Ever since Scarpetta opened a year ago it’s been my go-to for elegant carb-loading (yes, certain occasions call for elegant carb-loading). So when I got this notice about their special 1-year anniversary menu - 4 course for $50, plus complimentary wine - I was super excited. We said goodbye to Basel Sunday night with this amazing deal.
The menu is here. As you can see it's got all of Chef Scott Conant’s big hitters - the legendary homemade spaghetti pomodoro, the ridiculously smooth creamy polenta and mushrooms and the Amedei chocolate cake. First things first: be prepared for lots of food. Four courses is a lot, and they're not skimping on the portions here. With the exception of the spaghetti, which was a half bowl-size, everything else was full on - the polenta with it's separate little pot of mushroom fricasse brimming with oyster, portobello and morrel 'shrooms in a beefy gravy and the fish, which on Sunday was the branzino in a lobster sauce with potato gnochhi. Even the short rib appetizer was a hefty size with a side of farro risotto. Beasts that we are, we finished every last drop, pulling a scarpetta at Scarpetta, meaning, sopping up the sauces with the heel of the delicious ciabatta bread. All the while we kept saying through full mouths, "this is the best deal ever!" And it truly is. Better than Miami Spice, which the restaurant also represented quite admirably.
Oh, and the wines were free-flowing.
They give one option in red or white. That night it was the 2007 Planeta La Segreta Rosso and a Bottega Vinaia Pinot Grigio both of which went well with the strong tomato, mushroom and seafood flavors on the menu. The free wine is nice, but took a backseat to the amazing food. And after that first spoon of polenta I was already drunk on life.
Prix-fixe available December 6-10, 4441 Collins Ave, 305-674-4660.
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