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So if you're ever in Cranston, Rhode Island, check them out. (Their website is where I got the lead-in photo if you're interested.)
I had one of the specials, pasta rusticante, which was penne in a pink sauce with chicken, prosciutto, and shrimp. Covered in mozzarella and baked in the oven, it was very tasty, enough for two meals! (Yes, I'm not a complete glutton, I took some home with me.)
At the end of the meal while the ladies were sipping their second Moscato, the guys decided they wanted coffee. The server asked what sort of coffee I'd like and I asked if it was weird to order an Irish coffee in an Italian place.
"Not at all, but have you ever tried our Italian coffee?"
"Ah, to me, that's espresso, but I'm a Yank, what do I know?"
"Well, here we make it with amaretto. Irish coffee has Bailey's and whisky, right?"
"Yeah, that's right, I think. Yeah, I'll try your Italian coffee."
Oh dear, it was really, really good. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
So the company was excellent and the food was sublime.
Here's how much I like Marchetti's, I drove there during Providence rush hour. Okay, not as bad as Boston or New York, or any of a hundred other cities, but still, an hour for a 30 minute drive? I abhor traffic, I will avoid it by any means necessary.
But dangle good Italian food in my face?
Stand back folks, here I come at a blazing ten miles an hour!
Seriously, I enjoyed it.
So yeah, no fiction post today.
Oh yeah, one more thing ...
I looked at the menu. Looks like a semi-fancy place with decent prices.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I are unabashed foodies. Especially for old receipts. We sometimes chuckle about how many "traditional" European and SE Asian dishes rely on New World ingredients. Maize, potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers for example. And, as often as not, we allow that 500 years, even 400 years, is long enough for a foodstuff to become "traditional" in national cuisine.
I once asked an ancient historian what the Romans ate, given that they didn't have pasta, potatoes, etc.
DeleteHe said they ate all kinds of things but preferred everything to be drenched in a foul anchovy sauce.
Joe - Good food is good food, regardless of "tradition."
Deletedearieme - I remember reading about the "foulness" of the fish sauce the Vietnamese like. It's not for the Western palate but when used as intended, it can make a dish something special. (Koreans use it too.)
DeleteSarge, I agree. But when people go off on how Americans don't have a cuisine of their own because "everything came from somewhere else" I trot that out and ask who borrowed from whom.
DeleteDearieme, that "ancient historian" obviously has never had well made garum. Or maybe used it like gravy on biscuits. You need a somewhat light hand with it. As Sarge said., properly used it can make a dish special.
If people didn't like it, they wouldn't eat it.
DeleteFunny about Vietnamese fish sauce. I learned from actual Vietnamese to never open the bottle indoors. Add it to a jar with other seasonings like chili paste and such, cover, shake, leave outside for a while not in the sun and it mellows the nastiness out greatly. Actually makes the whole concoction very tasty, yummy, spicy but good.
DeleteGarum's not bad. Think Caesar Salad dressing meets Worchestershire sauce. It's got a kick to it but used properly it's good.
The Skandinavians/Icelanders/Finns/Lapplanders had this thing where'd they'd catch a big patch of fish, clean them, dig a hole in the permafrost, bury said fish for a year or so and then scoop out the now-liquidy remains (I assume they used a barrel of some sorts, but...) And used it as sauce.
Then there's rendered or squeezed seal fat oil... Some things I don't want to try...
There are many dishes which the denizens of a region swear by, but which I won't go anywhere near!
DeleteGot to cut loose every once in awhile Sarge, 'tis the season!
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed!
DeleteGlad you had a good time eating a good meal with friends. Doesn’t get much better than that!
ReplyDeletejuvat
It doesn't!
DeleteSounds delicious Sarge! I have never heard of Italian coffee but will give it a try!
ReplyDeleteCoffee with amaretto is a treat!
DeleteI hate to bring it up (No! I really don't, if you must know. Some of my friends consider me wealthy, but I squeeze my pennies so hard, you can actually see tears on Lincoln's face), but approximately what was average ticket per person excluding tip which is a personal matter. (In college before I was old enough [19] to work behind the bar, I was a waiter.).
ReplyDeleteMultiple glasses of Moscato, the meal, the coffee, all told around $200.
DeleteCrusty Old TV Tech here. A good Italian joint is a treasure. Excellent place to enjoy time with family and friends. We had the Savoy, on E. Dominick in Rome, NY. Been there since before WW1. Great menu, and loads of off-menu stuff if you knew the right way to ask. Their Spaghetti Carbonara was legendary. I hear it's gone, the Vid killed it off. Never heard of Italian Coffee, but sounds like I need to get a little Amaretto, and try it out. Amaretto is good for baking cookies, too...kill 2 birds with one stone! Thanks for that idea.
ReplyDeleteGlad to be of service, and yes, amaretto cookies are superb!
DeleteGood meals are remembered. Ely, NV relatives took me to a Basque restaurant. Seating each hour family style. I don't know of a better meal I've experienced.
ReplyDeleteRoger that!
DeleteRe" Amaretto. Try a 2:1 pomegranate juice and Amaretto. Over ice. If you want a spritzer, add 1 or 2 parts ginger beer or 7-Up.
ReplyDeleteSounds refreshing!
DeleteAppears Mike Lisa has had a good Navy career.
ReplyDeleteJim
Why yes, yes he has.
Delete