Preview: Taste of Italy in Los Angeles on October 1
by @btsunoda
The Taste of Italy is an upscale food and wine event which features some of the best regional Italian cuisine, food products and wine LA has to offer. This year is the 8th annual event and I had an opportunity to preview food served by Celestino in Pasadena.
The Taste of Italy is an upscale food and wine event which features some of the best regional Italian cuisine, food products and wine LA has to offer. This year is the 8th annual event and I had an opportunity to preview food served by Celestino in Pasadena.
Celestino has been in business for over 17 years, originally
located in Beverly Hills. It is owned and operated by the Drago brothers, known
for their quality Italian cuisine since the 1980’s. Celestino’s cuisine is
mostly Sicilian and some other regional dishes such as squid ink risotto or
osso buco.
One of the starters was a squid ink arancini filled with
seafood. These were triangular black rice balls served piping hot and very
crispy. It was one of my favorite dishes that evening and I hope they serve
that at The Taste of Italy.
Porcini mushrooms are more earthy and woodsy and for that
reason they make an excellent foundation for soup. Celestino’s porcini soup was
topped with shaved black truffles. Taking a bite of the truffles with the
porcini soup was the marriage of two great flavors.
The third dish was a veal carpaccio topped with grated
pecorino cheese and shaved truffles. By this time, I was grateful that
everything was paired with truffles. The veal was very delicate in flavor and
didn’t overpower the remaining ingredients.
I can see why pasta is one of their specialities because the
ravioli nearly melted in my mouth. I thought that adding prosciutto di Parma and
quail eggs was creative. Topping it with Fontina sauce and truffles increased
the wow factor for me.
I think risotto and shellfish is a natural pairing and I’m
happy when I have a chance to enjoy this. Celestino combined their risotto with
clams, porcini mushrooms and truffles. The risotto was extremely creamy and
delicious.
Veal Scaloppine with
porcini mushrooms and truffles was the final savory dish that evening. I
thought the porcini sauce was extremely tasty.
Dessert was an interesting Sicilian sponge cake. This was
made with mascarpone cheese and fresh fruit.
Celestino is just one of many fine Italian restaurants that are participating in this year's Taste of Italy. Other restaurants include Bar Toscana, Valentino, Drago Centro, and many more alongside fine food purveyors like Urbani Truffles, DiStefano Cheese, Prosciutto di Parma, and many wineries.
The event keeps growing each year and it a great way to
sample some of LA’s finest Italian food. Tickets are available at http://italianhall.org/taste-of-italy-los-angeles/
Gourmet Pigs readers can take advantage of an online
discount. Enter GPIG5
for a $5 discount off of the General Admission price or GPIG20 for a $20 discount off of Premiere Admission.
Saturday,
October 1
5:00 p.m. -
10:00 p.m.
Taste of Italy
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