Your Daily Dose of Food News, Events and Must-Read Miscellany
I once went to a Gnocchi night at a small restaurant in a medieval village in Piemonte about 15 years ago. Mistakenly, I had thought there would be a variety of gnocchi that I could choose from for a primi. Not so. Seven straight gnocchi courses later with a belly full of Barolo – I practically had to crawl to my car to get back to our pensione. I only tell you this because Lisa Nakamura’s Gnocchi Bar is funding a move from pop up to bricks and mortar environs by launching its IndieGogo campaign on October 24th at Zeppelin Studios. For $10 you can sample a wide variety of Nakamura’s gnocchi without needing a wheelbarrow to get you to your vehicle.
Fall brings menu changes at Volunteer Park Cafe. Get your comfort food fix with classic homey dishes like Braised Beef Brisket with creamy polenta, Roasted Fig and Prosciutto Scachatta (folded pizza) with burrata and arugula. And then there’s the Pot of Gold – a sugar pie pumpkin filled with polenta and fontina topped with chanterelle sauce. This is not Petrozza’s infamous Hen in a Pumpkin from Hell’s Kitchen (though I’d still like to see someone in this town pull that off). Anyway, what’s not to like about heavenly pot pie? Dinner is served Tuesday through Saturday and reservations are suggested.
As reported last week in the Seattle Times, Olive Garden taken gluttony to a whole new level with the introduction of the ‘unlimited pasta pass’. For $100, diners can gorge on endless pasta, breadsticks, soup and salad for 49 days (why 49 days?). Apparently, demand is high as cards sold out in under an hour and were then instantly found on the grey market that is eBay for several multiples of their original value. All this begs the question; if you are going to succumb to gluttony, why do it at the Olive Garden? It’s like buying a VIP pass to culinary purgatory. Enjoy your breadsticks sinners.
Gluten-free folks and cider sippers have something to cheer about with the announcement of Capitol Cider’s new weekend brunch service. From 10a-3p diners can chow down on dishes such as Chilaquiles with Poached Eggs, Homemade Banana French Toast and Doughnuts with Blueberry Compote. Whatever your gluten dilemma or dietary choice is, you’ll want to check out this menu.
