Puccini
Ristorante
– October 2012 (dt)
6.94 – 7.25, 7.25, 7.25, 6.85, 6.75, 6.75, 6.5, 1 abs
A pleasant mood enveloped DP8 from evening’s beginning to its end, due partially to the Monteverds’ choice of Puccini Ristorante in Rhinebeck, an interesting juxtaposition with the previous Monteverd pick of Ferrari’s, a neighborhood Italian restaurant in Schenectady.
The menu, at first, felt a wee short, with seven
appetizers, three salads, six pasta dishes, and nine entrées, but to the rescue
came the Specials Board, adding another dozen choices, a few of which ensnared
us.
Selected entrées included:
==> monkfish special, in a light lemony sauce
(Don: a good choice; Judy: good enough, and realized she had tried monkfish
before)
==>
rib-eye special (Ken: medium-well done, of course, and very good)
==> bucatini amatriciano, with onion
& guanciale in light red sauce (Deb K: loved it, especially with the
straw-shaped bucatini)
==>
pasta puttanesca special, with capers and olives, in that same red sauce that
everyone savored (Kriss, excellent)
==> mussel fra diavolo special (Chay: good although he felt it was
pricey, with mussels as cheap as they are)
==> chicken francese, in the typical light sauce (Tim: good, but
nothing special)
==> Absent was Deb T, who was helping her parents at St. Peter’s,
and all missed her and hoped progress is quick.
Each plate came with broccoli rabé, an announcement greeted with several noses wrinkled out of shape. Fortunately, an alternative of spaghetti—marinara or oil—was offered, a proposal accepted by half the table.
Preceding this was the salad/soup/appetizer course.
==> pasta fagioli special (Don: very good, a
classic prep, and tasty)
==> Caesar salad special, arriving as if
prepared in a four inch ring, three inches high, covered by a crispy
wafer-cracker, the whole table thinking it was a creative presentation (Ken,
Kriss, & Chay: all thought excellent, with at least two of them donating the
anchovy to a good cause)
==> fresh home-made mozzarella & tomato
salad, on arugula (Deb & Judy: both thought it excellent, with an
outstanding mozzarella)
==> Tim abstained.
Preceding even this, and arriving minutes after seating was a square plate of olive oil with a generous dab of balsamic vinegar, accompanied by a smaller dish of fresh and tasty hummus, accompanied by a small wicker basket of Italian bread, thinly sliced, borderline un-tasty, but went well with the hummus.
Desserts, of course, beckoned.
==> Key lime pie special (Judy & Ken: both
thought very good but Mt View Brasserie still has the best)
==> peach sorbet, with the whole fruit, and cap,
holding the sorbet (Deb K, with Chay holding an extra spoon; good, but peach
remained too frozen to eat)
==> hazelnut
chocolate sorbet (Kriss: good, and a much more generous portion than the last
time she had ice cream elsewhere)
==>
tartufo, quartered, with a generous layer of chocolate and
vanilla, a snappy chocolate shell, with a cherry in each quadrant, with a dollop
of whipped in cream in the center (Don: delicious, probably better than the
chocolate fondant cake he originally ordered)
==> Tim abstained.
All the courses were consistently fine, with hardly nary a whine.
Service was excellent, with Marin seating us, and who was
available as needed.
It was twins Alexandra and Sylana who shone, discreetly hovering most of
the evening, prompt with all our requests, refreshing our water glasses
regularly, maintaining a casual conversation flow while tending to business.
Thank you, and to Mom also.
It took more than a few seconds to announce the menu items that were not
available but they were not major items. And there was a lengthy gap in
delivering all the entrées.
Part of the evening’s mix was our knowledge that the Monteverds had
thoroughly vetted the restaurant, and even had an “in” with grand-nephew
chef Adam Monteverde, who politely introduced himself near meal’s end. (Adam
descends from Ken’s older brother; yes, with an “e” at the end, but that
is another story.)
A generous ending note was the after-dinner, on-the-house shot of
orangecello, an offer three of us accepted.
The drink list included the Zonin 2011 Montepulciano d’Abruzzi Winemaker’s Collection and then the Villa Pillo 2011 Cingalino Rosso di Toscano serving five, with soda or water for the non-wine drinkers. Two acceptable wines.
Ambience continued the same consistency of quality. Whereas
Ferrari’s was a confab of older, 70s-ish rooms, with a worn familiarity,
Puccini trumpeted a just-renovated, clean, modern look, with the
handicapped-accessible long ramp from the parking lot, leading directly to the
cleanly burnished bar. From there, we wheeled left into an ell-shaped room and
disappeared around the corner, into the square-ish ell-bottom, with freshly
painted ecru walls, with the new “Anderson” look windows, with one having an
arch window.
Lighting was accomplished by a fixture connecting three cube-ish light
pieces, each piece about a foot by a foot, tapered like a pyramid’s base, each
white side opaquely surfaced, allowing a soft glow to fill our area. Three other
sets of these lights, each set attached to a pair of decorative metal arms
attached to the ceiling, were effective enough to be almost invisible and
needing no other accompanying lighting.
Four tables were set end to end, white-linened, with centerpieces of a
small white tea candle, accompanied by either a vase or glass with three
aster-ish or cone-flower-ish pieces providing a visual.
A white linen napkin accompanied the knife and two forks of beaten metal
style. The long side of the ell held a banquette, as did its opposite, upon
which I, and Tim and Judy, sat, with the other four facing the head-level
mirrors that reflected the view that the banquette occupiers saw. Despite four
on one side, the hum from the other two tables went unnoticed and our
conversations were easily heard at normal levels.
In the background, just loud enough to be heard, just soft enough to
never intrude, were Italian classics that bred, and fostered, the comfortable
and pleasant atmosphere earlier alluded to.
Pacing, although not noted in detail, must have been a comfortable flow
for no one seemed antsy before we left at, or just before, the two hour mark.
A side note, but related, was DP8’s entry into Rhinebeck, fifteen
minutes late (Ken, thirty minutes to Rhinebeck? It’s almost fifty-five from my
side of Freehold). I sat in their back seat, guessing but really had no good
clue. And I could not possibly imagine Osaka, the large name plate in this
plaza, was the Monteverd destination (knowing Ken’s fondness for Japanese
food. Not.). So, they humorously, mysteriously, headed into directions not
anticipated, but with good result.
The final tab, per couple, including tax, tips, and drink came to $125
per couple, which leads to a story later.
The late-afternoon had started at the Monteverd residence,
with seven showing—Deb T needed to attend to family medical issues, and all
noted their disappointment, and hope that mom would be fine.
Kriss filled the counter with pre-session hors d’oeuvres—plate of
salted cashews; a small autumn-y plate of M&Ms; a rectangular plate of
grapes, apple slices, and cored strawberries; and another plate of cheeses and a
cracker varieties.
Ken, or was it Kriss, had gone wine shopping, bringing home, appropriately for
the France travelers, a Domaine Martin Pierre 2010 Chavignol Sancerre,
accompanied by a Cartlidge & Brown 2010 Pinot Noir North Coast. Also
included was a split of Santa Margherita Prosecco, some worthy beer for Chay,
and soda. Thank you, both of you, for your hospitality.
I mentioned the pleasant mood at report’s beginning but
enough other “stuff” was happening, or had happened, that easily could have
cast a pall on the evening. Between ..., the concern over the looming effects of
Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Nor’Easter Sandy ..., .... Instead, I think we
realized we were all alive, were glad to see each other after seven weeks
absence, realized we were in the same boat this evening, and on we went. (This
paragraph would have been beyond the imagination of a DP8 gathering ten years
ago.)
Add in some comments about post cards Ken received from France (adding to
his reputation at the Freehold Post Office); Kriss and Z’s refereeing at a
Cairo-Durham pep rally; an update on Jen’s getting-to-be-near-the-end
pregnancy; Kriss’s attending the principal’s 40th birthday party; Ken’s
lengthy discussion with Judy and Deb K about the nuances of 50 Shades of Gray;
the Adams-Teator trip to France; Ken’s last 29 or 31 or some number of days of
gainful employment; more catch-up in the cars; and no comments that censor-Kriss
had to address, and we seemed to be a bunch of senior citizens ready to take on
the world.
And, then, Kriss, oh so casually, so matter-of-factly, let slip that Matt would
marry in September 2013, a minor detail which, of course, demanded more
explanation.
Another topic was a Don-compilation of dinner expenses, in order from
most expensive to least expensive ($175 to $50). This led to guessing how much
each couple has spent for food for participating in DP8. ($10,000 is not an
unreasonable guess, I think.)
Oh, yeah. This month marks the end of the tenth year of Dinner Party of
Eight! Congratulations to all of us; I think I can say, with some fairness and
modesty, that we have all enjoyed the journey that seems to be about food, which
really is an excuse to share life’s moments with people we enjoy.
So, here’s to the start of Year Eleven.