Just took friends to the patio at Ascari Enoteca. The food and wine selection remain very good.
We had a bottle of 2021 Villa Job Sudigiri Venezia, Italy - sauvignon blanc orange wine, very acidic, lemon, green pineapple, some floral, even a touch of mushroom. Great with food.
We shared a bunch of antipasti:
Arancini Cacio e Pepe - pecorino fonduta, black pepper - crisp coating and a great cheesy sauce.
Insalata di Burrata - creamy burrata, pressed apricot, candied almonds, castelfranco, radish, smoked white balsamic vinaigrette.
Asparagi Grigliati - grilled asparagus, lemon ricotta, shreds of soppressata, bagna cauda, hazelnut pangrattato - smoky and juicy asparagus, with great salty garnishes.
Caulalini Arrostiti - roasted caulalini, luscious blue cheese spuma, crispy shallots, fresh chives.
Tagliatelle di Mare - bay scallops, cold water shrimp, peas, fresh fava beans, mild chilis, preserved lemon butter sauce - my wife’s favourite, I felt a little less butter would have been better.
Agnolotti di Ricotta - supple ricotta stuffed pasta, button chanterelles, crispy speck, lovely sour sorrel, chardonnay butter sauce - the acid made this sauce much more balanced.
Torta al Cioccolato - a sort of ganache rectangle with hazelnuts on top and some olive oil and sea salt - our friends loved this one.
Goat cheese panna cotta (very firm) with pickled rhubarb and strawberries - the sweetness of the strawberries was well-balanced by the sour of the rhubarb and the tang of the goat cheese.