Let's Go To Italy!

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NOTE: All M’tucci’s locations are closed on the 4th.

It’s time to travel and I’m sure that some of you are ready - if not already making plans to travel. My wife and I, along with her parents, are planning our Italy trip for September. The plan is to visit Venice, Tuscany, Rome and Sicily. I would like to offer some tips and ideas to help you plan your own trip to Italy. I will also visit some bars in Rome for the new M’tucci’s Bar Roma, coming to Albuquerque’s Nob Hill neighborhood in December.

At the moment, Italy does not require a vaccination card from U.S. visitors. There are two paths to entry without having to quarantine. You must show a negative Covid test within 48 hours of departure and you must take a rapid Covid test upon arrival or show a vaccination card. Two negatives and you won’t be required to quarantine. The rules could be revised on July 31. Click here to see the rules from the Italian Ministry of Health.

Seats are filling up, so if you are thinking of traveling, don’t wait too long. The route through Atlanta on Delta is heavily booked. There are seats available and decent fares on American and Alitalia. I recommend booking through the airline’s site. In case anything goes wrong, or if there are delays, the airlines will be more helpful if you booked directly with them, rather than if you book your trip through Expedia or another travel site.

We have been using Air BnB, VRBO and Booking.com for accommodations. There is a great site for traveling from point A to point B, called Rome2Rio.com (it was much better before Expedia bought it). Plug in two destinations and the search results tell you how long it takes by train, plane, car or bus and the approximate cost for each mode of travel. Train travel in Italy is not as fast as pre-pandemic times, since the high-speed trains between cities are not running at the moment, probably due to low demand. As of now, the trip from Rome to Florence takes 3 hours and 40 minutes instead of an hour and a half on a Frecce train. Hopefully that will change by late September.

As always, walking, eating and il dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing) are the reasons for visiting Italy. In Venice there will be cicchetti, the Venetian version of tapas, found at bácari, the small wine bars found throughout Venice. Some of the popular small plates are: polpette (meatballs), fried zucchini flowers filled with baccala, cheese and fennel crostino and variations on local, fresh seafood. Locals move from place to place, sampling the small glasses of wine with their cicchetti, some for as little as 2 euros per glass. Small plates at M’tucci’s are inspired by cicchetti, such as Pizzeta, Shrimp Cocktail and Fried Artichokes.

In Tuscany we will be sure to have ragu and salami made from wild boar, young Tuscan pecorino, Chianina beef and lots of Brunello di Montalcino. Some of the specialities in Rome include the four kings of pasta; cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara and gricia, as well as fresh burrata, and lots of artichokes.

Our first trip to Sicily will concentrate on the Southeast coast of the island, taking in some historic Greek ruins, Baroque hill towns and lots of seafood. Some of Sicily’s specialties are: arancini (fried rice balls stuffed with ragu or cheese and available at all M’tucci’s), caponata (the sweet and sour eggplant appetizer and fresh sardines grilled or with pasta. The slopes of the active volcano, Mt. Etna, are producing some of Italy’s best wines and an amaro called Amara, made from blood oranges and herbs. So many new things to try!

I prefer using books as a reference for restaurants and sights, as opposed to TripAdvisor and all the other “review” sites. The opinions of seasoned travelers, writers and eaters like Matt Goulding, Elizabeth Minchilli and Frances Mayes are much more valuable to me than some unknown person with questionable taste and an opinion.

If you aren’t planning on venturing across the Atlantic, you can have the next best thing at M’tucci’s with bar seating, patios and, as always, the best chef-driven Italian cuisine possible.

M’tucci’s Bar Roma

Coming to the corner of Central and Wellesley sometime in December is our newest restaurant, which will concentrate of craft cocktails, small plates and Charcuterie. We are beginning the process of renovation, and recently had the site cleansed of any bad juju and negative vibes. Bar Rome will be a new and vibrant addition to Nob Hill. Follow the Bar Roma page on Facebook for updates. Click here to follow.

M’tucci’s Artisanal Italian Sausage

Now in New Mexico Albertsons Markets in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. Sourced from our farm partners, Sackett Farm, it’s made with red wine and spices (and costs less than the national mass produced brands). Cory has created another recipe for using the sausage. You’ll love the Spicy Marinara & Sausage Pasta. Check out the video below and follow Cory’s instructions.

corysausage.001.jpg

M’tucci’s YouTube Channel

There are more than 80 videos on our channel demonstrating cooking techniques and cocktail recipes. Click here to go to the channel. You can subscribe for free so you will be notified when a new video is added.

Weekend Specials

NOTE: All M’tucci’s locations are closed on the 4th.

M’tucci’s Italian

24 oz Hand-Cut T-Bone: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Balsamic Reduction $34

Pan-Seared Sand Dabs - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $21

Pesto Ricotta Ravioli: Spring Peas, Caramelized Onion, Tomato, Garlic, Morcilla, Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Bell Cream Sauce $23

Pasta Della Forma

House Made Spaghettini & Piave Vecchio Cheese, Minimum of two orders, Prepared Table side - $38, Chef’s Condiments Add $3

Appetizers

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

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

Weekend Cocktail

Italian Sangria

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

10 oz. Hand-Cut NY Strip: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $32

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

Braised Beef Short Ribs: Mascarpone Cream Polenta, Sautéed Spinach, Red Wine Tomato Sauce $24

Weekend Cocktail

Aperol Bergamot Spritz: Mionetto Prosecco, Aperol, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto Liqueur


M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

12 oz. Hand-Cut NY Strip: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $27

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi: Seared Artichokes, Grilled Escarole, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $23

Amaro Glazed Beef Tips: Roasted Tomato Polenta, Sautéed Gralic & Greens, Walnot Gorgonzola Scallion Gremolata $21

Weekend Cocktail

Fit for a King: : Copper & King Bourbon Barrel-Aged Apple Brandy, Cardamaro, Schonhauer Apfel Liqueur, Dolin Blanc Vermouth, Bitterman’s Tiki Bitters

Live Music at M’tucci’s

M’tucci’s Moderno

7/2Lani Nash

7/8 Melissa Rios

7/9 RJ Perez


M’tucci’s Twenty Five

7/1Lani Nash

7/8 Kirk Matthews

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

M'tucci's Cocktail Culture

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There have been so many food-related stories at M’tucci’s in the past few months, we have neglected to talk about our cocktail & beverage program, which complements our chef-driven kitchens and completes the culture that is M’tucci’s.

That culture was created by Partner Austin Leard when M’tucci’s Italian first opened eight years ago. Austin brought a commitment to quality, a dedication to consistency and the talent to innovate. Qualities that are as important to M’tucci’s identity as is our exceptional food. In addition, he has recruited and trained a group of bartenders who are given the freedom to create weekly cocktail specials, which often become permanent fixtures on the menus at all three locations. Let’s look at a few of the mainstays of our program: M’tucci’s Shrubs, M’tucci’s Private Label Wines, M’tucci’s Private Select Maker’s Mark, and our dedication to Italian aperitivi and digestivi.

But, first, a gallery of some of the creative cocktails created by our team at all three locations during the past few months:

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

M’tucci’s Moderno

M’tucci’s Italian

Soon after joining M’tucci’s, Austin started one of our most successful projects: M’tucci’s Shrubs. Our guests are big fans of the cocktails made with M’tucci’s Shrubs. Shrubs are a sharp, tangy infusion of fruit, vinegar and sugar. They can be traced back to American colonial days, though regions across the globe, from the Middle East to Asia, have offered their own unique interpretations. The American version of the shrub dates back to 17th century England where vinegar was used as an alternative to citrus juices to preserve berries and other fruits.

M’tucci’s Private Select Makers Mark

In the summer of 2019, M’tucci’s partners Chris O’Sickey and Austin traveled to Kentucky to create M’tucci’s own special profile bourbon. At Maker’s Mark a 53-gallon barrel was filled with cask strength Maker’s Mark and select staves of different types of oak. It then aged for another 9 weeks in a cold limestone cave. After the aging was completed, our bourbon was  bottled in unique Private Select bottles. M’tucci’s Private Select Maker’s Mark is the signature spirit for our unique Old Fashioned cocktail.

Great spirits and ingredients are important, but the people behind the bar are most important. Today, meet two of them.

Arcy Law, Bar Manager at M’tucci’s Italian

Arcy got his start in bartending right after turning 21. It was at M'tucci's Moderno where, “I found the passion for bartending thanks to Austin Leard,” he said.

“I think our cocktail program is one of the best in the city because we focus on balance and execution. We aren't here to sling drinks, instead we provide a mesmerizing experience that keeps our guests coming back.”

“It's very hard for me to narrow down what my favorite spirit is, but I drink more whisky than anything else. However, I'm always switching to new cocktails each month. If I had to put my finger on the one cocktail I love to make, it would be one we create, bringing new flavors that surprise our guests. One of those examples is the Sangria we are featuring this weekend. It is based on a recipe that a good friend of mine brought back from France that dates back to the early 1900's. We create a base by mixing citrus peels, white wine, fruit, honey, and other spices and marinate them overnight. The cocktail is made fresh to order by adding other spirits and red wine. It is truly a unique cocktail.”

Matt McMillian, Bar Manager at M’tucci’s Moderno

Matt has worked in restaurants since he was 16. He got excited about bartending/cocktail culture at a restaurant that is no longer open.

He said, “M’tucci’s cocktail program is successful because it’s guest focused. We’re here so our guests have the best experience possible. The freedom to create something special for the guest is pretty cool and keeps our jobs interesting.”

When he is not working, he loves bourbon, and tiki cocktails. “You just can’t beat a well made Mojito, Caipirinha or Mai Tai - perfect for a summer afternoon.”

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

16 oz Hand-Cut NY Strip: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Balsamic Reduction $32

Pan-Seared Swordfish - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $29

Pesto Ricotta Ravioli: M’tucci’s Cotto Ham, Spring Peas, Caramelized Onion, Sun-Dried Tomato, Lemon Cream Sauce $23

Pasta Della Forma

House Made Spaghettini & Piave Vecchio Cheese, Minimum of two orders, Prepared Table side - $38, Chef’s Condiments Add $3

Appetizers

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

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

Weekend Cocktail

Aperol Bergamot Spritz: Mionetto Prosecco, Aperol, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto Liqueur

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

10 oz. Hand-Cut NY Strip: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $32

Pan-Seared Alaskan Halibut: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $34

Sackett Farm Pork Piccata: Arugula, Tomatoes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce $19

Weekend Cocktail

Aperol Bergamot Spritz: Mionetto Prosecco, Aperol, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto Liqueur


M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

12 oz. Hand-Cut NY Strip: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $26

Pan-Seared California Halibut: Seared Artichokes, Grilled Escarole, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $23

Black Mussels, Spicy Nduja White Wine Brodo, M’tucci’s Bacon, Gigante Beans, Marinated Tomato, Roasted Red Onions, Garlic and Green Olive Tapenade $27

Gelato: Chocolate Hazelnut

Sorbetto: Blood Orange

Weekend Cocktail

Aperol Bergamot Spritz: Mionetto Prosecco, Aperol, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto Liqueur

IT’S HERE!!

corysausage.001.jpg

Now in Albertsons Markets in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. Old World Artisanal Italian Sausage from M’tucci’s. It’s made with spices and red wine, and is sourced from a single family farm. ONLY $5.49 per pound. Better quality for a lower price than the large mass-produced brands.

Live Music at M’tucci’s

M’tucci’s Moderno and M’tucci’s Twenty-Five will resume live music on Thursday, June 17 with your favorite local musicians. See the Events listing on our Facebook pages. Thursday performances are 7:00-9:00 and Friday performances are 8:00 - 10:00.

M’tucci’s Moderno

6/25 Kirk Matthews

7/1 Kirk Matthews

7/2Lani Nash

7/8 Melissa Rios

7/9 RJ Perez


M’tucci’s Twenty Five

7/1Lani Nash

7/8 Kirk Matthews

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

M'tucci's Bar Roma - Coming to Nob Hill

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The fourth location for M’tucci’s Restaurants will open in an historic building on Central Avenue in Nob Hill sometime in December. M’tucci’s Bar Roma will occupy the space formerly held by Kelley’s Brew Pub on Central & Wellesley. The building was the original home of Jones Motor Company, a Ford dealership and Texaco gas station which opened in November 1939. By this time, Central Avenue was designated as Historic Route 66 and attracted westbound travelers. But, Central was not always Route 66.

Designed as a route from Chicago to Los Angeles, the highway was designated as Route 66 in 1926 and has always run through Albuquerque (even though the city is not mentioned in the popular song). Long before the creation of the interstate highway system, the two-lane road was responsible for many mom-and-pop businesses in sleepy rural areas such as motels, cafes and gas stations. It was not completely paved until 1938.

The pre-1937 Route 66 route ran from Santa Rosa and then northwest to Santa Fe and then southwest to Albuquerque (along 4th Street) and Los Lunas before turning west. The realignment of the highway occurred in 1937, when a straight-line route was completed from west of Santa Rosa through Moriarty and east–west through Albuquerque and west to Laguna. This newer routing saved travelers as much as four hours of travel through New Mexico. Thus, Central Avenue became Route 66.

In the early days before Albuquerque was a settlement, Central Avenue was a popular trading route, leading to an easy crossing of the Rio Grande. It became a wagon road built by the U.S. Army in 1858, then a mule-drawn street car was built around 1880 and the street was named Railroad Avenue. The city changed the name to Central Avenue in 1907 to reflect the prominence of the street.

M’tucci’s is beginning an extensive remodel of the interior and patio spaces. Historic building fans will be relieved to know that there is no intention to change the original look of the exterior, so the “Service” and “Lubrication” signs will remain.

M’tucci’s Bar Roma will feature drinks and small plates, such as you might find in a typical neighborhood bar in Rome. Guests will find the same chef-driven food that is the cornerstone of all M’tucci’s locations, where we make everything from scratch and source the best ingredients locally and from Italy. There will be some new items, as well as some of the M’tucci’s favorites like Charcuterie: house cured meats and hand-made fresh cheese.

Some of my favorite Roman bar snacks include burrata, prosciutto, grilled or fried artichokes, pizzeta and young, raw fennel, sliced and dipped in extra virgin olive oil.

See you in December!

Join Us! We are Hiring!

The new location will need a staff of nearly 75 people for M’tucci’s Bar Roma. We are hiring for all positions in the kitchen, servers, bartenders and management. Join a happy team! Click here for our online application.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

24 oz Hand-Cut Bone-In Porterhouse: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Balsamic Reduction $38

Pan-Seared Rockfish - Sweet Potato Puree, Broccolini, Sweet Pea and Duck Prosciutto Succotash $23

Pesto Ricotta Ravioli: M’tucci’s Cotto Ham, Spring Peas, Caramelized Onion, Sun-Dried Tomato, Lemon Cream Sauce $23

Pasta Della Forma

House Made Spaghettini & Piave Vecchio Cheese, Minimum of two orders, Prepared Table side - $38, Chef’s Condiments Add $3

Appetizers

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

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

Weekend Cocktail

Aperol Bergamot Spritz: Mionetto Prosecco, Aperol, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto Liqueur

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

10 oz. Black Angus Flank Steak: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $27

Pan-Seared Fresh Atlantic Sea Scallops: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $31

Shrimp Scampi: Pink Patagonian Shrimp, Grape Tomatoes, Asparagus, Lemon Bercy Sauce and M’tucci’s House Made Spaghettini $19

Weekend Cocktail

Desert Dream: Absolut Vanilia, Triple Sec, House Limoncello, Orange Bitters, Aperol and House Made Whipped Cream


M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

16 oz. Veal Porterhouse: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $36

Pan-Seared Swordfish: Seared Artichokes, Grilled Escarole, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $23

Cajun Beef Tip Five Cheese Tortelloni: Seared Beef Tips, Red Onion, Porcini Mushroom Sauce Garnished with Feta & Parsley $22

Gelato: Goldbar

Sorbetto: Raspberry Lemon

Weekend Cocktail

Aperol Bergamot Spritz: Mionetto Prosecco, Aperol, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto Liqueur

Live Music Returns!!

M’tucci’s Moderno and M’tucci’s Twenty-Five will resume live music on Thursday, June 17 with your favorite local musicians. See the Events listing on our Facebook pages. Thursday performances are 7:00-9:00 and Friday performances are 8:00 - 10:00.

RJ Perez

RJ Perez

M’tucci’s Moderno

Kirk Matthews

Kirk Matthews

6/18 RJ Perez

6/24 Eryn Bent

6/25 Kirk Matthews

7/1 Kirk Matthews

7/2Lani Nash

7/8 Melissa Rios

7/9 RJ Perez



M’tucci’s Twenty Five

6/24 Kirk Matthews

7/1Lani Nash

7/8 Kirk Matthews

M’tucci’s Italian Sausage comes to Albertsons Market Next Week!

We apologize for the slight delay, due to a technical error with the UPC code. We know many of you have been asking about it and it should be stocked in stores on Monday or Tuesday.

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

The Many Shapes of Pasta

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Charles de Gaulle, former WWII General and President of France, famously delcared “How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 different kinds of cheese?” There is no record of Mussolini (or any other Italian leader) exclaiming: how does one govern a country with more than 350 shapes of pasta!

The earliest shapes of pasta, found in reports from the 13th century, were macaroni, ravioli, gnocchi and vermicelli. Specific shapes were created for specific uses such as oil-based sauces, cream sauces, meat sauces and soups. There is long pasta, short pasta, tubular pasta, pasta for stuffing and creatively-shaped pasta. Here are a few shapes that are always in my pantry (clockwise from left): penne, linguine, ziti & fettuccine, (top to bottom in the center) strozzapreti, orecchiette and casarecce.

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Some of the names of pasta are easily translatable and some have stories behind the names. Here are some popular shapes with their Italian meanings:

Bucatini: little holes - the traditional pasta for all’ Amatriciana

Campanelle: little bells

Casarecce: From 'casereccio', meaning 'homemade'

Conchiglie: shells

Farfelle: butterflies

Fettuccine: little ribbons - forever connected to Alfredo

Gemelli: twins

Linguine: little tongues

Orecchiette: little ears - popular in Puglia where it is handmade and served with sausage and rapini

Penne: pens

Ravioli: possibly from 'rapa', meaning 'turnip', which was one of the original stuffings

Spaghetti: little twine

Strozzapreti: priest stranglers or priest chokers (more about this below)

Tortellini: small little pies

Ziti: from 'zito', meaning 'bridegroom' and is typically served at weddings

My favorite name is strozzapreti, which means priest strangler or priest choker. Several stories surround the origin of this name. The pasta was typical in Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Umbria where anti-clerical sentiment was strong. Some said the name referred to the gluttonous ways of the clergy, who liked this pasta so much that they ate it so fast they would choke.

At M’tucci’s we use both fresh pasta that we make daily and dried pasta imported from Italy. We make ravioli, fettuccine, rigatoni, pappardelle, spaghettini, gnocchi and campanelle. Our dried pasta is tortelloni and fussiloni.

Despite the shape, or if the pasta is fresh or dried, there are a few simple things to remember when purchasing and cooking the pasta. Both types should be made with a rough bronze die (which produces a pasta with a rough surface that holds the sauce better) and it should be air-dried. I never buy fresh pasta, since I never know if it’s really fresh - I prefer to eat my fresh pasta at M’tucci’s. You can find good quality dried Italian pasta at Whole Foods, Keller’s Markets and Tully’s Market. Most grocery stores carry DeCecco. Although it is mass-produced, it is a good quality pasta. I think the Whole Foods brand is very good and very reasonably priced for organic pasta.

The main points for cooking (tips from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and from Chef Cory Gray):

  1. Lots of water, at least 3 quarts and add another quart for every half pound.

  2. Salt the water with sea salt, so it tastes like the ocean. The water is boiling when you add the salt, so don’t taste it, but add at least 1.5 T for every pound of pasta when the water boils.

  3. Never put oil in the boiling water

  4. Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce immediately

“I really prefer rigatoni for Bolognese sauces, the pasta has a cavity to hold the rich, thick sauce. I also love ravioli since it is a vessel that can hold anything of you can imagine and then you can create a lovely sauce to accompany it,” said Chef/Partner Cory Gray.

Here is our hard-working Italian pasta machine, turning out fresh pappardelle and campanelle.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

24 oz Hand Cut Porterhouse: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Balsamic Reduction $38

Pan-Seared Ono - Sweet Potato Puree, Broccolini, Sweet Pea and Duck Prosciutto Succotash $27

Pasta Della Forma: House Made Spaghettini & Piave Vecchio Cheese, Minimum of two orders, Prepared Table side - $38, Chef’s Condiments Add $3

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

Butterfly Effect: Hapenny Gin, Fresh Grapefruit & Lemon Juice, Vanilla Simple and Butterfly Pea Flower Ice Cubes - Watch it Change Colors!!

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

10 oz. Flank Steak: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $27

Pan-Seared California Halibut: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $25

Shrimp & Goat Cheese Pasta: Pink Shrimp, Spicy Pepper Goat Cheese Suace, Hazelnuts and M’tucci’s House Made Spaghettini $19

Weekend Cocktail

Smoke & Mirrors: Vida Mezcal, Bigallet China China, Carpano Antica, Amaro Bilaro, Grapefruit Bitters


M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

24 oz. Porterhouse: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $38

Pan-Seared Ruby Trout: Seared Artichokes, Grilled Escarole, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $23

Porcini Mushroom Risotto: Seared Beef Medallions, Sautéed Mushrooms with Kale and Balsamic Reduction $21

Gelato: Strawberry

Sorbetto: House Limoncello/Cherry

Weekend Cocktail

The Army Navy Cocktail: Empress 1908 Gin, Orgeat Syrup and Fresh Lemon Juice


Pasta Della Forma - only at M’tucci’s Italian and only on Friday, Saturday & Sunday

A popular restaurant pasta preparation in Italy and in California is now in Albuquerque - only at M’tucci’s Italian. Pasta Della Forma (from formaggio which is Italian for cheese) is finished table side in a cheese wheel. We use Fresh House Spaghettini and Piave Vecchio, a cheese from the Veneto region near the Dolomite mountains. You have a choice of two toppings:

Mushroom Duxelle: Baby Portobello Mushrooms, Thyme, Garlic, White Wine

Roasted Red Bell Pepper/Sun-Dried Tomato Relish

Pasta Della Forma: Minimum of two people, Prepared Table side $38 Chef’s Condiments Add $3

I recommend a healthy grinding of fresh pepper. A short video shows how it’s done.

M’tucci’s Hosts Fundraising Day to Benefit Road Rage Survivor

19-year old Christina Luchetti was the victim of road rage in March, leaving her paralyzed and facing tremendous medical bills and costs to make her home handicapped-accessible. When we heard about her situation, we immediately reached out to the family and offered to host a fundraising day. We will donate 20% of sales at all three restaurants on June 14. Their goal is to raise $30,000 for the family. 

“At M’tucci’s we’re a family, and we consider our community our extended family,” explained John Haas, M’tucci’s Restaurants Managing Partner. “When Christina’s situation was brought to our attention, we knew we wanted to help in any way possible. We encourage everyone to come out to any of our restaurants on June 14 in support of Christina and to give as they are able.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Christina.  In addition to their fundraiser, M’tucci’s is challenging other area businesses to join in to support Christina.

“Albuquerque is a community with a big heart, and we’re honored to call it home,” added Haas. “We invite you to join us in showing that love and generosity to one of our own.” 

To make a reservation for June 14 or to place an online order, visit https://www.mtuccis.com. 

Live Music Returns!!

M’tucci’s Moderno and M’tucci’s Twenty-Five will resume live music on Thursday, June 17 with your favorite local musicians. See the Events listing on our Facebook pages. Thursday performances are 7:00-9:00 and Friday performances are 8:00 - 10:00.

M’tucci’s Moderno

6/17 Kirk Matthews

6/18 RJ Perez

6/24 Eryn Bent

6/25 Kirk Matthews

7/1 Kirk Matthews

7/2Lani Nash

7/8 Melissa Rios

7/9 RJ Perez



M’tucci’s Twenty Five

6/17 Melissa Rios

6/24 Kirk Matthews

7/1Lani Nash

7/8 Kirk Matthews

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Italian Spring Vegetables

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Just before we officially enter summer, the markets and restaurants are featuring a lot of spring vegetables. The Mediterranean climate in Italy provides markets throughout the country with spring vegetables during almost every month of the year. However, certain vegetables are celebrated as spring vegetables in Italy: artichokes, asparagus and zucchini or squash blossoms - all popular vegetables at M’tucci’s.

Artichokes are a member of the thistle family and were most certainly developed into an edible food in Italy, rather than being imported from another region. Vegetable vendors in large markets throughout the country perform springtime artichoke-cleaning demonstrations, showing how to use a sharp, slim paring knife to trim the leaves, rub the exposed parts with lemon, and drop the finished choke into a barrel of acidulated water.

If you aren’t located near a large Italian market, probably the best source of paring techniques are Marcella Hazan’s excellent book Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (Alfred A. Knopf, 1993). There are illustrations in that book showing how to pare and core an artichoke for steaming, or stuffing and baking.

Italy is the largest producer and consumer of artichokes, growing hundreds of different varieties. Probably the most notable variety (nearly impossible to find in the U.S.), is the Roman Violet artichoke. In the spring, the artichokes are trimmed and bathed in olive oil and roasted in the dry wood pruned from grapevines. Other popular preparations include carciofi a spicchi (sliced and braised in olive oil, garlic and parsley) and vignarola (green onions, artichokes, fava beans, peas and beet greens).

M’tucci’s imports trimmed artichoke hearts from Italy and uses them in appetizers at M’tucci’s Italian and as a grilled side dish with weekend specials at all of our restaurants.

Purple, White & Green Asparagus arrive in Spring markets throughout Italy. They likely originated in Mesopotamia, but grow wild in the Mediterranean countries. Italian folklore claimed that when asparagus was dried and worn in a pouch or brewed as a tea it was an effective birth control method. While asparagus is cultivated in Italy and much of the world, the wild variety is known to be the most flavorful and the most nutritious. If you drive through Southern Colorado in early summer, look along fence rows where there is an irrigation ditch and you just might harvest some wild asparagus.

Italians often boil asparagus in pasta water, eating it dressed with olive oil or butter. It works very well in eggs dishes like a fritatta (a flat, Italian omelet) or carbonara. At M’tucci’s we like to grill it and serve it with steaks or use the spears in risotto.

Zucchini is available year-round in Italy, but the best zucchini is found in the spring and summer. The prized blossoms from squash or zucchini are most common during those seasons. Plants produce both male and female flowers, with the female flowers producing the actual squash. Male flowers are usually picked in the evening when they are closed and then soaked to regain their crispness. The vegetable is used in soups, stews and salads. The flowers are usually fried or used in soups, risotto or frittatas.

At M’tucci’s Chef/Partner Cory Gray likes to pickle the vegetable. At the moment, he has been able to get fresh flowers, which he stuffs with herbed ricotta cheese, dips them in beer batter and fries them. They are served with caper oil and pickled zucchini. Scroll down to see a video demonstrating the pickling process.

Pasta Della Forma - only at M’tucci’s Italian

Only on Friday, Saturday & Sunday

A popular restaurant pasta preparation in Italy and in California is now in Albuquerque - only at M’tucci’s Italian. Pasta Della Forma (from formaggio which is Italian for cheese) is finished table side in a cheese wheel. We use Fresh House Spaghettini and Piave Vecchio, a cheese from the Veneto region near the Dolomite mountains. You have a choice of two toppings:

Mushroom Duxelle: Baby Portobello Mushrooms, Thyme, Garlic, White Wine

Roasted Red Bell Pepper/Sun-Dried Tomato Relish

Pasta Della Forma: Minimum of two people, Prepared Table side $38 Chef’s Condiments Add $3

I recommend a healthy grinding of fresh pepper. A short video shows how it’s done.

M’tucci’s Italian

24 oz Hand Cut Rib Eye: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Balsamic Reduction $36

Pan-Seared Ruby Trout - Sweet Potato Puree, Broccolini, Sweet Pea and Duck Prosciutto Succotash $29

Crab & Cream Cheese Ravioli: Sautéed Sweet Potato, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Red Peppers, Shrimp and M’tucci’s Pancetta $23

Pasta Della Forma: House Made Spaghettini & Piave Vecchio Cheese, Minimum of two orders, Prepared Table side - $38, Chef’s Condiments Add $3

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

Berry Creek: Knob Creek Rye, Lemon Juice, Muddled Strawberry, Simple Syrup, Ginger Beer Float

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. Black Angus NY Strip: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $27

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $25

Frutti di Mare: Pink Shrimp, Baby Scallops, Baby Clams, Mussels, Spicy Marinara and M’tucci’s House Made Fettucine $19

Weekend Cocktail

Banana Hammock: Lt. Bacardi Rum, Giffard Banane du Bresil, Strawberry Shrub, Pineapple & Lime Juice, Blue Curaçao Float

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

7 oz. Petite Filet: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $23

Pan-Seared Alaskan Halibut: Seared Artichokes, Grilled Escarole, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $23

Blackened Salmon: M’tucci’s Prosciutto Cotto, Roasted Corn, Red Peppers, Citrus Dressed Kale & Escarole, Garnished with Lemon Zest and Olive Oil $19

Weekend Cocktails

Sicilian Sunrise: China China Amaro, Apfel, Peach Vodka, Lemon and Simple Syrup

Sicilian Sunset: China China Amaro, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Orange Bitters, Honey Simple Syrup

Gelato: Raspberry

Sorbetto: House Limoncello/Cherry

Tell ABQ - Taste of Summer

A new radio program that features local restaurants and is hosted by Jade and Ashley featured M’tucci’s Twenty-Five Chef/Partner Shawn Cronin as a guest last Tuesday, June 1 at 12:30. To listen to the live hour-long interview and to hear the hosts review of a recent visit to M’tucci’s Twenty-Five go to the App store for Apple or Android and download the Tell ABQ app. It was an interesting 30-minute conversation ranging from Shrubs to Italian style of eating, knife skills and Amaro. You can follow Ashley on Instagram ashleybuff≥ington_

Jade is on Instagram @shorter_in_person

You can follow Tell ABQ @tell_abq

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Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Italian Sausage

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Sausage making in Italy probably originated in Southern Italy in Basilicata, which was known as Lucania in ancient times. In the 5th Century BC, the Roman historian Marco Terenzio Varrone described soldiers stuffing meat into pig intestines together with spices and salt. They called the minced meat stuffed into a casing lucanica, because soldiers learned how to prepare it from the Lucanians.

The dish was served to Roman emperors who fell in love with it and its popularity then spread throughout the country. A version of the original sausage is now produced in Northern Italy and called luganega. Today its typical recipe includes salt, chili pepper, wild fennel, pepper and anise. It has a long horseshoe shape and is sold by the length instead of by weight.

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Sausage differs from North to South in Italy. Here a few descriptions from lacucinaitaliana.com:

Finocchietto mon amour: This Calabrian sausage has a similar shape but different ingredients: in addition to the ubiquitous pork shoulder and belly, there is generally also a significant amount of spicy chili pepper, in addition to sweet chili peppers.

Cervellata in Toritto: Puglia offers both pork sausages and numerous specialties that mix beef and pork. This is prepared with selected cuts of beef (70%) and pork (30%) along with a rich condiment including fresh basil, garlic, pepper, salt and grated pecorino.

Canon: In Tuscany and Umbria, their salsiccia uses fatty meats more abundantly and seasons them with salt, pepper and lots of garlic, in addition to red wine.

Sausage is not cured and must be cooked, unlike salami and prosciutto, two other prominent pork products.

Our partnership with Sackett Farm Family, who raise only heritage breed Berkshire/Duroc pigs, allows us to offer more flavorful and extremely high quality product. M’tucci’s has been making sausage since we opened, using it on pizzas, in pasta dishes and braised over polenta, but we think our dishes with pork have risen to new heights.

After a lot of testing and tasting, we’re pretty excited for M’tucci’s Old World Artisanal Italian Sausage with Red Wine to be available in Albertsons Markets and M’tucci’s Restaurants in the next week. It will be sold in one pound packages in stores in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos.

The recipe was created by Company President/Executive Chef John Haas when M’tucci’s Italian opened eight years ago. The recipe had minor changes two years ago and is a blending of Southern Italian and Tuscan styles. Some of the ingredients are toasted fennel, garlic, crushed pepper and red wine. It’s all natural and does not contain any preservatives. Two videos are below, one showing how we braised it in a casing and serve it with soft polenta and one showing how to make Sausage Burgers. We know you will love it!

Prepare for sausage jokes:

What did one sausage say to the other? Let’s Link Up!

What did the female sausage say to the male sausage? Wait, did you put on a condiment?

Did you hear the one about the German Sausage? It was the wurst.

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Pasta Della Forma at M’tucci’s Italian

A popular restaurant pasta preparation in Italy and in California is now in Albuquerque - only at M’tucci’s Italian. Pasta Della Forma (from formaggio which is Italian for cheese) is finished table side in a cheese wheel. We use Fresh House Spaghettini and Piave Vecchio, a cheese from the Veneto region near the Dolomite mountains. You have a choice of two toppings:

Mushroom Duxelle: Baby Portobello Mushrooms, Thyme, Garlic, White Wine

Roasted Red Bell Pepper/Sun-Dried Tomato Relish

Pasta Della Forma: Minimum of two people, Prepared Table side $38 Chef’s Condiments Add $3

I recommend a healthy grinding of fresh pepper. A short video shows how it’s done.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

24 oz Hand Cut Porterhouse: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Balsamic Reduction $38

Pan-Seared California White Sea Bass - Sweet Potato Puree, Broccolini, Sweet Pea and Duck Prosciutto Succotash $29

Crab & Cream Cheese Ravioli: House Crispy Bacon, Artichoke & Sweet Peas tossed in a Crab Thyme Cream Sauce $23

Pasta Della Forma: House Made Spaghettini & Piave Vecchio Cheese, Minimum of two orders, Prepared Table side - $38, Chef’s Condiments Add $3

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

Aloha Weekend: Pyrat Rum, Pineapple Rosemary Shrub, Vanilla Syrup, Orange and Lime Juice

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

16 oz. Veal Porterhouse: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $36

Pan-Seared Barramundi: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $26

Crispy Chicken Confit Risotto: Wild Mushrooms, Roasted Celery & Carrots, Creamy Carnaroli Rice $19

Weekend Cocktail

Avión: made with Blanco Tequila, Creme de Violette, Maraschino Liqueur, Pineapple and Lime Juice

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Stuffed Sackett Farm Pork Loin: Stuffed with Seared Mushrooms, Artichokes, Spinach & Pecorino. Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $22

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

Surf & Turf: 5 oz. Beef Tenderloin, Grilled Patagonian Pink Shrimp, Sweet Potato Mash, Grilled Broccolini, Balsamic Reduction $28

Gelato: Chocolate Hazelnut Stout

Sorbetto: Triple Berry

Tell ABQ - Taste of Summer

A new radio program that features local restaurants and is hosted by Jade and Ashley will have M’tucci’s Twenty-Five Chef/Partner Shawn Cronin as a guest on Tuesday, June 1 at 12:30. To listen to the live hour-long interview and to hear the hosts review of a recent visit to M’tucci’s Twenty-Five go to the App store for Apple or Android and download the Tell ABQ app. If you miss the live program, the show will be archived so you can listen at your own convenience. Don’t miss it!

Jade & Ashely from Tell ABQ - Taste of Summer, loving gelato at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Jade & Ashely from Tell ABQ - Taste of Summer, loving gelato at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

M’tucci’s Gourmet TV Dinners

We appreciate your support, but all good things must come to an end. When the current inventory of TV dinners is gone - then they will be gone. There are a few left at each location.

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!

M'tucci's Ravioli

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One of our favorite pasta dishes is ravioli, those light, fluffy pillows stuffed with varying combinations of herbs, greens, meat, seafood or cheese. The word "ravioli" is derived from an old Italian word “riavvolgere”, which means "to wrap."

Ravioli are a square shape. If you see them semi-circular, they would be called mezzelune (half-moons). Cappellacci are ravioli stuffed with a sweet pumpkin-based filling and are popular in the northeastern part of Emilia-Romagna. The Italian pumpkin used for this ravioli isn’t available in the U.S. so orange-fleshed sweet potatoes make a perfect substitute.

Many other types of Italian pasta contain fillings, such as tortelloni and tortelli, however they are usually smaller and more time consuming to make by hand.

Ravioli appears in writings as early as the 14th century and they were reportedly served at a papal conclave in Rome in 1549. The favored stuffings vary by region, for example ricotta cheese and spinach are popular in Rome. Many ravioli dishes come with a tomato or cream based sauce, however they were traditionally served en brodo, in a broth.

Because we make all of our own ravioli, it’s usually a weekend special at M’tucci’s Italian. M’tucci’s Moderno has Artichoke Pesto Ravioli and M’tucci’s Twenty-Five serves Lobster & Prosciutto Ravioli.

Some of the past favorite fillings have been; Wild Mushroom and Ricotta, Red Chile Three Cheese, Roasted Fennel and Duroc Pork with Goat Cheese and Butternut Squash and Mascarpone with a Browned Butter Sage Sauce.

Here is a speeded up video of our ravioli process. As you can see there are a few tools that allow us to hand-make our ravioli. Can you imagine how long it would take to make 1,200 totally by hand?

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Don’t forget to vote for M’tucci’s in the Journal’s Reader’s Choice Awards. We are nominated for Best Italian, Best Chef, Best Business Lunch, Best Cocktail and Best Dessert. How we didn’t show up in the Best Pizza category is a mystery and a huge mistake. Oh, well.

Special Wine at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

This weekend we are featuring a selection from Kermit Lynch, one of the most prestigious wine importers and merchants in the U.S. Here is what their website says about the Kermit Lunch Cote du Rhone, which is primarily made from the Grenache varietal:

“The growing success we have enjoyed over the last three vintages is proof enough that the KL Côtes du Rhône fits both the taste profile and quality standards that our customers have come to expect. Since 1929, this winery has been bringing local vignerons together from the outlying areas of Avignon in the Southern Rhône to produce delicious wines that epitomize the region’s complex terroirs. Kermit works closely with winemaker Jean-François Pasturel to develop the blend. Pasturel is thrilled to be able to have the chance to produce a Côtes du Rhône he does not have to filter to death. It is his tête de cuvée, his pride and joy.”

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Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

24 oz Hand Cut T-Bone: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $36

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

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

Lilly Pad: Beefeater Gin, Lillet Blanc, Absinthe, Lemon & 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 $32

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

Beef Tortellini: Cajun Spiced Beef Tips, Tomatoes, Green Onion, Rosa Sauce & Gorgonzola Cheese $19

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

7 oz. Chianina Flatiron Steak: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $27

7 oz. Pan-Seared Ono: Seared Artichokes, Grilled Escarole, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $24

Skin-On Calabrian Braised Salmon, Creamy Pesto Polenta, Caramelized Onions, Citrus Vinaigrette Dressed Greens $21

Gelato: Chocolate Cake

Sorbetto: Cherry Limoncello

M’tucci’s Catering

Brunch, Lunch, Dinner or a party, your place, our place or an event center. You bring the people, we’ll bring the food. Here are a few photos from the Mother’s Day Brunch at Gruet Winery.

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Happy Mother's Day

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Happy Mother’s Day, which is celebrated in the U.S. and in Italy on the second Sunday of May every year.

In early times, La Festa della Mamma, was known as a spring fertility ritual to honor the goddess Rhea, mother of all the gods. Rhea was the mother of Romulus and Remus who, according to ancient legend, were the founders of Rome. Some say that the Romans paid homage to Juno and Cybele, their goddesses of motherhood and marriage, and that was the origin of Mother’s Day in Italy.

In the 30s, while the Fascists were in power, they instituted a celebration called “La Giornata della madre e del bambino" - the day of the mother and child, which was a tribute to all mothers bearing good fascist sons to perpetuate the regime.

Fifty years after Mother’s Day became an official holiday in the U.S., a priest in Assisi proclaimed the same day as La Festa della Mamma, and the following year (1957) the Italian lawmakers made it official.

While there are differences in the holiday between the two countries, the Italians traditionally make cards with poetry, and start the day by making breakfast for Mom. Then, Mom is celebrated at her favorite restaurant, with Mother’s Day being the busiest day for restaurants throughout Italy.

Where would Italian food be without madri and nonne (moms and grandmothers), who traditionally run the kitchen at home and in many restaurants in Italy? Most of the well-known Italian cookbook authors are women: Marcella Hazan and Lidia Bastianich.

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Mama Leone’s Ristorante was in New York City and could be responsible for the popularity of Italian cuisine in the U.S. Luisa Leone was known as a good cook and was encouraged by opera singer Enrico Caruso to open a small restaurant in the family’s living room in 1906. They could only fit 20 seats, but he brought such a large entourage for opening night, that people had to sit on wine crates to eat their $.50 meal.

Mama moved out and opened a large space in the Theater District on West 48th St that had 11 dining rooms with seating for more than 1,200 people, serving more than 700,000 meals a year.

The restaurant was so popular, that they printed 25,000 menus every two months and gave them away to their customers, mostly out-of-town visitors. According to a 1987 New York Times story, Manhattanites considered the restaurant “declasse”, with its strolling accordion players, enormous pink margaritas and plastic grapes dangling from the rafters.

“But people from other boroughs and the suburbs mark the occasions of their lives there. For generations, one Connecticut family has observed all its 13th birthdays there. And people journey from around the globe to see the Statue of Liberty, the Rockettes and this restaurant.

Simply put, Leone's is a real good deal, particularly for the glutton. A $23.95 seven-course veal parmigiana spread begins with an enormous hunk of mozzarella and ends with a dessert, like spumoni or rum cake. The price includes free parking in the theater district.” (The New York Times, 9/19/1987)

M’tucci’s Founder Jeff Spiegel who owned several Manhattan restaurants said, “I was there once. It was a midtown Italian restaurant focused on the NYC tourist trade. Go once and that was all you needed.”

I asked a few NYC friends if they remembered the restaurant, “YES! While visiting with my Brooklyn relatives, I went into "the city" for dinner and a show. I must have been around nine or ten years old. I can still remember the red and white maxi dress I wore, which matched the checkered tablecloths. I bragged to my friends back in Miami about going to the famous Mama Leone's and seeing the Rockettes dance at Radio City. Vivid memory considering it was over 50 years ago, said NYC Photographer Erica Berger.

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The restaurant was popular enough that Mama’s son, Gene, published “Leone’s Italian Cookbook” in 1967. (It was the second cookbook given to me by my mother, after “The Joy of Cooking”). The cookbook’s forward was written by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and is now a collector’s item. You can find it used for as much as $125 a copy. Sadly, I no longer have mine.

The restaurant was a victim of the condo craze in the 90s and closed permanently on January 10, 1994.

Celebrate Mother’s Day with M’tucci’s

Open at 10:00am Sunday!

We still have a few tables available at all locations. Use Open Table or call for reservations.

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five Specials

M’tucci’s Italian Specials

M’tucci’s Moderno Specials

M’tucci’s Catering

As we continue to return to normal, contact us about your event or wedding reception. Taña can help with catering at your home, office or any event location. 505-350-0019 or [email protected]

Click here for our catering menu.

M’tucci’s Gourmet TV Dinners

Getting back to work and putting in some long hours? We’ve got you covered for dinner with M’tucci’s Gourmet TV Dinners. Only $9. Simply Heat and Eat. Always Fresh - Never Frozen. Available at all locations.

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Italian Cooking

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In the introduction of her indispensable book “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” Marcella Hazan writes: “Ask an Italian about Italian Cooking and, depending on whom you approach, you will be told about Bolognese, Venetian, Roman, Milanese cooking or Tuscan, Piedmontese, Sicilian, Neapolitan. But Italian cooking? It would seem no single cuisine answers to that name. The cooking of Italy is really the cooking of regions that long antedate the Italian nation, regions that until 1861 were part of sovereign and usually hostile states, sharing few cultural traditions and no common spoken language - it was not until after World War II that Italian began to be the everyday language of a substantial part of the population - and practicing entirely distinct styles of cooking.”

I’m fortunate to be part of the M’tucci’s Family where I not only get to eat Italian food on a regular basis, but I can observe and experience the cooking techniques and styles of our talented chefs. Before M’tucci’s, I learned most of my Italian cooking skills from cookbooks. I still rely on those cookbooks today.

A few years ago, “Tasting Italy” by National Geographic & America’s Test Kitchen, was a surprise Christmas gift. Organized by region, the large book is filled with a vast amount of background information on each region’s history of eating and cooking, and it has some terrific recipes. I love cooking the Porchetta, pork shoulder rubbed with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. My favorite dish is from the chapter on Puglia, Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage. We grow broccoli rabe, or rapini, in our garden, or find it at Sprouts or Whole Foods when the garden is fallow. The blending of rich flavors of the pork sausage and the bitter greens is a flavorful, easy pasta dish to make at home.

For more complex dishes, I love the Five Pork Bolognese at M’tucci’s Italian, the Artichoke Pesto Ravioli at M’tucci’s Moderno and the Prosciutto Cotto and Five Cheese Tortolloni at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five - all dishes that I am not going to make at home!

Another terrific book for your kitchen library is “Red, White & Greens” by Faith Willinger. It’s all about vegetables and how they are cooked in the Italian style. When our zucchini and squash start producing, we pick the male flowers and stuff them with ricotta, parmesan, and Italian parsley and simmer them in a garlic/tomato broth.

But the book that I use the most is Marcella Hazan’s. She combined and updated the recipes from her first two books for the “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking”, published in 1992. I have had it since it was published and it’s getting a bit worn out.

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There is a wealth of information on Italian ingredients and techniques, and, of course, some great recipes, which are perfect for the beginning or experienced cook. One of my favorites is an amazingly simple roast chicken with lemons. Start with an organic free-range chicken and follow her techniques and timing, and you’ll be amazed at the flavors from this simple dish - just salt, pepper and lemons. There are valuable guidelines for making Pesto and Risotto. She suggests freezing the Pesto sauce before adding the cheese, and I follow her instructions every year when I harvest our basil. We enjoy fresh-tasting pesto throughout the year - not just during the summer. While I love making these at home, making risotto is time consuming. I’m always impressed with the richness of the Seafood Risotto at M’tucci’s Italian. It doesn’t hurt that they insist on buying the most expensive Italian rice, Carnaroli.

Seafood Risotto at M’tucci’s Italian

Seafood Risotto at M’tucci’s Italian

If you were to only have one Italian cookbook, this should be it. Forget Lidia, Giada and all the others. Marcella is the true Goddess of Italian cuisine. Try the Braised Pork Chops with Tomatoes, Cream and Porcini Mushrooms; the Pasta e Fagioli; or the Pasta Amatriciana. Her comments for that pasta dish will give you an idea of her approach to cooking: “When making Amatriciana sauce, some cooks add white wine before putting in the tomatoes; I find the result too acidic, but you may want to try it.”

While “Red, White & Greens” is devoted to Italian vegetables, Marcella is no slouch in this department either. One dish that you will probably never find on a restaurant menu (since it takes a long time to cook) is her Braised Carrots with Parmesan Cheese.

“I know of no other preparation in the Italian repertory, or in other cuisines for that matter, more successful than this one in freeing the rich flavor locked inside the carrot,” she writes. I agree.

Marcella Hazan and M’tucci’s share the same philosophy when it comes to Italian food: use the best ingredients and prepare the dish to bring out the flavors of those ingredients. You can experience those flavors paired with M’tucci’s Private Label Wines in a special 3-Course Prix Fixe Dinner this weekend. You only have three more days to enjoy this meal, so don’t let the opportunity pass. It’s available all day at all three M’tucci’s locations.

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The dessert course for the M’tucci’s Private Label Pairing.

The dessert course for the M’tucci’s Private Label Pairing.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

24 oz Hand Cut Porterhouse: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $38

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

M’tucci’s Braised Sackett Farm Pork Ricotta filled Ravioli: , Sautéed Mushrooms, Caramelized Onion, Roasted Red Bell Pepper, Vodka Cream Sauce $23

Weekend Cocktail - Dreaming In Italy: Beefeater Gin, House Made Limoncello, Orgeat, Half & Half and Cappelltti Aperitivo

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. Certified Black Angus NY Strip: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $27

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

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

21 oz T-Bone or 24 oz Porterhouse: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $32 or $38

7 oz. Pan-Seared Ling Cod: Seared Artichokes, Grilled Escarole, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $23

Toasted House Made Rigatoni with Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach, Cold Smoked Beef Tips, Pecorino Cream Sauce Garnished with Gorgonzola $19

Gelato: Chocolate Cake

Sorbetto: Cherry Limoncello

Mother’s Day

We still have some space for Mom for Mother’s Day. Call soon.

M’tucci’s Moderno - Brunch Menu - Open at 10:00 (but no Mimosas until 11:00)

M’tucci’s Catering

With the promise of fewer dining and gathering restrictions in the next few months, now is the time to reserve one of our private dining rooms, or to plan for your wedding reception. Our Catering Manager, Taña Martinez, is ready to help you with all of your catering and event needs. Call her at 505-350-0019 or email: [email protected]

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Aged Italian Cheese

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Cheese is an ancient food, possibly originating in Egypt and brought back to Italy by visitors (soldiers?) around 6,000 years ago. The center for cheese making was Rome, with many artisans experimenting with cheese made from sheep, goats and cows. The Roman artisans were credited with developing the techniques for aging and preserving cheese. While there are many cheeses made throughout Italy with familiar names like provolone, mozzarella, fontina, asiago and gorgonzola, today we focus on the three aged hard cheeses that are most important to our dishes at all three M’tucci’s locations: Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

These cheeses are only similar in the sense that they are made of only milk and rennet, and aged for a minimum amount of time: Parmigiano for 18 months (we buy only 24-month old parmesan), Grana for nine months and Pecorino for at least five months. Each is made in a different region of Italy and has a different flavor profile.

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Grana Padano - is similar to Parmigiano in flavor and is made from cow’s milk in the Po River Valley of northeastern Italy. All of the pastas and pizzas at M’tucci’s Italian Market & Pizzeria are made with Grana. “We like it because it has a bright, nutty flavor, akin to the best parmesan, but it also has little salt crystals that impart awesome bursts of flavor onto any dish,” said Chef/Partner Shawn Cronin. It is not quite as salty as Parmigiano and it is usually cheaper. I normally buy Grana for grating over pasta or making pesto.

Parmigiano-Reggiano - this cheese comes from partly-skimmed milk from pasture grazed cows in the Emilia Romagna region surrounding Bologna, Parma and Pisa. It is aged a minimum of 18 months in the form of a wheel which usually weighs around 80 pounds. We serve Parmagiano-Reggiano on our charcuterie boards at all three locations. I like to use a vegetable peeler to shave curls of it on my salads. When the wedge is finished, I keep the rinds in the freezer in a baggie and add them to minestrone or pasta e fagioli soup while it cooks. As a grated cheese over pasta, it usually pairs better with butter-based sauces. One notable exception is the use of it in pesto sauce, which is made with olive oil

Pecorino Romano - pecora means sheep in Italian and, when aged, this sheep’s milk cheese is distinctive. It has a bright, tangy, salty flavor that the late cookbook author, Marcella Hazan, says is perfect for stronger flavored pasta sauces containing broccoli, rapini, or those that are made with olive oil. Although it originated in the area around Rome, Pecorinos are also made in Tuscany and Sardinia and can be found as a young cheese, as well as one aged for grating.

Always look for the imprint of the cheese’s name on the rind. If there is no imprint, it’s not authentic. Usually, it’s best to buy as much as you think you will use in 2-3 weeks. Never grate an aged cheese ahead of time (they can dry out and lose their flavor). They are best stored wrapped in wax paper, then wrapped with foil or placed in a baggie in the refrigerator.

People who are lactose intolerant can digest sheep’s milk cheeses, since the lactose is set free in the whey.

I like the flavor of Pecorino and always combine some of it with Parmigiano when I make pesto. Our chef’s at M’tucci’s Italian and M’tucci’s Moderno use it grated or in ribbons on our pastas and pizzas.

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Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

24 oz Hand Cut Bone-In NY Strip: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $33

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

M’tucci’s Braised Sackett Farm Pork Shank Ricotta filled Ravioli: , Sautéed Artichokes, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Caramelized Onion, Roasted Orange Fennel Cream Sauce garnished with Pickled Fennel $23

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. Certified Black Angus Rib Eye: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $27

Pan-Seared Fresh Jumbo Diver Sea Scallops: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $36

Sackett Farm Pork Picatta: Spaghettini, Arugula, Caper, Diced Tomatoes, Feta Cheese, Lemon Butter Sauce $19

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

8 oz. Pan-Seared Alaskan Halibut: Seared Artichokes, Grilled Escarole, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $24

Toasted House Made Rigatoni with Sun-Dried Tomatoe, Spinach, Cold Smoked Beef Tips, Pecorino Cream Sauce Garnished with Gorgonzola $19

Gelato: Stracciatella

Sorbetto: Cherry Limoncello

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!

M'tucci's Creative Chefs

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M’tucci’s Chefs are firmly rooted in the Italian cooking tradition of simple preparation with the best and freshest ingredients. That philosophy isn’t limited to traditional or classic cooking, because it also lends itself to creativity. As we move further into spring, several fresh vegetables are showing up in some new dishes at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five, and in the weekend specials at M’tucci’s Moderno and M’tucci’s Italian.

Inspiration not only comes from the seasons, but from past meals, past experiences and new partnerships.

One of the weekend specials at M’tucci’s Moderno was created by company President & Executive Chef John Haas. Pork Chop Ripieno was inspired by a meal in Tuscany in 2019. He uses the Pork Chop from our partners at Sackett Farm and stuffed it with Prosciutto, Colonnata Butter (also inspired by the 2019 Italy trip), Fresh Sage, Italian Asiago & Mozzarella, served with a Marsala Reduction, Roasted Garlic Polenta and young Haricot Vert.

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There are several new items on the regular menu at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five which debuted last week. Two of them are: Prosciutto & Five Cheese Tortelloni and the Smoked Prosciutto & Apple Pizza. My wife had the pasta on the first day it was served and sent a photo to me saying, “it’s so good.”

It’s made with Speck (which is a smoked prosciutto from Alto Adige in Northeastern Italy), Sugar Snap Peas, Red Onion & Toasted Parsley in a Leek Cream Sauce garnished with Fresh Lemon, Basil & Mint. The pizza also has Speck, with Agave-Roasted Granny Smith Apples, Red Onion, Kale, Herbed Goat Cheese and then drizzled with a Balsamic Reduction. Both dishes burst with flavor.

Chef/Partner Shawn Cronin said, “The tortelloni was created because we wanted to celebrate two things, Springtime (hence it being heavy with delicate herbs, and sugar snap peas) and Sackett Farm Cotto. Cotto isn't as well known but it's a beautiful product with natural sweetness.

The pizza takes queues from Chef Damien Lucero’s technique of braising vegetables in agave. Agave is a natural sweetener but has a way of intensifying the natural flavor in fruit and vegetables. The idea was then to create a pizza that had lots of flavor, hit many different taste sensations (smokey, salty, sweet, umami, acidic) but also had a clean finish.”

Prosciutto & Five Cheese Tortelloni

Prosciutto & Five Cheese Tortelloni

Smoked Prosciutto & Apple Pizza

Smoked Prosciutto & Apple Pizza

When Worlds Collide is a weekly collaboration between Executive Pastry Chef Brianna Dennis and the managers and bartenders at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five. Each week, Brianna creates a new Sorbetto flavor (always made with fresh fruit) and it is used in a dessert cocktail. This week is Brianna’s Blackberry-Peach-Lime Spoom (a lighter, frothy Sorbetto made with Italian meringue), Blackberry Shrub and Ha’Penny Rhubarb Gin.

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At M’tucci’s Italian Sous Chef Dayan wanted to do a colorful Spring dish. He stuffed Raviolis with Crab & Ricotta and topped them with Yellow Squash, Red Bell Pepper, Sweet Peas and Leeks in a Thyme Cream Sauce topped with Crispy Duck Prosciutto. Chef/Partner Cory Gray loves the French Green Bean, Haricot Vert and Harris Ranch beef, so he created a Risotto with both of those plus Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms in a Cajun Cream Sauce.

Risotto with Harris Ranch Beef Tips and Haricot Vert

Risotto with Harris Ranch Beef Tips and Haricot Vert

The Neverland Fog was created by Asst. Manager Ashley. It is made with locally distilled Nikle Gin infused with Earl Grey Tea, Fresh Lemon Juice, Vanilla Syrup and House Made Vanilla Cream.

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We look forward to sharing our creativity with you this weekend and every day. Since we are still only allowed to operate at 33% capacity, please call and make a reservation when possible. We fill up quickly on weekends.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

8 oz Filet Mignon: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $29

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

Pasta: Crab & Ricotta Ravioli, with Red Bell Pepper, Sweet Peas, Leeks, Thyme Cream Sauce & Crispy Duck Prosciutto $23

Harris Ranch Beef Tip Risotto: Caramelized Onion, Mushrooms, Haricot Vert in a Cajun Cream Sauce $21

Cocktail: Neverland Fog: Earl Grey-Infused local Nikle Gin, Fresh Lemon Juice, Vanilla Syrup, House Made Vanilla Cream $9

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. Angus NY Strip: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $27

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $25

Pork Chop Ripieno: Sackett Farm Pork Chop stuffed with Colonnata Butter, Prosciutto, Fresh Sage, Mozzarella and Asiago with a Marsala Reduction, Roasted Garlic Risotto and Haricot Vert

Cocktail: Modern Monster: Lime, Pineapple, Passion Fruit, Mint, Angostura Bitters, Light rum and Dark rum

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Potato Croquettes: Smashed Red Potatoes, Fresh Mozzarella, Basil & Oregano $9

Braised Lamb Ragù: San Marzano Tomatoes & Braised Lamb served over Garlic, Fresh Herb Pecorino Pasta $21

Braised Lamb ragù

Braised Lamb ragù

12 oz. NY Strip Steak: Grilled Broccolini, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $25

8 oz. Pan-Seared Alaskan Halibut: Seared Artichokes, Grilled Escarole, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $24

Gelato: Basil/Mint, Stracciatella

Sorbetto: Black & Blueberry

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Spring at M'tucci's

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It’s Spring, a time that means renewal, new menu items, fresh ideas and a fresh start after the past winter which seems to have lasted for 12 months! Spring is the time to consider new possibilities, like travel. Especially travel to Italy.

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My first trip to Italy took place in April, 26 years ago. Travel was different in 1994, at least planning for it was different. It was the early years of the internet, so planning relied on travel books, usually Lonely Planet, Rick Steves or the Rough Guide. Armed with a list of hotels and restaurants, a Michelin map and a Lonely Planet Phrase book, we landed in Zurich. At that time, car theft was rampant in Italy (primarily in the Mafia-controlled South), which forced Italian rental car insurance sky high. Consequently, car rental rates were significantly higher than rates in Switzerland (about the only thing in Switzerland that was cheaper than Italy). An amazing drive through the Swiss & Italian Alps was the bonus to beginning the trip in Zurich.

Our route would take us to the smallest lake in the Lake District, Orta San Giulio, followed by the Cinque Terre. Florence and Venice were part of the plan, but without any reservations, our schedule was loose. The small town of Orta was the perfect spot for the first night in Italy and April was the perfect time to visit. There were few travelers, so we had no problems finding a room for a couple of nights or a table for dinner.

Warm in the morning sun in Orta San Giulio

Warm in the morning sun in Orta San Giulio

Vernazza - A room with a view

Vernazza - A room with a view

After a sunny couple of days in Orta, the drive to the Cinque Terre was wet and dreary. In 1994 the Cinque Terre was five quiet villages along the Ligurian Sea, not quite discovered by hoards of tourists. The weather and the time of year meant we generally had the place to ourselves, dining with locals instead of fellow travelers. We stayed in Vernazza and hoped the rain would stop. It did the next day, however the famous hiking trail between the five villages was too wet and treacherous for walking. The frequent trains made visiting each village easy. The sun worshippers came out for a warm April afternoon. I had Pasta Pesto for the first time and have loved it since.

With more rain forecast, we decided to head south, because we were told it rarely rains on the island of Elba, which sits off of the Tuscan coast in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is known for it’s beaches and for being the exiled home of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 1800s. His banishment to the island was painful, since he could sit on the north shore and see his birthplace of Corsica, but was not allowed to visit. The island had not quite opened up to tourism, but we found a mostly deserted hotel and explored the rocky, wind swept - but sunny! - island.

We saved one of the most magical places on Earth for last - Venezia - Venice: La Serrenissima, the City of Bridges, the Floating City. A great place for walking, exploring and getting lost. History, art and architecture are on display around every corner. A major trading center for centuries, it has one of the most amazing markets in Europe and, of course, gondolas (and no cars!).

The islands of Murano and Burano are a popular day trip from Venice. Burano is famous for it’s handmade lace and Murano is known for its blown glass. The brightly colored houses and canals are a photographer’s eye candy.

We wish you and your families a Happy Easter Weekend and brighter prospects for the future - including travel!

EASTER MEAL KIT - Dinner for 2 - Only $37

1st Course: M’tucci’s Spicy Tucumcari Feta Dip w/ Marinated Cucumber and Red Bell Pepper

2nd Course: Lamb Ragù - Lamb, Guanciale, Pancetta, Carrots, Onions, Celery, San Marzano Tomatoes over M’tucci’s Rigatoni

3rd Course: Strawberry Parfait - Lemon Lavender Sponge Cake, Vanilla Chantilly Cream & Macerated Strawberries

Call to Reserve

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

14 oz Herb Rubbed NY Strip - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $29

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

Pasta: Beef & Goat Cheese Ravioli with Pan-Seared Shrimp, House Bacon, Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions in a Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce $23

Lamb: Two Lamb Lollipops, Parsnip mash potatoes, sautéed spinach, crispy bacon and caramelized onion, rosemary gastrique $32

Wine: 2017 Frog’s Leap Zinfandel - Bottle $65

2016 Frescobaldi Chianti - Bottle or Glass $35/$10

Cocktail: Nicolette: Fresh Lemon, Botanical Syrup, Egg White and Earl Grey-Infused local Nikle Gin.

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. Angus NY Strip: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $27

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $25

Lobster & Shrimp Pasta - Shrimp, Lobster, Grape Tomatoes in a Lobster Cream Sauce & Spaghettini $29

Crab Dip: Dungeness and Lump Crab, Spinach, Italian Cheese w/ Pita and House Bread $13

Cocktail: Modern Monster: Lime, Pineapple, Passion Fruit, Mint, Angostura Bitters, Light rum and Dark rum

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Several New Menu Items for Spring (a few shown below)

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Italian Easter

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Easter (Pasqua) in Italy is not only a religious holiday, it also marks the end of Winter and the time of year when Italians celebrate the beginning of Spring. There are several prominent dishes served at this time of year including Colomba, an Easter version of Pannettone. Eggs symbolize rebirth, so Italians make a variety of cakes and pastries with eggs (sometimes cooked whole inside the cake), and serve boiled eggs and salame for lunch. Chocolate Easter eggs are given as gifts.

Nothing is more ubiquitous on the Italian Easter table than lamb. Sheep are raised throughout the Central and Southern regions, and on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, producing a variety of meats. Their milk is used to make a wide variety of cheeses, the most well-known being Pecorino. Sheep are raised in the mountains, grazing in the hills in the summers and moving to the lower elevations during the winter, as they are in much of the Western U.S.

The cut of lamb used is determined by the family budget. Most of the recipes I have seen call for lamb shoulder, which is roasted whole, or which is cut into pieces and slow-cooked for ragù. Rack or leg of lamb would be considered a splurge.

Roasted Rack of Colorado Lamb

Roasted Rack of Colorado Lamb

Regional specialties vary for Easter preparations. In Emilia Romagna the shoulder is roasted with rosemary, garlic and white wine. In Rome and Lazio, they prepare abbacchio, which is a pan-roasted shoulder with sage, garlic, rosemary and anchovies. Another popular Roman dish is abbacchio con scotaditto (lamb ribs), which utilizes the famous Roman artichokes now in season.

To the east of Rome, in the mountainous regions of Abruzzo and Molise, sheep are predominate and lamb is typical at this time of year. Agnello cacio e uova, lamb with cacio (a semi-soft cheese) and eggs, unites two of the most symbolic ingredients of Easter. The sheep graze on high mountain grasses and flowers and are considered among the most flavorful in Italy. One of the staples of Abruzzo is ragù, slow cooked with mountain herbs (sometimes saffron), vegetables and maybe a bit of guanciale.

EASTER MEAL KIT - Dinner for 2 - Only $37

1st Course: M’tucci’s Spicy Tucumcari Feta Dip w/ Marinated Cucumber and Red Bell Pepper

2nd Course: Lamb Ragù - Lamb, Guanciale, Pancetta, Carrots, Onions, Celery, San Marzano Tomatoes over M’tucci’s Rigatoni

3rd Course: Strawberry Parfait - Lemon Lavender Sponge Cake, Vanilla Chantilly Cream & Macerated Strawberries

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

24 oz Hand Cut Porterhouse - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $32

Pan-Seared California Halibut - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $23

Pasta: Beef & Goat Cheese Ravioli with Pan-Seared Shrimp, House Bacon, Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions in a Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce $23

Cocktail: Kentucky Gold: Old Forester 86, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Pimento

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. Angus NY Strip: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $27

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $25

Lobster & Shrimp Pasta - Shrimp, Lobster, Grape Tomatoes in a Lobster Cream Sauce & Spaghettini $29

Cocktail: Beach Glass: Muddled Strawberry, Amaro Lucano, Orange Juice, Lime Juice, Prichard’s Crystal Rum Goslings Float

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

12oz. Harris Ranch NY Strip - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $24

6 oz. Pan-Seared Amberjack - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Grilled Escarole, Seared Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $22

Honey Chicken Truffle Pasta - Lightly Breaded Chicken with Root Veggies, Snap Peas, Fresh Herbs in a Butter Mascarpone Sauce topped with Honey Truffle Oil over House Made Fettuccine $17

Cocktail: Golden Corduroy: Whiskey Jane Rye, Cardamaro, Roasted Lemon-Honey Simple Syrup, Grapefruit Bitters and a pinch of Salt.

Gelato: Whiskey Malted Milk Stracchiatella

Sorbetto: Lemon & Lime

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

M'tucci's Rosso

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M’tucci’s spent nearly a year searching for the right vineyards and vintner in California to produce M’tucci’s wine. It all came together just after the 2019 harvest. The partners wanted wines that were more similar to old-world wines that are found in Spain, Italy and France. The Dolcetto and the Bianco were covered in earlier editions of La Gazzeta. Today we’ll talk about the Rosso, which has become a favorite among M’tucci’s wine fans.

The 2018 Rosso is made from a blend of three varietals: 70% Carignan, 28% Grenache and 2% Charbono. The majority of the grapes are grown in Mendocino County, which is the northern-most wine area in California.

Workers celebrating the conclusion of the 2020 harvest in California.

Workers celebrating the conclusion of the 2020 harvest in California.

“The Mendocino County appellation is part of the large North Coast AVA that spreads northward from San Francisco Bay. Traditionally, Mendocino wines were consumed locally. More recently, however, modern world-wide distribution has brought international recognition. Long famous for its redwood forests, today Mendocino County is a world leader in certified organically-grown grapes. There are 17,000 acres of vineyards in the County, with 25% of them growing certified organic grapes.” From mendowine.com

the mustard is blooming Throughout California’s vineyards, signaling the beginning of spring.

the mustard is blooming Throughout California’s vineyards, signaling the beginning of spring.

“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 with charcuterie.” Tasting notes from John Haas and Amanda Romero.

Carignan has Spanish origins, but is more common in French wines, primarily in Languedouc-Roussillon.  Grenache is used in many of the best wines from the Rhone region in France. It is called Garnacha in Spain and is a common blending partner with Carignan, which results in softer tannins and a more balanced wine.  Charbono (also called Charbonneau) originated in the Savoy region of France. In the early days of California winemaking, it was often referred to as being the same grape as Dolcetto , but it 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.   

M’tucci’s Wine Nights

Enjoy great bottles of wine for half price on one day every week. All three bottles of M’tucci’s are half price (regularly $32). All day in the dining room and the bar.

Monday - M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Tuesday - M’tucci’s Italian

Wednesday - M’tucci’s Moderno

Special Weekend Cocktails

Special Weekend Dishes

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

8 oz Herb Rubbed Pork Chop - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $23

Pan-Seared Yellowtail - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $23

Pasta: Harris Ranch Beef Tips, Roasted Butternut Squash, Haricot Vert, Red Onion and Cajun Cream Sauce $21

Cocktail: Toki Highball: Suntory Japanese Toki Whiskey, Topo Chico Sparkling Water, Cracked Large Ice, Lemon Twist

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

Frutti di Mare - Shrimp, Baby Scallops, Baby Clams, & Mussels in a Spicy Marinara on Fettuccine $19

Beef Tip Tortellini - Cajun Seasoning, Diced Tomatoes, Green Onions, Rosa Sauce & Gorgonzola Cheese $19

Cocktail: Beach Glass: Muddled Strawberry, Amaro Lucano, Orange Juice, Liime Juice, Prichard’s Crystal Rum Goslings Float

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

12oz. Harris Ranch NY Strip - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $24

6 oz. Pan-Seared California Halibut - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Grilled Escarole, Seared Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $22

Sackett Farm Pork Saltimbocca - Thin, Lightly Breaded Pork stuffed with Prosciutto & Sage, Fettucine, Artichoke/Tomato Relish, Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc $19

Cocktail: Penny for Your Thoughts: Woodford Private Reserve, Yellow Chartreuse, Thyme Simple Syrup & Lemon

Gelato: Stracciatella & Irish Car Bomb with Steelbender Stout Brownie Crumbles

Sorbetto: Raspberry Lemon

Meet the M’tucci’s Family

Robin Dibble, Asst. Manager at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Robin Dibble, Asst. Manager at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

“I’m proud to say I was born and raised in Albuquerque. I cut my teeth in corporate restaurants such as Buca di Beppo and PF Chang’s. I left management for a few years and went back to school., becoming a CNM freshman at the age of 30, graduating in 2016. My most recent position was as General Manager of Zinc Wine Bar and Bistro. I was lucky enough to be there for a year before the pandemic shut us all down.”

”This past year has been the most challenging year for us in the business. It has challenged our belief systems, our operations, our stability, and our livelihood. I have always told my staff in the past that I truly love being a part of an alternative workforce, one that celebrates people, culture and experiences through food. I have often said “working in restaurants is an excellent life skill because you can always find work in restaurants, anywhere you want to go, as long as you love the job”. This mantra was shattered last year. We have all had to change and adapt. I’m honored to be welcomed to the M’tucci’s family and excited to finally be back in restaurants. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for our industry and It will be my pleasure to welcome you all back to celebrate some day soon!”

Shelly Covey, Bartender/Server at M’tucci’s Moderno

Shelly Covey, Bartender/Server at M’tucci’s Moderno

Shelley moved to Albuquerque from Buffalo, NY in 2018 and has been working at M’tucci’s Moderno since June 2019.

“I like coming up with different vodka flavor infusions, such as the Infused Mule, and, of course, making all of the awesome cocktails on our menu. I love working in a place that encourages you to experiment with different ingredients and spirits to concoct new drinks. If I’m not at work, I’m usually hiking.”

Ashley Dunec, Asst. Manager at M’tucci’s Italian

Ashley Dunec, Asst. Manager at M’tucci’s Italian

“Hello everyone, Ashley here. You may know me as your M’tucci’s hostess, server, bartender, manager, or chef! Okay the last part was a joke, but who knows maybe I’ll do it! Over seven years with the company definitely allows you to broaden your horizons. It’s crazy to think about all that’s happened in that time. A lot has changed; I graduated high school, graduated from college, and have had numerous opportunities and ventures that I’ve been able to pursue while maintaining my place with the company. I’m super thankful to have worked with the M’tucci’s family for this long, and I can’t wait to see what the future after COVID holds!”

A few from Tuscany

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Italian St. Patrick's Day

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St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, so M’tucci’s will commemorate the Irish holiday with a meal kit of Corned Beef and Cabbage. Strange? Not really, since legend suggests that Patrick was really Patrizio, born into a Roman family living in Roman England in the 5th Century. Possibly, St. Patrick is Italian!!

Today, due to Irish emigration, there are Irish communities throughout the world, most prominently in the U.S., but also in Italy. Several celebrations, cultural and religious, are held in Italy around March 17th.

Religious observances for St. Patrick’s Day in Rome are held at St. Isadore’s College and at the Basilica of San Clemente (although they were cancelled last year because of the Covid lockdown). Scholars Lounge in Rome is the largest Irish Pub in Italy and received the award of Best Irish Pub in the World.

Irlanda en Festa is held in 10 Italian cities during the week of St. Patrick’s and is recognized by the Irish Ministry of Culture as the most important Irish Festival in Europe. It has been held every year since 2007 and features Irish music, culture and cuisine. The Bologna Facebook page for Irlanda en Festa has more than 23,000 followers. The festival lasts for three days in Florence where more than two dozen Irish pubs host Italians and Irish alike.

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Corned beef is salt-cured brisket of beef. The term comes from the treatment of the meat with large-grained rock salt, also called "corns" of salt. Corned Beef & Cabbage is not an Irish National dish, but was created by Irish Americans and is derived from the traditional dish of bacon & cabbage. Corned beef is popular in the cuisines of Israel and Philippines.

M’tucci’s Corned Beef & Cabbage Meal Kit is a collaboration between Chef/Partner Cory Grey and Executive Pastry Chef Brianna Dennis. Cory created the spice kit for cooking the three pound piece of corned beef and Brianna created the dessert with an Irish theme. She has used Steelbender Brewyard’s Brickie Stout to make a Brownie, then crumbles it into what she calls an “Irish Car Bomb Gelato.” The gelato is not a reference to the “troubles” in Northern Ireland, but a popular cocktail similar to a Boilermaker, where a shot of Bailey’s and Jamesons Irish Whiskey is dropped into a glass of Stout. The gelato is a Baileys gelato with a Jamesons Caramel Swirl.

We predict that you probably won’t consume the entire portion of meat for St. Patrick’s Day, so we are including M’tucci’s Rye Bread, House Made Mustard and Sauerkraut so you can make your own Reuben Sandwich the next day.

We are taking phone orders for this kit, which can be picked up on March 16 & 17. Only $49.

Let Chef Cory show you how easy it is to prepare your Corned Beef & Cabbage in this video on our YouTube Channel.

Weekend Cocktail Specials

Weekend Food Specials

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

8 oz Beef Tenderloin - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $29

Pan-Seared Ruby Red Trout - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $23

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 Rib-Eye: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $33

Frutti di Mare - Shrimp, Baby Scallops, Baby Clams, & Mussels in a Spicy Marinara on Fettuccine $19

Pan-Seared California Halibut - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $24

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

7 oz. Harris Ranch Hanger Steak or 12 oz Chianina Rib Eye - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $21/$56

6 oz. Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Escarole, Seared Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $22

Chianina Beef Picatta - Thin, Lightly Breaded Chianina, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Artichoke/Tomato Relish, Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc $23

Gelato: Chocolate Hazelnut

Sorbetto: Pineapple-Limeade

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

M'tucci's Bianco

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When M’tucci’s partners were searching for a white wine, they wanted one that was a bit different from the more common Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinto Grigio. They found Verdelho being grown in Contra Costa County in California. An old world grape that originated in Portugal, the California version is different from the traditional sweet wine that is used for fortified Madeira wine in Portugal.

Contra Costa County is due east of San Francisco and is known for the quality of their grapes, primarily because of the deep, sandy soil which encourages deep root systems. The hot days are cooled by breezes from San Francisco Bay during the night producing fruit that is small, but that has concentrated flavors.

Spring in the vineyard.

Spring in the vineyard.

Verdelho is one of the most widely planted grapes on the island of Madeira, which sits in the North Atlantic Ocean west of Morocco. An autonomous region of Portugal, the island has a sub-tropical climate with hilly and rocky soil. While the grape is the main grape in the sweet, fortified dessert wine of Portugal, the flavor profile of the Australian and Californian Verdelho are significantly different. The Australian grape produces wine that is very similar to the Sauvignon Blancs of New Zealand: tangy with tropical fruit, lime and grapefruit flavors.

M’tucci’s 2019 Bianco 100% Verdelho from Contra Costa County has flavors of peach, green apple and honeydew.

Tasting notes from John Haas and Amanda Romero: “Thanks to balanced 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.”

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M’tucci’s Wine Nights

You can take advantage of 1/2 price M’tucci’s wine nights at all M’tucci’s locations. M’tucci’s Bianco, Rosso and Dolcetto are available for only $16 a bottle Monday at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five, Tuesday at M’tucci’s Italian and Wednesday at M’tucci’s Moderno. We plan to host a special dinner paired with M’tucci’s wine soon. Stay tuned.

Lot’s of new things going on at all M’tucci’s, plus our usual impressive lineup of weekend specials. First feast your eyes on a few special drinks, new menus at M’tucci’s Moderno.

How do we make it smokey??

We are busy booking weekend wedding receptions for the Spring. Call soon so you don’t miss an opportunity for a fantastic reception in your backyard or at any Albuquerque or Santa Fe venue. Let Taña, M’tucci’s Catering Manager tell you why we should be your choice.

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 Mahi Mahi - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $29

Pesto Ricotta Ravioli - Pink Shrimp, Caramelized Onion, Haricot Vert, Roasted Butternut Squash, Lemon Cream Sauce $23

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

24 oz Hand Cut T-Bone: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $33

Beef Short Ribs - Mascarpone Cream Polenta, Sautéed Spinach, Braising Sauce $24

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Pan-Seared California Halibut - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $24

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Special Apple Brandy Sour for the weekend

Special Apple Brandy Sour for the weekend

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

6 oz. Pan-Seared Icelandic Cod - Fried Yukon Gold Potatoes, Grilled Escarole, Seared Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $22

Gelato: Fresh Mint Stracciatella

Sorbetto: Pineapple-Lime

Parting Shot

The pickers celebrate after the 2020 Harvest was completed. The 2020 M’tucci’s wines will arrive in the fall.

The pickers celebrate after the 2020 Harvest was completed. The 2020 M’tucci’s wines will arrive in the fall.

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday, 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!

Limoncello

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While we at M’tucci’s enthusiastically share our love for Amaro, we have not forgotten one of the great adult beverage products of Southern Italy, limoncello. Italy’s mild climate means you will find citrus trees as far north as Tuscany and along the coast in Liguria (Cinque Terre). However, Campania and Southern Italy are lemon country.

As you pass through Sorrento and make your way along the jagged and magnificent Amalfi Coast, the air is perfumed by lemons, which grow on the terraced hillsides above the Tyrrhenian Sea. Lemons appear in many dishes of the south such as Pan-Fried Anchovies (with garlic, red pepper, parsley and lemon) and Insalata di Limone (Lemon and Mint Salad). The lemons grown here have a mild flavor and are often used in place of vinegar when making a simple salad dressing, such as vinaigrette.

Hillside below Ravello on the Amalfi Coast.

Hillside below Ravello on the Amalfi Coast.

After dinner (or lunch) in Amalfi, or virtually anywhere in Campania, a meal is finished with limoncello. Dining in a family-owned restaurant, it is likely that they made the limoncello they offer, probably with lemons from their own trees. Served very cold or with a few ice cubes, the flavor is enhanced by the view of the sea. It’s overwhelmingly lemon in a glass: a little sweet, a little tart, and a little boozy.

At M’tucci’s we don’t have a view of the sea, but we have limoncello by the glass, and sometimes in sorbetto or gelato. Fresh lemon juice is used in our famous Lemon Ricotta Cookies, too. If you have had our weekend pan-seared seafood specials, then you have had our Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc Sauce.

It’s pretty easy to do as the Italians do (even thought you don’t have a lemon tree) and make your own. I’ve tried it once and loved the results. Recently, I came across a recipe in “Food of the Italian South” by Katie Parla. You basically use grain alcohol or vodka (let’s face it, vodka is just grain alcohol diluted with water) and the peels of the lemons. It’s unlikely you’ll find the popular Southern Italian variety of lemons here (femminello di Santa Teresa or sfusato amalfitano), so splurge a bit and buy organic Meyer lemons, which you can sometimes find at Sprouts or Whole Foods. There are a lot of recipes online, but you basically steep the lemon peels in the alcohol for 30 days, then strain and add a simple syrup, tasting until you reach your desired balance of citrus and sweetness. Then you’ll need to let it rest for another week. A five-week process, or you can simply order a glass at any M’tucci’s tonight!

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

12 oz Herb-Rubbed Bone In Sackett Farm Pork Chop - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $23

Pan-Seared Branzino - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $31

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 Ribeye: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $31

Lobster Ravioli - Baby Scallops, Pink Shrimp, Grape Tomatoes, Lobster Sauce $32

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

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

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

8 oz. Ruby Trout - Crispy Yukon Gold Potatoes, Balsamic Grilled Escarole, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $24

Gelato: Blackberry

Sorbetto: Strawberry Lime

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Don’t forget the great Charcuterie products available in the deli case at all the M’tucci’s locations.

Don’t forget the great Charcuterie products available in the deli case at all the M’tucci’s locations.

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Enjoy a few photos from Ravello on the Amalfi Coast

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!