Chapitre d'Automne at Giulia - September 2014


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When you find that perfect something the magic fills the room, everything seems warm and comfortable and la vite è molto dolce. Giulia in Cambridge is that something. It is nearly impossible to get a table at this hot new Cambridge restaurant but for three magical nights the Boston Chaîne filled Chef E. Michael Pagliani’s pasta table, set in front of his open kitchen from whence he creates his sorcery. In prior lives Chef Pagliarini labored at The Fat Duck with Chef Heston Blumenthal, Pellegrino with Chef Grant Achatz and at Boston’s highly popular Via Matta were he was acclaimed a Star Chef’s “Rising Star.” Simple rustic décor belies the esquisite, delicate, nature of the cuisine and the highly sophisticated palate and extremely small production wine list of GM-Somellier Trevor Martinez transports the dishes to a higher level. The lovely and charming Nicolé Keane runs the operations and this triumverate proceeded to lead us on an enchanting gastronomic journey.

As a “Petite Chaine, ” what the more casually dressed gatherings of our group are titled, each night the 12 chosen would arrive to enjoy 2011, Manaresi, pignoletto “frizzante’, Bologna while photos were snapped and pleasantries exchanged.

Once enjoined at the table the “frizzante” danced with the sfizzi - chicken liver crostini with green tomato marmalata, warm semolina cakes with sweet corn crema, aged parmigiano and house cured lardo plus a supernatural duck heart spiedini “agrodolce’ with heirloom apple and pickeled pearl onion. Our antipasti featured burrata di Pulgia and prosciutto di Parma with late summer vegetables, Sicillian extra virgin olive oil and house baked bread paired with the delightful 2012, Cantie Mucci, falanghina, Abruzzo. The primi piatti trio, certainly appropirate for our Pasta Table perch, was: celery root agnolotti with roasted mushroom, porcinin sugo and walnuts, pappardelle with wild boar, black trumpet and juniper and casarecce with whey braised rabbit, roasted squash and autumn greens. They were paired beautifully with 2012, Tenuta delle Terre Nere, carricante, Sicillia. Our secondi was appropriately two fold - seared local yellow fin tuna with Umbrian lentils, marniated tomatoes and fresh marjoram matched with a wonderful 2012, Feudi di San Marzano, primitive, Puglia, then - grass-fed beef rib-eye with matsutake, rosemary and sweet potato fingerlings married to the spellbinding and very rare 2008, Giuseppe Lonardi, corvina/cabernet franc, Veneto. Our formaggi were gorgonzola picante, cow milk, Milan, IT, pecorino paglierion, sheep milk, Campagnia, IT & Twig Farm tomme, goat milk, West Cornwall, VT paired with 2004 Felssina vin santo, trebbiano/malvisa/sangiovese, Toscana. Finally, la dolci, another trio to bring a sweet finish to this captivating evening: pana cotta with toasted pine nuts, basil & pine cone syrup, almond torta with roasted apples & whipped cream and bittersweet chocolate terrine with milk chocolate gelato & raspberries mated with 2012, Canite Pellegrino passito, zibibbo, Pantelleria. Leaving, we felt spellbound, floating and full of the love for life.

Vive la Chaîne!


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