MORE Pimm's

You can also enjoy a Pimm's Cup at these Madison establishments:

Genna's Cocktail Lounge
The Bayou
Shamrock Bar
Opus Lounge
Greenbush Bar
The Old Fashioned
Sardine
Local Tavern
Madison Club
Lombardino's
Harvest

Spring Into Lombardino's

Lombardino's starts their new spring menu tonight! I can't wait to go and give it a test drive. They also have a couple of special wine tastings this month:

Thursday, April 9th, During Regular Service Falesco Wine Tasting

Samantha Malsch of Winebow import company will be with us during service for a wine sampling of three delicious wines. We will be featuring the Bianco, Sangiovese & Merlot from the Umbrian producer, Falesco. Falesco was founded in 1979 by brothers Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella, two of Italy's most acclaimed winemakers. Falesco's philosophy is to strike a balance between the uniqueness and tradition of native varietals and the versatility of ‘international' grapes. The result is a complete portfolio of wines that consumers and critics alike have recognized as both extreme values and “Best of Class” offerings.

Thursday, April 23rd, During Regular Service Caldora Wine Tasting

Michael Pare of Capitol Husting will be with us during service for a wine sampling of three delicious wines. We will be featuring the Trebbiano, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo & their single vineyard selection "Yume" from the Abruzzo producer, Caldora. Caldora is one of the largest cooperative wineries in the Abruzzo. With an updated winery facility coupled to an avant-garde vineyard management system, the essence of Caldora is captured in every bottle: maximum fruit expression in a top quality, reasonably priced wine that everyone can enjoy.

Call 608 238-1922 for reservations.

Best of Madison Best of 2008

Here is what I think were some of the successes—and a few failures—on the food front during the past year. No doubt the economy will have a major impact upon what we do and don’t eat in 2009. But truth be told, restaurants come and go and tastes change regardless. I read that the sales of the likes of Spam and boxed macaroni and cheese are booming—also alcoholic beverages. I won’t predict how this will all work out but I am confident people will still want to dine out, splurge now and then and have a good time.

Best New Restaurant: Samba Brazilian Grill. Whatever you think about the food, the concept is big and bold. It began with the salvation of a historic downtown building, once home to the Madison Women’s Club. The renovation and restoration resulted in a stunning space for two dining venues, the Cabana Room downstairs and the Grill upstairs. The food is fittingly dramatic with a Latin disposition.

Best Restaurant Makeover: The Continental. The physical transformation from a onetime suburban French restaurant gone Spanish with very tired décor came first. The end result mimicked the popular downtown Café Continental. But it wasn’t until this past year when Jim Schiavo exclusively took over running The Continental that it developed its own personality. It is a much welcomed addition to the growing Fitchburg neighborhood.

Best New Place for Foodies: Fromagination. At first, another place to buy cheese in Wisconsin seemed like overkill. But Fromagination doesn’t cater to out-of-town visitors looking for a souvenir to take back home. It’s a destination for fans of artisan fromage, even attracting the attention of the food writers at the New York Times. If you don’t like the smelly stuff, there are enough other interesting comestibles in the shop to tempt even a tepid gourmet.

Best Improved with Age: Capitol Chophouse. For the most part I’ve always avoided dining in hotels. It became a sort of dining purgatory I suffered when I once traveled too frequently because of my job. Hotel food and ambiance always seemed as transient and anonymous as my fellow diners. The Capitol Chophouse at the Hilton has steadily carved out a niche for itself and become a comfortable and popular destination for locals. In no small part I credit this achievement to its friendly and competent staff and solid cooking which only seems to get better.
Best New Food: Açai. More is better seems to be the mantra of our culture. Recently antioxidants became “in”, hence the new found popularity of pomegranates. Açai
berries come from a type of palm that grows in the Amazon and have almost twice the antioxidant power of pomegranates. A horde of açai-based beverages were already on the market when Oprah proclaimed the fruit a weight loss miracle (a claim not supported by personal experience). Needless to say, açai is suddenly appearing in anything and everything. Health benefits aside, I like its taste, often described as a combination of chocolate and raspberry or blueberry. This is great new food just waiting to be taken advantage of.

Best Food Hype: Designer Salt. First it came two ways, plain or iodized. Then along comes kosher salt which was better to cook with and sea salt which was better for you. Now there is salt in various granulations and states of refinement, in every color and hue, and from points of origin with unpronounceable names. But $9.50 for a quarter cup of Peruvian pink salt? I’ll pass.

Best New Ideas That Went Belly Up. MOCO Market. Sucre and Willy Street Coop II (at Metropolitan Place). They all seemed like good ideas at the time but for whatever reason were not meant to be.

Best Trend: Themed Dinners. I don’t know who started these but there are several restaurants that regularly do them well. Lombardino’s, Harvest, Le Chardonnay and Sardine all produce fixed-price menus (often with wine options) that focus on a particular specialty or seasonal ingredient. Inevitably a good value, these special dinners are always an opportunity to enjoy some inspired cooking. Most restaurant post information about these events on their websites.

Best Not Kept Secret: Mickey’s Tavern. Anyone with any experience dining out knows that a sign posturing “Good Food” is usually a bad omen. Mickey’s has just such a sign. This scruffy sauce parlor has been around forever with a reputation for just about everything but good food. That is, until Jane Capito (Wild Iris, Lazy Jane’s) came on the scene. As promised the food is not only good but comes with a complimentary side of creativity à la mode. The Mickey Burger, World’s Greatest Sandwich, Sexy Fries and nightly specials are as engaging and eccentric as the place itself.

Best Surprise. Dayton Street Grille. There have been several restaurants in this same space at The Concourse Hotel, all in-house operations that never clicked with the outside public. History can be a curse in the restaurant business but Chef Charles Lazzareschi seemingly is the exorcist this dining room needed. Quite honestly, I wasn’t aware that anything had even changed at The Concourse until I judged the finals of the Dueling Chef Competition at the Madison Food and Wine Show last October. I was blown away by the culinary skill of Chef Lazzareschi who went on to win the contest and has brought a lot of positive attention to Dayton Street Grille.

Best Deal: Indian Lunch Buffet. I’ve previously expressed my opinion about buffets but where else could you get so much food with so much flavor for under ten bucks and no mashed potatoes or congealed salads in sight?

Best New Local Product: Potter’s Crackers. Nancy and Peter Potter, mother and son, combined their experience of running a bakery and a degree in food science to produce an all-organic snack that tastes terrific. Their various flavored crackers are available in specialty food stores and many restaurants around town (a complete list is on their website).

Best Cocktail: Vesper Martini. In case you’re not a James Bond fan, the libation originated in the 1953 novel Casino Royale and immediately became a hit. After the release of the Casino Royale movie in 2006, the drink is enjoying a comeback. Agent 007 says he named the cocktail after Vesper (his romantic interest), because once he tasted it, it was all he wanted to drink. The recipe: “Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"

Best Cookbook: The Spice Merchant’s Daughter … Recipes and Simple Spice Blends for the American Kitchen, by Christina Arokiasamy (Clarkson N Potter). Cookbook collectors (and I’m one) fall in many categories. Most evolve from an interest in how-to books to concentrate on a particular genre. (I buy anything and everything that has to do with New Orleans.) However, something different is always a find. This is small book with a big bang. The intoxicating spice blends and recipes explore the cooking of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia and titillate both imagination and palette.

Best Gone and Forgotten: Trans Fat. As municipalities and states scurried to enact its ban, for all practical purposes trans fat has largely disappeared due to its own deservedly bad rap sheet. Once prevalent in everything from fried foods to baked goods and even peanut butter, all were quickly reformulated and now tout “No Trans Fat” on their labels.

Worst Hangover: Whole Foods’ Hole. The ambitious plan for a much expanded Whole Foods market behind Hilldale has been put on hold. Unfortunately, this decision came after construction had already begun and left us with a scarred landscape to look at for who knows how long.

Best New Years’ Resolution: Don’t Buy Bottled Water! At least in throwaway bottles. It’s expensive in many ways and just dumb. Admittedly, I’m a rehabbed Evian junkie but got a water filter and getting along just fine.

Soup’s On

After the holidays, I crave food not so fuzzy but it’s still winter and I want something hearty … preferably something that will perk up my jaded palate. ‘Tis the season for soup. Lots of places make a good soup of the day to be sure—both Café Soleil and Marigold Kitchen immediately come to mine—but sometime I’m not in the mood to take potluck … certainly not up for a bowl of cream of tomato. Fortunately, there are restaurants in Madison that have soup specialties of the house—so good they’re on the menu every day or at least on a regular basis. Here are my top 10, Best of Madison Soups.

Africana Restaurant: Egusi
This is about as exotic as it gets. Egusi are fat- and protein-rich seeds used to thicken soup in Africa. Africana’s recipe comes from Nigeria and is a pleasantly hot beef and tomato stock with spinach, smoked fish and all kinds of mysterious seasonings. It’s served with a choice of meat and rice or fufu (pounded yams or plantain).

Bandung: Sayur Lodeh
My vegetarian friends—especially those new to town—are always asking me where they should eat. Bandung is definitely at the top of my list. Sayur Lodeh is an improbable combination of ingredients—tempe, tofu, napa cabbage, baby corn, bamboo shoots and jalapeno—all successfully coming together in coconut milk broth. It’s so sublime that even carnivores (like me) will be contemplating seconds. Fortunately, it’s available in dinner-size portion.

Capitol Chophouse: Brown Ale Onion Soup
Nothing is more enticing than a bowl of French onion soup with its raft of melting Swiss cheese floating in a bowl of robust beef stock and aromatic onions. At the Chophouse, the marriage of brown ale with an excellent onion soup is a match made in heaven.

Eldorado Grill: KW’s Texas Chile
Not to be confused with its wimpy Midwestern cousin, this is the real deal made with chunks of beef rather than hamburger. It packs a punch, zipped up with a happy consortium of New Mexican, ancho, pasilla and Oaxacan chile peppers. Chili (the soup) actually originated more than 100 years ago in San Antonio (not Mexico) where women known as Chili Queens sold the spicy stew from carts on the street.

Lombardino’s: Ribollita (Winter menu)
Ribollita means “twice cooked” in Italian and this bean soup is a traditional Tuscan dish. When I had the pleasure of discovering this soup at Lombardino’s, it was so wonderful that I begged co-owner Marcia O’Halloran for the recipe. (Okay, I didn’t have to beg but would have gladly done so and more.) White beans are slowly cooked with smoked pork and bacon. Then chicken stock, onions, lacinato kale, Roma tomatoes, carrots, zucchini and fresh herbs go in the pot. The end result is slightly thickened bean soup with a rich smoky flavor which is served over crisp crotons and finished with a drizzle of fine olive oil.

Restaurant Magnus: Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
This soup, like its setting is sophisticated, stylish and smooth. The stick-to-your-ribs qualities of butternut squash and sweet potatoes are pure comfort food, but the addition of a fennel apple relish and pasilla pepper oil is what gives it personality. The soup is available on the restaurant’s Tapas Menu.

La Mestiza: Sopa Azteca
Tortilla soup includes just about everything I like about Mexican food. La Mestiza’s version is a rich chicken broth spiced with smoky pasilla chile and comes with all the prerequisite garnishes: crunchy tortilla strips, crumbled queso fresco, chopped avocado and cream aria. ¡Muy bueno!

The Old Fashioned: Green Bay Chili
This beloved Wisconsin specialty is actually a thick sauce made from beef and beans, distinctively spiced and served over spaghetti on a plate rather than in a bowl. You then add your choice of toppings—grated cheese, chopped onions and/or sour cream. The concept came to Green Bay from Cincinnati where chili parlors that specialize in this peculiar product proliferate. The photo is of a “Four-Way”—chili with the works—at Cincy’s Skyline Chili.

Sa-Bai Thong Thai Cuisine: Tom Ka (Gai)
I fell in love with Thai food in Los Angeles and immediately fell in love with this wonderfully complex concoction. For the first time, I could really appreciate tofu. With a base of coconut milk, Tom Ka Gai is seasoned with chili paste, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galanga (blue ginger) and other herbs and spices. You add your choice of chicken, shrimp, squid or tofu.

Wah Kee Chinese Noodle Restaurant: Hot and Sour Tong Mein
This first time I tasted this classic Chinese potage was the first time I had a kind of soup not made by Campbell. Forget chicken soup, this is the perfect remedy to cure a cold and literally sensational. Like most of their noodle dishes, Wah Kee’s Hot and Sour Tong Mein is exemplarily.

Good Food ... Good Cause

Lombardino's will donate 10% of their sales from Tuesday night, October 28 to Madison's AIDS Network, the HIV/AIDS service provider for South Central Wisconsin

Dueling Chefs 2008 Finals

Charles Lazzareschi of Dayton Street Grille vs. Andrew Lickel of Samba

As part of the Madison Food & Wine Show, pairs of chefs from some of the area’s leading restaurants go head-to-head, cooking in elimination heats. Patrick O’Halloran from Lombardino’s and Robert Von Rutenberg from the Nau-ti-Gal are emcees. Each chef has the same pantry of basic ingredients to work with and right before the competition begins the secret main ingredient is revealed. Each participant and his or her assistant then have 30 minutes to create two different dishes. Four judges then score the dishes on flavor, presentation and use of mystery ingredient. The winning chef proceeds to the next round.

The mystery ingredient for the championship round was American kobe flatiron streak. I was one of the judges along with Mayor Dave, Raphael Kadushin and someone selected from the audience. Here are the four dishes made for the final round of this culinary cookoff.

Robert and Patrick

Dish 1, Dayton Street Grille:

Dish 1, Samba:

Dish 2, Dayton Street Grille:

Dish 2, Samba:
And the winner is … Charles Lazzareschi of Datyon Street Grille.

Eat Your Way Through Sicily

Monday, November 10th 2008

6:00 pm

Lombardino's

Sicilian Book Dinner

$5 off if you bring the book

Local writer Joan Peterson and her Sicilian co-author, Marcella Croce, have captured the essence of Sicilian cuisine to help travelers navigate this culinary landscape. We are celebrating their recently published culinary guidebook, "Eat Smart in Sicily" with a special 4-course Sicilian dinner paired with Sicilian wines.

Menu

Antipasti

Antipasti Misti Local lamb meatballs with lemon & rosemary, traditional eggplant caponata, & arancini

Pesce

Pan Seared Sable Fish With Sicilian braised greens and saffron sauce

Carne

Filet of Beef alla Marsala With wild mushrooms & bufala mozzarella

Dolci

Pine Nut Tart With marsala gelato & balsamic vinegar drizzle

Dinner is $55 and includes food, wine, tax and gratuity

Please contact us at 608.238.1922 for reservations (required)

Simply Delicious

I love to cook but in summer the less time spent in the kitchen the better. I look forward to the abundance of fresh produce and grilling outdoors. So much of what we eat this time of year actually benefits from less preparation. Here are a few of my favorite summer dishes.

Appetizers. Fresh figs wrapped with prosciutto. Blend together cream cheese and lox, spread on crackers and top with avocado. Cut leftover cold cheese pizza into bite size squares and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice. Chill very large boiled and shelled shrimp; serve cold with fresh lemon. Sprinkle large flour tortillas with grated pepper jack cheese and toast on the grill … serve in wedges with guacamole and salsa. Puree a handful of fresh raspberries with sugar to taste in a blender … strain into a pitcher, add raspberry vodka and lemonade.

Tomato Salads. The season is brief so now is the time to enjoy tomatoes that taste like tomatoes. Most people are familiar with the Italian classic Caprese salad – fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and basil. Try substituting paper-thin slices of lemons for the mozzarella. For an American version switch blue cheese for the mozzarella and add sliced red onions. Stuff whole tomatoes with a mixture of tuna (preferably packed in olive oil), lemon juice, chopped parsley and capers. Or, substitute stale bread crumbs for the tuna and add some chopped basil and garlic. And -- as weird as is sounds -- toss seeded tomato wedges with peeled and sliced peaches, sweet onion rings and cilantro.

Other Salads. Combine cubes of feta cheese and seeded watermelon with mint, a little chopped Serrano chile, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Grill a steak, slice thinly and serve over chopped romaine with crumbled blue cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Taco salad: chopped greens, tomatoes, onions, avocados, cilantro and drained canned black beans tossed with tortilla chips, grated cheese, lime juice and topped with sour cream. Barely cook green beans, blanch and chill …at serving time toss with ripe tomato wedges and a vinaigrette made with lots of basil and garlic. Grill zucchini and summer squash; toss with minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and a little red wine vinegar and serve at room temperature.

Chicken. Marinate cubes of boneless chicken in Patak’s tandoori paste, yogurt and lemon juice …thread on skewers and grill. Make a paste in the food processor using a bunch of cilantro (stems and all), a couple of cloves of garlic, black pepper and some fish sauce … spread on boneless thighs and marinate for a couple of hours then grill and serve with Thai sweet and sour chili sauce.

Meat. Rub a flank steak with chili powder, grill until medium rare and serve sliced with chili pepper jelly. Grill a 2-inch thick t-bone streak, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and drizzle with the best extra virgin olive oil (serves 2 to 3 fabulously). Marinate flatiron steaks in Tabasco sauce over night … drain, pat dry with paper towels and grill. Rub lamb cubes in cinnamon, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, salt and black pepper … skewer and grill; serve with yogurt flavored with mint and garlic.

Fish. Make tacos with grilled and chopped mahi mahi seasoned with chili powder and cumin. Stuff pita bread with crabmeat mixed with mayo, chopped chives and fresh tarragon. Make ceviche from fresh sea scallops, minced red bell pepper, lime zest and lime juice. Tahitian-style poisson cru: cubed ahi tuna, 2 parts lime juice to 1 part coconut milk with chopped tomato, cucumbers and scallions.

Pasta. The all-time summer favorite …pasta and pesto: in the blender puree basil leaves, a little garlic, walnuts, parmesan and olive oil. Chop fresh tomatoes and sauté in butter, adding shredded basil right before serving over spaghetti. Sauté garlic, broccoli and shelled shrimp in olive oil and serve over linguine with shaved parmesan.

Desserts. Peel and slice fresh peaches or apricots, sauté in honey and serve over coffee ice cream. Sweetened to taste a pint of sour cream with brown sugar and flavor with a little vanilla and/or bourbon … use as a dip for fresh strawberries. Make peach shortcake using store-bought pound cake and whipped cream. Cut off the top of a milk carton, put in a bottle of lemoncello, fill with water and place in the freezer over night.

Or really simple, Fresco, L’Etoile, Harvest and Lombardino’s all have great summer menus featuring local farm products.

The Italian Dinner

When something is enjoyable it becomes meaningful and is repeated. We all have dining rituals like Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner or annual events marked with families, friends and food. I seem to have a lot more than most people I know. There use to be the Guy Fawkes Day Dinner, Bastille Day Picnic and the Keep Labor Day Boring Potluck There is the sometime Mardi Gras Breakfast at Brennan’s and Derby Day Party. Recently, Rib-o-rama has made the repertoire. One celebration, however, I have observed for two decades, nonstop without interruption: The Italian Dinner.

The date for this repast is not set. It occurs sometime in July or August and commemorates nothing. It came to pass in 1970 as I lusted for la dolce vita, something I’d discovered on my first trip to Italy the year before. Dinner was at 10 with course after course of exquisite food, fine wines and service as attentive as a doting aunt without her obtrusiveness. What’s more it all took place outside, on an enchanting piazza under a pizza pie moon.

So now each summer I mount the annual Italian Dinner. It’s been happening for so long that the dinner is older than many of the guests who have changed over the years as have the venues. In recent years it has taken place on Dick Wagner’s deck, overlooking his romantic gardens and Lake Monona. The menu is always different and Pan Italian (I love the food from all the regions of Italy). But one constant is the feast always begins with Bellini, a heavenly cocktail of white peach juice and prosecco – sparkling wine from the Veneto – first concocted by Harry’s Bar in Venice. It may be dining al fresco but there are no paper plates or plastic forks, but in the best Italian tradition, crisp starched linen, sparkling crystal and an abundance of cutlery. Antipasiti, pasta, pesche, i primi, i secondi, la verdure, insalata, il fromaggio, dolci e la frutta . . . the meal marches and the vino bottles pile up like lasagna. Yet, there’s always still room for a little glass of Amaro Averna or limoncello frozen in a block of ice and lots of sighs.

A cookout with bratwurst is nice but The Italian Dinner is amore.

So if your invitation to my 39th Italian Dinner got lost in the mail, I suggest you head over to Lombardino’s. The menu is seasonal, the food movingly Italian and the décor opera buffa.

Bellini Cocktail

Ripe white peaches
Peach schnapps
Chilled prosecco

Skin the peaches by dipping in simmering water for a few seconds and then placing under cold running water. Put the flesh in an electric juicer,

Put 2 tablespoons of peach juice and 2 tablespoons of peach schnapps in a tall glass and add prosecco. Stir and serve.