Sadly, I haven't experienced many of late...until last week. When they do materialize, I will certainly spread the love:
Squid Ink Seafood Fettuccine from Spaghetteria Mamma Mia ($18) - At SMM, three fresh pastas are made in-house daily. This day the "long" noodle was a fettuccine as black as the PEI mussels that framed the pasta bowl. There is nothing quite like squid ink to impart the flavors of the sea...clean, briny, fresh, and fishy only in the best sense of the word. There was ample shrimp and corvina in a tomato broth bolstered by clam juice. The result was an intense seafood aroma and flavor, one that's still alive in my mind.
The downside: When SMM opened three months ago, diners were given a complimentary amuse of homemade soup....a unique (and inexpensive) starter. It's been 86'd. Similarly, diners were then offered fresh parmesan, grated onto any and all items. It too is gone...replaced by the dreaded, silver-capped parmesan shaker, the one that requires a swift table-smack to release its stale, grainy contents. On this night there was no fresh parmesan IN THE HOUSE. Ugh. That's like the pizza guy being out of pepperoni. Bottom line: I will definitely seek out that pasta dish again, but I'll be packing a loaded roto-grater, just in case. (Perhaps unrelated, Pepe Kehm, founder of the original SMM as well as this one--the same Pepe Kehm featured in a Kitchen Q&A in the June SLM--is no longer affiliated with the restaurant.)
BBQ Shrimp from JFires' Bistro in Waterloo, Il. ($12) - I've never seen a dozen 10-15 count shrimp selling for $12, not even at Fast Eddie's. Be forewarned, though--they come shell-on and half-submerged in a tasty, not too buttery Cajun-spiced broth...trust me, it's a "wear something dark" night. A few lightly-breaded onion rings (among the best I've ever tasted) are arranged on top with disks of warmed baguette alongside for dipping. Ideally, you've also ordered JFires' hot and spicy ribs and you are lounging, as we were, at one of the tables beneath the large grape arbor, raising a glass to the setting sun. -- George Mahe
