It’s great to be a Tuscan in the Pacific Northwest in the summertime. Chef Paolo and his team are serving up a raft of classic dishes highlighting the beautiful fruits and vegetables of the season.
Artichokes We use the delicious baby violetti (a Tuscan varietal) from DeNoble Farms in our artichoke sformato – on the menu – and in seasonal specials like raw, thinly sliced artichoke salad with shaved parmigiano-reggiano. Looked for fried artichokes, too! We also add them to veggie-forward pasta dishes, like our tortelli dell’ortolano.
Fava Beans Look for the local Cascine favas (a Tuscan varietal like the ones we see in Florence) in the traditional raw-fava-and-young-pecorino salad, and in pasta dishes.
Nectarines, Peaches, Berries Local fruit is the star of our lovely tortina – now on the menu – a fresh nectarine/peach tart with ricotta and pastry cream. And seasonal berry panna cotta is the ultimate sweet, cool, summery dessert – look for it as a special.
Viva la pappa col pomodoro! It’s back on the menu for the season: that super-Tuscan classic flavor-packed summer dish, pappa al pomodoro. When it’s too hot to think, Tuscans live on this stuff, and couldn’t be happier.
THE PATIO IS LOOKING LUSH
If you’re looking for alfresco dining in Italian style, look no further! Our garden patio awaits. The large family table presides over the terrazza and is great for groups up to 10.
