Comments on: Rootin’ Tootin’ Rigatoni https://www.saltshaker.net/20050919/rootin-tootin-rigatoni Casting a little flavor (and a few aspersions) on the world of food, drink, and life Mon, 20 May 2024 19:44:36 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 By: I’m Taking the Fifth… https://www.saltshaker.net/20050919/rootin-tootin-rigatoni#comment-199240 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:04:15 +0000 https://www.saltshaker.net/20050919/rootin-tootin-rigatoni-2#comment-199240 […] to yesterday and a visit to friend Cesare Casella’s newest project. I’ve mentioned Cesare before, and since I last had the opportunity to see him, he’s gone and moved on to a […]

]]> By: SaltShaker » Blog Archive » School of Rock… errr… Wine https://www.saltshaker.net/20050919/rootin-tootin-rigatoni#comment-169006 Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:36:26 +0000 https://www.saltshaker.net/20050919/rootin-tootin-rigatoni-2#comment-169006 […] turns out, the Accademia chef, Kevin Garcia, uses specially raised beans that are imported by Chef Cesare Casella, but there’s some problem with the latest shipment which is being held up somewhere (no doubt […]

]]> By: SaltShaker » Blog Archive » Farewell (Again) 212 https://www.saltshaker.net/20050919/rootin-tootin-rigatoni#comment-508 Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:47:30 +0000 https://www.saltshaker.net/20050919/rootin-tootin-rigatoni-2#comment-508 […] Okay, now I know this rolled noodle thing is the current “in” trend in Manhattan. At Beppe, 45 East 22nd Street, Gramercy Park, it may not be rice noodles, but it’s still rolled up noodles about the size of a fat cigarette. A year ago, there was concern on the part of many that Beppe would lose its way and flounder, when founding chef Cesare Casella left to open Maremma. Thankfully, the concerns have proved unfounded, and new chef Marc Taxiera has taken over the kitchen, and the menu, and made it his own. He smartly kept several of the long time favorites on the menu, but has added his own selections. This noodle dish is an example – the rolled noodles tossed with meltingly tender cauliflower that’s been roasted with anchovies, fresh parsley, and shavings of bottarga (dried tuna roe). Simply delicious! […]

]]> By: SaltShaker » Blog Archive » And the Oscar Goes to… https://www.saltshaker.net/20050919/rootin-tootin-rigatoni#comment-262 Sun, 19 Mar 2006 17:03:34 +0000 https://www.saltshaker.net/20050919/rootin-tootin-rigatoni-2#comment-262 […] Cesare Casella for the Best Macaroni and Cheese and also for Best New Restaurant (Robin Raisfeld’s pick), at Maremma. […]

]]> By: dan https://www.saltshaker.net/20050919/rootin-tootin-rigatoni#comment-256 Fri, 17 Mar 2006 13:05:30 +0000 https://www.saltshaker.net/20050919/rootin-tootin-rigatoni-2#comment-256 I just saw the New York Magazine listing for “Best Macaroni and Cheese” in its 2006 “Best of” roundup went to the Moonshine that I loved!

Before you get the wrong idea, you should know we’re taking some license here. This is not the gloppy, crusty pabulum of your youth, but Cesare Casella’s whimsical take on penne á la vodka. Because it is made with fusilli, tomato sauce, and bourbon, he calls it Moonshine, and the cheese – a tangy aged Grana Padano – is more a subtle enhancement than an all-out dairy assault. The sauce seeps into the nooks of the pasta, and the bourbon mostly cooks away, leaving just a faint trace of some ineffable quality that makes this a mac ‘n’ cheese for grown-ups.

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