Summer in the City — Buon Estate!
With warm weather here and joyfully opening up our outdoor seating we want to thank everyone for coming out as the summer season gets underway. We hope you are loving the sunny afternoons lengthening more slowly into evening and the big night skies which make it perfect for meeting friends and hanging out–Italian style!
Summer seems to affect us all–Many of our clients are families who bring their kids who can hang out and play, free of bulky layers; and there just seems to be more relaxation in the air. In Italy life happens on the sidewalks as much as anywhere else; and at Spacca Napoli we are blessed with a quiet corner and lots of space to spread out. We hope being outside when weather permits makes sometimes having a wait be more playfully enjoyed. We do strive to make space possible for everyone to enjoy our offerings, and hope the increased summer seating helps us do so. We encourage you to enjoy the wait when there is one; maybe meet someone new outside as you savor the summer days!
Summer often highlights festive ceremonial events, and we have been thrilled to host several graduation parties, from fifth graders to high school to university.
Some of our clients have lately been calling and asking for special pizzas, and we will gladly take your favorite into consideration when planning each week’s menu, accomodating whenever we can. It make take a couple days, but we would love to hear requests from you and will let you know when they will be on the menu. Look for some new seasonal fare in our appetizer specials such as polpi alla luciana, a signature dish from Naples.
Check out these wonderful new cookbook releases also focusing on Mediterranean fare; Tony & Cathy Mantuano of Spiaggia Restaurant have co-written Wine Bar Food: Mediterranean Flavors to Crave with Wines to Match; prolific author Joyce Goldstein has just released Mediterranean Fresh: A Compendium of One-Plate Salad Meals and Mix and Match Dressings (full disclosure: Goldstein is my aunt) These chefs inspire us all to live, shop and cook creatively!
Reminder that we are now open on Tuesdays for dinner in addition to our established hours.
Grazie,
Jonathan Goldsmith
Along with this honor, Accademia Barilla has included us in a May tour of the Parma region to learn more about important local food purveyors and their traditions. The focus will be on producers of cheese, meats, balsamic vinegar and wine. In Naples I will again visit with di Mateo, da Michele and Don Antonio of Starita as well as ‘walk the streets’ in search of more ideas to bring back to Chicago.
Our participation with the Provincial Councils of Avellino, Caserta and Napoli as part of the Global Food and Style Show yielded great tastings for our customers! Each night we sampled distinct recipes from the region of Campania such as Pasta e Fagioli con Le Cozze, Fusilli alla Napoletana and Paccheri al Ragu. And we are thankful to have participated with First Slice in a benefit held at Architectural Artifacts. The event helped raise funds to purchase a van that will better help to serve people in need.
Spring at Spacca Napoli brings with it new lighter fare such as a minestra di zucchini and Maccu di San Giuseppe. Arthur Schwartz, The Food Maven, describes the latter soup as combining “two foods that are preserved for winter — dried beans and dried chestnuts — with the greens that are just emerging from the cold winter earth.” We have introduced a pizza made with a varietal of mozzarella called burrata, a creamy, light and spectacularly flavorful cheese renowned for its freshness and soft texture. Red pepper, onion and zucchini trifoliate along with porcini and a touch of bufala mozzarella make this a white pizza dream!