Let's Go to Italy

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If you are a regular reader of La Gazzetta, you know that the M’tucci’s team has made a couple of trips to Italy to eat, drink and soak in the atmosphere of the country that inspires us. You would also know that before M’tucci’s, I worked as a travel photographer and shot assignments for National Geographic. Italy was not one of my assignments for Nat Geo, but I visited several times before joining the M’tucci’s family.

I received an email the other day from MilleMiglia, the frequent flyer program for now-defunct Alitalia Airlines. The email invited me to travel soon and to invite family members to join the program. Unfortunately (or not), they declared bankruptcy and ceased operations in October 2021, just two weeks after we flew on the airline from Rome to Sicily. That email is the inspiration for today’s newsletter. First, a few photos to pique your interest in visiting Italy.

I strongly advise you to join your airline’s frequent flyer program and always download the airline’s app. More important than earning miles, you will get notifications when something goes wrong (set up a European plan on your cell phone before you go). For my first and last Alitalia flight, four of us arrived at Fiumicino (FCO) near Rome for our flight to Catania, Sicily with plenty of time to spare. After lunch we made our way to our gate and I received a text five minutes after arriving. Our flight was cancelled. I immediately jogged quite a ways down the concourse to the customer service desk we had just passed, while people stayed at at the gate arguing with the gate agent. I was able to get our party of four booked (confirmed seats - not standby) on the next flight. As I was thanking the agent, the crowds descended on the customer service desk (more yelling and screaming - the cops came and hauled away a women who was trying to strike an agent). Soon there were at least 75 people trying to rebook. They didn’t have the app! I started a conversation with a pilot who was behind me in line and who flew for WizzAir (an Hungarian budget airline). He told me of Alitalia’s financial woes and that they had been cancelling a lot of flights in the past few weeks. So, we decided to not trust our return flight on Alitalia and booked return flights on WizzAir. We absorbed the loss of $39 for each ticket on Alitalia - wonder why they went bankrupt!

If you go in summer, be prepared for crowds and lots of school groups. The last few years have been hotter, so make sure you book a place with A/C. Italy, like France, goes on vacation in August. The entire country doesn’t shut down, but you might find that the restaurant that is high on your list is closed for the entire month. Popular restaurants accept reservations - and you should make them. I was in Rome an additional day after the M’tucci’s team returned home in June of 2019 and I tried to have lunch at Roscioli near Campo di Fiore. At 1:30 they didn’t even have room for a single walk-in at the bar, but could get me in at 3:00. That evening? Fully booked.

Roscioli

Are you renting an Airbnb with a kitchen, planning to take advantage of the amazing markets? Pack a foldable shopping bag, because the plastic bag is rapidly disappearing from the markets.

If you will rent a car to visit some of the areas not accessible by Italy’s excellent train system, be prepared to drive. The Italian road system is one huge race track. It is highly unlikely you will encounter any bad drivers, however Italians drive fast in the city, on the autostrada and on winding mountainous roads. If the Formula 1 driver is sitting on your rear bumper and you are driving as fast as that FIAT will go, pull over and let them pass.

Cafe culture is serious in Italy. Like much of Europe, sitting at a table and ordering coffee or wine means you can linger as long as you like. People-watch to your heart’s content. However, cafes have a two-tiered pricing system. A morning cappuccino ordered at the bar is cheaper than a cappuccino at the table and is meant to be consumed at the bar. Buying a cappuccino at the bar and carrying it to a table will earn a stern reprimand from the waiter. Unless you want a tall warm glass of milk, don’t order a latte (it means milk in Italian and is not a coffee beverage).

With an extensive rail system and numerous budget airlines, travel in Europe has never been easier. Scrutinize the budget carriers closely. Some, like Ryanair, land at airports far from the city center. For example, Ryanair’s flights to London use Stanstead Airport, which can’t be reached by Tube, and required a 90-minute bus ride from the center the last time I was there.

Some tour companies in Italy, like Viator, offer airport transport in addition to their excursions. Are they worth it? The Leonardo Express train from FCO to Rome’s Termini station leaves every 15 minutes, takes only 32 minutes and costs 14€. Then you still have to stand in line for a taxi at Termini (I once waited for 35 minutes) and pay the fare to your accommodations, which could add another 10€ or more.

If there are 3, 4 or more of you, a private car will meet you and take you directly to your hotel/Airbnb. Our last trip for 4 people was a little less than $100. If there are more than 3 in your party, (most taxis will only take 3 people, sometimes four max), then you’ll have a spacious van. Remember that check-in at most places is 3:00 and most flights arrive from the U.S. around 8:30 - 10:00am. Be sure to make arrangements for your luggage to be stored at your hotel, or search for businesses who will store them for a few hours. TABAC (look for the sign) shops are similar to a convenience store and many will do this for an hourly price per piece.

If your gateway city is Rome, quite often the flights depart for the U.S. early in the morning, which could mean an early wake up call to arrive at the airport. The airport is named after the town of Fiumicino, which has good hotels less than 10 minutes from the airport. Try the Seccy or the Five-star Hotel QC Terme Roma. Good restaurants are within walking distance of both.

My next trip to Italy is planned for September with family. In addition to Venice and the Dolomites, we wanted to go to Croatia. At first glance, it seemed so easy because the two countries are practically neighbors. Then the research showed that it really isn’t that easy. Buses and trains were painfully slow between Croatia and Italy and flight connections were not always daily or convenient. While Croatia is a popular destination, there are few flights between Italy and Croatia. This was surprising until I discovered that Dubrovnik is a town of 45,000 people. Not exactly an urban air hub. British Airways flies from London, Lufthansa flies from Frankfurt and Munich, and Austrian Airways flies from Vienna. So, I backtracked my research to see how to best get to Dubrovnik, our first stop. Lufthansa and BA were expensive. Austrian Airways seemed like the best choice, but their prices were high, until I started breaking the flights down into segments.

So, we bought a roundtrip from Chicago to Vienna on Austrian Airways, then a one-way to Dubrovnik. Then we take a ferry through the islands from Dubrovnik to Split. Next a one-way flight to Venice (through Vienna). Then a one-way from Venice to Vienna with a few days to eat schnitzel before completing our RT back to Chicago. I tried booking that itinerary as a multi-city fare and it was nearly $2,000 more than booking each leg individually. A valuable site for deciphering a multi-city trip like this is called: Rome2Rio.com

Look forward to reports from Venice and the Dolomites (Valdobbiadenne - the home of Prosecco) this September. I first visited Venice in 1995. Here are few photos from that trip, with a side trip to Burano.

Five Course Wine Dinner with Vara Winery & Distillery

M’tucci’s Italian, Thursday June 8 @ 6:30

Our Pairing Dinner will feature four Vara wines and 2 cocktails made with their spirits. Start the evening off with a welcome glass of their Cava, which is overseen by famed winemaker Laurent Gruet. The 1st course will be a Negroni using Vara Gin and Sweet Vermouth.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

Ravioli - Spinach & Ricotta Filling - Mushrooms, Asparagus, Roasted Chicken, Red Pepper Cream Sauce, Pecorino, Micro Greens $25

Herbed Double Bone Elk Chop - Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $39

Pan-Seared Grouper - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Grilled Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $33

Braise - 14 oz. Herb Braised Beef Short Rib, Tajin Arugula Hash, Chimichurri $29

Weekend Cocktail

Raspberry Fairy - Raspberry Vodka, Grand Marnier, Fresh Lemon Juice, Honey Simple Syrup, Absinthe Glass Spray


M’tucci’s Moderno

14 oz Hand Cut NY Strip - Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Broccolini, Salsa Verde $37

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Broccolini, Roasted Artichoke, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $29

Lobster Ravioli - Baby Scallops, Shrimp, Asparagus, Lobster Cream Sauce $29

Weekend Cocktail

Sundress Season - Espolon Reposado Tequila, Sunora, 03, Fresh Lime Juice, Mango Coulis

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Lamb Meatballs & Pappardelle - House Made Meatballs, Creamy Tomato Sauce, Cacio e Pepe, Hose Made Pappardelle, Balsamic Reduction & Mint $21

Pan-Seared California Halibut - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Braised Greens, Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Beurre Blanc Sauce $31

16 oz Hand Cut NY Strip - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Charred Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Compound Butter $39

Weekend Cocktail

Garden Gimlet - Hapenny Rhubarb Gin, Effen Cucumber Vodka, Muddled Cucumber & Mint, Fresh Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Fever-Tree Sparkling Grapefruit

M’tucci’s Bar Roma

Brisket Ravioli - Five Cheese Stuffing, Braised Brisket, Sautéed Vegetable Medley, Roasted Beef Brodo,  $27

Pan-Seared White Sea Bass - Garlic Whipped Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $32

Weekend Cocktail

Peachy Keen - Aperol, 43 Licor, Deep Eddy Peach, Fresh Lime Juice, M’tucci’s Sparkling Wine

Live Music for May, June & July

M’tucci’s Bar Roma - Wed 6:30-8:30 

5/28 Lani Nash

5/31 Shane Wallin 

6/7 RJ Perez 

6/14 Gilbert Uribe

6/21 Justin Nuñez 

6/25 Gilbert Uribe( Only Sunday in June) 

6/28 Shane Wallin

7/5 Shane Wallin

7/12 Delaney Davis (feature)

7/19 Lani Nash

7/26 Shane Wallin

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five - Thursday 6:30-8:30 * Friday 7:30-9:30 

5/26 Alex Long 

6/1 Eryn Bent 

6/2 Cali Shaw

6/8 Shane Wallin 

6/9 chessa Peak

6/15 RJ Perez 

6/16 Naghan Fox

6/22 Cali Shaw

6/23 Gilbert Uribe

6/29 Amy Faithe

6/30 Alex Long

7/6 RJ Perez 

7/7 Javier Ortega 

7/13 Eryn Bent 

7/14 Delaney Davis (feature)

7/20 Matt Jones

7/21 Alex Long 

7/27 Chessa Peak

7/28 Cali Shaw

M’tucci’s Moderno - Thursday 6:30-830 *Friday 7:30-9:30

5/26 Marissa Lynch

6/1 Lani Nash

6/2 Nathan Fox 

6/8 Gilbert Uribe 

6/9 Jacob Chavez

6/15 Alex Long

6/16 Chessa Peak

6/22 Eryn Bent

6/23 Cali Shaw

6/29 Lani Nash

6/30 Alex Maryol

7/6 Matt Jones

7/7 Justin Nuñez 

7/13 Delaney Davis ( feature )

7/14 RJ Perez 

7/20 Jacob Chavez

7/21 Matt Jones

7/27 RJ Perez 

7/28 Lani Nash

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Italy & Food - A Visual Feast

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Italian movies, movies featuring food, and travel shows about food can all be found on the streaming services. Years ago you may have been able to rent a copy of “Life is Beautiful” at the local Blockbuster or video store. Especially since it was the first film where a non-English speaking male actor (Roberto Benigni) won the Oscar at the Academy Awards in 1998.

Now, you can find a wealth of entertainment in the comfort of your own home. Here are a few suggestions:

Classic Italian Movies

Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di Biciclette): Made in 1948, it is set amid the struggles of post-war Italy and has been named by numerous movie reviewers as one of the best films ever made.

Cinema Paradiso: Released in 1988, it also takes place just after the end of WWII and explores the relationship between a young boy and the projectionist at the local movie theatre in small town cinema.

Two Women, Marriage Italian Style or The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti Ase): The first Oscar for a non-English speaking part went to Sophia Loren for her performance in “Two Women” in 1961. Since then, the legendary Italian actress has appeared in numerous classics, including “Marriage Italian Style” and most recently in “The Life Ahead”. That film was directed by Loren’s son, Edoardo Ponti, and was released in 2020. Stream any of her movies and you won’t regret it.

Food Movies

Babette’s Feast: Several years ago I spent New Year’s Eve with my cousin in Chicago eating caviar and smoked salmon, drinking Dom Perignon and watching “Babette’s Feast.” It had just been released and was the first Danish film made from a book by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen of “Out of Africa” fame). It’s an incredible story of the pleasures of food, love and sacrifice set among a strict religious order in 19th century Denmark.

Big Night: Set on the Jersey shore in the 1950s, two brothers from Calabria, Primo and Secondo, (Tony Shaloub and Stanley Tucci) are running a struggling Italian restaurant. Primo, the chef, won’t cook the more familiar Italian-American food that the locals prefer. In order to save their restaurant, an elaborate feast is prepared to try and change the hearts and minds of the locals. It’s a wonderful film that should not be missed.

Food, Cooking & Travel Series

All of the following series are on Netflix. Combined, they offer hours of enjoyable travels with food at the heart of each story.

Somebody Feed Phil: If you, like me, were devastated by the death of Anthony Bourdain and the end of his amazing series of food travel shows, you might love this show, starring the creator of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Not a former chef like Bourdain, Phil Rosenthal is curious, kind and loves to eat. You might find yourself planning a trip after watching this series.

Ugly Delicious: The Chef/owner of the famous NYC restaurant, Momofuku, David Chang dives deep into different kinds of food, globetrotting to bring us his take on pizza, tacos and other familiar foods. Well-known chefs and actors sometimes accompany Chang on his travels.

Chef’s Table: Beautifully photographed, each episode in this well-done series focuses on a well-known chef. Chefs from Massimo Bottura (Francescana in Modena, Italy) to Enrique Olvera (Pujo in Mexico City), this series will delight anyone who loves travel, good food and the inspiration behind creating great meals.

Salt Fat Acid Heat: Samin Nosrat published a book of the same title, in which she proposes that these four elements form the basis of cooking. She travels to Italy, Japan, the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and then to Chez Panisse in Berkley, CA. It’s a fascinating travelogue, but also loaded with information for the home cook.

Last Pairing Dinner of the Year - Don’t miss it.

Click here to book online

Available Today through 12/31

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

Ravioli - Roasted Carrots/Goat Cheese filling, Butternut Squash, Roasted Eggplant, Spinach, Tea Brown Butter Sauce, Shaved Parmesan & Micro Greens $25

14 oz Ribeye: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $39

Pan-Seared Ruby Trout - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Grilled Artichokes, Lemon Caper Sauce $27

Braise - Napolean: Bolognese & Spicy Marinara, Sautéed Garlic Spinach & Creamy Polenta $23

Weekend Cocktail

Santa’s Little Helper - Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Venezia Apertivo, Rhubarb Bitters


M’tucci’s Moderno

14 oz. NY Strip - Traditional Italian Salsa Verde, Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, & Grilled Asparagus $36

Pan-Seared Yellowtail - Roasted Artichoke, Braised Escarole, Mashed Potatoes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce, & Smoked Prosciutto Powder $27

Beef Tips Tortelloni - Cajun Seasoning, Grape Tomatoes, Onions, Rosa Sauce, Gorgonzola Cheese $21

Weekend Cocktail

Scottish Cherry Sour (one of the cocktails from the 12/1 Pairing Dinner) - Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whiskey, Cherry Liqueur, Rhubarb Bitters, Fresh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Egg White


M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

24 oz. Porterhouse - Grilled Broccolini, Whipped Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Blackberry bone Marrow Butter $41

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Braised Greens, Stem on Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Butter Caper Sauce $28

Duck Confit & Ricotta Ravioli - Duck confit, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Root Vegetables in a Duck Cream Broth, Parmesan Cheese, Parsley $21

Weekend Cocktail

Winter Wonderland - Vanilla Vodka, Coconut Rum, Coconut Cream, Pineapple Juice, Simple Syrup


M’tucci’s Bar Roma

24 oz Bone-In Wagyu Porterhouse - Gorgonzola & Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole a la Minute, Crispy Shallots, Fig & Balsamic Reduction $63

Pan-Seared Ruby Trout - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Braised Arugula with Garlic, Seared Stem-on Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $27

Weekend Cocktail

The Pom Pom - Gray Whale Gin, St. Germain, Pomegranate Juice, Fresh Lemon Juice

Live Music for November, December & January

M’tucci’s Bar Roma - Wed 6:30-8:30. Sunday noon-2pm

11/27 Shane Wallin

11/30 Oscar Butler

12/4 Oscar Butler

12/7 Shane Wallin

12/11 Lani Nash

12/14 Gilbert Uribe

12/18 Shane Wallin

12/21 Lani Nash

12/28 Shane Wallin

1/4 RJ Perez

1/8 Matt Jones

1/11 Alex Long

1/15 Javier Ortega

1/18 Jason Seel

1/22 Abby Deeter

1/25 Rob Martinez

1/29 Xandra

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five - Thursday 6:30-8:30 * Friday 7:30-9:30

12/1 Oscar Butler

12/2 Lani Nash

12/8 John Martinez

12/9 Shane Wallin

12/15 Matt Jones

12/16 Alex Long

12/22 Abby Deeter

12/23 Gilbert Uribe

12/29 Chessa Peak

12/30 RJ Perez

1/5 Marissa

1/6 John Martinez

1/12 Amy Faithe

1/13 Gilbert Uribe

1/19 RJ Perez

1/20 Javier Ortega

1/26 Amy Faithe

1/27 Lani Nash

M’tucci’s Moderno - Thursday 6:30-830 *Friday 7:30-9:30

12/1 Matt Jones

12/2 Jason Seel

12/8 Abby Deeter

12/9 Gilbert Uribe

12/15 Oscar Butler

12/16 Lani Nash

12/22 RJ Perez

12/23 Rob Martinez

12/29 Marissa

12/30 Javier Ortega

1/5 Xandra

1/6 Lani Nash

1/12 John Martinez

1/13 RJ Perez

1/19 Oscar Butler

1/20 Matt Jones

1/26 Chessa Peak

1/27 John Martinez

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Italy - Off the Beaten Path

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“I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost first published in 1915 in The Atlantic Monthly

A beautiful sentiment for those who love to explore the backroads and the lesser known places.

By all means, visitors to Italy should experience Rome, Venice & Florence. If you have time, or on your second visit, don’t miss the Cinque Terre, Siena, Orvieto or the Amalfi Coast.

Whether it’s your first visit or you’ve been several times to this enchanting country, you should make time for small towns - places off the beaten path, towns not heavily touristed. It’s not hard to escape the hoards of tourists who crowd the museums, piazzas and beaches every year.

Here are a few that I suggest for your next Italian vacation.

Pontessieve - This small town in Tuscany, east of Florence, is surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. It’s a crossroads town at the confluence of the Arno and Sieve rivers. It’s an easy train ride into Florence and has easy access to major highways for day trips to Arezzo or the Chianti region. With agriturismos, markets, restaurants and historic streets, it’s an easy place to stay for a few days or a week.

Isola d’Elba - The small island sits off the coast of Tuscany and is a short ferry ride from the port of Piombino. My first visit to Italy was in April and started in Milan. After a few rainy and chilly days in the Cinque Terre, we headed south in search of some sun and found it on Elba. The island features rugged terrain and equally rugged people. To say it was quiet in the off season is an understatement. The island has beautiful beaches, terrific obscure wine and is known as the place where Napoleon was exiled in 1814 after he was forced from the throne.

Avola & Noto, Sicily - The quiet seaside town of Avola and the nearby hill town of Noto are located in the Southeast corner of Sicily, far from the noise and hustle of Palermo. If you travel in the shoulder season, you’ll likely have the beach to yourself, walk into restaurants without a reservation, and share the towns with just the residents. You will find amazing architecture, incredibly fresh seafood and some of the best gelato anywhere.

Arezzo - South of Florence, Arezzo is a Tuscan hill town that feels smaller than its 100K inhabitants. This ancient Etruscan city dates back to the 9th century BC and is filled with museums and churches with world—class works of art. It’s a charming and easily walkable small city, featuring a cathedral with 15th-century frescoes by Piero della Francesca.

Castiglione del Lago - The small town on the western shore of Lago Trasimeno is in the northern part of Umbria. It is pretty busy in summer, but was quiet in October. The off season became apparent when we arrived by train and there were no taxis at the train station, a good mile from the town. The owner of the shop at the station actually called a friend to take us to the town. The lake is the fourth largest in Italy and has three islands in the lake and castles in each town surrounding the lake. Ancient olive trees dominate the small park and you can climb the ramparts of the castle. The lake is just south of the hill town of Cortona, made famous by the book and movie, “Under the Tuscan Sun.”

Regardless of where you travel in Italy, walk the neighborhoods, get slightly lost and soak up the architecture and atmosphere that is uniquely Italian.

Book and Prepay Online by Clicking on This Link

New Mexico United &

M’tucci’s Moderno

Celebrity Host Kalen Ryden

Monday, November 14, 5:30 -7:00

Stop by and meet one of our football club’s premier defenders.

Order Your Thanksgiving Pies Now!

Back by popular demand, Chef Brianna and team will make an Old Forester Bourbon Pecan Pie with Vanilla Whipped Cream ($20) and Pumpkin Pie with Ginger Whipped Cream and Pumpkin Seed Brittle ($18). ⁠

⁠Order your pies by calling the location where you want to pick up. Ordering deadline is 11/20 and pick up days are 11/22 after noon and 11/23 after we open.

Thanksgiving Matchup

Several area bakeries, including M’tucci’s, will be participating in the Thanksgiving Matchup this year. Nearly 50 local bakeries and restaurants are matched with a local family in need and will deliver their special desserts to that family for Thanksgiving week. Our guests can join in giving by buying a gift certificate equal to or greater than the cost of a pie and we’ll provide a pie to one of the families now on the waiting list for a Thanksgiving dessert. Just tell your server or manager that you want to contribute. You can also contact Kandi Ramsey, co-owner of ABQ Sweet Spot or email [email protected] to see how you can help.

Whiskey Flight at M’tucci’s Italian

Featuring Maker’s Mark Barrel Selects

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

Ravioli - Green Chile & Ricotta filling, Cockle Clams, Cotto Ham, Red Onions, Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes, Roasted Poblano Cream Sauce, Pecorino, Micro Greens $27

14 oz Ribeye: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $39

Pan-Seared California Halibut - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Grilled Artichokes, Lemon Caper Sauce $33

Braise - Cold Smoked Half Chicken, Braised in White Wine, Lemon & Rosemary, Sweet Potatoes Mash, Sautéed Broccolini, Braising Sauce $25

Weekend Cocktail

A Night in Monte - Montenegro Amaro, Fresh Lemon Juice, Honey Simple Syrup


M’tucci’s Moderno

14 oz. Ribeye - Traditional Italian Salsa Verde, Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, & Grilled Asparagus $39

Pan-Seared Meagre - Roasted Artichoke, Braised Escarole, Mashed Potatoes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce, & Smoked Prosciutto Powder $29

Chicken Portobello Spaghetti Pasta - Roasted Portobello Mushrooms, Mussels, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Spinach, Mozzarella & Roasted Garlic Demi-Glace $21

Weekend Cocktail

Mark Your Calendar! - Teremana Blanco Tequila, O3 Orange Liqueur, Pasubio Amaro , Fresh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup


M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

12 oz. Veal Porterhouse - Grilled Broccolini, Whipped Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Blackberry bone Marrow Butter $37

Pan-Seared Icelandic Cod - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Braised Greens, Stem on Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Butter Caper Sauce $33

Sackett Farms Pork Loin Marsala - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Roasted Bell Pepper, Caramelized Onions, Spinach and Marsala Sauce $24

Weekend Cocktail

Tangsgiving - Diplomatico Exclusiva Rum, Tripe Sec, Hot Water, Holidays Spices


M’tucci’s Bar Roma

Pan-Seared Icelandic Cod - Garlic Whipped Mashed Potatoes, Braised Arugula, Garlic, Pan-Seared Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $33

Cold Smoked Herb Roasted Game Hen - Smoked Gouda au Gratin, Za’tar Braised Carrots, M’tucci’s Pancetta, Escarole, Caramelized Onions, N’Duja Butter $27

Weekend Cocktail

Chai Me a River - Myers Rum, Kahlúa, Chai Mix, Ginger Bitters, Half & Half

Live Music for November

M’tucci’s Bar Roma - Wed 6:30-8:30. Sunday noon-2pm

11/13 Oscar Butler

11/16 Shane Wallin

11/20 John Martinez

11/23 Ron Martinez

11/27 Shane Wallin

11/30 Oscar Butler

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five - Thursday 6:30-8:30 * Friday 7:30-9:30

11/11 Lani Nash

11/17 Rj Perez

11/18 Matt Jones

11/25 Rob Martinez

M’tucci’s Moderno - Thursday 6:30-830 *Friday 7:30-9:30

11/11 Rj Perez

11/17 Matt Jones

11/18 Lani Nash

11/25 Alex Long

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Two Perfect Weeks in Tuscany

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If last week’s La Gazzetta inspired you to visit Tuscany and the Chianti region, here are some tips on how to do it right. September is a great month for travel and October is even better with cooler weather, wine and olive harvests and festivals throughout the region.

Begin your trip by flying into Rome, taking the Leonardo Express train to Rome’s Termini station, then booking the fast train to Florence. Book online with Trenitalia and choose the Freccia option for fast train (about two hours). If you have an hour or so at Termini, there is a large food court on the second level and next door to the station.

Day 1-3: Find an Airbnb or nice hotel in central Florence. Make sure to book your visit to the Uffizi gallery well in advance. Visit the Duomo, which dominates the main piazza, cross the Arno River on the Ponte Vecchio, and escape the crowds by visiting restaurants near Piazza San Spirito. Rent a bike or take a taxi to Piazzale Michelangiolo to watch sunrise over the city. Take an easy bus to the hill town of Fiesole to enjoy the restaurants and views looking over the entire city and the Arno Valley. Do make reservations at Buca Mario, one of the oldest restaurants in the city or try the bistecca alla Fiorentina at Regina Bistecca. The Central Market is the place for olive oils, dried porcini and quick bites for lunch.

Days 4 & 5: Take a taxi or bus to the airport to pick up a rental car. Driving in Italy is fun and easy, so don’t hesitate to get a car to visit hill towns not accessible by train. Book two nights in one of Chianti’s hill towns such as Panzano, Greve in Chianti or Castellini in Chianti. There are an overwhelming number of wineries, restaurants and cooking classes available. Near Castellini in Chianti is Azienda Agricola Casamonti, a farm (that breeds Cinta Sinese free-range pigs) and winery. They offer short tours and a large lunch. Antinori Winery with its modern visitors center, tasting room, gift shop and restaurant is a popular destination. TV celebrity chef Dario Cecchini holds forth nearly every day at his butcher shop/restaurant complex in the hill town of Panzano. There are three different restaurants from which to choose, based on your desired level of meat consumption.

Days 6 & 7: Drive to Siena for two nights. Explore the city with the grand Piazza del Campo, the home to the exciting Palio horse races and the majestic Duomo. The best views are gained by climbing the Torre del Mangia. Study the Google maps well, since there is little parking available in the center of the ancient city. You’ll park your car in lots that are located in the periphery, so book a room somewhat close to a parking lot.

Days 8 & 9: Drive west from Siena, stopping to see the towers of San Gimignano. Try to get there early to beat squadrons of buses and their passengers that descend upon the medieval city. On the main piazza here is a local gelato shop, Gelateria Dondoli, whose proprietor has won the world gelato competition twice - the perfect breakfast!

Continue on the town of Bolgheri in the wine growing region of Coastal Tuscany. The town, surrounded by vineyards, is walkable with several good restaurants and spots to taste the famed Super Tuscans. Visit the hill towns of Bibbona and Castagneto and Marina di Castagneto -Donoratico and San Vincenzo for views of the Tyrrehian Sea. Any of these towns would be good for base for two nights.

Days 10 & 11: Drive east through the countryside to my favorite Tuscan hill town, Montalcino. This town has it all, great restaurants, stunning views of the surrounding vineyards and lots of places to enjoy one of Italy’s finest wines, Brunello di Montalcino. La Fortezza is good for sampling many Brunellos and its less costly cousin, Rosso di Montalcino. Like Siena, you will have to park in one of the parking lots that surround the small town, so be prepared for a little walking to your hotel. Don’t make the same mistake I did and arrive on a Saturday without restaurant reservations. The small town is a popular weekend destination for Italians and travelers. The same goes for all of the restaurants that I have mentioned - make reservations.

Days 12 & 13: Here are two options, depending on your mood. If you have had enough of small towns and wine country and want some big city life, then return the car to Florence and return to Rome on the train. Two nights in a hotel/Airbnb near the Campo di Fiore or Piazza Navona could be the perfect end to your Tuscan travels. Or you could choose to continue east to the hill town of Cortona, made famous as the setting for the book and move, “Under the Tuscan Sun” by Frances Mayes. It has the same charms as Montalcino, with views that take in Umbria and Lake Trasimeno.

Last Day: Instead of sleeping in a disappointing hotel near Termini in Rome the night before your flight, consider staying in the town right by the airport. However, don’t stay at a drab chain hotel at the airport, instead go to the port city of Fiumicino, which has two terrific (according to the writer, Frances Mayes) hotels,. The Seccy and Hotel QC Terme Roma are both within walking distance of good restaurants and they both are only 10 minutes from the airport. Buon Viaggio!

September and October Festivals in Tuscany

Expo Chianti Classico of Greve, which gathers producers from all over the Chianti Classico territory, a chance to sample Chiantis in Chianti. It takes place on the second weekend of September, in the splendid square of Greve in Chianti with tastings, art exhibitions, and concerts. Which means it begins today, so unless you are already there, you’ll have to plan for next year.

Also for next year is the Fiera del Cacio Pienza, the fair that celebrates Tuscan pecorino and is held the first Sunday in September.

Castelnuovo Berardenga celebrates grapes with the Festa dell'uva in Vagliagli.

At the end of October, the 6 municipalities of Chianti adhere to the "Camminata Tra gli Olivi", in collaboration with the Associazione Città dell'Olio: a day dedicated to the discovery of the "green gold" at the time of the olive harvest and pressing.

Next Thursday at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five!

Don’t Miss it!

Click Here to Book Now on Open Table!

Stuffed Squash Blossom is the First Course for the Pairing Dinner with Ex Novo

Albuquerque Journal: Friday, September 9, 2022

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

Ravioli - Pesto Ricotta Ravioli: Mushrooms, Spicy Capicola, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Green Chile, Pesto Cream Sauce, Parmesan & micro Greens $25

12 oz Veal Chop: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $37

Pan-Seared Swordfish: Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Grilled Artichokes, Lemon Caper Sauce $33

Braise - Lamb, Gorgonzola Creamy Polenta, Haricot Vert $31

Weekend Cocktail

Berto’s Manhattan- Bullet Rye, Berto Vermouth, Grapefruit Bitters, Slap of Basil


M’tucci’s Moderno

14 oz. NY Strip - Traditional Italian Salsa Verde, Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, & Grilled Asparagus $36

Pan-Seared Rockfish- Roasted Artichoke, Braised Escarole, Mashed Potatoes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce, & Smoked Prosciutto Powder $24

Sackett Farms Pork Piccata - Arugula, Tomatoes, Feta, Capers, Lemon Butter Sauce tossed with Spaghetti $19

Weekend Cocktail

Blueberry Spritz - Aperol, Pasubio Amaro, M’tucci’s Sparkling Wine, Cherry bitters


M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

12 oz. Veal Porterhouse - Grilled Broccolini, Whipped Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Blackberry bone Marrow Butter $37

Pan-Seared California White Sea Bass - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Stem on Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Butter Caper Sauce $34

Calbrain Pork Shank Ragu - San Marzano Tomatoes, Red Bell, Carrots, Red Wine, Prosciutto and Calabrain Chile over House Made Pappardelle $19

Berry & Kiwi Shortcake - White Cake with Rosemary, Rum, Chantilly Cream, Berry Chutney and Fresh Fruit

Weekend Cocktail

The End of Summer - Effen Cucumber Vodka, Fresh Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Chamoy & Tajin Rim


M’tucci’s Bar Roma

Pan-Seared Butterfish - Garlic Whipped Mashed Potatoes, Braised Arugula, Garlic, Pan-Seared Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $39

14 oz Bone-In Ribeye - Herb Dusted Smashed Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Pancetta & Chanterelle Mushroom Au Poivre $39

Duck Pate - Citrus Dressed Cucumber & Arugula Salad, Butter Toasted Almonds $7

Weekend Cocktail

Gotta Lotta Mint - Espolon Tequila, Cassis, Simple Syrup, Fresh Lime Juice, Mint

Live Music for September

M’tucci’s Bar Roma - Wed 6:30-8:30. Sunday noon-2pm



9/11 Shane Wallin

9/14 Sloan Armitage

9/18 Amy Faithe

9/21 Chessa Peak

9/25 John Martinez

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five - Thursday 6:30-8:30 * Friday 7:30-9:30



9/9 Alex Maryol

9/15 Melissa Rios

9/16 RJ Perez

9/22 Amy Faithe

9/23 Lani Nash

9/29 Chessa Peak

9/30 Jacob Chavez

M’tucci’s Moderno - Thursday 6:30-830 *Friday 7:30-9:30

9/9 Russel Ash

9/15 Shane Wallin

9/16 Cali Shaw

9/22 Melissa Rios

9/23 Alex Maryol

9/29 Austin Van

9/30 Paul Hunton

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Sangiovese and Chianti

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Lovers of Italian food and wine are familiar with Chianti, the wine, and Chianti, the region. Some of Italy’s best wines come from Chianti made with the Sangiovese grape. This wasn’t always true.

Back in the 1960s and ‘70s, Chianti was dismissed as plonk (British slang for cheap wine). iI was the cheap, insipid wine that came in straw flasks (fiascos in Italian) and was typically found in American pizza joints that had checkered tablecloths. The empty bottles often became candle holders.

During the years of the appropriately named fiasco, Chianti deserved its bad reputation. After WWII, many vintners had fled to the U.S., and the area suffered from a lack of talent and bad wine management (seeking higher yields instead of quality yields) for a couple of decades. The quality was considered so low that, for awhile, the government required that Chianti be blended with two white wine grapes, Malvasia and Trebbiano. Some vintners even imported large quantities of Sicilian red and illegally bottled it as Chianti.

Quality returned to the area in the 1970s with the implementation and enforcement of higher standards and techniques. A Chianti’s grapes have to be grown in a defined part of Tuscany, primarily around Florence and Siena, and include 70% Sangiovese grapes. That Chianti receives a DOC classification on the label (Denominazione di Origine Controllata). Chianti Classico is the higher level of classification and must be made with 80% Sangiovese, and requires a minimum of 24 months of maturation, most of that in oak barrels. Classico receives the DOCG classification on the label (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita). The bottles are also recognizable by the black rooster on a pink label (gallo nero) on the bottle neck.

Some of the top producers in the area, notably Angelo Gaja (who originally had vineyards in the Piedmont making Barolo and Barbaresco) and Piero Antinori, resolved to make wines of distinction and rebelled against the rigid Chianti standards of 70-80% Sangiovese and created what became known as Super Tuscans. These wines blended Sangiovese with Cabernet and/or Merlot according to the wine maker’s tastes and were not eligible for the Chianti designation. However, their quality caught on with wine writers and critics, and soon became wildly popular with wine lovers - at least those who could afford the prices these special wines commanded. Antinori created Tignanello, the most well-known and one of the most expensive. I shared a bottle with friends in Italy a few years ago and it was sublime (I’ll leave the snooty wine adjectives to wine writers).

Despite the success of the Super Tuscans, Sangiovese is synonymous with Chianti, where quality Classico and Riserva are still wildly popular.

Italian immigrants brought the vines to California in the late 1800s, where they probably were first planted by the Seghesio family in Napa. Sangiovese can be a difficult grape, flourishing in the limestone soil of Tuscany, but not always doing well with hot climates in other locations.

It does well in the foothills of the Sierras in Amador and Calaveras County in California and in the valleys of Washington, notably Columbia and Walla Walla. American Sangiovese has a slightly different characteristic than the Italian varietal. Flavors from California or Washington Sangiovese show spicy and tart cherry, red current and anise.

The new M’tucci’s Sangiovese is from the Columbia Valley in Washington. It and the new M’tucci’s Bianco (80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Gruner Veltliner) will be available in all locations in the next week or so.

“I think it’s a really nice offering. We had a lot of great results with the Montepulciano, but unfortunately that won’t be available much longer, due to some pretty small harvests the last couple years. We wanted to continue down the path of Italian varietals and felt like this Sangiovese was very expressive, like the Montepulciano. It's a really, really nice food wine that I think will pair very well with a large part of our menus at all locations,” said M’tucci’s President John Haas.

Local winemaker Sean Sheehan took part in the tasting of the Sangiovese and the blending of he Bianco with John and Austin and made the following tasting notes:

Bianco: Ripe Guava, Grapefruit, mineral, and lemon mingle with notes of lime zest on both the nose and palate.

Sangiovese: The nose of our Sangiovese is packed with notes of dried red cherry and violets. On the palate it expands to include deeper black cherry notes, as well as a subtle earthiness, and long refined tannins.

Five Course Pairing Dinner with Ex Novo Brewing & M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Thursday, September 15 @ 6:30

Menu will be posted on M’tucci’s Twenty-Five Facebook page next week. The dinner will feature The Most Interesting Lager in the World, Perle Haggard, Phantaztic Hazy IPA., wet hopped Mass Ascension IPA, Puff Puff Passion (a Passionfruit Sour) and Sons of Scotland Scotch Ale.

Experience the ambiance and superb cocktails at Teddy Roe’s Bar

Reservations Required - Click here to make one.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

Ravioli - Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli: Crawfish/Ricotta filling, Shrimp, Lobster, Asparagus, Heirloom Tomatoes, Vodka Sauce with Pesto Breadcrumbs and Lemon Zest $29

14 oz Ribeye: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $37

Pan-Seared California White Sea Bass: Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Grilled Artichokes, Lemon Caper Sauce $33

Braise - Sackett Farms Pork Shank Braised in Red Wine, Salt Water Potatoes, Roasted Red Pepper, Caramelized Onions and Spinach $31

Weekend Cocktail

Ginger Swirl - Novo Fogo Cachaca, Intense Ginger, Fresh Lemon, Simple Syrup, Muddled Fresh Ginger


M’tucci’s Moderno

14 oz. Ribeye - Traditional Italian Salsa Verde, Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, & Grilled Asparagus $39

Pan-Seared Norwegian Sea Trout- Roasted Artichoke, Braised Escarole, Mashed Potatoes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce, & Smoked Prosciutto Powder $29

Tortellini Francesa - Mushrooms, Roasted Carrots, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Garlic Demi Glace $19

Weekend Cocktail

Cappeletti Margarita - Deleon Tequila, Cappeletti, Fresh Lime Juice, Simple Syrup


M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

24 oz. Hand-Cut Porterhouse - Grilled Broccolini, Whipped Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Blackberry bone Marrow Butter $41

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Stem on Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Butter Caper Sauce $26

Spicy Scallops - Blackened Baby Scallops, Roasted Artichokes, Caramelized Onion, Marinated Tomatoes, Capellini Pasta with Pesto Breadcrumbs $20

Weekend Cocktail

Bomb Bye Sour- Bramble Bombay Gin, Creme de Cassis, Fresh Lemon Juice, Honey and Egg White


M’tucci’s Bar Roma

Pan-Seared Monkfish - Garlic Whipped Mashed Potatoes, Braised Arugula, Garlic, Pan-Seared Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $31

Five Cheese Ravioli - Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, Seared Beef Tips, Porcini Brodo with Fresh Herbs $25

12 oz Bone-In Veal Chop - Creamy Risotto, Fresh Mushroom Herb Sauce $37

Weekend Cocktail

Sticky Situation - Gosling Rum, Whistlepig Maple Syrup, Peychaud Bitters

Live Music for September

M’tucci’s Bar Roma - Wed 6:30-8:30. Sunday noon-2pm


9/4 Rob Martinez

9/7 Shane Wallin

9/11 Shane Wallin

9/14 Sloan Armitage

9/18 Amy Faithe

9/21 Chessa Peak

9/25 John Martinez

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five - Thursday 6:30-8:30 * Friday 7:30-9:30


9/2 Jacob Chavez

9/8 Paul Hunton

9/9 Alex Maryol

9/15 Melissa Rios

9/16 RJ Perez

9/22 Amy Faithe

9/23 Lani Nash

9/29 Chessa Peak

9/30 Jacob Chavez

M’tucci’s Moderno - Thursday 6:30-830 *Friday 7:30-9:30

9/2 Chessa Peak

9/8 John Martinez

9/9 Russel Ash

9/15 Shane Wallin

9/16 Cali Shaw

9/22 Melissa Rios

9/23 Alex Maryol

9/29 Austin Van

9/30 Paul Hunton

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Italian Agriturismos

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While I have visited Italy in the Spring, Summer and Fall, I really prefer September and October. The produce is amazing, the weather is nearly perfect and the cities and towns are less crowded. AirBnB has certainly changed selecting a place to stay for the night or for a week, but there is a great network of farm stays throughout Italy called Agriturismo. They are apartments, rooms and entire villas located on working farms and vineyards and can be booked on the website: https://www.agriturismo.it/en/

Traveling Italy by train is a great way to see the country, however many areas are not connected to Italy’s extensive rail network. Visiting many of the small towns in Tuscany, Sicily or Puglia will require a car. You certainly don’t want a rental car in Rome or Florence since driving in the cities is crazy and parking is rare and expensive.

Agriturismos are the perfect option for food lovers and travelers who don’t want to stay in the city. A few years ago, we wanted our visit to Tuscany to include Florence, but we also wanted the freedom to explore Arezzo, Chianti and Montalcino. We found an agriturismo in the small town of Pontessieve, about 6 miles east of Florence. We got our rental car in Pontessieve, drove it around Tuscany and parked it for free at the train station when we visited Florence.

I Veroni is in the hills above town surrounded by Sangiovese vineyards and olive groves. The former farmhouse has been converted into five apartments, some with two bedrooms. Since it was August, the pool was an added bonus. Another bonus was a bottle of their Sangiovese, a bottle of their Bianco and a tin of their olive oil waiting for us in the small, but efficient kitchen. I Veroni offered a huge breakfast (which had to be ordered 24 hours in advance) and had an outdoor grill where we prepared bistecca alla fiorentina.

My first agriturismo experience was in the Piedmont region, where we had a room with a family in their house, also surrounded by vineyards. It was in October and we were able to visit the wine cellars of the local coop, experience the wine harvest and have lunch with the crew picking grapes.

Once you’ve seen Rome, Florence and Venice; venture into the countryside and stay at an agriturismo. You may not want to leave!

Wine Dinner at M’tucci’s Italian - Thursday, August 18 @ 6:30

M’tucci’s & New Nuevo Cocktail Kit Release

M’tucci’s Vice President Austin Leard, who created our Shrubs and Shrub Cocktails, has created a new cocktail for a New Nuevo Cocktail kit. It’s called Monsoon Magic and will be available for order on their website soon. Click here to order one or two. In addition, there is a video, where Austin shows you how to make the cocktail.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

Ravioli - Prosciutto/Ricotta filled: Mushrooms, Roast Chicken, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Red Peppers, Okra, Pesto Cream Sauce, Pine Nuts $25

24 oz Hand Cut Herb-Rubbed T-Bone: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $37

Pan-Seared Ruby Red Trout: Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Grilled Artichokes, Lemon Caper Sauce $27

Braise - New Mexico Red Chile Pork over Calabacitas, Corn, Spring Onions, Feta $27

Weekend Cocktail

Crème Brûlée Martini - Vanilla Vodka, Frangelico, Vanilla Syrup, Cream, Chocolate Bitters


M’tucci’s Moderno

24 oz. Hand Cut Porterhouse - Traditional Italian Salsa Verde, Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, & Grilled Asparagus $41

Pan-Seared Yellowtail - Roasted Artichoke, Braised Escarole, Mashed Potatoes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce, & Smoked Prosciutto Powder $27

Beef Tortellini - Beef Tips, Cajun Seasoning, Tomatoes, Rosa Sauce & Gorgonzola $21

Appetizer

Fried Oysters with Spicy Garlic Aioli $11

Weekend Cocktail

Lavender Lemondrop - Tito’s Vodka, Violette Liqueur, Lavender Simple Syrup, Fresh Lemon Juice, Lavender Bitters, Sugared Rim


M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

14 oz. Hand Cut Rib-Eye - Grilled Broccolini, Whipped Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Blackberry bone Marrow Butter $37

Pan-Seared Artic Char - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Stem on Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Butter Caper Sauce $34

Linguine alla Portofino - Clams, Shrimp, Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, Herbs, Red Pepper Flakes, Clam Juice & White Wine Garlic Sauce $19

Weekend Cocktail

Roller Coaster: Botanist Gin, Fresh Lemon Juice, Fresh Passion fruit, Orgeat, Ginger, topped with Soda


M’tucci’s Bar Roma

Pan-Seared Yellowtail - Garlic Whipped Mashed Potatoes, Braised Arugula, Garlic, Pan-Seared Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $27

Herb Roasted Game Hen - Pickled Golden Beet Hash with Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, M’tucci’s Pancetta, Caramelized Onions, Purple Kale, Fresh Herbs, Served with Balsamic Reduction and a Roasted Golden Beet Butter $23

Cicchetti Special

Crispy Fried Italian Olives served with an Amaro Fennel Reduction $6

Weekend Cocktail

Missin’ Cozumel - Espolon Tequila, Fresh Lime & Grapefruit Juice, Simple Syrup, Sprite Float

Live Music for August & September

M’tucci’s Bar Roma - Wed 6:30-8:30. Sunday noon-2pm

8/14 Amy Faithe

8/17 Austin Van

8/21 Rob Martinez

8/24 Shane Wallin

8/28 Austin Van

8/31 RJ Perez

9/4 Rob Martinez

9/7 Shane Wallin

9/11 Shane Wallin

9/14 Sloan Armitage

9/18 Amy Faithe

9/21 Chessa Peak

9/25 John Martinez

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five - Thursday 6:30-8:30 * Friday 7:30-9:30

8/12 Sloan Armitage

8/18 RJ Perez

8/19 Jason Seel

8/25 Lani Nash

8/26 Chessa Peak

9/1 Austin Van

9/2 Jacob Chavez

9/8 Paul Hunton

9/9 Alex Maryol

9/15 Melissa Rios

9/16 RJ Perez

9/22 Amy Faithe

9/23 Lani Nash

9/29 Chessa Peak

9/30 Jacob Chavez

M’tucci’s Moderno - Thursday 6:30-830 *Friday 7:30-9:30

8/12 Jason Seel

8/18 Alex Maryol

8/19 Lani Nash

8/25 Matt Jones

8/26 RJ Perez

9/1 Lani Nash

9/2 Chessa Peak

9/8 John Martinez

9/9 Russel Ash

9/15 Shane Wallin

9/16 Cali Shaw

9/22 Melissa Rios

9/23 Alex Maryol

9/29 Austin Van

9/30 Paul Hunton

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Rome Inspired M'tucci's Bar Roma

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As the opening day for M’tucci’s Bar Roma grows near, let’s revisit how Rome influenced our inspiration for creating a bit of Rome in Albuquerque.

Last September, Company President John Haas, Beverage Director Austin Leard, Company Chef Shawn Cronin and M’tucci’s Bar Roma General Manager Amanda Romero hit the ground running after the 10 hour flight from Dallas to Rome. Lots of meals, beverages, wild scooter rides, and fun were packed into five long days of cafes, street food stops, speakeasies, trattorias, gelato shops, a pasta making class and fine dining restaurants.

On the first day we discovered suppli at a small place called Mami, near Piazza Navona. Similar to the Sicilian snack called arancini, they are a little different and will be on the menu at M’tucci’s Bar Roma as Cacio e Pepe Arancini, creamy risotto that is lightly breaded, fried and topped with Cacio di Roma cheese, cracked pepper and olive oil. Earlier this month, guests at our five-course pairing dinner with La Cumbre Brewing sampled them and loved them.

Chef Damien Lucero, who will head the kitchen staff, was on the Tuscany trip in 2019 and spent hours talking with Shawn after the Rome visit. You will notice a few more Roman-influenced dishes on the menu when it’s released. Two of the dishes served at the La Cumbre dinner were influenced by our trip to Tuscany, but were created primarily because of Chef Damien’s love of pork.

The Amaro-Glazed Sackett Farms Ribs with Italian Olives and Roasted Bell Pepper was one of the most popular dishes at the LCB dinner. An Amaro (a bittersweet Italian liqueur) reduction with star anise and allspice sautéd with Italian olives, red bell and garlic is the glaze for the tender ribs.

Another Italian favorite using Sackett Farms pork is a Porchetta. This traditional Italian street food is found in stalls at markets, where a whole-pig is boned and slow-roasted with herb-spiced paste. Then it’s sliced and served in butcher paper or as a sandwich. Here is how Chef Damien will prepare it at M’tucci’s Bar Roma:

Don’t miss next week’s La Gazzetta when Chef Shawn and Damien talk about how they created the menu at M’tucci’s Bar Roma, which will open on May 4th. The menu will be posted on our website and on our Facebook page within the next week.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

Ravioli - Pickled Fennel & Ricotta Filling, Sautéed Pink Shrimp, House Capicolla, Sun Dried Tomatoe, Turnip Greens, Spring Onion, Pesto Cream Sauce $29

24 oz Hand Cut T-Bone: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $37

Pan-Seared Barramundi: Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Grilled Artichokes, Lemon Caper Sauce $29

Braise - Sackett Farms Red Wine & Porcini Braised Pork Shank, Creamy Mushroom/Spinach Risotto, Red Wine Braising Sauce $27

Weekend Cocktail

Up All Night: Slow & Low Coffee Old Fashioned Whiskey, Campari, Kahlúa, Chocolate bitters, Lemon Twist


M’tucci’s Moderno

14 oz. Hand Cut NY Strip- Traditional Italian Salsa Verde, Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, & Grilled Asparagus $31

Pan-Seared Rockfish - Roasted Artichoke, Sautéed Organic Arugula, Mashed Potatoes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce, & Smoked Prosciutto Powder $27

Beef Tip Tortelloni - Beef Tips, Cajun Seasoning, Grape Tomatoes, Green Onions, Gorgonzola, Rosa Sauce $21

Weekend Cocktail

Tesorosso: M’tucci’s El Tesoro Reposado Tequila, Fresh Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Tonic Bitters, M’tucci’s Red Wine Float


M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Sackett Farms Milk-Braised Pork Shank - Mascarpone Creamy Polenta, Sautéed Spinach, Gigante Beans and Carrot Brodo $28

8 oz. Top Sirloin (Picanha) - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $28

Pan-Seared Mexican Fluke - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Stem on Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Butter Caper Sauce $29

Weekend Cocktail

Bruja- ha - M’tucci’s El Tesoro Reposado Tequila, Strega, Pilla Select, Fresh Lime Juice

Live Music for April & May at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five and M’tucci’s Moderno

Thursdays @ 6:30 & Fridays @ 7:00

M’tucci’s Italian has soft cello or violin dinner music every Thursday night beginning at 6:00.


MODERNO

4/22 Kirk Matthews

4/28 Austin Van

4/29 Cali Shaw

5/5 Eryn Bent

5/6 Nathan Fox

5/12 Sloan Armitage

5/13 Lani Nash

5/19 Alex Maryol

5/20 RJ Perez

5/26 Oscar Butler

5/27 Kirk Matthews



TWENTY-FIVE

4/28 Oscar Butler

5/5 Kirk Matthews

5/12 Amy Faithe

5/19 Austin Van

5/26 Alex Maryol

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Summer Food Reading

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Just before Memorial Day, we are used to seeing magazines and newspapers listing their recommended books to read for summer vacation or summer travel. We would like to suggest a few that emphasize food and travel. Food and travel writing often go together, since eating well can be the best reason for traveling. Few people were better at this than Anthony Bourdain, who introduced us to cultures through their food.

I have visited more than 50 countries and only a few of them had disappointing food. One was Greenland, primarily because it was Spring and they hadn’t had a supply ship since October. Seal meat and narwhale stew remain the two most disgusting things I have ever eaten. During my first visit to Cuba, the food was dreadful, primarily due to food shortages. Restaurants were owned by the government and the governments chefs were indifferent at best - any worth cooking was overcooked.

If I am not excited about a destination’s food, then I’m usually not excited about going there.

Here is a list of favorite books about food and travel, beginning with Italy.

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Eating My Way Through Italy by Elizabeth Minchilli (St. Martin’s Griffen 2018)

Minchilli moved to Rome with her family when she was twelve and never left. She is married to an Italian and travels and eats in off-the-beaten-path towns in Italy, Sicily and Sardinia. She lists places to eat, sleep and the best times to visit. As a plus, there are a few recipes in each chapter.

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See You in the Piazza by Frances Mayes (Crown 2019)

The best-selling author of Under the Tuscan Sun also visits small towns around the peninsula and on the islands. Having lived in Italy for many years, she writes passionately about the food and the culture. If you are a fan of churches with their frescoes and artwork, this book will thrill you. A great resource for planning your next trip to Italy. Although you’ll probably need a bestseller, a hit movie, or a winning lottery ticket to be able to afford the hotels and restaurants she visits.

Pasta, Pane, Vino by Matt Goulding (Harper Collins 2018)

La Gazzeta printed an excerpt of this book last month, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it is a favorite. Golding writes with authority and great insight into the joys of eating, traveling and cooking in Italy. My most recent purchase, which is on my reading list for summer is his book about eating and traveling in Spain: Grape, Olive, Pig.

One of my favorite novelists, the late Jim Harrison, was also a lover of good food and wine. For a number of years he wrote a food column for Esquire magazine and contributed food essays to many magazines. Two of his books include some of those columns and essays about food and travel. He, like Matt Golding, was a friend and dining companion of the great travel and food writer, Anthony Bourdain. Both of Harrison’s books about food and travel, The Raw and the Cooked (2007) and A Really Big Lunch (2017) should be in your library. His writing is poetic and some of his meals legendary, especially the 37-course meal in France which inspired the title for one of the books.

Finally, an essay by Nevin Martell on National Geographic’s website suggests several titles of both fiction and non-fiction that will make for good summer reading. These sound good:

Dirt (2020), by Bill Buford. After befriending the always great (now late) French chef Michel Richard, the Italophile-turned-Francophile writer winds up at a cooking school in Lyon studying the country’s gastronomic secrets. Ultimately, he walks away having “learned the taste of good food. That comes from a place, as it has for thousands of years, from a soil that is a testament to its ancient history.”

The Spice Necklace: A Food-Lover’s Caribbean Adventure (2010), by Anne Vanderhoof. As an intrepid couple pilots their sailboat, the Receta (Spanish for recipe), around the Caribbean, they dig into local delicacies along the way. The breezy memoir-cookbook will make you want to head to the tropics—or at least your kitchen—to try chilled curried pumpkin soup or toothsome coconut-custard tarts.

Now that you are hungry, check out the Weekend Specials and don’t forget to make a reservation!

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

16 oz Hand Cut Ribeye: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Balsamic Reduction $38

Pan-Seared Rockfish - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $21

Appetizers

Beer Battered Herbed Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms: Capers, Oil Pickled Zucchini $10

Clam Toasts & Pancetta with Fennel, Sun-Dried Tomato, White Wine Butter Broth $12

Weekend Cocktail

Twilight Hour: Caravedo Pisco, Aperol, Sherry, Lime & Simple Syrup

Sunday Only

Half Rack of Smoked Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, House Made Cole Slaw and House BBQ Sauce for $18

M’tucci’s Moderno

6 oz. Beef Tenderloin: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $36

Pan-Seared Rockfish: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $21

Shrimp Diablo: Patagonia Shrimp, Spicy Marinara & Spaghettini $19

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

NY Strip: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $23

Ruby Trout: Seared Artichokes, Grilled Escarole, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $21

Smoked Beef Tip Tortelloni: Cold Smoked Beef Tips, Roasted Mushrooms, Marinated Tomatoes, Cajun Tomato Cream Sauce, 5 Cheese Tortelloni Garnished with Scallions and Feta. $19

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Coming Soon to all M’tucci’s Restaurants and to Albertsons Markets in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos.

We’ve been working on this for awhile and are pretty excited to share it with you.

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Italian Trattorias

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Editor’s Note: I am on vacation this week, but we are honored and excited to feature an excerpt from an essay in Pasta, Pane, Vino by James Beard Award-Winning author Matt Goulding. Probably one of the best books written about Italian food and travel, Pasta, Pane, Vino takes the reader on a culinary adventure throughout the peninsula. A more detailed bio and a link to his books follow the essay.

In the chapter about Rome, he answers the question (with great examples): what is a trattoria? When I read his description, I thought, “he just described M’tucci’s.

We hope you enjoy it enough to buy the book, in addition to the other two in the series about Japan and Spain. Read on.

Rome

Rome

“Ristoranti, the most formal class of dining in Italy, have the prices and the worldly clientele to experiment, but the heart of Italian food culture, especially Roman food culture, is the trattoria, an institution historically built on an infallible formula: good product, unfussy technique, reasonable prices. According to my friend Alessandro, there are only a few true trattorie left in Rome, and he dispatches me to one with a friend, Andrea Sponzilli, another intrepid food writer. “He’ll know what to order.”

Among the pillars of Italian cuisine, pasta is the most sacred—the one that has inspired thousands of books, millions of journeys, and infinite debates about the way to do it right.

The rest of the world openly wonders what makes Italian pasta so good and theirs so mediocre, but the answer is right in front of their faces: the pasta itself. The bond between flour and water (and in some cases egg) is sacrosanct, and it must not be broken unnecessarily, compromised by sloppy cooking or aggressive saucing or tableware transgressions. That means cooking it properly, ignoring package or recipe instructions and instead relying on a system of vigilant testing until only the barest thread of raw pasta remains in the center of the noodle. That means saucing it sparingly, in the same way a French chef might dress a salad, carefully calibrating the heft and the intensity of the sauce to the noodle itself. That means refraining from unholy acts of aggression: throwing it against the wall, adding oil to the boiling water, spinning the pasta against your spoon, or for God’s sake cutting the noodles with a knife and a fork. Above all, that means thinking not addition but subtraction, not what else can I add, but what can I take away?

Italian cuisine, at its very best, is a math problem that doesn’t add up. A tangle of noodles, a few scraps of pork, a grating of cheese are transformed into something magical. 1 + 1 = 3: more alchemy than cooking.

No strain of regional Italian cooking expresses that more clearly than the iconic pastas of Rome: gricia, carbonara, amatriciana, and cacio e pepe. “They are the four kings,” says Andrea as we peruse the menu of Cesare al Casaletto, a trattoria in Monteverde. It’s ten minutes from the center of Rome, but for tourists who rarely cross the Tiber except to dip a toe in Trastevere, it might as well be in Florence. Our table of four decides to divide the royalty among us, and when the four dishes arrive, a silence falls over us. There’s a near-spiritual significance to having these four pastas on the table at once—each revered enough to have achieved canonical status among carb lovers the world over, but none containing more than a handful of ingredients.

Carbonara: The union of al dente noodles (traditionally spaghetti, but in this case rigatoni), crispy pork, and a cloak of lightly cooked egg and cheese is arguably the second most famous pasta in Italy, after Bologna’s tagliatelle al ragù. The key to an excellent carbonara lies in the strategic incorporation of the egg, which is added raw to the hot pasta just before serving: add it when the pasta is too hot, and it will scramble and clump around the noodles; add it too late, and you’ll have a viscous tide of raw egg dragging down your pasta.

Cacio e pepe: Said to have originated as a means of sustenance for shepherds on the road, who could bear to carry dried pasta, a hunk of cheese, and black pepper but little else. Cacio e pepe is the most magical and befuddling of all Italian dishes, something that reads like arithmetic on paper but plays out like calculus in the pan. With nothing more than these three ingredients (and perhaps a bit of oil or butter, depending on who’s cooking), plus a splash of pasta cooking water and a lot of movement in the pan to emulsify the fat from the cheese with the H2O, you end up with a sauce that clings to the noodles and to your taste memories in equal measure.

Amatriciana: The only red pasta of the bunch. It doesn’t come from Rome at all but from the town of Amatrice on the border of Lazio and Abruzzo (the influence of neighboring Abruzzo on Roman cuisine, especially in the pasta department, cannot be overstated). It’s made predominantly with bucatini—thick, tubular spaghetti—dressed in tomato sauce revved up with crispy guanciale and a touch of chili. It’s funky and sweet, with a mild bite—a rare study of opposing flavors in a cuisine that doesn’t typically go for contrasts.

Gricia: The least known of the four kings, especially outside Rome, but according to Andrea, gricia is the bridge between them all: the rendered pork fat that gooses a carbonara or amatriciana, the funky cheese and pepper punch at the heart of cacio e pepe. “It all starts with gricia.”

And that’s where I start, lifting the pasta from the big-bellied bowl and marveling at its humility: nearly naked, with only the faintest suggestion of human interference. To truly enjoy a pasta of this austere simplicity is to surrender yourself entirely to the scope of its achievement: How to extract so much from so little? How many ingredients in any other cuisine around the world would it take to create a dish as satisfying as this one? Why doesn’t my pasta taste like this?

You could argue that the two central ingredients at the heart of Rome’s pasta culture aren’t really ingredients at all: the first is water. Not just any water, but the water used to cook all those batches of pasta throughout service, each successive batch of noodles leaving behind a layer of starch that steadily transforms the water into an exquisite binding agent, perfect for adding to a pasta sauce to adjust the consistency and clinginess.

The other vital ingredient in the Roman pasta canon is a simple but vital technique: a flick of the wrist, the aggressive movement needed to emulsify the cooking water with the fat in a pan of pasta sauce. By swirling the pan with one hand and using a set of tongs with the other to keep the starch in constant motion, like a Cantonese chef taming the breath of the wok with a hand that never stops moving—what Italians call la mantecatura—a thirty-second mating ritual of intense amorous energy wherein pasta and condiment become one. Without water and without the wrist motion, cacio e pepe would be nothing more than pasta dressed with cheese and pepper, gricia would be noodles in a mess of rendered pork fat. (Of course, most non-Italian cooks don’t even attempt this delicate dance, opting instead to go the route of poor Nigella, adding cream to their carbonara and cacio e pepe.)

The Cesare specimens are among the finest I’ve tasted. Using rigatoni instead of spaghetti for carbonara would evoke an avalanche of angry Facebook posts from pasta purists, but there’s no doubt that the hollow shape makes a more generous home for the silky sauce. The gricia is deserving of its fame across the city, the toothsome strands of housemade tonnarelli robed in a soft blanket of warm pig fat and pecorino. And the cacio e pepe, well, let’s just say the cacio e pepe will follow me everywhere across this country in the months to come, a three-ingredient measuring stick for the greatness of Italy’s regional cuisine. Albert Einstein said he saw the possibility of a higher power in the harmony of the natural world; some find it in the magnificent complexity of the human body. I see it in the miracle of cacio e pepe.

Before the hushed reverence of our pasta moment threatens to turn lunch awkward, the sound of happy eaters snaps us out of our silence. “The story of Roman cuisine is the story of the neighborhood restaurant,” says Andrea. “Any real romano will always believe the best osteria is next door. Their loyalty is always to the neighborhood.” You can feel that loyalty in the room today: parents linger over dessert as their kids play under the table, old couples hold hands as they finish off the last few sips of wine. Maybe some have made the trip from other parts of Rome—it’s certainly worth it—but chances are that most live within strolling distance.”

If that doesn’t make you want to go to Rome and eat, I don’t know what will. Thanks Matt!

  • Used with permission From Pasta, Pane, Vino - Deep Travels Through Italy’s Food Culture by Matt Goulding, an Anthony Bourdain/HarperCollins book (2018)

  • Matt Goulding is an Emmy and James Beard Award-winning author and producer, now based in Barcelona. The former food editor at Men’s Health, he is the author of the very popular Eat This, Not That and the co-founder of Roads & Kingdoms, a digital publication that focuses on travel through food. He met Anthony Bourdain in 2010, who became a friend and a supporter of Roads & Kingdoms, and who then published Goulding’s three books about food and travel in Japan, Spain and Italy: Rice, Noodle, Fish; Grape, Olive, Fig; and Pasta, Pane, Vino. I highly recommend all three. Buy them by clicking this link.

  • Roads & Kingdoms was founded by Matt and Nathan Thormburg. Possibly one of the most valuable and comprehensive online travel and food publications available. Subscribe to Roads & Kingdoms by clicking here.

  • Follow Matt Goulding on Instagram: @mdgoulding

Burrata, Prosciutto & Artichoke Hearts at Obicá Campo di Fiori in Rome

Burrata, Prosciutto & Artichoke Hearts at Obicá Campo di Fiori in Rome

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

24oz Hand Cut Porterhouse: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $34

Pan-Seared California Halibut: Garlic Mash Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $26

Ravioli: Crab Ricotta Ravioli, Sautéed Pink Shrimp, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Haricot Vert, tossed in a Brown Butter $23

Pasta: Harris Ranch Beef Tips, Wild Mushroom Gorgonzola Cream Sauce, Red Bell Pepper, Carrot, Sweet Peas, Crispy Shallot Garnish $21

Sunday Only: Half Rack of Smoked Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, House Made Cole Slaw and House BBQ Sauce for $18

M’tucci’s Moderno

Coming soon.

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

8 oz Wagyu Tri-Tip: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $27

Pan-Seared Amberjack: Seared Artichokes, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Grilled Escarole, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $21

Salmon Fish and Chips: Green Apple, Golden Raisin, Fennel, Kale Slaw, Cajun fries, Remoulade Sauce $19

Gelato: Stracciatella

Sorbetto: Blueberry Blackberry (combined)

Thanks for reading. See you next week. Ciao!

Italian Piedmont

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On my first trip to Italy in 1994, I drove across the Alps from Switzerland, entering the Piedmont in the Northwest corner of the country. My first night was spent in the small town of Orta San Giulio on Lake Orta. Cars are restricted in most of the town and I was immediately in love with Italy.

The island of San Giulio from the shore of Orta San Giulio. There are a few villas, a restaurant and a Benedictine nunnery on the island. Lake Orta is the smallest of the northern lakes in the famous Lake District.

The island of San Giulio from the shore of Orta San Giulio. There are a few villas, a restaurant and a Benedictine nunnery on the island. Lake Orta is the smallest of the northern lakes in the famous Lake District.

The Piedmont is one of the few regions of Italy without a coastline, unless you count the shores of Lakes Maggiore and Orta. It’s a hilly and mountainous region containing the fertile Po River Valley which produces most of Europe’s rice. The plains along the Po provide lush grass for dairy cattle whose milk is used in buttery dishes, and for making Taleggio and Gorgonzola cheeses. The western edge of the region’s main city is Turin, where much of Italy’s sweet vermouth is made and where spumante was invented.

This list of Piedmont’s culinary gems is long: Crudo de Cuneo, White Truffles, Porcini Mushrooms, Polenta, Risotto, pears, pomegranates, hazelnuts (Nutella & Ferrero Rocher are based here) and one of the regions most famous dishes, Brasato al Barolo (beef braised in barolo).

The hills of Piedmont produce some of Italy’s most celebrated wines: Barolo and Barbaresco. Like the Super Tuscans and the Brunellos, you’ll need deep pockets to enjoy the best Barolos. If a $60+ Barolo isn’t in your pay grade, look for wines marked Langhe Nebbiolo. Barolos are made from nebbiolo, but only certain vineyards south of Alba are classified as Barolo.

The hill towns of Alba and Asti in the Langhe region are surrounded by vineyards planted with nebbiolo, barbera and dolcetto. Barbera is the most widely planted grape in the region. The next most widely planted would be dolcetto, which means “little sweet one”, but this is anything but a sweet wine.

The wines made with Dolcetto grapes are very dark in color with flavors of blackberry, licorice, and cherry. Because of their low acidity, the wine is best while young, but it has enough tannin to pair with charcuterie and pastas. It is simply a very tasty wine that pairs well with anything that you would pair with pinot noir or merlot.

Dolcetto cuttings were brought to California by Italian immigrants and it is planted sporadically in California, Oregon and Washington. The grape does well in cool climates which helps with the acidity (keeping them from being too sweet). The hills of Piedmont have the Alps to the north and the Mediterranean to the south which create the “diurnal affect”: morning fog, warm, sunny days, and cool nights.

The M’tucci’s Dolcetto is grown and crushed in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County in California. The diurnal affect in Sonoma is created by being in the center of the Pacific to the west and the warm interior to the east. Russian River is also known for producing high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

We think that this special climate and the location are what makes M’tucci’s 2019 Dolcetto a winner with most anything we serve.

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We’ll dive deeper into the grapes of M’tucci’s Rosso and Bianco in future La Gazzetas.

All locations are accepting reservations, by phone only. Online reservations are not available at this time.

The bar menu returns to M’tucci’s Italian.

The bar menu returns to M’tucci’s Italian.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

12 oz Hand-Cut Herb-Rubbed NY Strip - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $32

Pan-Seared Icelandic Cod - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $25

Sunday Only: Half Rack of Smoked Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, House Made Cole Slaw and House BBQ Sauce for $18

M’tucci’s Moderno

12 oz Hand Cut Ribeye: Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $31

Beef Short Ribs: Mascarpone Creamed Polenta, Sautéd Spinach, Braising Sauce $24

Pan-Seared Yellowtail - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $22

Saturday & Sunday Brunch (Moderno Only)

M’tucci’s Prosciutto Cotto: M’tucci’s Italian Style Ham, Poached Eggs, Crusted Eggplant, House Hollandaise Sauce, Parmesan Potatoes $12

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

7 oz Harris Ranch Hangar Steak - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $21

Gelato: Cheesecake Strawberry

Sorbetto: Strawberry Lime

Weekend Cocktail

Bobbi’s Warm London Fog: Earl Grey Tea, Hayman’s Gin, Lavender, Bailey’s Cream and Lemon Zest.

Bobbi’s Warm London Fog: Earl Grey Tea, Hayman’s Gin, Lavender, Bailey’s Cream and Lemon Zest.

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Valentine's Day

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The Feast of Saint Valentine originated in Italy when two Italian priests named Valentine, one from Rome and one from Terni, were martyred more than 2,200 years ago. So long ago, that many of the stories and legends that equate the saint with romantic love are suspect, but fun to consider. The Roman Valentine was supposedly jailed for refusing to convert to Roman paganism and was sentenced to death. The night before his execution, legend says that he healed his jailer’s blind daughter and then sent her a card signing it “Your Valentine.”

The exchanging of cards , flowers and sweets became popular in the UK in the 18th Century and spread throughout the world, becoming a major economic boost for all of those products. In 2017, the U.S. spent more than $18 billion or more than $136 a person (which will cover the special Bistecca alla Fiorentina offered at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five this weekend - details below).

Valentine’s Day was noted as an annual celebration of love in France in the 1400s, where lavish festivities in the court of Charles VI featured feasts, love songs, poetry competitions and dancing.

A Few Love Stories

During the eight years that my wife and I operated a wedding photography business in the Mexican Riviera Maya, we heard many wonderful love stories, and more than a few love disasters. However, there are two that we both remember fondly.

Nine years ago was the wedding of a couple from the Midwest. The groom had recently left the priesthood in order to marry. He gave up his calling and his vocation for love. Their joy and love was moving.

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During our last year in Mexico, we photographed a wedding for a couple who were getting married after postponing their wedding for one year so the groom could donate a kidney to the bride’s father. He was the only possible donor among the two families. Needless to say, the photos after the vows were emotional.

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Closer to home, two guests have been coming to M'tucci's since we opened. Most employees of M'tucci's would recognize Kelly and Lucy if they walked in. They had been a couple for nearly 15 years when they decided they wanted to get married and have a ceremony with all their friends and family. They are the only people to ever get married in a M'tucci's Restaurant as we aren't usually equipped to switch from a ceremony to a reception in the same room, but we did it for them and it was definitely worth it. They still come in about once a week and have said that M'tucci's is a special place to them.



Since Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties are now in the Yellow zone, we are looking forward to hearing from you about catering your wedding or event and we are looking forward to seeing you in our restaurants this weekend for a Valentine’s dinner. We will offer 75% occupancy on our patios and 25% occupancy in our dining rooms. At this point, we plan to have a few tables available for walk-ins, but we are taking phone in reservations for all dining rooms. At the moment we will not have online reservations available. So call!!

Valentine Weekend Specials

Available Friday - Sunday

M’tucci’s Moderno

Lobster Ravioli

House-made Lobster Ravioli With Cold Water Lobster And Crab Served With Wild Pink Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Grape Tomatoes, Basil & A Lobster Cream Sauce. $32

Pan Seared Sea Scallops 

Pan Seared Scallops Served With Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Artichokes, Sautéed Organic Baby Arugula And Topped With Lemon Caper Butter Sauce And Smoked Prosciutto Powder. $31

Surf And Turf Special Entrée & Dessert (For Two) 

Two Harris Ranch 12oz Ribeyes Perfectly Grilled The Way You Love It, Served With Pink Patagonian Shrimp (6) Tossed In Garlic Butter, Served With Rosemary Pecorino Saltwater Potatoes & Grilled Asparagus. 

For Dessert A Chocolate Covered Red Velvet Cake Roll Filled With Chantilly Cream, Topped With Raspberry Meringue And Chocolate Cake Pieces. $59

Add a Bottle of M'tucci's Dolcetto $85

Gelato & Sorbetto Pints

Cheesecake Gelato With Strawberry Swirl

Chocolate Sorbetto

Raspberry Prosecco Sorbetto

Sparkling Bottle Specials

Rotari Brut Doc 2013 Sparkling Wine - $37

Argyle Brut Willamette Valley 2014 - $60


Cocktail Specials

Lot 75 : House Infused Lavender Botanical Gin, Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice, Cane Sugar, Lemon Twist $9

The Blush Flower : Uncle Val's Botanical Gin, Aperol, Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice, Cranberry Shrub Syrup, Muddled Cucumber, Orchid Flower $9

Chocolate Covered Strawberry: Muddled Strawberry, Absolut Vanilla Vodka, Chocolate Liquor Simple Syrup, Half And Half  $9

Green Point: Michter's Rye Whiskey, Yellow Chartreuse, Sweet Vermouth, Angostura & Orange Bitters, Lemon Twist $14

M’tucci’s Italian




M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Lobster Salad: stuffed Fried Avocado, House Bacon Chutney, Roasted Apple, Greens tossed in Calabrian Vinaigrette $9

Chicken Scallopini: Lightly Breaded Chicken, served with House Fettuccine, Sautéed Mushrooms, Marinated Tomato,, Local Feta, Herbed Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $16

Lamb Rib Chops: Sweet Potato Puree, Haricot Vert, Mint Gastrique $23

Pan-Seared California Halibut: Fried Yukon Gold Potatoes, Grilled Escarole, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $22

12 oz Chianina (New Mexico Raised Italian Beef) Rib Eye: Choice of Sweet Potato Mash or Saltwater Potatoes, Choice of Grilled Marinated Artichokes or Haricot Vert or Asparagus $52

32 oz Chianina Bistecca all Fiorentina: Choice of Sweet Potato Mash or Saltwater Potatoes, Choice of Grilled Marinated Artichokes or Haricot Vert or Asparagus $130. Must pre-order today for Sunday Only.

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M’tucci’s Italian

16 oz Hand Cut Herb-Rubbed NY Strip: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $32

Lobster Pasta: Lobster, M’tucci’s Sackett Farm Bacon, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Saffron Shrimp Cream Sauce, Pappardelle Pasta $31

Pan-Seared Alaskan Halibut: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $31

Chocolate Dipped Red Velvet Swiss Roll: Raspberry Meringue, Chocolate Cake Crumble

M’tucci’s Catering

As we are now in the Yellow Zone and creeping toward the green zone, we are looking forward to some Spring, Summer and Fall Wedding Receptions. M’tucci’s Catering Manager, Taña Martinez, will take part in the Behind the Curtain: Virtual Wedding Show on February 21 telling brides what they can expect from M’tucci’s. You can see our full catering menu by clicking here.

M’tucci’s Wine

Don’t forget to try a glass ($8) or bottle ($32) of M’tucci’s private label wines, grown and bottled in California.

2019 Bianco – 100% Verdelho – Contra Costa County, CA

Peach, Green Apple, Honeydew, Balanced Acidity

Thanks to the acidity, this will pair really well with almost the whole spectrum of white wine pairings.  Most people will consider this to be similar to Sauvignon Blanc.  It’s a Portuguese grape native to the island of Madeira.  It’s one of the four “noble” grapes of Madeira.  It is very rarely planted in the US.

2019 Dolcetto – 100% Dolcetto – Russian River Valley (Sonoma County), CA

Black Cherry, Cranberry, Tobacco Leaf, Medium Tannin & Light Acidity.  

Perfect compliment for charcuterie but will stand up to other dishes where other bigger-bodied red wines would typically be paired because of the tannins.  (Editor’s Note: I had a glass with the Five Pork Bolognese yesterday and It was terrific). It would be considered similar to a Pinot Noir, but has a bit more depth and more tannin.  Dolcetto (little sweet one in Italian) is best known as a varietal from Piedmont in Italy and for being a bit drier, which this American version definitely shows.  Another rare varietal in American winemaking

2018 Rosso – 70% Carignan, 28% Grenache, 2% Charbono – Mendocino County, CA

Leather, Vanilla, Pomegranate, Balanced Tannin, Long Finish

This wine has really impressed us in all of our tastings.  Think of it as a bit of a merlot/cab/Syrah type blend.  It’s got big enough tannin to stand up to almost any red meat, but will also pair great with tomato sauces and even to charcuterie.  Carignan has Spanish origins, but is more common in French wines.  Grenache is used in many of the popular wines from the Rhone region in France. It is called Garnacha in Spain and is a common blending partner with Carignan, which results in a nice tannin and balance.  Charbono (also called Charbonneau) originated in the Savoi region of France. It was confused as Dolcetto in the early days of California winemaking, but is definitely a different grape. It commonly has high acidity and rich, fruity complexity. It is called Bonarda in Argentina, where it’s the second most planted grape behind Malbec.  This wine will continue to get better with each year in the bottle.   

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Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Holiday Meals - Italian Style

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Best Italian Restaurant & Best Happy Hour

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.

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.

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!

Puglia & Southern Italy

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This post was supposed to have started with the dateline: Locorotondo, Puglia, Italy, because that is where I planned to be this week. Instead, I’m sitting at home in the Near North Valley. I’ll do my best to write about what we planned on eating and seeing while taking a slow road trip through Southern Italy.

Much of what we consider to be “Italian” food are dishes that came from Southern Italy. Pizza was invented in Naples, Campania is the country’s breadbasket and pasta likely is from here, in addition to all of the other Southern charms: eggplant parmesan and insalata caprese.

The poorest region in the country, it was ruled by several cultures who left their mark on the cuisine of Puglia,Basilicata and Campania (the three regions we planned to visit). The Greeks and the Arabs probably had the most impact, as did the system of latifundium (basically a feudal system of large farms owned by absentee landlords and worked by slaves or indentured servants).

In Puglia the Greeks left distinctive architecture (trulli) and the pillars of Italian food: oil, wine and grains. The Arabs brought eggplants, bitter oranges and refined cane sugar.

From “Tasting Italy: A Culinary Journey” by National Geographic & America’s Test Kitchen

From “Tasting Italy: A Culinary Journey” by National Geographic & America’s Test Kitchen

After flying into Bari from Rome, we were going to be based in a trulli house in Locorontondo, making side trips to some of the seaside and mountain towns in Puglia and Basilicata, such as Lecce and Taranto. We would expect meals starting with soppressata or carpaccio, pastas with bitter greens and pork, fresh seafood from the Adriatic and the Gulf of Taranto or pork for small mountain farms. We would wash it down with full-bodied reds such as Primitivo or Aglianico or crisp, chilled Greco di Tufo and, of course, finishing our meals with local Amari. I was looking forward to trying out some of the region’s rosé, since they are hard to find in ABQ.

I asked Amy Haas, who created the wine list at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five about her favorite Southern Italian wines:

The Sicilian Nero d’Avola at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

The Sicilian Nero d’Avola at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

“When I think about southern Italy, my heart always goes to Sicily. Although the region doesn't host the popular grapes everyone loves, it does host in my opinion, some of the best. Sicilian wines are not on center stage and don't garner a huge demand in the U.S. This is just fine with me as I've never been one for trends and I cringe at the thought of popularity as any real indicator of quality. Anyway, back to Sicily and it's fairly unknown grapes. I will highlight two here, both red and both incredibly unique:

Nerello Mascalese - beautiful red berries and bright acidity fall into a surprisingly tannic backbone. The balance of fruit and acid with a tannic punch mid palate makes this wine incredibly versatile when pairing with food as well as incredibly complex on it's own. To me, it's like Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo had a really awesome baby. 

Nero d'Avola- dark fruits co-exist seamlessly with noticeable acidity and sweet, approachable tannins. Although most would describe it as a delicious full bodied red on its own, once it’s blended with Frappato (a light, floral grape also from Sicily) the result is something unparalleled on the palate. I don't have a baby making reference here.

There's just something about Sicily that makes the heart (and palate) sing. The song isn't a popular one, it's more like a B side masterpiece nobody knows about yet. Shhhhh, don't tell.”

An Aglianico from Campania, a Primitivo from Puglia and a white from Campania; all available at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five.

An Aglianico from Campania, a Primitivo from Puglia and a white from Campania; all available at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five.

The ring-shaped cracker that is usually flavored with olive oil and rosemary, taralli, are found everywhere (and on the Charcuterie Boards at M’tucci’s Moderno and M’tucci’s Italian). I was planning on seeking out some of the more unusual flavors I have read about. Orrechiette is the favorite pasta in the area, sauced in different ways, but quite often with bitter greens called rapini here, but known as rapa in Puglia. Luckily, I have some in my garden nearly ready to pick. I’ll cook it with Italian sausage, a bit of white wine, garlic and a good dose of red pepper flakes. I suppose it will help me with my wanderlust for Italy.

Cima di Rapa or Rapini. Also known as turnip tops. A bitter green that goes well with Italian sausage.

Cima di Rapa or Rapini. Also known as turnip tops. A bitter green that goes well with Italian sausage.

The sea on either side of the Salento Peninsula (the heel of the boot) is rich with shellfish, notably mussels. In many places they are packed with seasoned bread crumbs and deep fried. We planned to go to Otranto to find the version stuffed with a mixture of tuna, eggs, bread crumbs and pecorino and simmered in a tomato broth. Perhaps we would have made it to the west side of the peninsula for cozze all tarantina at the port/harbor town of Taranto, known for their mussels. So tasty, they are usually simmered in a simple broth of olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, chile flakes and white wine.

Chef Shawn at M’tucci’s has created his own take on mussels by simmering them in a bourbon/jalapeño broth. Good enough to make me forget about Puglia’s version. However, the drive around the coast along the boot heel will have to wait.

Fresh Mussels for M’tucci’s Twenty-Five’s Bourbon Braised Mussels - only available Happy Hour M-F 3:00-6:00.

Fresh Mussels for M’tucci’s Twenty-Five’s Bourbon Braised Mussels - only available Happy Hour M-F 3:00-6:00.

Continuing into Basilicata, we were going to visit Matera, which has become a tourist mecca for food and the ancient cave dwellings and frescoes. I wanted to visit to try the huge sourdough loaves called Pane di Matera. Famous, yes, but better than M’tucci’s??

After returning our car at the airport in Bari, we were going to zip across Italy to Naples (yes, to visit Pompeii), primarily to eat pizza - for three days!! It’s quite possible we would not have it for breakfast, since I’ve heard the cappuccino is stellar in Naples. We had three pizza places picked out, known for simple, high quality ingredients. Someday. If you get there before me, try out Sorbillo, Pizza La Notizia or Starita.

For now, I can eat the best pizza available outside of Italy at M’tucci’s. Quality ingredients and the best sourdough crust possible.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

Goat Cheese Ravioli - Truffle, Wild Mushroom, Crispy House Pancetta, Roasted Butternut Squash, Carmelized Onion, Rappini, Light Porcini Cream Sauce $23

Hand Cut 24oz Porterhouse - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $37

Pan-Seared Ono - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce $26

Braise - Slow Braised Harris Ranch Angus Beef, Three Cheese Spinach Artichoke Cream Sauce, House Pappardelle Pasta $25

Gelato: Berry Vanilla Shrub

Sorbetto: Mango

Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

24 oz Hand-Cut NY Strip - Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Italian Salsa Verde $31

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce, Capers, Prosciutto Powder $26

House Pesto Ravioli - Grape Tomatoes, Shallots, Roasted Artichoke, Pesto Cream Sauce $19

Gelato: Tiramisu

Sorbetto: Raspberry Lemon

Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Pan-Seared Fresh Ono - Grilled Escarole, Prosciutto Powder, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Seared Artichokes, Topped with Prosciutto Powder, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $24

Gelatos: Dark Chocolate & Strawberry Cheesecake

Sorbetto: Raspberry Lemon

Tuesday, October 27 - 4:00

Halloween Costumes & ABQ Bartender Competition/Fundraiser

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10% total restaurant sales for the day + proceeds from competition donated to CLN Kids

Call 505-554-2660 to reserve a 4 top VIP Table for $200 - includes prime seating for the Bartender Competition, 2 rounds Charcuterie/Cicchetti & specialty cocktail

10 local bartenders competing for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place - knock out style 3 rounds

We are auctioning drinks from competition to VIP tables

Door prices for best costume.

New Desserts at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

2019 Trip to Italy

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Buon Anno (Happy New Year)

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As the year comes to an end, we thought we should take a look at some of the best of La Gazzeta in the past year and to talk about some Italian New Year’s Eve traditions.

Wearing red underwear is a thing, especially for couples hoping to conceive, since red is the color of fertility in Italy. Don’t worry, we won’t be conducting panty inspections at the door. Let’s call it a private tradition.

Dinner throughout the country is also loaded with tradition, with pig’s trotters (feet) or a sausage containing pig’s trotters, and a side dish of lentils being the most popular dish. The high fat content is supposed to symbolize abundance. 

You will not find pig’s trotters among our NYE specials at M’tucci’s Italian or M’tucci’s Moderno. We’re going with Duroc Pork Loin, Sea Scallops, Lobster Ravioli and Grilled Chianina Flat Iron Steaks. All of the details are listed below for each restaurant.

Dried fruit and grapes (also traditionally eaten before the stroke of midnight in Mexico) are served at the end of the meal. The grapes symbolize the will power it took to save your grapes from the fall harvest. Enjoying them will mean wisdom, wealth and frugality in the coming year. 

Another Italian tradition that you are welcome to perform is “out with the old”, which finds southern Italians tossing old pots, pans and clothes from their windows. That won’t be very dramatic if you don’t live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building.

However you choose to celebrate New Year’s Eve and the first day of 2020, we want to thank you for all of your support in 2019 and promise to bring new and interesting Italian food to you in the coming year.

We will definitely bring a new restaurant to you in February 2020, M’tucci’s Twenty-Five at I-25 & Jefferson!

Artist rendering of the bar and patio at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five opening in February 2020.

Artist rendering of the bar and patio at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five opening in February 2020.

La Gazzeta di M’tucci’s - the best of 2019

June 21 - Report from the chef’s travels in Italy https://www.mtuccis.com/lagazzeta/2019/6/21/mtuccis-in-tuscany

June 28 - Part 2 of the trip to Italy: https://www.mtuccis.com/lagazzeta/2019/6/28/mtuccis-in-italy-part-2

May 9: Ravioli - https://www.mtuccis.com/lagazzeta/2019/5/8/ravioli-queen-of-stuffed-pasta

We hope you have enjoyed our weekly journeys through Italy with M’tucci’s. 

NEW YEAR’S EVE @ M’tucci’s Moderno

The celebration runs well past the ball dropping on New Years Eve in Rio Rancho!

Food Specials

House made Lobster Ravioli, Grilled Chianina Flat Iron Steak, and Grilled Ribeye with Truffle-Artichoke Purée. 

Drink Specials 

Bubbles and Cocktail specials throughout the evening, with a sparkling toast provided to ring in the new year.

Music

RJ Perez performs in the bar from 7:30 - 9:30 

DJ D-Monic starts at 10pm and plays until 1AM.  

New Years Eve @ M’tucci’s Italian

Food Specials

Pan Seared Sea Scallops, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke Heart, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Butter Caper Sauce 

Rosemary & Milk Braised Lamb Shank, Creamy Garlic Polenta, Sautéed Greens 

Herb Roasted Duroc Pork Loin, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, braising sauce

Wine Specials

Mer Soleil Chardonnay 2015

Mollydooker Gigglepot Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Lucky Star Pinot 2015

We will close at our normal hours, 10:00pm. Please join the M’tucci’s family at M’tucci’s Moderno for music and might toasts!

NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Company

Some new menu items are now available. Stop in for Nachos, a new salad, a new pizza and eggplant parmesan.

We also have a few new beers. “WORD OF MOUTH”, A BRETT SAISON. This French Farmhouse Saison fermented for six months and comes in a 9.2% ABV with 30 IBUs. Hurry, since this is a small batch beer and supplies are limited.

Try our collaboration with Bar Uno that produced a traditional English Bitter. Not as hoppy as an IPA, nor as malt-forward as an ESB, this terrific beer says, “bet you can’t drink just one.”

Also, Ash Cloud Hazy IPA is back (5.5% ABV and 35 IBU). A juicy and fruity IPA.

A few new beers are coming. The first is an Italian lager, “Birra M’tucci’s” which will be available at LRBC, M’tucci’s Italian and M’tucci’s Moderno. Another that is in the works is a Red Ale, which will be aged in the bourbon barrel in which the M’tucci’s Maker’s Mark Private Select was aged.

Gift Certificates available. A $20 Gift Certificate can buy a 64 oz. Growler and an Happy Hour Pint!Home Delivery now available through Door Dash

There is a full schedule of bowl games next week, come in for Happy Hour and Football!

Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30. $1 off all pints. You can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

$5 basket of Wings all day on Sunday

Live Music at Lava Rock, we’ll have live music every Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 and Fridays from 8:00 - 10:00.

Tonight

12/27 - BuddhaFunk

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24 oz Porterhouse, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus and a Balsamic Reduction 

Pan Seared-Sea Scallops - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula, Caper Lemon Sauce 

Ravioli - Lobster/Crab/Cream Cheese Ravioli, Sautéed Pink Shrimp, Caramelized Onion, Lobster Cream Sauce

Braise - 12oz Hand Cut Pork Chop, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Cherry Gastrique

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials


Herb Roasted Pork Loin: Herb roasted and brined in house and served with a sweet potato puree and grilled broccolini 

Pairing - Mimi, Chardonnay, Washington  Fresh and soft tones of apple and citrus, subtle spice and oak.

Pan-Seared fish of the Day is Yellowtail  - Yellowtail has a mild buttery flavor with a medium texture.  Served with our garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed organic arugula, grilled artichokes, topped with our caper lemon butter sauce and smoked prosciutto powder  

Pairing - Ruffino, Sparkling Rose, Italy  Crisp bubbly texture with notes of strawberry and hints of rose petals.

Cut of the Day - hand cut bone-in Porterhouse or a Boneless Ribeye 
Grilled to perfection and served with crispy saltwater potatoes, grilled asparagus and our traditional Italian Salsa Verde  

Pairing - Tercos Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina Aromas of blackberries and black cherry, great volume and depth with a long finish of soft tannins

Live Music

Tonight 8:00: Leah Leyva

January 2 @ 7:00: Oscar Butler

January 3 @ 8:00: Melissa Rios

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

M’TUCCI’S TWENTY-FIVE JOB FAIR + ONLINE APPLICATIONS

4949 Pan American Highway NW, Albuquerque, NM - Next to Tomasita’s - South of Jefferson

January 11 from 10:00am - 4:00pm & January 12 from Noon - 5:00pm

We are looking for highly skilled and motivated servers, kitchen staff and bartenders. You can apply for a position at any of our locations online by clicking here. Applicants should come to the job fair with a resume and should have completed the online application.

See you next week. Ciao!

Buon Natale (Merry Christmas)

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Christmas in Italy has many traditions, and as one could expect, many of them revolve around food. Fish is usually the main course for Christmas Eve and meat is served on Christmas Day. Midnight mass is very popular with many families, who afterwards return home for a glass of spumante or prosecco and the opening of presents from Babbo Natale (Father Christmas/Santa Claus).

The Christmas day meal will likely last for hours, starting with seafood dishes, cured meat and olives; the primi might be tortellini in broth or lasagna or pasticcio (baked pasta), then roast meat or chicken. The main meal is usually followed by pandoro (a traditional Veronese yeast sweet bread) and panettone, chocolate or homemade cookies. 

Babbo Natale is gaining popularity in Italy, as is gift giving during the holiday season. In that spirit, here are some gift ideas to help you have an “Italian” holiday season. 

Food & Drink

M’tucci’s Provisions has created three holiday cookie boxes and two types of house-made panettone. Details and ordering information are listed just below.

Of course, who wouldn’t love getting a gift certificate from M’tucci’s? 

LaMarca Prosecco is perfect for holiday cocktail parties. At the moment, I’m really enjoying a red from Southern Italy, Appassimento by Bonari and Il Bruciato, Guada al Tasso from Antinori from Tuscany. Il Bruciato is on the wine list at M’tucci’s Italian and you can find both locally in wine shops. Splurge on that special someone and buy them a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino, a Barolo, or one of the Super Tuscans, such as Sassicaia or Tignanello. The liquid gift that won’t disappear during one dinner is an Amaro. One of the best being Quintessentia Amaro Nonino. There are cheaper Amari, but this one is well worth the extra money, with the perfect balance of herbal, sweet and bitter.

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Tully’s Deli on San Mateo has a very good selection of dried pasta by DeCecco, canned tomatoes, and very good extra virgin olive oils/EVOO (the best selection I have seen in ABQ).

If it’s cured meat you want, definitely go to Molinari’s website (this San Francisco institution probably makes the best commercial U.S. salami you can buy).

Eataly has a good website with a large assortment of EVOO, truffle products, and gift baskets.

After my first trip to Italy, I was hooked on cappuccino. Upon returning, I bought an entry level espresso machine, but quickly outgrew it. I upgraded to a well-known Italian brand, Gaggia, and have been using their burr grinder (necessary for great espresso) and the Gaggia Classic for many years. You won’t find them locally, but the website Whole Latte Love has everything you will need for great espresso and cappuccino at home. I regularly buy the Hermes Espresso Blend from Red Rock Roasters and occasionally splurge on one of the espresso blends from Cutbow Coffee.

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Coffee Table Books

Since I used to shoot assignments for National Geographic, I’m a bit biased when it comes to recommending photo books on Italy. A few stand out:

“Rome: Eternal City: Rome in the Photographs Collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects” - published this year

“National Geographic Inside the Vatican” by James Stanfield

“Italy” by Gray Malin

“One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy”  (Rizzoli Classics)

“Italy Seen through Magnum's Lens: From Henri Cartier-Bresson to Paolo Pellegrin”


Recipes, Food & Drink


If you only had one Italian cookbook, it should be “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” by Marcella Hazan. As the title says, it is essential. I’m not that big of a fan of Ina, Giada or Lidia, so I don’t mention their books here:

“The Mozza Cookbook: Recipes from Los Angeles's Favorite Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria” by Nancy Silverton

“Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas”

“Red, White, and Greens: The Italian Way with Vegetables” by Faith Willinger

“Italian Wines” by Gambero Rosso - An annual guide to the best of Italy.

“Treasures of the Italian Table” by Burton Anderson - one of my favorites. Hard to find and a bit expensive, but worth every penny.

Travel & Food (some with recipes)

“Pasta, Pane, Vino: Deep Travels Through Italy’s Food Culture” by Matt Goulding - great stories of traveling, eating and cooking from Piedmont to Sicily. The chapter about taking pizzaioli classes in Naples is great.

“Tasting Italy” by National Geographic & America’s Test Kitchen - Beautiful photos and really good recipes. My copy has red wine stains on some pages.

“See You in the Piazza” by Frances Mayes - she cares a little more about churches and Italian architecture than I do, but this is a terrific book for discovering the small towns in Italy, Sicily and Sardinia. The meals and recipes are worth the price!

From “Tasting Italy”

From “Tasting Italy”

Photo Tour/Workshops

Want to give a really special gift? One of my colleagues is offering a Photography Workshop in Italy next year. Not only will you get photography tips from world-class photographers, but you’ll eat and drink well, too. 

Read about the workshop and contact Catherine Karnow here:  http://catherinekarnowphotoworkshop.com/home

Photos from Italy

Only for M’tucci’s guests and for a limited time, the prints below are on sale for the holidays. They are printed on 13” x 19” Luster Paper with archival ink with an approximate 1” border. Click on the photo to see it large. Each print is signed and is $150. Please contact me, Michael Lewis: [email protected]

NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

The new M’tucci’s Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon is now available at M’tucci’s Moderno and M’tucci’s Italian.

Try some in an Old Fashioned for Happy Hour today.

There are only two Maker’s Mark Private Selects available in New Mexico: ours and Two Fool’s Tavern. Join us for a tasting of both at Jubilation Wine & Spirits: December 13 from 4:00 - 6:00pm.

Creative cocktails with M’tucci’s Maker’s Mark Private Select!

Creative cocktails with M’tucci’s Maker’s Mark Private Select!

M’tucci’s Provisions (formerly M’tucci’s Italian Cafe and Market)

Order your cookies and Panettone today. Don’t forget that our fresh bread is delivered Tuesdays and Fridays to Silver Street Market downtown. Watch this space and our Facebook and Instagram for updates on other products availability around the ABQ.

32 Bravo at Bar Uno

32 Bravo at Bar Uno

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Company

Fish n Chips with the Lava Rock/Uno Bully Bitter

Fish n Chips with the Lava Rock/Uno Bully Bitter

Weekend Special: Fish & Chips -Lava Rock/ Bar Uno’s Bitter Battered Mahi Mahi, House Fries and Apple & Carrot Slaw.

Lot’s of good things happening at LRBC. Some new menu items are coming soon, which we will announce when we get the printed menus. There is a new beer on tap, Winter Lager, with a malt forward, unique style (6.2% & 17 IBU). I tried it the other night and it’s a complex lager, with flavors that evolve as the lager warms up a bit. Try and see if you can spot the unique flavor. We did a collaboration with Bar Uno and they now have the 32 Bravo Double IPA on tap.

A few new beers are coming. The first is an Italian lager, “Birra M’tucci’s” which will be available at LRBC, M’tucci’s Italian and M’tucci’s Moderno. Another that is in the works is a Red Ale, which will be aged in the bourbon barrel in which the M’tucci’s Maker’s Mark Private Select was aged.

Gift Certificates available for Holiday Gifts. A $20 Gift Certificate can buy a 64 oz. Growler and an Happy Hour Pint!

Home Delivery now available through Door Dash

The “Two-Minute Warning HAPPY HOUR & Monday Night Football!

HAPPY HOUR EVERY MONDAY UNTIL THE TWO-MINUTE WARNING!

Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30. Pair the food with a beer for $10.50 or $11, depending on the beer. Not eating (why not?), then $1 off all pints. You can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

$5 basket of Wings all day on Sunday

We are serious about Live Music at Lava Rock, we’ll have live music every Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 and Fridays from 8:00 - 10:00.

Music Schedule for December:

Thursday’s
12/12 - Kirk Matthews
12/19 - RJ Perez
12/26 - Oscar Butler

Friday’s
12/6 - BuddhaFunk
12/13 - Leah Leyva and The Band
12/20 - Melissa Rios
12/27 - BuddhaFunk

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24 oz Hand-Cut Porterhouse, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus and a Balsamic Reduction

Ravioli - Artichoke, White Wine Braised Duroc Pork & Goat Cheese Ravioli: Sautéed Wild Mushroom, Caramelized Onion, Porcini Cream Sauce, Nduja Crumble, Arugula, Shaved Parmesan

Pan Seared Seafood - Hawaiian Ono, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce

Braised - Hand Cut Duroc Bone-in Pork Chop, White Wine Braised Greens, Roasted Parsnip, Shallot, White Cheddar Broccoli Sauce

  December Prix Fixe Menu

12/11/19

1st Course- Grilled Vegetable Medley, Herbed Lemon Browned Butter 

2nd Course- Chicken Limone, Grilled Asparagus, Crispy Potatoes, Preserved Lemon

3rd Course- Hazelnut-Mocha Panettone Bread Pudding, Vanilla Bourbon Gelato

12/18/19

1st Course- Creamy Roasted Garlic Polenta, Roasted Eggplant Ragu

2nd Course- Grilled Chianina Rump Steak, Parsnip Puree, Roasted Baby Carrots, Chimichurri

3rd Course- Italian Cheesecake, Pomegranate, Ginger Mousse, Candied Rosemary

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Rotating Dinner Special : Center Cut Bone-In Pork Chop - Cold smoked Duroc Pork Chop, grilled to perfection and served with our Italian Succotash, Bourbon apple bacon sauce and organic arugula to garnish

Pairing - Conundrum, Red Blend, California - Complex yet approachable, flavors of cherries, baking chocolate with fine tannins and a silky smoothness

PanSeared Fish of the Day : Baramundi - Clean, buttery flavor and meaty texture Served with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, roasted artichokes, topped with a lemon caper butter sauce and prosciutto powder

Pairing - Mimi by Ste. Michelle, Chardonnay, Washington - Balanced fruit flavors of pear and yellow apple, spiced aromas with crisp finish.

Cut of the Day : Hand Cut Porterhouse - Grilled to to order and served with crispy saltwater potatoes, grilled asparagus and our traditional Italian Salsa Verde
Pairing - Liberty School, Cabernet Sauvignon, California - Aromas of black cherry and plum followed by subtle notes of strawberry and spice, finishing with balanced tannins

Live Music

Tonight: Melissa Rios @ 8:00

Dec 12: RJ Perez @ 6:00

Dec 13: Cali Shaw @8:00

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Holiday Special on December 23

“An Evening of Holiday Music by Delphia” 7:00. 

Reservations taken for the dining room, where her performances will be carried on the speaker system throughout the dining rooms. Enjoy the exquisite style of Delphia together with M’tucci’s special holiday drink and food specials.

ONGOING NEWS

M’TUCCI’S AROUND TOWN

Our market items can be purchased at a couple of locations in Albuquerque. We deliver our fresh bread every Tuesday and Friday to Silver Street Market at 2nd and Silver. Choose from Sourdough, Fennel Rye, Wheat, Baguette, Ciabatta, and Raisin Rosemary Focaccia.

Drinking at Bosque in Nob Hill? You can order a M’tucci’s Charcuterie Board while there.

M’TUCCI’S TWENTY-FIVE JOB FAIR + ONLINE APPLICATIONS

Watch this space for the announcement of our January Job Fair for our new location. We are looking for highly skilled and motivated servers, kitchen workers, bartenders and managers. You can apply for a position at any of our locations online by clicking here.

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT & DISCOUNTS

Area service industry workers can get a Service Industry card from us by showing proof of employment. With the card you receive 10% off your check every day and 20% off on Sundays from 6:00 - 9:00. Dine in only.

ONLINE ORDERING

Our food is available for delivery with Door Dash or for pick up. Pick up something for the weekend or on your way home from work. The links to ordering are on the Home page.

MTUCCI’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Videos about making cocktails and pasta and getting to know the M’tucci’s culture. Click here

See you next Friday - Ciao!

Tuscany

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Few places in Italy are more popular than the region of Tuscany. The cities of Siena, Florence, Lucca, Pisa and, of course, the Chianti wine growing area are what many people think of when they think of Italy. The menus at all M’tucci’s restaurants are inspired primarily by the cooking of Tuscany. The wide array of produce and meat from small farmers and the availability of wild foods make for legendary products: wheat, vegetables, pork, Chianina beef, olive oil, pecorino cheese, wine, mushrooms, wild boar, and seafood from the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Tuscan vineyard near Pontessieve

Tuscan vineyard near Pontessieve

Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River in Florence.

Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River in Florence.

Chianti Vineyards

Chianti Vineyards

The first-time visitor to Italy could spend most of their time in Florence and Chianti, but that would mean that you would miss so much of this large region with small hill towns, coastal wineries, and hidden treasures. I have visited Tuscany several times, traveling by train and rental car. Many of the region’s small towns (and even Siena) are not reachable by train. To visit them you rely on buses (not fun on mountain roads!) or rent a car. Renting a car means driving and parking in Florence which can be a major pain. If you decide to rent a car, you should stay in nearby towns. Try the small hotels of Fiesole, which is on a hill above Florence and features great views of the city. Frequent buses deliver you to the center of the city in about 10 minutes.

A few years ago, four of us rented an apartment at I Veroni, an agriturismo outside of Pontessieve, which is less than 30 minutes east of Florence by train. The old farmhouses were converted into apartments and are surrounded by vineyards and olive trees, has a swimming pool for the warm August weather and featured great views over the valley. Agriturismos range from working farms to converted farms/vineyards and you can find these properties online at: https://www.agriturismo.it/en/

From our base in Pontessieve, we were able to park for free at the train station and arrive in Central Florence in less than 30 minutes. Day trips to the Chianti region were easy, with most towns only an hour away. Don’t miss Castellina in Chianti or celebrity Chef/Butcher Dario Cecchini in Panzano (reservations a must). One day we did a loop that included Siena, San Gimignano and Montalcino which was a total of four hours. The town of Montalcino is a classic hill town, surrounded by the famous Brunello vineyards. It is one of my favorite hill towns for eating, enjoying the scenery and the great wine. You might save a few dollars if you ship a case home!

While Florence can be trying with the large crowds of tourists around the Duomo and the Uffizi, the central market is incredible and not to be missed. Also, I had one of my best meals anywhere in Italy at Buca Mario near Piazza Republica in Florence.

Two other areas in Tuscany that shouldn’t be missed are Lucca, which is arguably the best olive oil region in Italy, and Bolgheri, where the M’tucci’s Chefs visited in June. We’ve already written a lot about the coastal region in La Gazzeta. If you missed some of the pieces about this area, click here and click here.

Consider a trip to the northwest corner in the mountains (about 90 minutes from Florence) to Carrara, home to the world famous marble caves. The marble from these mountains has been mined for centuries, providing marble for Michelangelo’s David (in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence) and for Siena’s Duomo (photo above). We toured the caves in June before a massive lunch featuring Colonnata lardo, which was the inspiration for M’tucci’s Colonnata Butter, now on Charcuterie Board C at M’tucci’s Italian.

Both M’tucci’s Moderno and M’tucci’s Italian have added seasonal dishes to the menus, in large part inspired by our June trip to Italy.

Here are just a few of the new items. Come try them soon!

Bread is very important in this region, but as we discovered, not very flavorful. One baker explained that Tuscans omit the salt, since the bread is used as a vehicle for cured meats and assertive cheeses. During the 12th century when the cities in the region were becoming powerful and wealthy, they evolved into city-states. Legend says that Pisa controlled the salt trade from the sea and refused to sell it to the Florentines. So, the Florentines quit adding salt to their bread.

Beans are ubiquitous on the Tuscan table, so much so, that Tuscans are called mangiafagioli (bean eaters). Fava, borlotti (cranberry) and cannellini beans are among the most popular.

As the weather cools, why not make one of Tuscany’s favorite dishes, pasta e fagioli (pasta and bean soup)? I have adapted a recipe from the late, great Marcella Hazan. You can pick up fresh aged parmigiano-reggiano at the Market.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

Marcella recommends cranberry beans, which may be hard to find. Red kidney beans make a great substitute. She also suggests that arborio rice can be used in place of the pasta.

  1. Sauté 1/2 C chopped onion in 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil until pale gold, then add 3 T chopped carrots (some recipes also add celery, but I don’t like the flavor)

  2. Add some pork (ham bone or another lean cut of pork) and cook for about 10 minutes.

  3. Add 2/3 C canned chopped Italian tomatoes & juice (or Muir Glen brand) and cook for another 10 minutes

  4. Add 3 C of beans (drained) stir and cook for 5 minutes then add 3 C of good beef broth bringing the pot to a gentle boil. I save all of my rinds from fresh parmesan and add several to the pot at this time and simmer. After 10 minutes scoop out about 1/3 - 1/2 C of beans and mash them or use a food mill and return them to the pot. Add salt and fresh pepper to taste.

  5. Make sure there is enough liquid to cook the pasta and bring to a gentle boil adding 1/2 lb. of small tubular macaroni. Stop cooking when pasta is firm to the bite.

  6. Swirl a tablespoon of butter and grated fresh parmesan and let the soup rest for 10 minutes before serving.

NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

NOTICE: All locations will be closed on Thanksgiving. Enjoy the holiday with your friends and family.

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Co.

Gift Certificates available for Holiday Gifts. A $20 Gift Certificate can buy a 64 oz. Growler and an Happy Hour Pint!

Home Delivery now available through Door Dash

HAPPY HOUR & NFL Football!

$7 Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30. Pair the food with a beer for $10.50 or $11, depending on the beer. Not eating (why not?), then $1 off all pints. The NFL is up and running and you can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

HAPPY HOUR EVERY MONDAY UNTIL THE END OF THE FIRST HALF OF MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!

$5 basket of Wings all day on Sunday

RETURNING BEER - 32 Bravo DIPA (8% ABV and 100 IBU) will be available this weekend. Fall Fest, a German Fest Lager is on tap now (5.8% ABV and 20 IBU).

We’re getting serious about Live Music at Lava Rock, beginning tonight, we’ll have live music every Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 and Fridays from 8:00 - 10:00.

November Live Music:

Tonight: Lani Nash

11/2: The Gershom Brothers

11/7: RJ Perez

11/8: Dos Pendejos

11/14: Cliser, Cook and Jones

11/15: Cali Shaw

11/21: Oscar Butler

11/22: Rebecca Arscott

11/29: Dos Pendejos

M’tucci’s Moderno

Thanks to all our fans who voted our Servers the Best of Rio Rancho.

Weekend Specials

Pan Seared Swordfish $26: Firm, very lean fish with a clean earthy flavor

Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 10/40: A full flavored, medium-bodied wine, with an abundance of vibrand currant and gooseberry flavors, that linger on the dry, clean finish.

Cut of the Day: Hand-Cut NY Strip $32:

Tercos Malbec 9/36: Fruity, aromatic characteristics of blackberry and ripe cherry. Has great volume/depth with a long finish, soft tannins

NEW FALL MENU ITEMS - With the weather turning cold we added seasonal items to our menu! Visit us this weekend so you are the first to try it out!

Live Music

Tonight: Melissa Rios @ 8:30

11/7: Kirk Mathews @ 7:00

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24 oz Hand Cut Porterhouse, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus and a Balsamic Reduction

Pan Seared Seafood- Arctic Char, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Lemon Caper Sauce, Sautéed Arugula

Ravioli - Fennel Roasted Duroc Pork & Goat Cheese Ravioli, Sautéed Artichoke, Haricot Vert, Shallots, Capers, Light Lemon Cream Sauce

Braised -Harris Ranch Beef Tips, Five Cheese Tortellini

Caramelized Onion, Local Gray Farm Oyster Mushrooms, Porcini Cream Sauce

  November Prix Fixe Menu

11/6/19

1st Course- Herbed Goat Cheese Bruschetta, Sautéed Mushrooms, Friarelli

2nd Course- Grilled Beef Tenderloin Medallions, Butternut Squash Puree

3rd Course- M’tucci’s World Famous Take Home For Thanksgiving Apple Pie, Salted Caramel Gelato

11/13/19

1st Course- Crispy Brie, Strawberry Shrub Jam, Dressed Greens 

2nd Course- House Sausage, Roasted White Italian Beans, Orecchiette, Pecorino, Braised Greens

3rd Course- M’tucci’s World Famous Take Home For Thanksgiving Pecan Pie, Honey-Bourbon Whipped Cream

11/20/19

1st Course- Parsnip Bisque, Pecan-Crispy Prosciutto-Fresh Herb Gremolata

2nd Course- Pan Seared Duroc Pork Cutlet, Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Fresh Tomato-Caper Butter Sauce

3rd Course- Pear-Cranberry Crisp, House Made Honey-Thyme Gelato

11/27/19

1st Course- Chef’s Choice Charcuterie Board

2nd Course- “All’Arrabiata Ravioli” House Made Shrimp-Scallop Stuffed Ravioli, Roasted Grape Tomatoes, Fresh Pea Sprouts

3rd Course- Sweet Potato Pie, Red Chile Whipped Cream, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market

Voted Albuquerque’s Best Deli by the Albuquerque Journal’s Readers.

The Café & Market offers amazing pastries in our display case every day and we’re busy planning for the holidays. We carry the same great Italian imports, all of our artisan breads, and a wide variety of imported, domestic, and house made cheese and meat. There is an expanded selection of coffee and pastries. We have charcuterie boards to eat in or take out with wine and beer by the glass. Click here to see our menu.

Don’t feel like cooking tonight, but you want to stay home? Pick up a M’tucci’s Pasta Kit: 1 lb. of House Made Pasta, choice of Bolognese or Carbonara Sauce, House Made Meat and an Italian Cheese for garnish.

Order your Holiday Pies now. Choose from Classic Spiced Apple ($14), Classic Pumpkin ($14), Green Chile Apple with Piñon Nut Streusel ($16) or Pecan with Honey Bourbon Whipped Cream ($16). Order deadline is November 21. Pies must be picked up on November 25 or 27 at any of the three M’tucci’s locations. Deposit required at time of order.

Pretty AND Tasty fresh pies.

Pretty AND Tasty fresh pies.

M’tucci’s Catering

Book your holiday parties now. We offer off-site catering from dinner parties to wedding receptions. Reserve space for your holiday party at M’tucci’s Moderno’s private dining rooms. M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market is available for evening events in December.

GUEST BARTENDERS

Partner Austin Leard and M’tucci’s Modero Bartender Tyler will be guest bartenders at Hollow Spirits Distillery Monday Night from 6:00 - 9:00pm (1324 1st St NW). Stop by and taste the M’tucci’s touch with Hollow Spirits fine spirits! We can also provide bartending and beverage service for your event.

Contact Ivy for your next event, large or small. We can handle it!

Click here to see our catering menu. 505.350.0019 or [email protected]

ONGOING NEWS

M’TUCCI’S AROUND TOWN

Our market items can be purchased at a couple of locations in Albuquerque. We deliver our fresh bread every Tuesday and Friday to Silver Street Market at 2nd and Silver. Choose from Sourdough, Fennel Rye, Wheat, Baguette, Ciabatta, and Raisin Rosemary Focaccia.

Drinking at Bosque in Nob Hill? You can order a M’tucci’s Charcuterie Board while there.

M’TUCCI’S TWENTY-FIVE JOB FAIR

Watch this space for the announcement of our January Job Fair for our new location. We are looking for highly skilled and motivated servers, kitchen workers, bartenders and managers.

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT & DISCOUNTS

Area service industry workers can get a Service Industry card from us by showing proof of employment. With the card you receive 10% off your check every day and 20% off on Sundays from 6:00 - 9:00. Dine in only.

ONLINE ORDERING

Our food is available for delivery with Door Dash or for pick up. Pick up something for the weekend or on your way home from work. The links to ordering are on the Home page.

MTUCCI’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Videos about making cocktails and pasta and getting to know the M’tucci’s culture. Click here

See you next Friday - Ciao!

Amalfi Coast

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The Amalfi Coast and the isle of Capri have the fame and notoriety as playgrounds for the rich and famous. Less well-known or written about are the region, Campania, and the second city largest city, Sorrento (Naples is the largest). Campania, although not as well known as Tuscany or Umbria, has the southern sunshine, friendly people, deep blue seas, red tomatoes, bufala di mozzarella, arancini, and the yellowest of lemons. The region is home to San Marzano tomatoes, limoncello, and endless views of the magnificent coast and sea.

After 3-4 days in Rome, take the train to Sorrento and explore the Amalfi Coast. In October, the crowds have thinned out, but the days are still pleasant with daytime highs in the mid-70s and nights in the mid 60s. Not exactly plunging-in-the water warm, but still very nice.

From your base in Sorrento, you can rent a car to explore the coast, or you can be adventurous and rent a Vespa (only if you are an experienced motorcycle rider). I’ve done both. There are plenty of pull-outs with great views along the coast if the traffic gets too busy. You can also do day trips, or even overnight hops to Capri, a small mountainous island with great views and great seafood. Hey, you’re surrounded by the sea, there is great seafood everywhere.

You’ll find it easy to get an hotel room, an apartment or an Air BnB with great views of Mt. Vesuvius and the coast. Try to avoid the center of Sorrento, since there is a fair amount of scooter traffic and sleeping could be an issue. I speak from experience!

The famous towns coastal towns are built along the sea with steep streets and path leading up the hillsides. Parking is hard to find and premium-priced. Walking the cobbled streets to a hillside hotel or villa is not for the faint of heart or of legs. Pulling a wheeled suitcase is a challenge. I’ve stayed in Sorrento on both of my visits to the area and did day trips along the coast.

After seeing a bit of the town of Amalfi, head up the mountain road to Ravello, where you will escape Amalfi’s restaurants with steep tourist prices. The food and the scenery are worth the trip. Not only is the food home style, but so is the welcome.

The proximity to the sea means there will be an abundance of seafood restaurants along the coast serving Fritto Misto di Mare (Fried Mixed Seafood), Spaghetti alle Vongole (Spaghetti with clams) and Pesce all’acqua Pazza (Fish poached in Crazy Water).

Fresh seafood at the Sorrento marina.

Fresh seafood at the Sorrento marina.

However, don’t miss the chance at any dish featuring the famous San Marzano tomatoes, eggplant and bufala di mozzarella. Put them together and you have Parmigiana di Melanzane (eggplant parmesan). Just as the Southern Italians claim to make the best Eggplant Parmesan in Italy, we at M’tucci’s think we make the best outside of Italy. I’m not able to share the recipe with you, but you’ll have no problem finding several online. We can share a few hints: 1) rid the eggplant of excess moisture by salting the slices and letting them sweat, or by roasting the slices in a hot oven 2) use fresh M’tucci’s mozzarella, but drain it so excess moisture doesn’t make the eggplant soggy 3) a spicy marinara will serve as a counterpoint to the normally mild cheese and eggplant flavor.

Eggplant Parmesan at M’tucci’s Moderno

Eggplant Parmesan at M’tucci’s Moderno

To really enjoy any city or town, walk the streets, get lost, because you never know what might be waiting around the corner.

Friendly card game at the retired workers club in sorrento

Friendly card game at the retired workers club in sorrento

NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Co.

HAPPY HOUR & NFL Football!

$7 Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30. Pair the food with a beer for $10.50 or $11, depending on the beer. Not eating (why not?), then $1 off all pints. The NFL is up and running and you can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

HAPPY HOUR EVERY MONDAY UNTIL THE END OF THE FIRST HALF OF MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!

$5 basket of Wings all day on Sunday

RETURNING BEER - A small batch Brut IPA is now on tap (5.8% ABV and 30 IBU), as is the Vacation Daze Coconut Hazy IPA (5.5% ABV and 30 IBU).

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month and we are donating to the local Rio Grande Down Syndrome Network - 10% of Tuesday Gross Food Sales and $1 from every pint of Petroglyph Wit will go to the Foundation all month long.

Upcoming Live Music:

11/2: The Gershom Brothers

So great to have Mayor Tim Keller in for lunch this past week. Had a nice chat with Chef/Manager Fred Gallegos, M’tucci’s Founder Katie Gardner and Head Brewer Ram Khalsa.

So great to have Mayor Tim Keller in for lunch this past week. Had a nice chat with Chef/Manager Fred Gallegos, M’tucci’s Founder Katie Gardner and Head Brewer Ram Khalsa.

M’tucci’s Moderno

Thanks to all our fans who voted our Servers the Best of Rio Rancho.

Weekend Specials

Pan Seared Rockfish - a lean fish with a mild, sweet flavor accompanied with roasted artichoke, sautéed organic arugula, mashed potatoes, caper lemon butter sauce, and smoked prosciutto powder.

Hand cut of the day - 24oz Porterhouse Steak served with crispy saltwater potatoes, grilled asparagus, and an Italian salsa verde sauce.

NEW FALL HOURS - With the weather turning cold we have decided to launch our new menu! Visit us this weekend so you are the first to try it out!

Live Music

Tonight: Lani Nash @ 8:30

11/7: Kirk Mathews @ 7:00

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24 oz Hand Cut T-Bone, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus and a Balsamic Reduction

Ravioli - Red Chile Goat Ricotta Ravioli, Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, Brown Butter Sage Sauce, Shaved Parmesan, Crispy Prosciutto

Pan Seared Seafood - Barramundi, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Lemon Caper Sauce

Braise - House Made Lasagna, Italian Sausage, Ricotta, Fresh Mozzarella, Spinach, Warm Farro Side Salad

October Prix Fixe Menu

10/30/19

1st Course- Smoked Ghoulda Pizza, Balsamic Braised Cipollini Onions, Rosemary

2nd Course- Braised Duck A’l Blood Orange, Potato Puree, Braised Greens

3rd Course- Chocolate Mousse Cake, Graham Cracker, Marshmallow, Chocolate Spider

M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market

Voted Albuquerque’s Best Deli by the Albuquerque Journal’s Readers.

The Café & Market offers amazing pastries in our display case every day and we’re busy planning for the holidays. We carry the same great Italian imports, all of our artisan breads, and a wide variety of imported, domestic, and house made cheese and meat. There is an expanded selection of coffee and pastries. We have charcuterie boards to eat in or take out with wine and beer by the glass. Click here to see our menu.

Don’t feel like cooking tonight, but you want to stay home? Pick up a M’tucci’s Pasta Kit: 1 lb. of House Made Pasta, choice of Bolognese or Carbonara Sauce, House Made Meat and an Italian Cheese for garnish.

October Halloween Chocolates & Cookies!

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M’tucci’s Catering

We cater events of all sizes and varieties. Recently, we fed 1,500 guests at The Whiskey Classic at San Cristobal Movie Ranch south of Santa Fe. A portion of the event proceeds went toward a scholarship for students enrolled in Central New Mexico Community College’s beverage and brewing management program. It was a great event with M’tucci’s food, and Managing Partner/Beverage Director Austin Leard leading seminars about M’tucci’s Shrubs and Mixology.

Contact Ivy for your next event, large or small. We can handle it!

Click here to see our catering menu. 505.350.0019 or [email protected]

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ONGOING NEWS

M’TUCCI’S AROUND TOWN

Our market items can be purchased at a couple of locations in Albuquerque. We deliver our fresh bread every Tuesday and Friday to Silver Street Market at 2nd and Silver. Choose from Sourdough, Fennel Rye, Wheat, Baguette, Ciabatta, and Raisin Rosemary Focaccia.

Drinking at Bosque in Nob Hill? You can order a M’tucci’s Charcuterie Board while there.

M’TUCCI’S TWENTY-FIVE JOB FAIR

Watch this space for the announcement of our December Job Fair for our new location. We are looking for highly skilled and motivated servers, kitchen workers, bartenders and managers.

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT & DISCOUNTS

Area service industry workers can get a Service Industry card from us by showing proof of employment. With the card you receive 10% off your check every day and 20% off on Sundays from 6:00 - 9:00. Dine in only.

ONLINE ORDERING

Our food is available for delivery with Door Dash or for pick up. Pick up something for the weekend or on your way home from work. The links to ordering are on the Home page.

MTUCCI’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Videos about making cocktails and pasta and getting to know the M’tucci’s culture. Click here

See you next Friday - Ciao!

Rome - The Eternal City

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October is one of my favorite months for visiting Italy. In most places, the crowds are not overwhelming, even in Rome.

I avoided Rome the first three times I traveled in Italy, since large cities wear on me after a few days. After shooting photos in Athens before the 2004 Olympics and experiencing the historical center, I decided I really needed to see Rome. After three visits, the city has become a favorite and is a great introduction to Italy. It’s easy to arrive and easy to leave and provides incredible site seeing, easy walking and great food.

My visits were in June, August and October. I would definitely avoid hot and crowded June. August wasn’t too bad for crowds since that is a popular month for Italians to leave the city for vacation. We enjoyed the city in August, but make sure you book a room with A/C. October is my favorite month throughout the country, although you should be prepared for crowds in Rome. Make reservations for the Vatican (Sistine Chapel), hotel, and even restaurants early and plan to be patient at popular attractions.

I like to stay near Piazza Navona or the Vatican, because those locations put you within easy walking distance of many sites and restaurants. I like the Piazza itself with it’s beautiful fountains and the piazza’s proximity to the small square Campo di Fiore (field of flowers). In addition to a wonderful outdoor market, there are several terrific restaurants on or near this square. One is Obicá Mozzarella Bar and the other is Ristorante Salumeria Roscioli (reservations highly recommended).

It’s pretty easy to walk through St. Peter’s Square and into the Basilica at most times of day (obviously not during a Papal mass). Book online and avoid the lines to visit the Sistine Chapel. Walking east from the Vatican, you’ll pass by Castel Sant’ Angelo on the Tiber River, pass through Piazza Navona and continue to the Pantheon, the former Roman Temple with an oculus in the roof which provides the main source of light. Completed in about 127 AD, it’s a stunning architectural achievement. From there you can head south to Campo di Fiore.

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One of the best ways to see Rome (or any city) is the hop-on and hop-off tourist buses. They introduce you to the main parts of the city in a leisurely fashion. However, there are so many small streets and hidden gems in a city like Rome, that a bicycle tour was our choice on one visit. We used Top Bike Rental, which offers several different tours. We chose the Roman Views, which included the Seven Hills of Rome. We wisely paid an extra 5€ for their E-bikes and zoomed up every hill without breaking a sweat. Our guide was really knowledgeable and the four-hour tour included a spin through St. Peter’s Square, hills with views of the city, ending by the Coliseum at dusk.

As with any large European city, the best part is simply strolling the neighborhoods, stopping at a cafe for a leisurely beverage, getting lost, finding a local trattoria, and discovering life away from the busy sites. Slow down and enjoy life as the Romans do.

Roman cuisine features pork and lamb as well as seafood from the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea, although you’ll find Tuscan specialties and Neapolitan pizza throughout the city. Rome is known for artichokes served in a variety of ways: grilled, marinated or fried.

Three pasta dishes are synonymous with Rome: Pasta all’ amatriciana, Cacio de Pepe, and Pasta Carbonara. Cacio de Pepe is served as the side pasta with Milanese Burrata and Eggplant Parmesan at M’tucci’s Italian and M’tucci’s Moderno. It’s also available as a side dish. M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market sells Pasta Carbonara as one their Pasta Kits. Basically everything you need for 2 main courses or 4 starter courses (pasta, cheese & meat) for $20. Many restaurants on this side of the pond use bacon in their Carbonara sauce, but the real thing is made with guanciale, which we cure in-house. They’ll even give you a custom recipe for this tasty, but sometimes tricky dish.

EDITORS NOTE: Hope you enjoyed our brief tour of Rome. Next week is Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast.

M’tucci’s Guanciale

M’tucci’s Guanciale

NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Co.

HAPPY HOUR & NFL Football!

$7 Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30. Pair the food with a beer for $10.50 or $11, depending on the beer. Not eating (why not?), then $1 off all pints. The NFL is up and running and you can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

HAPPY HOUR EVERY MONDAY UNTIL THE END OF THE FIRST HALF OF MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!

$5 basket of Wings all day on Sunday

RETURNING BEER - A small batch Brut IPA is now on tap (5.8% ABV and 30 IBU), as is the Vacation Daze Coconut Hazy IPA (5.5% ABV and 30 IBU).

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month and we are donating to the local Rio Grande Down Syndrome Network - 10% of Tuesday Gross Food Sales and $1 from every pint of Petroglyph Wit will go to the Foundation all month long.

October 19: Color Me Beautiful - Create your fragrance flower. Space is limited. Call to reserve.

Upcoming Live Music:

10/25: H28

11/2: The Gershom Brothers

How about a sampler tray?

How about a sampler tray?

M’tucci’s Moderno

Thanks to all our fans who voted our Servers the Best of Rio Rancho.

Weekend Specials

Italian Pork and Beans

House veal & pork sausage, roasted Italian white beans and carrots, pancetta, braised Italian greens, Orecchiette Pasta, Pecorino

Campo Viejo, Tempranillo, Spain - Notes of ripe red fruits, vanilla and spices. Soft long finish with with cocoa flavors

Pan Seared Icelandic Cod, switches to Scallops

Mild and sweet buttery flavor, medium firmness and seared to perfection. Served with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, grilled artichokes and sautéed baby arugula

Chateau Ste. Michelle, Mimi Chardonnay, California - Light oak notes, apple and pear flavors, light acidic finish

Cut of the Day - House Hand cut T-bone
Grilled to order and served with our house made garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and our house made traditional Italian Salsa Verde

Tercos, Malbec, Argentina - Aromatic with blackberries and ripe cherries. Long, in-depth finish with medium to soft tannin's.

Live Music

Tonight: Melissa Rios @ 8:30

10/24: Alex Maryol @ 7:00

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24 oz Hand Cut Porterhouse, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus and a Balsamic Reduction

Pan-Seared Seafood - Yellowfin Tuna, Grilled Artichoke, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéd Arugula, Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc

Ravioli - House Bacon Hazelnut Ricotta Ravioli, Bacon Caramelized Onion Bechamel, Crispy Bacon, Toasted Hazelnut, Shaved Parmesam & Micro Greens

Braised - Five Pork Bolognese, Creamy Polenta, Marinara & Sautéed Spinach

October Prix Fixe Menus

10/23/19

1st Course- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Fried Sage, Brown Butter Drizzle

2nd Course- Roasted Herb Brined Petite Chicken, House Sourdough Stuffing, French Green Beans, Cranberry Gastrique

3rd Course- M’tucci’s World Famous Take Home For Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie, Sage, Whipped Cream

10/30/19

1st Course- Smoked Ghoulda Pizza, Balsamic Braised Cipollini Onions, Rosemary

2nd Course- Braised Duck A’l Blood Orange, Potato Puree, Braised Greens

3rd Course- Chocolate Mousse Cake, Graham Cracker, Marshmallow, Chocolate Spider

M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market

Voted Albuquerque’s Best Deli by the Albuquerque Journal’s Readers.

The Café & Market offers amazing pastries in our display case every day and we’re busy planning for the holidays. We carry the same great Italian imports, all of our artisan breads, and a wide variety of imported, domestic, and house made cheese and meat. There is an expanded selection of coffee and pastries. We have charcuterie boards to eat in or take out with wine and beer by the glass. Click here to see our menu.

Don’t feel like cooking tonight, but you want to stay home? Pick up a M’tucci’s Pasta Kit: 1 lb. of House Made Pasta, choice of Bolognese or Carbonara Sauce, House Made Meat and an Italian Cheese for garnish.

October Halloween Chocolates & Cookies!

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M’tucci’s Catering

We cater events of all sizes and varieties. Recently, we fed 1,500 guests at The Whiskey Classic at San Cristobal Movie Ranch south of Santa Fe. A portion of the event proceeds went toward a scholarship for students enrolled in Central New Mexico Community College’s beverage and brewing management program. It was a great event with M’tucci’s food, and Managing Partner/Beverage Director Austin Leard leading seminars about M’tucci’s Shrubs and Mixology.

Contact Ivy for your next event, large or small. We can handle it!

Click here to see our catering menu. 505.350.0019 or [email protected]

ONGOING NEWS

M’TUCCI’S AROUND TOWN

Our market items can be purchased at a couple of locations in Albuquerque. We deliver our fresh bread every Tuesday and Friday to Silver Street Market at 2nd and Silver. Choose from Sourdough, Fennel Rye, Wheat, Baguette, Ciabatta, and Raisin Rosemary Focaccia.

Drinking at Bosque in Nob Hill? You can order a M’tucci’s Charcuterie Board while there.

M’TUCCI’S TWENTY-FIVE JOB FAIR

Watch this space for the announcement of our December Job Fair for our new location. We are looking for highly skilled and motivated servers, kitchen workers, bartenders and managers.

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT & DISCOUNTS

Area service industry workers can get a Service Industry card from us by showing proof of employment. With the card you receive 10% off your check every day and 20% off on Sundays from 6:00 - 9:00. Dine in only.

ONLINE ORDERING

Our food is available for delivery with Door Dash or for pick up. Pick up something for the weekend or on your way home from work. The links to ordering are on the Home page.

MTUCCI’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Videos about making cocktails and pasta and getting to know the M’tucci’s culture. Click here

See you next Friday - Ciao!

Italy's Super Tuscan Wines

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Like many of Italy’s regional food products, Italian wine grapes are specific to their region: Barbera, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo in Piedmont; Valpolicella in Veneto, Nero d’Avola in Sicily, Pinot Grigio in Friuli and Sangiovese in Chianti. I wrote about the wines from Chianti a few months ago and you can read about them here.

On the recent trip to Italy with M’tucci’s chefs, we were based near the town of Bolgheri in the Maremma growing region of Tuscany near the Tyrrhenian Sea. In the 1930s this area was mostly swamp and farmland and was not known for wine grapes until the 1970s, when wines from a small family-owned estate bested some of the best wines from Bordeaux in a blind tasting.

From Winesearcher.com: “in 1978, in an infamous blind tasting arranged by Decanter Magazine, the 1972 vintage of a largely unknown wine called Sassicaia, made at Tenuta San Guido estate of the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, beat a number of top Bordeaux wines. Wine had been been made at Tenuta San Guido in a rather rustic fashion for personal consumption for some years previously, and only commercialized from the 1968 vintage, but this early example of a more polished version made by legendary winemaking consultant Giacomo Tachis led to an awakening of interest in the region.”

Vineyards around Castagneto Carducci.

Vineyards around Castagneto Carducci.

Wineries discovered that the chalky, gravelly soil (Sassicaia means stony field) and the proximity to the sea were very similar to Bordeaux. Many of them bought land and started planting Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc in addition to Sangiovese and Petit Verdot. The most common white wine grape in the area is Vermentino.

As the vintners improved the vineyards and their techniques, the top wines from the area continued to be known as Super Tuscans, distinctly different from a Sangiovese-dominant Chianti. Some of these top wines (with prices to match) are: Sassicaia, Ornellaia (by Antinori) and some of the wines from the Antinori Guado al Tasso estate.

Unlike many of the wine regions in Italy, the vintners in the Bolgheri area aren’t limited by strict laws governing the percentages of a specific grape in their wine and they are free to make wine that expresses “terroir.” The soil rich in minerals, limestone, clay and pebbles, and the warm sunny days with nights cooled by sea breezes all combine to produce wines that are now becoming known as Bolgheri wine instead of Super Tuscan. Probably a good idea, since most of the Super Tuscans start out a $80-$100 a bottle.

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The success of the wines from this area was not lost on the wine estates in other parts of Tuscany, even in Chianti itself. Ruffino produces a Super Tuscan blend called Modus at one of their estates near Florence and Arcanum Il Fauno is a red blend made primarily with Cabernet Franc near Siena. Both of these wines are available at M’tucci’s Italian. Even Antinori’s Santa Cristina (available by glass & bottle) is a blended Tuscan wine that uses Sangiovese, Syrah and Merlot, and comes from their estate near the town of Cortona (of “Under the Tuscan Sun” fame).

In fact, most of the red Tuscan wines at M’tucci’s Italian tend to be more of the Super Tuscan/Bolgheri style than straight Sangiovese Chiantis. Why?

Austin Leard, Beverage Director/Partner explains, “I think all the different levels of Chianti tend to be a little confusing and I prefer offering Italian reds that are more food friendly. The Tuscan blends are more inviting and are a better value for our guests.”

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One of the top wines on our wine list is from Bolgheri, Antinori’s Guado al Tasso “Il Bruciato”, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. It was one of the wines on our 6th Anniversary 7-Course tasting menu and was paired with a Braised Beef Shank. It goes very well with hearty meat or tomato based dishes.

Here are the tasting notes from the Antinori site: “The 2016 Il Bruciato offers an intense ruby red color. On the nose, the aromas of ripe red berry fruit, sweet spices, and a light and fresh minty note are the most prominent sensations. The palate is well structured, persistent, and very pleasurable in its fruity finish and aftertaste.”

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Many of these wines are going to be available as specials in the coming weeks, most of them were from the Antinori estates in different parts of Tuscany. In addition, we often come across special wines which make up our “Captain’s List”, and we pass the savings on to you. Always ask your server what is available during your next visit.

NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Co.

M’tucci’s and Lava Rock Join Forces

M’tucci’s kitchen is now open at Lava Rock Brewing Co. Chef Fred Gallegos is heading a team of talent in the kitchen (making those great pizzas that you all love), and he has created a menu to complement the beers made by Ram Khalsa at the brewery. Click here to see the menu, a map of the location, and the hours.

We think you are going to love the food and beer pairing at Lava Rock. Come visit Lava Rock at 2220 Unser Blvd (about a mile north of I-40). Call (505) 836-1022 for details. Their website is: http://lavarockbrewpub.com/

Check out the site and follow them on Facebook: @LavaRockBC and Instagram: @Lavarockbc

M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market

The new Café & Market continues to wow our guests, primarily because of the amazing pastries in our display case every day. Our new hours are 8:00am - 6:00pm. We carry the same great Italian imports, all of our artisan breads, and a wide variety of imported, domestic, and house made cheese and meat. There is an expanded selection of coffee and pastries. We’ll still have charcuterie boards to eat in or take out with wine and beer by the glass. Click here to see our new menu.

Here is what Pastry Chef Lauren did with fresh fruit past week.

Fresh Fruit tarts, Almond Sable Crust with Citrus White Chocolate Mousse

Fresh Fruit tarts, Almond Sable Crust with Citrus White Chocolate Mousse

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Goat Cheese Spaghettini Wild pink shrimp, sweet and hot peppers, toasted walnuts tossed in a light goat cheese sauce $19

Toscolo Chianti, Toscana Italy: black cherry, clover and a white pepper spice flavors

California Halibut White and flaky yet meaty texture, buttery flavor

Mimi Chardonnay, Chateau St. Michelle: Notes of apple and pear with a bright acidity, refreshing yet complex

Cut of the Day: 24 oz Bone-in NY Strip

Frescobaldi Remole, Super Tuscan, Italy: Notes of raspberry, blackberry, black cherry, aromatic spicy notes of pepper and eucalyptus

New Happy Hour Cocktail Menu

$3 Select Taps

$1 OFF all wines by the glass

$5 Aperol Spritz

$5 House Sauza Margarita

$6 House Infused Hollow Spirits Vodka Mule

$7 Tito's Martini

$7 Drink of the Week


8:30, Friday: Cali Shaw Live in the Bar

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

The Braise: Braised Chianina Beef, Five Cheese Tortelloni, Sautéed Mushrooms & Shallots, Light Mushroom Cream Sauce

Pan Seared Fish: California Halibut, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Italian Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Butter-Caper Sauce

Ravioli: Mushroom & Ricotta Stuffed Ravioli, Ibérico Chorizo, Caramelized Onions, Wild Mushroom Bechamel, Shaved Aged Parmesan, Fresh Arugula

Cut of the Day: 24oz House Cut Porterhouse, Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction


Weekend Brunch: 11:00 - 3:00

New menu for drinks and food. Click here.

ONGOING NEWS

M’TUCCI’S AROUND TOWN

Our market items can be purchased at a couple of locations in Albuquerque. We deliver our fresh bread every Tuesday and Friday to Silver Street Market at 2nd and Silver. Choose from Sourdough, Fennel Rye, Wheat, Baguette, Ciabatta, and Raisin Rosemary Focaccia.

Drinking at Bosque in Nob Hill? You can order a M’tucci’s Charcuterie Board while there.

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT & DISCOUNTS

Area service industry workers can get a Service Industry card from us by showing proof of employment. With the card you receive 10% off your check every day and 20% off on Sundays from 6:00 - 9:00. Dine in only.

ONLINE ORDERING

Our food is available for delivery with Door Dash or for pick up. Pick up something for the weekend or on your way home from work. The links to ordering are on the Home page.

MTUCCI’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Videos about making cocktails and pasta and getting to know the M’tucci’s culture. Click here

See you next Friday - Ciao!

M'tucci's Celebrating Six Years in Albuquerque

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At the beginning of my association with M’tucci’s, I was impressed by their commitment to quality and by their devotion to Italian food - and absolutely amazed that the chefs had not been to Italy (although the founders Jeff and Katie had traveled and eaten their way through the country before starting the restaurant).  

As a fan of Italy and of Italian food for many years and as an admitted “food and wine snob”, I was thrilled with my involvement with the M’tucci’s culture.

A recent trip to Italy underscored M’tucci’s commitment to creating the best possible Italian food for New Mexico. They sent four chefs (and one lucky photographer) on an eating, drinking and cooking trip through Tuscany. Our guests will be the beneficiaries of this trip for many months to come. However, the 6th Anniversary Dinner tomorrow night, July 20 will be the first opportunity to taste some of their experiences.

The 7-course menu, paired with six wines and one drink, was inspired by different meals or classes during our visit. 

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Every day in Tuscany was scheduled with meals and visits to farms, food producers and wineries, except on our one Sunday. John Haas (Executive Chef/Partner) suggested we drive a bit north to Livorno to see what this busy port city had to offer in the way of seafood. Our lunch was in an unassuming restaurant near the commercial docks and was one of the few places we chose that hadn’t been recommended to us or arranged for us. 

At Il Porto, we ordered our usual 8-9 plates from the appetizers, first course and second course menu. The seafood crudo plate featured salmon, sea bream and tuna dressed with different sauces. Our Anniversary first course was inspired by the food at Il Porto, as was the finishing drink. Shawn was looking at the amari selection and the server told him not to order an amaro, but to order the drink, Poncé, which often follows every meal in Livorno. Our last dessert course will be paired with M’tucci’s Poncé.

During a workshop at a well-known butcher shop in Chianti, the chefs learned to make several dishes that are served in the shop’s restaurants. We will use one of the local techniques for making the third course Chianina Beef Tartare. One of the courses in our massive 8-course lunch was the inspiration for the 5th course, Bone Marrow Braised Beef Shank Roast (being paired with one of my favorite Italian wines from the Bolgheri area, Antinori Guado al Tasso ‘Il Bruciato’).

The second course drew on two items that we were served for our family-style lunch in Colonnata at Lardarium (also know as the Lard Rock Cafe). The lunch followed a fascinating trip through the marble caves in nearby Carrara that has been the source for the marble for centuries of Italy’s most iconic statues and sculptures (like Michelangelo’s David). The first course was an amazing plate of marinated vegetables, dressed perfectly and lightly. Our third course was loaded with charcuterie; local meat and cheese with Lardo taking the starring role. Lardo, which is made from the strip of fat along the pig’s back, was a traditional food for the miners. Processed for six months with herbs and spices, it has a long shelf life and it provided fuel for the worker’s  12-hour shifts in the marble mines of Carrara.

We know some of these dishes will reappear as specials in the future, or maybe even as permanent menu items. However, don’t miss your chance to celebrate our 6th Anniversary on Saturday night with a very special meal and some very special wine from Tuscany.

Here is the menu, don’t hesitate to make a required reservation, because space is now very limited. $125 pp.

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Co.

M’tucci’s and Lava Rock Join Forces

M’tucci’s kitchen is now open at Lava Rock Brewing Co. Chef Fred Gallegos is heading a team of talent in the kitchen (making those great pizzas that you all love), and he has created a menu to complement the beers made by Ram Khalsa at the brewery. Click here to see the menu, a map of the location, and the hours.

The big event this weekend is the Car Show put on by the New Mexico Desert Kings. Last year there were more than 100 low-riders and exotic sports cars. Saturday, July 20 from 11:00 - 1:30. FREE!

We think you are going to love the food and beer pairing at Lava Rock. Come visit Lava Rock at 2220 Unser Blvd (about a mile north of I-40). Call (505) 836-1022 for details. Their website is: http://lavarockbrewpub.com/

Check out the site and follow them on Facebook: @LavaRockBC and Instagram: @Lavarockbc

M’tucci’s Sausage Pizza and Lava Rock Valles Lager

M’tucci’s Sausage Pizza and Lava Rock Valles Lager

M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market

The new Café & Market continues to wow our guests, primarily because of the amazing pastries in our display case every day. Our new hours are 8:00am - 6:00pm. We carry the same great Italian imports, all of our artisan breads, and a wide variety of imported, domestic, and house made cheese and meat. There is an expanded selection of coffee and pastries. We’ll still have charcuterie boards to eat in or take out. Click here to see our new menu.

Just a few treats that have flown out the door in the past week:

M’tucci’s 6th Anniversary Week

Celebrate with us beginning Saturday with our special 7-Course menu paired with 6 Italian wines and an Italian beverage. Continue the celebration with a week-long 3-Course menu at both M’tucci’s Italian and at M’tucci’s Moderno. Reservations are not required for these dinners which are available from July 22-28. Cost is $30 per person for the 3 courses paired with three wines.

Here is the menu for that week:

First Course:

Olive Brined Shrimp, M’tucci’s Baguette, Olive Tapenade, Dressed Greens

Wine: Fantini Trebbiano

Second Course:

Porcini Ravioli, Mushroom Consommé, Marinated Zucchini, Truffle Pecorino or

Italian Style Sirloin, Colonnata Style Butter Tossed Salt Water Potatoes, Marinated Red Bell Peppers or

Seared Yellowfin Tuna, Potato-Chive Croquettes, Oyster Mushrooms, Salsa Verde

Wine: Sassoregale Sangiovese or Oliver Hill Shiraz or Caymus Conundrum

Third Course:

House Gelatos- Pistaccio and Apricot Gelato, Champagne Biscotti

Wine: Folinari Prosecco

$30 Per Person

No Substitutions

Tax & Gratuity Not Included

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Pork Piccata $20: Lightly floured and seasoned Pork Loin pan fried topped with a light sauce of tomatoes, capers, feta, lemon and butter , served with Spaghettini and sautéed baby kale.

Frescobaldi Remole Super Tuscan, Italy: Chocolate and jam overtones, gentle palate with a smokey finish, medium tannic levels. $7/28

Pan Seared Baramundi $26: White and flaky yet meaty texture, buttery flavor.

Kiona Reisling, Washington, Bright floral notes along with apricot and honey aromas. $8/32

Hand Cut Steak of the Day: 24 oz T-Bone $33

Molly Dooker "The Scooter" Merlot, South Australia: Vibrant red Merlot with rich flavor and a soft touch of oak. $7/25

New Happy Hour Cocktail Menu

$3 Select Taps

$1 OFF all wines by the glass

$5 Aperol Spritz

$5 House Sauza Margarita

$6 House Infused Hollow Spirits Vodka Mule

$7 Tito's Martini

$7 Drink of the Week

New House Infused Hollow Spirits Vodka Mule

New House Infused Hollow Spirits Vodka Mule

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

The Braise

Sautéed Harris Ranch Beef, Roasted Summer Squash, Red Bell Pepper, Arugula, Five Cheese Tortelloni, Lemon Cream Sauce

Pan Seared Fish

Fresh Sea Scallops, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Italian Artichokes, Caper-Lemon Beurre Blanc

Ravioli

Braised Harris Ranch Beef & Goat Cheese Stuffed Ravioli, Garlic Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes, Hericot Verts, Wild Mushroom Cream Sauce

Cut of The Day

24oz Hand Cut T-Bone, Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction, Grilled Lemon

Weekend Brunch: 11:00 - 3:00

New menu for drinks and food. Click here.

Our new Mimosa tray: Prosecco with Orange, Grapefruit, and Blood Orange Juice and Lavendar Honeydew Peppercorn Shrub, plus fresh fruit garnish - Get Creative!

Our new Mimosa tray: Prosecco with Orange, Grapefruit, and Blood Orange Juice and Lavendar Honeydew Peppercorn Shrub, plus fresh fruit garnish - Get Creative!

ONGOING NEWS

M’TUCCI’S AROUND TOWN

Our market items can be purchased at a couple of locations. We deliver our fresh bread every Tuesday and Friday to Silver Street Market at 2nd and Silver. Choose from Sourdough, Fennel Rye, Wheat, Baguette, Ciabatta, Raisin Rosemary and Focaccia. Look for our pastries in some of the area’s best coffee shops soon.

Drinking at Bosque in Nob Hill? You can order a M’tucci’s Charcuterie Board while there.

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT & DISCOUNTS

Area service industry workers can get a Service Industry card from us by showing proof of employment. With the card you receive 10% off your check every day and 20% off on Sundays from 6:00 - 9:00. Dine in only.

ONLINE ORDERING

Our food is available for delivery with Door Dash or for pick up. Pick up something for the weekend or on your way home from work. The links to ordering are on the Home page.

MTUCCI’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Videos about making cocktails and pasta and getting to know the M’tucci’s culture. Click here

See you next Friday - Ciao!