Dear Feastlings,
As Americans, we don’t tend to recognize Ferragosto, the day that was originally instituted by Augustus Caesar, partly to honor himself as a distributor of largesse to the people of the Roman Empire, and partly to honor the agricultural community with a little break. We don’t usually observe it as the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary either, unless we’re Catholic, and even then, it’s the Assumption, not the co-opted Ferragosto. We don’t get the lowered train fares offered up by Mussolini, and we don’t put on our Speedos and head to the beach. As a culture here, we largely, if not entirely, ignore it.
Here at Feast, we use it as an excuse to become for a fleeting moment the Italian restaurant we’ve never been. On Friday, August 15th, we’ll offer a smattering of Italian dishes, some admittedly with some poetic license, and we’ll waive the built-in corkage fee we normally include on bottles of wine for all things Italian, Sardinian and Sicilian, so you’ll be drinking wine at its retail price rather than its (already curiously low) restaurant price. If you’d like to join us, we suggest a reservation. We’ll be serving the following dishes all day long that day, but dinner’s likely to get a bit crowded, so making your reservation now would be an excellent plan. You can do it at this link, or do it the old-fashioned way and call us at (520) 326-9363. However you choose to do it, we hope you’ll join us.
Buone vacanze.
Ferragosto specials at Feast
Sformato of wild mushrooms with roasted garlic cream sauce and crisps. ◊ 12
Maiale tonnato~ braised pork with tuna sauce, lemon and capers.
♦appetizer portion. ◊ 18
♦entrée- dinner portion with rapini and rosemary roasted potatoes. ◊ 38
Branzino ripieno~Mediterranean seabass stuffed with roasted lemon and fennel and served with seared olive-studded polenta and a salad of radicchio, pine nuts and raisins. ◊ 44
Pappardelle alla Bolognese~ house-made pappardelle pasta with a ragú of ground beef, tomatoes and aromatic vegetables. 25
Saltimbocca alla Romana~ sautéed veal scallopine with sage and prosciutto. Served with herb-roasted potatoes and grilled squashes and peppers. ◊ 44
Tiramisú~ classic dessert of coffee-soaked lady finger cookies with mascarpone and shaved chocolate. 12
No corkage for any Italian wine on the list.