Friends,
We debuted the new menu last week and are getting excellent reviews about the many flavorful new items to taste, especially the new pork dishes.
I’m not sure if pork in moderation is good for your heart — medically. I do know that it is good for your soul and therefore must be good for your mind and body.
The pork additions to the fall menu are not of the lean variety. I’d be hard pressed to call them the “other white meat.” They taste great and that is the bottom line at Ridgway Bar & Grill.
We serve pork three ways on the new menu. Pork belly, brined and braised, is served as an appetizer. The plated dish is crisply seared and complemented by a slaw of fennel and apple. A cider reduction and a balsamic reduction finish the plate. The portion is small, and remember, there are no carbs in pork.
EJ, one of my sous chefs, baked some thinly sliced prosciutto slices this summer. Simply there for the kitchen staff to eat. I loved it and his idea is now the headliner of Linguini “Almost” Carbonara. We’re taking a few liberties with the classic preparation. The crowning touch is EJ’s thinly sliced, roasted prosciutto strips as a garnish on the pasta. The question is: How will you eat it? I’m pretty sure the first thing I’d do is pick up a piece with my fingers and taste. The second would be to tell my neighbors to keep their hands off my prosciutto.
Guanciale is pancetta cured from the pig’s jowls. Very famous in Italy and much more flavorful that the typical pancetta we all use. Cubes of the Guanciale are sautéed and tossed with penne pasta, confit of garlic and a marinara sauce. A little red pepper flake adds some character. The dish is adapted from the classic from the village of Amatrice in Italy and therefore named Penne Amatriacana.
We made it through one more summer. They can be pretty painful. At least we didn’t worry about major storms this year.
If you think the summer heat of Naples is brutal, trying being a small businessperson. I think the oil scare may have kept some visitors away. But the people we talk to are quite positive about the upcoming season and we’re going to ride that wave for all it has to offer.
See you soon, and let’s talk taste.
Your Friend,
Tony
