ARE YOU HUNGRY? FETTUCINI BOSCIOLA. To console my self about my recent rash investment decisions and the
behavior of Dell Computer I took the day off and had lunch at Kansas
City's premier Italian restaurant the new bistro, Lidia's of Kansas
City, Italy, and New York. It was very nearly orgasmic, the food was
so fine.
First came the bread, a very Crusty Rustica peasant bread, the kind with holes (air bubbles) inside the pieces and a rich brown crust , you dipped the breads into olive oil and chick peas puree which had the mouth feel of butter but a lightness not a heaviness. the salad was also
remarkable but hasten on to describe...
The restaurant offers pasta tastings daily in addition to your entrée;
you have three pastas served to you by strolling white coated waiters
as an accompaniment to your main dish.
For the main dish, I chose something that sounded comforting but also
robust on a cold rainy winter's day, a medallion of pork loin lightly
encrusted and breaded and baked and stuffed with fontina cheese and a bit of
proscuitto, and residing on and surrounded by braised red cabbage and
sliced apples.
But first came the pasta: number one, a masterpiece ,fettucini bosciola,
the fettucini in a light garlic cream sauce just thick enough to cling
to the aEl dente (to the tooth) pasta but not too heavy. And what was in the pasta,
ah, oyster sauce, crimini mushrooms and big green peas.
The waiter stood at the side of the table and lifted up a big steaming
helping of the pasta, holding it up in the air to let the ends of the
pasta clear the top- of his large stainless steel serving bowl, the
steam rising into the dining room. Heads turned he deposited this on a
plate on my table. I swirled my fork and took a huge mouthful. and
swallowed. I could feel the wonderful warmth going all the way down
my esophogous to my tummy. If I had been a cat I would've started purring.
The warmth told me you are being nourished in a really fine way; close your
eyes and enjoy. This was every bit as comforting as the very best
macaroni and cheese casserole of your childhood served on a winter's day
only much more flavorful and healthy.
Next came a helping of raviolis, which actually were more like Spanish
empenadas but filled with ground veal, pork and beef in a savory
reduction sauce, a bit sweet but wonderful.
And then rigatoni in a crushed tomato sauce with a hint of basil. I
asked the waiter for extra mozzarella cheese and he fished into this
steaming bowl and pulled up a long string of cheese which just
wouldn't let go of the tittle cylinders of pasta which it clung to
Finally the mozzarella plopped onto my tomato red rigatoni and I shoveled
several of them down. Very fine
As I was struggling with these three pastas on the same plate, the
entree, the pork medallions arrived. One resting at a 45 degree angle
on top of the other (like the letter E in Dell) the buttery red
cabbage on one side and a red and green mix on the other. Granny Smith
apples had been shredded to about the size of hash browns after being
sautéed with the cabbage in butter and a garlicy red vinagerette sauce.
I cut into the one of the pork medallions and oh my goodness, out
squirted a yellow creamy substance and steam again rose out of where I
had punctured the surface of the meat, It was the rich melted ricotta
cheese inside the seared pork flesh spurting out. the light but gooey
yellow cheese making the pork less dry but best of all was the gamut of
flavors (and emotions) arising from each bite of the apples
and the red cabbage mixture. sweet and sour, cool and light and heavy
at the same time with a hint of butter as well.
The strolling pasta vendor came back and I had a second helping of the
fettucini with mushrooms oyster sauce and peas. This time I had more of
the mushrooms wonderfully fresh and steaming hot again.
I realized I had gone too far. I had had two lunches simultaneously.
when I finished, I had to leave some of the animal flesh uneaten, I
felt so sated that I almost dozed off for a minute. Already relaxed from a
20 minute work out on the elliptical cross training machine at my
health club, now I was a rubber man with a distended tummy and standing
in awe at the wonderful tasting lunch I had just had in such gargantuan
helpings.
Ah yes, the pleasures of the table, they are the first of life's
pleasures to come to us and the last to leave.
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