 Hi Friends,
Nothing renews my faith in magic like an early May morning. On May Day I rise in the dark to join the parade of Morris Dancers who gather at the Weeks Bridge on the Charles River to dance around the Maypole. It's all a bit medieval and otherworldly, but the ritual reminds me that you don't always have to get on a plane to travel--sometimes it just takes rolling out of bed a few hours early. Every year I invite my friends to discover their inner pagan and join me. I keep hoping.
Back at Rialto, May means bringing some Italian spring to gatherings of families and friends. We're dusting off the terrace tables for warm lazy evenings and polishing up prosecco glasses for graduations, weddings and private party celebrations. Our menu is filled with vibrant green vegetables like asparagus paired with monkfish saddle and mushrooms; favas tossed with guanciale, goat cheese and floppy lasagna noodles; and peas and pea shoots with grilled lamb rack and crespelle. And in the end, I hope you won't be able to resist the Rhubarb Walnut Tart with ginger cream and raspberry caramel or the Basil Lemon Tart with white chocolate sauce, orange marmalade. Follow your meal with some grappa and you'll feel like a native.
My husband Ken and I have our own reason to raise a glass this spring--our son Oliver's graduation from Sarah Lawrence College. My family embraced an English custom of marking graduations with a breakfast of strawberries and champagne. We'll be doing the same for Oliver and his friends on his last day in his dorm room. If you'd like to prepare your own graduation breakfast, take a look at my recipe for strawberries with balsamic vinegar and pepper syrup. Do as we do, accompany it with Prosecco, and the next morning, get up early and do something magical.
xox,  |
MENU Pictured is our Monkfish with house bacon, roasted asparagus and mushroom fricassee. Monkfish is sometimes called the poor mans lobster because of its similar texture. At Rialto the chefs roast the monkfish on the bone which helps lock in the flavors and helps it to stand up to strong flavors like asparagus and bacon in this dish. We serve it with a fricassee of red pearl onions, spring garlic, parsnips, and hen of the woods mushrooms. |
PANTRY
Pictured is Jody's Strawberries with Balsamic Pepper Syrup and Freshly Whipped Cream.
We asked our wine director, Allison Foote to weigh in on a pairing and she suggested the Lucien Albrecht, Crémant D'Alsace Brut Rosé NV FR. Allison told us that Rosé styles are made exclusively with Pinot Noir grapes, and pointed our that the Crémant is made with the same method of production as Champagne. She suggests drinking Crémant when you don't feel like breaking the bank on a Champagne. When asked when to drink this bottle, Allison said "I recommend drinking sparking at any point of the morning, afternoon or evening! I especially recommend drinking Rosé like this one, with an up-lifting bubble, in the springtime to make food flavors pop." |
