herbs, eggs are great, beet horseradish is delicious….the pickled betts are also really special…..They have a predominant flavor that I’m not familiar with that goes so well with beets……I think the flavor is a sort of liquor and question my waiter on what it is…..He doesn’t tell me so it’s secret. Love the beets.
Dinners arrives with our additional sharing plate of Corona Beans with Grilled Radicchio, Salsa Verde, Provolone.
Dang I just got full but I must at least try a little of both. The Beans are not like any beans I had before…..Think of Gigante Beans….they are like anorexic beans compared to the sweet extra plump Corona Beans….Each bean is almost delicious meal. They are in a broth with all kinds of fresh flavors with provolone….They are just amazing. The Mexican Grouper Fish is Stunning…..It taste as fresh as can be and is prepared to perfect it really does melt in the mouth with these delicious flavors brushed on. Really one of the best fish dishes I’ve ever tasted. The plate is also served with heirloom cauliflower, snap peas, and sunflower seeds. Really an incredible beautiful and better than amazing plates.
We didn’t share a dinner because my husband wanted the Lamb Loin with Arizona Grains, Tepary Beans, Green Beans, Chermoula and Mint.
I won’t eat lamb but my husband says that I wouldn’t know the difference between this lamb and beef. He says it’s very good and also loves all the grains, beans and vegetables with this plate.
I want to do dessert but I can’t because the food was so FORKING AMAZING I couldn’t stop eating the sharing plates. I have a large box and a small box to bring home.
Here is what I could have tried if I paced myself better.
Every Thing was FnB was Forking Amazing!
Worth a Fork! You would drive across town to dine here!
www.FnBRestaurant.com
Below are only a few of the past plates we enjoyed at FnB.
Langos Hungarian Fried (potato) Bread SaladButterkin SquashThis is 1/2 of the Pink GrouperApple SharlotkaHouse Cured SalmonMelon SaladHalabutDuckBerry ShortcakeBroccoli with Tangerine aioli and pistachiosTrout Riliette Soft Shell Crab
Every thing is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
There were several Italian Restaurants serving Easter Meals in Metro Phoenix in 2019. One Italian Restaurant called Veneto Trattoria in Scottsdale Arizona differed from the other restaurants and offered Passover Dinners in Venetian Style to honor the Jews of ancient Italy. It seemed interesting to us so we gave it a try. Incase you didn’t know….Passover is the Jewish holiday that celebrates the Israelite’s liberation from slavery in Egypt. Passover dinners were $42.50. The daily menu was also offered.
We were seated on the patio. It’s a nice large patio with shade and lovely marble top tables.
We received complimentary matzo with a honey nut marmalade. (pictured at top of page)
Our first course was Venetian Style Matzo Ball Soup called Polpette in Brodo di Matza e Pollo all Veneziana.
It’s a light chicken broth with thin bars of celery, other vegetables and chicken. The matzo ball is light and fluffy. I don’t know what makes this Venetian Style but it’s a good bowl of Matzo Ball soup.
For my dinner I picked the Sautéed Petrale Sole with sweet tomatoes and golden raisins that came with braised fennel and sweet potato kanederli (a pasta that is similar to gnocchi).
The sole is mild, tender and flakes well. It’s prepared nicely. The sweet tomatoes with the raisins tastes more sweet than savory. The fennel is almost like a steak and is very good. Sweet potato kanederli are made nicely and have a flavor that compliments everything.
My husband tried the Chicken stuffed with Dry Cherries and Pine Nuts sautéed in dry cherry wine.
I tried a small bite. The chicken is tender like butter. The stuffing is more savory than I was expecting…slightly mineral-like but tasty and delicious.
Last course was an Almond Cake Drizzled with Chocolate Sauce called – Torta Di Mandorle.
The cake is quite great! It’s spongy, light and very moist. It’s not too sweet. It’s studded with a few surprises. It’s just very good!
That was Italian Passover Ancient Venetian Style at Veneto Trattoria.
www.VenetoTrattoria.com
Then on Easter Sunday we did a bunny hop over to Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale for Easter.
Incase you were wondering what Easter is I can tell you that it is not about chocolate bunnies and jellybeans. Easter is the Christian Holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the New Testament.
They offered the regular menu, the lunch menu, a brunch menu and the Easter Specials.
They started us off with fresh baked breads, soft butter, olive oil and house spicy oil. We both decided to try the Spaghetti al Salmone.
The home made fresh pasta was very good! it was studded with chunks of wild caught salmon and blistered tiny sweet tomatoes in a saffron laced light slightly creamy sauce that had a little bit of heat to it. It was very reasonably priced at only $18.00 for a holiday meal.
We also shared the Easter Dessert Special of Limoncello Tiramisu.
Wow this is also really great! I like this more than traditional tiramisu. It’s light, lemony, not too sweet with the right amount of tartness. The layers of soaked lady fingers taste like limoncello…. It’s a treat and a sweet ending!
That was Easter at Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante.
www.BoteggaRistorante.com
That was so great that Veneto Trattoria served ancient Venetian Style Passover Dinner and that Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante served the public on Easter with a nice special.
Everything is subject to change I don’t Forking know if these restaurants will serve Easter or Passover next year.
