Walking into this marble laden behemoth of a restaurant is impressive, with as much space lent to dramatic stairs as space devoted to tables. As we waited for our group, we sashayed over to the bar where we were greeted by the very cool Fabio waiting to take our drink order. Fabio whipped up a great drink, even managing to check himself out in the drink shaker while making it.
Our group was seated and settled on the 7-course tasting menu, several of us opting for the wine pairing menu. I also ordered a 2004 Casanova Di Neri Brunello di Montalcino for starters, to just get us primed for the coming courses. The wine really sang right from the get go. With the approachable nature of the ’04 Montalcino vintage, this had layers of blackberry, blueberry, plum, some floral notes, a touch of vanilla and very well integrated tannins.
We then moved on to an uninspiring antipasto plate which featured 5 sampling with the stars being the crispy salad and the prosciutto wrapped around a warm fresh bread pillow- the seafood salad while tasty was spiced way too much for the delicate flavors. Paired with this was a 2007 Vermentino “Albithea” Feudi della Medusa from Sardegna. Vermentino is a great restaurant varietal – highly aromatic, food friendly and usually fairly priced. This is a nice, crisp wine that was very good but could have used a touch more backbone, but it screamed for cheese from Sardegna, in particular the pecorinos produced there (yes most of the pecorino Romano is produced on this island).
Next up was a Insalata Caprese & Tuna Ventresca. With intense, not-so-delicate fish flavor and a Hershey kiss sized dollop of ricotta on the plate, there was something strange about it. I could have eaten a bowl of that cheese with olive oil drizzled on it along with the bread on the table, which is some of the best bread I have ever had. The sommelier paired a delightful NV Gratien Champagne Brut Rose’, a wonderful example of a Champagne that could be drunk all night. However, it just didn’t go with this tuna; no match made in heaven there.
Up next was the Fonduta Anellini with Black Truffles & Parmigiano. This is where one has to ask if they are getting too smart with their food. These pastas are perfect rounds that you can slip on to your finger like a ring. All five of these pastas were laid upon a plate of truffle sauce drizzled with truffle oil. The truffles made this dish! Oh, here is the catch: no forks are served with it! Yup, you eat it with your fingers. My mind starts racing – do I need to wash my hands first? Did I scratch somewhere inappropriate? I dove in! Slid one on a finger like a championship ring and slopped up the rest. Paired with this was 2008 Collezione di Marchi Isole e Olena, Toscana, this pairing worked as the light fruit and acidic finish paired great with the earthy truffles- a great choice. While most people don’t necessarily think of Italy when discussing great Chardonnay, this wine begs the question: why not?
Another course arrived and this was the anticipated “100 layer Lasagne al Ragu Bolognese”. Originally I laughed after reading its name, but my buddy assured me it was 100 layers. It arrived and it really was 100 layers, consisting of wafer thin pasta sheets layered every 15 or 20 sheets with some Bolognese sauce. Picture a half stick of butter and that was what it looked like shape wise. The real kicker: it’s served at room temperature so that you can taste the complexities of the dish! Served with this course was to be the 2004 La Rasina Brunello which I asked to be substituted since I have had this wine a few times already. Quite nice by the way. Instead, we got the 2004 Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino. This wine is eye opening for anyone who wants to experience the varied Brunello terroir and winemaking styles. It was the polar opposite of the Casanova: earthy with some mushroom, cherry, cedar, some pencil shaving & wonderful tannins. Brunello can be fruity, approachable and modern. This was none of those things: It is an old world wine and thankfully I had saved some of the Casanova for a comparison. The Sommelier was spot on picking this wine to pair with the 100 layers of goodness.
Next came our veal loins coated in ash, presented before being carved. Honestly, I thought it was a huge “Yodel” and I was pumped! Oh well, the veal will have to do. The medallions were served over polenta with an Osso Buco Vinaigrette. The last part left me scratching my head, but then I understood. The sauce and small meat pieces from Osso Buco were drizzled over the veal which was very rare- I admit being concerned that it was so rare. Boy was I wrong- this could have been cut with a fork and I wanted more. Now came the wine of the night for me, the 2001 Bergadano Sarmassa Barolo, Piemonte. There is not much to say about this other than perfect, but not in the 100 point scale meaning. It’s perfect if you want to know what Barolo should taste like: find this bottle. It was everything a Barolo should be, with floral and baking spice aromas along with cherry, tar, lots of structure and great tannins that still could use a touch of mellowing.
For the final 2 courses there was a pineapple coppetina followed by Melanzane e Cioccolato alla Napoletana with sheeps milk ricotta stracciatella. What does that all mean? Basically some eggplant made into a dessert with a touch of ice cream over a crispy caramel style cookie. This was served with a 2005 Begali Recioto della Valpolicella, Veneto, a nice dessert wine made in the appassimento process, in which the grapes are spread out in single layers and dried for 60 to 100 days, giving it seriously concentrated flavors. It had a nice sweetness to it, with a little bit of caramel and fig. This wine is made from a not-so-everyday blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Andere grapes. So concluded our highly anticipated trip to famed Del Posto.
I now understand where some people see Del Posto in a negative light; after all, if you watch Mario and Lidia cook, there is nothing at Del Posto that resembles their style. Del Posto is far from cheap, which may leave those looking for the Mario experience feeling short changed. If you are a “foodie” and willing to step out of what you expect from Italian fare, then like me, you will probably find Del Posto a wonderful experience – one which without hitting Powerball, will not be repeated soon. Don’t you feel sad for people having meals like this with a diet coke?
