Need a translation on the title? We are starting to feel at home in Italy!
Last night we had what felt like our first truly Tuscan dinner, at Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco. It was a spectacular night that we’ll talk about for years to come. Antipasti, primi, secondi, contorni, dolce, vino, limoncello, grappa. Molte Bene. It was recommended to us by our friend, Gabriele Corcos. Do you know him? If not, before I get to comments on the incredible food, let me explain how we ended up at this incredible restaurant, and then set the scene:
I’ve been a subscriber to People Magazine for about a decade. I love it. I read it cover to cover. I think that it has a great mix of celebrity, fashion, real life heros, and food. Up until we left for this trip, I continued to enjoy reading the old fashioned paper version and when I was done with my issue, I’d put it on our stoop in Brooklyn for someone else to grab and enjoy, hopefully while relaxing in Prospect Park. In an issue a few years ago, there was a one page spread about Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar and their show on the Cooking Channel, Extra Virgin. The article caught my eye because I recognized Debi from her role on Entourage and of course I also remembered her from her role in Goodfellas, one of the greatest movies of all time. Neither Jake nor I had ever been a cooking show or HGTV person, but something about the one page spread in People caught my eye and made me set my DVR to record Extra Virgin. One episode of EV and we were hooked. We love the format of their show and their delivery. Most of all, me personally, I love them as a couple. I’m starting to sound a bit weird-celebrity stalker-ish so let me explain: the love that they share (at least what we see on TV)…it reminds me so much of me and Jake. I don’t know why. We are so different. He’s a musician-turned-chef from Tuscany, she’s a famous actress. Jake and I are two people from NH that work in technology. But I feel it. Similar connections that you just can’t beat. The real deal.
When we lived in Park Slope, Jake and I frequented 12th Street Bar and Grille, it was around the corner from our apartment and on Sunday nights they had open mic. The jam session was called “The Radigan Roundup" because local musician and 12th St. bartender Terrry Radigan organized it. We looked forward to going every Sunday night. It is such a small eclectic group of wonderful musicians. 12th St. also happens to have the 2nd best burger in town and maybe the best fries (#1 burger goes to The Double Windsor and they are tied for the best fries).
One night, we were sitting at home enjoying a prerecorded episode of Extra Virgin (I love the DVR!) when all of a sudden Terry Radigan, the 12th St. bartender was playing the drums alongside Gabriele on EV!!! We were like “What?!?!?!”….so….next time we were in 12th St. enjoying open mic night we said, “Um, Terry, you know Gabriele?!?!?!”…and she said….”Yeah! Did you know that they are opening a cafe around the corner? They are going to be having a pop-up dinner sometime soon!” Well….no…we did NOT know this. So of course I immediately signed up for Gabriele’s newsletter, “The Tuscan Gun” and I was alerted when tickets went on sale for the opening night pop-up dinner. Yes, I bought them from my iPhone while navigating through Manhattan traffic on my way home from a meeting that was in NJ (don’t tell Jake or the police). We were fortunate enough to get tickets but really didn’t know what to expect. Would Gabriele be there? Would Debi be there? Would it be a huge crowd? Would we be disappointed? It was spectacular. Afterwards, my face hurt from smiling so much. It was opening night! Well, actually, the cafe wasn’t even open to the public yet but about 20 of us were allowed inside while Gabriele shared with us some details about his life growing up in Tuscany, about his families recipes, and his hopes for the cafe. We ate course after course of delicious food: porchetta sandwich, sugo di porchetta, etc. . It was awesome and so much fun. They didn’t have their liquor license yet so we brought two bottles of super Tuscan vino with us and easily went through it while we enjoyed course after course of delicious food. After such a great experience, I signed up for a cooking class that ended up being even more intimate. There were only four other “students”, Gabriele, and his staff. Not only did I have the opportunity to learn how to make great Tuscan sauces, I got to converse with fun people and then sit down and enjoy the sauce I cooked along with Gabriele and the group. Oh yeah, and more Tuscan wine.
On these two occasions, knowing that Gabriele’s roots were truly Tuscan, we mentioned that we were quitting our jobs and spending three months in Italy. He was gracious enough to say, “Send me an email I will respond with recommendations!”. This is an offer you don’t miss out on. I had a few other interactinos with him (and Debi, and his awesome staff) as his new cafe was right on my running route AND right in our ‘hood'! Once abroad, I sent him an email and he recommended various restaurants / farms / vineyards / butcher in Tuscany. So….to start checking off this awesome list……last night…….as previous mentioned…….we dined at Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco. Incredible!
Gabriele said, “Tell everybody I am sending you.” so I felt obliged to comply. We were seated, and it seemed like it was by the owner…..so after we had our menus, and the owner stopped by, I said, “Do you happen to know Gabriele Corcos, he recommended we come here…?”….he replied saying…”oh no, I’m sorry, it's my son who knows everyone…he’s not here tonight…..I’m so sorry, he knows everyone….was it a hotel or apartment that sent you?”….and I said….”no….no….Gabriele…and Debi….from Nuovo York!”…..and he was like, “OHHHHHHHH”…and he told us about the connection between their two families and how he was so happy to have us! We immediately received two glasses of complimentary Prosecco and throughout the night, in addition to what we ordered, we received extra, extra, extra. We don’t name drop. We weren’t looking for free food. We were purely excited to share the experience of knowing someone who has treated us well and knows good food! When I had reached out to Gabriele I did so because I respect his opinion and I wanted to go to the best places! Jake and I like to eat! So…here’s what we shared (some we ordered, the others were complimentary):
- Antipasti: antipasto misto della casa (a variety of thinly sliced cured meat, aka salumi, pecorino cheese, crostini toscani, aka pate), burrata con tartufo, bruschetta
- Primi: pappardelle al ragu di cinghiale (wide ribbon noodles with boar sauce)
- Secondi: tagliata con rucola e parmigiano (sliced sirloin with arugula and parmigiano cheese)
- Contorni: insalata caprese di bufala (bufala mozzarella, tomatoes, basil)
- Dolce: tiramisu, panna cotta, limoncello, grappa!!!
- Vino: vino rosso
We had a great table and phenomenal service. The antipasti, dinner, dolce, vino and after-dinner drinks were divine. We were treated like locals, not like tourists. What I mean by that is that the dishes were brought out slowly and we got to enjoy them as they are meant to be enjoyed. Not all together in a rush. Every single thing we ate was spectacular. If you don’t know what it is….google it! We agreed on the highlights: burrata con tartufo, pappardelle al argue di cinghiale, insalata caprese di bufala and finally, the pana cotta. Everything was so delicious. We were spoiled and we feel so fortunate. I asked the owner: “Come ti chiami?" Response: "Chiamo Massimo!” Thank you Massimo!!!!!! Thank you Gabriele! What a night to remember!
Jesslyn (and Jake)
