My feelings about Valentine's Day remain ambiguous at best, and I battle between sneering at Hallmark's sale-boosting antics and embracing the person with whom I share my life...almost as much I battled for one-dollar Oysters. I had called Hostaria Piave two weeks in advance to confirm their daily oyster happy hour only to arrive and find that they'd changed their policy to Thursdays only. They treated my explanation like a cheating spouse, but the manager did eventually offer a dozen dollar-oysters for "good will". The good will was appreciated, but I do wish it had tasted a little more fresh.
The only redeeming factor for Valentine's Day is wine. I can drink my feelings or attempt to drown them in a lovely Venetian Flight. The Prosecco Lamberti paired nicely with the oysters, and the robust reds that followed definitely spiced things up. A few more flights and even Napoleon Dynamite could have been my valentine.
Well my standards aren't that low, but I do accept that there's no such thing as a perfect couple...Am I the only person who isn't completely over the Pitt-Aniston split? Good thing wine with a Cheese Plate is a harmony that can't be touched - the marriage between vino and parm is as permanent as Brangelina...then again, they probably get along because they can't hear each other talk over their collection of kids...
Although commitment has its obvious merits, any marriage can get bland like the Ravioli di Zucca al Burro e Salvia. The butternut squash is a tasteless lack of effort, the butter sauce a sloppy afterthought.
But commitment isn't always so boring. Dependable dishes like the Gnocchi al Sughetto di Anatra conjure heart-fluttering comfort, a predictably perfect potato gnocchi wrapped in the loving arms of soft-yet-brawny braised duck.
Speaking of hot meat, how about the Bistecchina di Manxo al Pepe Verde? A polished hunk of grilled steak and a smooth peppercorn sauce will get you even more hot and bothered than eyeliner on Johnny Depp.
Still there's nothing like the excitement of falling for the first time, and I fell pretty hard to theTagliatelle con Pancetta e Chiodini. The ribbon pasta is exceptional, and the chewy mushrooms and smoky pancetta are the total package.
At the end of the day, Valentine's Day is a pretty awful holiday when you think about it...so try not to think too hard. It makes you think you only need to appreciate your significant other one day a year when you should be treasuring every day of every year. Whether things are forever or they go down in flames, regardless of whether or not you're Taylor Swift, make sure to taste ever bite like each silky sip of sweet-berry Panna Cotta before it's gone.
I'm all over Fritto Misto, where the food makes me jump it faster than David Beckham fresh from a swim, but there's something to be said about places like Hostaria Piave, where the food is strong and steady, a cuisine I can appreciate and respect. Hostaria Piave isn't the most exciting valentine, but it stands strong, with solid combinations and tasty tidbits, staunch staples of Italian fine dining that will, like Taylor Swift, never go out of style.
No comments:
Post a Comment