PAPPARDELLE BOLOGNESE

PAPPARDELLE BOLOGNESE

DINNER AT HOME

I broke out The Babbo Cookbook by Mario Batali and found a nice recipe for Bolognese Sauce with Pasta.  The dish includes ground beef, ground pork, pancetta, onion, carrots, garlic, tomato paste, milk, white wine, fresh thyme and parmigiano-reggiano cheese.  The recipe also called for some veal but we did not have any so we did not include it.  The sauce cooks for 1 1/2 hours and then is mixed with the Pappardelle Pasta.  This was excellent.  Next time I will add a little more tomato sauce or paste.

BABBO - NEW YORK CITY

RISTORANTE BABBO ENOTECA

NEW YORK CITY

We dined at Babbo during our last trip to New York.  During that dinner we were seated next to Joe Montana and Don Rickles.  This time we were next to a Mexican family and a few couples.  No starts to be seen but the food was a huge star.  We went all out with the Chef's Tasting Menu ($75).  This is a two and a half hour marathon of food and pleasure.  Worth every penny and then some.  Probably one of the best dinners we have ever had.  We said this the first time here and the second time we were not disappointed.  Keli ordered Pasta with a 1.5lb lobster ($28).  This huge dish of pasta with fresh lobster was absolutely delicious in every way.  The sauce was perfect, the fresh pasta was perfect and the lobster was tender and sweet.  You could not pry this plate off our table.  It stayed through the entire meal and we all continually picked at it between courses.  I would return again just for this dish.  The Traditional Tasting Menu consisted of:

Cutatello with Ramps and Pecorino.

Pappardelle with Chanterelles and Thyme

Duck Tortelli with "Sugo Finto"

Grilled Hanger Steak with Pumpkin " in Scapece" and Cipolline Agrodoice

Coach Farms Finest with Fennel Honey

Anise, Lemon and Honey Fig with Caciocavallo, Crespelle di Castagne and a Torta Caprese with Espresso Zabaiono and Vincotto.

The Ramps dish was the bomb.  A sweet pickled type leek that was so tasty.  The highlight of the entire menu was the Pappardelle with Chanterelles and Thyme.  The most simple dish in the world but the most delicious pasta we have ever had.  Fresh sheets of pasta covered in a butter sauce with Chanterelle mushrooms.  This dish was just incredible.  Like eating a piece of heaven.  We both were blown away by the simplicity and huge flavor.  Could eat this dish every single day and love it.  The other dishes were great too, but between the pasta with lobster and pasta with butter sauce we were just so happy.  I thought the waiter did an excellent job describing the food and also the wine pairings .  He took the time to tell me where the wine was from, how it was made and why it compliments the dish.
Click link below for another post on Babbo;
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2008/01/night-of-great-food-and-superstars.html

THIS IS A TASTE OF HAWAII FAVORITE AND TOP TEN IN MY LIFE.

BABBO

BABBO RESTAURANT IN NEW YORK

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DISHES OF MY LIFE

CARNEVINO RESTAURANT - LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

CARNEVINO

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Mario Batali opened an Italian Steakhouse in Las Vegas called Carnevino. I saw a review on the place and it looked fantastic. There are dozens of great steakhouses in Las Vegas. To choose this place for friends and have it not be great would be a disaster. We made the reservation and hoped for the best. The restaurant is located in the Venetian Hotel Pallazo. This is a beautiful section of shops and restaurants adjacent to the hotel. Carnevino is pretty big in size. There are several different dining rooms. We were seated in the back area where there is very little ambiance. The service was o.k., but lacked total organization and inconsistent. For example, the waiters poured olive oil and sprinkled salt on some of the steaks but not on the others. The wine guy seemed not to know the menu too well. This was sad because the lowest priced wines start above $200 per bottle. This means your wine tab may easily exceed your food tab. The wine list is very extensive and showcases dozens of Italian wines. The prices go up to $5000 per bottle. The wine is decanted and served in beautiful large stemware. Wine service was good. The food here really made the meal. We all ordered the Dry Aged Ribeye ($65 per person). This steak was served on a large chopping block at the table. The steak is on the bone and the bone is huge. The waiter cuts the steak at the table and serves each person. The bone is left on the table with enough meat on it to serve another person. This was hands down the best steak I have ever eaten. It was charred to perfection on the outside and pink and moist on the inside. Pure heaven. The steak on the bone was awesome. I cut pieces off and enjoyed the charred and fatty meat off the bone. The meat is seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and fresh rosemary. We also enjoyed the Chopped Salad. This was an o.k. salad with beans, pepperocini and parmigiano cheese. For sides we had the mashed potatoes. These are served with an egg and sliced bacon. This was delicious. The green beans were standard. I HIGHLY recommend Carnevino. Show up here with a big appetite and bigger wallet.

Click link below for Part 2:

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2009/09/carnevino.html