Holiday Meals - Italian Style
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Best Italian Restaurant & Best Happy Hour
If you have been reading La Gazzeta for awhile, you know that “Italian Food” is a very broad term, for the food of Italy is, as in many places, very regional. The meals in the South have distinct differences with the favorite foods of the north. Cheeses, pastas, cooking ingredients, wines, vegetables and wines all have their distinctive regional characteristics.
In the early years of Italy’s unification, the South was poor and meat did not make a regular appearance on the dinner table. Meat dishes were much more common in the wealthier northern provinces. Those days have changed, but the styles and types of meat on the table are still somewhat distinct to each region. Cured meats and pork dishes are found throughout the country, but pork is the predominant meat found in the South. Beef is much more common in Central and Northern Italy. Bisteca di Fiorentina (from Chianina beef) from Tuscany and Osso Bucco (from veal) and Bolognese Ragu from the Piedmont are dishes associated with the North. The cuisine in the Northern provinces is influenced by their proximity to Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
M’tucci’s menus are inspired by all of the regions of Italy and we would be hard pressed to call ourselves Northern Italian or Southern Italian cuisine. Neither would be accurate. We love the prosciuttos, aged cheeses, risottos and polentas of the North as much as we love the cured salumi, fresh cheeses, bitter greens and chiles of the South. Our menus are inspired by regions throughout the country, sometimes blending the flavors of north and south into one dish.
Italian cuisine isn’t fussy with dozens of ingredients, rather it relies on the quality of the few ingredients that go into each dish. One of the reasons that our food succeeds is because of the quality of our ingredients. That philosophy is what drives our meat program, both fresh and cured.
Our beef products come from Harris Ranches in California, one of the early pioneers (since 1937) in sustainable, natural beef raised without hormones or antibiotics. Recently, we partnered with a family farm operation in Iowa and a family-owned processing facility near Kansas City for our pork. The Sackett family is working with us to raise a cross-breed of two heritage breeds, Duroc and Berkshire. Once again, raising animals humanely and sustainably are the hallmarks of their work. The same commitment to quality is the focus of the Fantasma family’s processing operations. The Chianina beef comes from a ranch near Deming, NM, that is one of the U.S. pioneers in raising this Italian breed of cattle.
These partnerships are behind several special Meal Kits that we are offering for the holidays, beginning with the M’tucci’s @ Home Prep Kitchen kit for this weekend. Chef Cory is in charge of creating these meals, which have been very popular during the health orders that have forced us to close our dining rooms. There is a new meal each weekend, all of the ingredients are packaged, portioned and mostly prepped for you. The meal kits come with a recipe card, that also links to a cooking video on our YouTube Channel. The three-course meals feed four people and are easy to complete at home.
This week is a carnivores delight: Chef Cory’s Green Chile Stew with Sackett Farm Pork, Pan-Seared Harris Ranch Hanger Steaks (a cut so good, that it was never widely sold since butchers kept the cut for themselves) with Salt Water Potatoes and Pan-Seared Asparagus. Finish with 4 M’tucci’s Biscochitos.. The Kit can be ordered from any location for $64 and is available until we are sold out. Watch the video below to see how easy the meals are to complete.
Coming Next Week . . . .
More photos and details coming next week! Stay tuned.
We have limited seating on our patios, which have been modified to make you as comfortable as possible. Our weekend specials are available for takeout or delivery.
Weekend Specials
M’tucci’s Italian
12 oz Hand Cut NY Strip - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $29
Pan-Seared Rockfish - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $19
Gelato (pints only $8): Strawberry & Salted Caramel
Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27
M’tucci’s Moderno
6 oz Hand Cut Beef Tenderloin - Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Italian Salsa Verde $26
Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $23
Gelato (Pint only $8): Lemon Berry
Sorbetto: Strawberry Blend
Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)
M’tucci’s Twenty-Five
Hand Cut 8 oz Orange and Bay Leaf Brined Duck Breast - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $17
Gelatos (Pint only $8): Strawberry
Sorbetto: Lemon
Buy a $100 Gift Card and get $20 for free. Spend $200 on Gift Certificates and receive 2 $20 Gift Cards.
Thanks for reading. See you next week. Ciao!
