150756 Thu Feb 17 12:47:18 -0800 2005 16 12 Boston Area 0 808667 Went last night with a friend and shared 1/2 bottle of one of the house reds (Australian Shiraz I think, ok, nothing too special), split the fondue appetizer and I ordered the gnocchi with braised short ribs and she had the 1/2 plate of crab ravioli. First, the fondue might have been the best I've had in a restaurant. Served with a few (3) pieces of very medium rare steak tips and some slices of earthy portabella. I also dipped my bread in the cheese. I nearly had to be held back from licking the still hot bowl. Second, the gnocchi and shortribs dish was quite large. Probably 30+ gnocchi, a bit on the smaller side (the gnocchi, not the dish itself). Lots of hunks of short rib meat, perfectly tender and done. The demi-glace wine sauce was VERY rich, nearly over-powering at times, but it worked well together. I only had one bite of my friend's crab ravioli as I'm not a huge crab fan unless it's in soup, crab cakes, or king crab legs. She seemed to like it. There were probably 5-6 large round ravioli on the small plate. Bill was $63 pre-tax. I'd like to go back and try the lobster lasagne soon. I love the downstairs room. Unfortunately, there were only two other occupied tables (in a room with about 8 to 10 2 and 4 tops total). Dax Thu Feb 17 12:47:18 -0800 2005 0 Dax 1 808670 So to continue 'my take on Grotto..' is that it is one of the best kept secret in Boston? I have yet to have a miscue at Grotto, other than the wine list, which is poor on the lower end, and high mark up over all. The short-ribs/gnocchi screams for an Amarone, the Shiraz has nothing to do with the food they serve, and a Legurian lovely with the crab raviolis... Thu Feb 17 13:18:42 -0800 2005 808667 0 1K diner 2 808675 "the Shiraz has nothing to do with the food they serve" - my choice, not theirs. I don't really care for many white wines but I wanted something lighter to start. A 1/2 bottle was good enough for about 1.5 glasses each and lasted through the fondue. I would have gone for a Zin to match the hearty beef of the short ribs, but didn't want something that would overpower her crab so we just drank water with the actual meal portion. I didn't even know what an Amarone is until I googled it. I am by no means an oenophile but I think you meant Ligurian. But even considering the disparate nature of the dishes, we weren't ordering two separate bottles as we were in for a quick dinner and not a night of drunken excess. That has to wait for the weekends these days. Thu Feb 17 13:50:17 -0800 2005 808670 0 Dax 3 808676 PS> I realize a Shiraz is not really light, but it doesn't feel as heavy to me as a Zin. Thu Feb 17 13:56:25 -0800 2005 808675 0 Dax 4 808680 Amarone is made with dried fruit, rarely found less than $20, retail. Trader Joe's sells one for @ 12. Go, but leave me some. I recently read in the Metrowest Daily news, a red wine is made in Amarone casks, also sold at TJ's. Thu Feb 17 15:27:58 -0800 2005 808676 0 mike 3 808684 Wine is always in the beholder. I find Shiraz too fruity, and zins almost effervescent. IMHO an Amarrone is a great, balanced, warm and friendly wine. it is from The Venetto (NE Italy), and a top producer is Masi, of which they produce a hidden gem, Campofiorina(sp), that retails for $15. Ligurian coast... yep. Spelling was never good to me. The wines are lighter, and less less expensive than the massive Tuscan wines. a white from Liguria goes well with red sauced raviolis. Go figure, NW wine with SW food. I NEED a well paired wine with dinner. A Shaffer Hillside Select with a medium rare Angus hamburger is beyond unbelievably perfect Thu Feb 17 16:03:30 -0800 2005 808675 0 1K diner 4 808694 Any local source for that Campofiorina bargain Amarone? Do you find it benefits from long breathing (which my very limited experience with Amarone has indicated)? Thu Feb 17 17:20:27 -0800 2005 808684 0 GretchenS 5 808698 I buy it at winecellar of Silene in Waltham, yet it should be available. I let it breathe by sipping slowly. I don't like to decant any wine, ever. I like the wine to fight itself out. Thu Feb 17 17:56:21 -0800 2005 808694 0 1K diner 5 808738 Martignetti's in Brighton carries it and they had it at pretty nifty price recently at the NH Liquor store on Rte. 95 (South) in Hampton. It is not necessarily Amarone but I think it is Valpolicella made in the Ripasso method - sort of in between Valpoicella Classico and Amarone. A great cold weather wine. Fri Feb 18 11:30:49 -0800 2005 808694 0 Northender 6 808739 That is pretty accurate and yes, this is an excellent value wine. If you can find it for under $15, buy a case and keep it around. I've seen it around. Side note: this particular wine can rival some Amarone, but in general, Amarone is a special wine that is only made in certain years and in the best cases, a wine that will last for decades in a cellar... getting better all the time. Fri Feb 18 11:45:22 -0800 2005 808738 0 nomadfromcincy 6 808755 Valpolicella is what my friend drank at Via Valverde and Bricco, very nice. Fri Feb 18 12:32:06 -0800 2005 808738 0 Joanie 6 808758 Technically speaking, "Ripasso" is a term that indicates that some or all of the grapes have been dried, which concentrates the fruit and sugars and tends to make a heartier, sweeter, more full bodied wine. "Classico" indicates that the wine comes from the traditional areas that produce valpolicella and does not indicate anything regarding quality of the wine (although "classico" wines are generally of higher quality, and price, then other valpolicellos.) Finally, some bottles carry the "superiore" word on their label. I believe that this indicates wines that the individual producer feels are particularly good. Hence, you can have a label that indicates a Classico Superiore Valpolicella that is Ripasso. Or any combination of the above. Some of my favorite wines, BTW. Often relatively cheap, unlike the highly expensive Amarone's and Barola's. Fri Feb 18 12:50:57 -0800 2005 808738 0 tdaaa 4 808701 Campofiorin is not Amarone, it is a supercharged Valpolicella. Amarone is a powerful 15+ % alcohol wine made from air dried grapes and way too powerful for most foods. To me Amarone is a wine to sip by the fire and contemplate, not a wine to accompany food. Thu Feb 17 18:18:47 -0800 2005 808684 0 Wineack 5 808742 Yep... The Campo is what I refer to as a 'modified', or tuner version of Amarone. And yep, a twenty year old Amarone is perfect by a fire, however, with a heavy dish like Grotto's ribs/gnocchi, I think an Amarone would be heaven. And the opposite with red sauced ravioli, where a light Ligurian white, which can be like a Minervois, is a perfect mate. Fri Feb 18 11:57:17 -0800 2005 808701 0 1K diner 1 808697 So can you order 1/2 of the regular entree? Thu Feb 17 17:37:23 -0800 2005 808667 0 alssong 2 808723 You can order appetizer sized orders of some of the pasta dishes, yes. Fri Feb 18 09:01:00 -0800 2005 808697 0 Dax 1 808768 To sum it up... whatever we all agree that Masi Campofiorin is, it appears to be a wine that should be on the Grotto wine list?! Fri Feb 18 14:44:39 -0800 2005 808667 0 1K diner