Dinner - Summer 2023 Flashcards
Bar Nuts
Components: Peanuts, Almonds, Cashews, Hazelnuts, Walnuts, Pecans
Cayenne, Rosemary, Butter, Brown Sugar, Salt
Allergy: Legumes, Tree Nuts, Nightshades, Dairy
Extra: . While nuts are toasting, butter and dark brown sugar go into a pot and melt together. Once the sugar and butter are completely melted some Cayenne pepper is added. After 10 minutes the nuts come out the oven and are immediately added to a mixing bowl. The butter and dark brown sugar mixture along with the rosemary are added to the nuts and
tossed vigorously to combine.
Garlic Potato Chips
Potatoes Chips cooked in Garlic Butter
Allergies: Dairy, Allium
USC Seafood Platter
Menu Description: Island Creek Oysters, Shrimp Cocktail, Daily Crudo
Clam Chowder (Lunch)
Menu Description: Pancetta, Green Garlic Verde, Calabrian Tabasco
Components: Chowder Base, Heavy Cream, Manilla Clams, Lemon Juice, Green Garlic Verde, Calabrian Tabasco, Scallion
Allergies: Meat, Dairy, Shellfish, Citrus, Allium
Extra: Pick up - In a small pot with a lid add 6-7 manilla clams, 6 oz chowder base and about 1 oz of heavy cream. Cover and cook on high until clams have opened. Once open, season with lemon juice and salt as needed (this will depend on the base and on the clams themselves so taste often). Spoon into a Varick Chip bowl and top with the liquid. Drizzle verde and tabasco around the top and finish with scallions on the bias.
Gazpacho Verde
Menu Description: Cucumber, Honeydew, Pumperknickel
Components: Gazpacho Base,
Garnishing Herbs, Pumpernickel Croutons, Compressed Cucumber, Compressed Honeydew
Allergies: Nightshade, Gluten
Extra: GAZPACHO BASE: All ingredients are first combined (save the basil, mint, and Corto Olive Oil) and are left to sit in
the prep fridge for 24 hours. After 24 hours, combine all ingredients in a Vitamix and blend until smooth. Chefs willstream in the corto to give the soup body and shine. On the last few rounds of buzzing in the Vitamix, chefs will add in the basil and mint and stir to ensure it’s distributed throughout.
Tuna Tartare Calabrese (Lunch)
Menu Description: Sundried Tomato, Calabrian Chili, Grilled Sourdough
Components: Blue Fin Tuna Belly, Calabrian Sundried Tomato, Olive Oil, Maldon Salt, Lemon Zest
Allergies: Seafood, Nightshades, Gluten
Extra: Finely choped bluefin tuna belly is mixed in a bowl with the sundried tomato and Calabrian chili puree and olive oil then placed in a ring mold. The dish is garnished with lemon zest and maldon salt. 2 slices of grilled sourdough is served alongside.
Bluefin tuna is one of the most highly prized fish used in Japanese raw fish dishes. Bluefin has a deep red hue. The flavor of bluefin tuna is much richer than that of other species, such as yellowfin or ahi.
Steak Tartar
Menu Description: Pear, Pickled Cherry Bomb Peppers, Crispy Shallots
Components: Diced Beef
Egg Sauce, Cherry Bomb Vinaigrette,
Chives, Crispy Shallots, Celery Leaves
Pear
Allergies: Egg, Dairy, Citrus, Allium, Gluten
Extra: This dish is made really delicious by using high quality sirloin, and our pickled cherry bomb
peppers. We pickle this peppers at the height of their season in the summer and use them
throughout the rest of the year. The addition of the egg sauce gives the dish a nice creaminess
and really brings it to the next level.
Tomato Panzanella
Menu Description: Shishito, Watermelon, Ricotta Salata
Components: Heirloom Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Watermelon Balls, Blistered Shishitos, Croutons, Whipped Feta, Ricotta Salata, Basil, Red Onion, Tomato Water
Allergies: Nightshades, Gluten, Dairy, Allium
Extra: Pick up - Each salad gets about 5 pieces of each component (heirloom tomato, cherry tomato,
watermelon, shishito, and red onion. Lots of basil as well. The bowl is started with a schemer of whipped
feta/ricotta cream. The salad is placed on top, and the pieces should get smaller from bottom to top. Garnish with basil and shaved ricotta salata.
Bibb Salad
Menu Description: Gruyere, Garlic Croutons, Dijon Vinaigrette
Components: Bibb Lettuce
Red Oak Lettuce, Dijon Vinaigrette, Gruyere Cheese, Garlic Croutons
Allergies: Alcohol, Allium, Dairy, Gluten
Extra: The Bibb Lettuce salad is our longest Standing menu item at USC. The croutons are sourdough and are olive-oil pan fried.
Broccoli
Menu Description: Pomegranate, Candied Pecans, Mint
Components: Broccoli, Broccolini, Seasoned Greek Yogurt, Candied Pecans, Pomegranate Seeds, Sliced Jalapeños, Torn Mint, Black Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette
Allergies: Dairy, Tree Nuts, Nightshades, Allium
Extra: Upon pick up, about 5 pieces of broccoli and broccolini are fried until crispy on the edges. The fried broccoli is tossed with white balsamic, picked mint, pomegranate, candied pecans, and sliced jalapeno. The broccoli is placed in a bowl on top of the
seasoned yoghurt, drizzled with the black garlic vinaigrette, and the rest of the “goodies” from the mixing bowl.
Crispy Softshell Crab
Menu Description: Carrot, Red Curry, Grilled Garlic Scapes
Components: Red Curry, Soft Shell Crab
Shaved Carrots, Charred Garlic Scapes
Picked Mint, Mint Verde, Soft Shell Crab Dredge
Allergies: Shellfish, Fish (colatura), Nightshades, Citrus, Allium
Extra: Red Curry - This can be removed if guests are averse to spice, but we cannot change the level of spice – all or nothing. This is made with piquillo peppers, ginger, shallot, sweet paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, colatura, lime juice, and Rosa Marina
Soft Shell Crab Dredge - This is the mixture that gives the soft-shell crab a “breaded” appearance. The dredge is
made with potato flour/starch, corn meal, and corn starch. In other words, this element of the dish is gluten free!
Charred Garlic Scapes - If you harvest the garlic and allow it to keep growing, a green stalk will emerge, and flower buds will appear on the end. This is your garlic scape. In comparison to garlic cloves, these will have milder spice than garlic cloves and some notes of onion.
Fettuccine Al Limone
Menu Description: Preserved Lemon, Breadcrumbs
Components: Fettuccine Egg, Gluten
Lemon Cream Lemon,
Butter, Grana Padano/Pecorino, Lemon Juice, Preserved Lemon, Bread Crumb
Allergies: Egg, Gluten, Citrus, Dairy
Extra: Light, homey pasta dish!
Lumache Amatricana Estiva
Menu Description: Sungold and Cherry Tomatoes, Guanciale, Pecorino
Components: Blistered Tomatoes,
Guanciale Fat, Rendered Guanciale Bits, Chili Flake, Black Pepper, Red Onion, Pecorino Cheese
Allergies: Nightshades, Allium, Dairy, Pork, Gluten
Extra: Everything is added on the pickup for this dish, making it very easy to modify. Chefs will start by cooking
red onion and one spoonful of guanciale fat, then toast the black pepper and chili flakes. Add tomato and tomatowater. Cook lumache in the sauce and finish with pecorino.
Gemelli Alla Zafferano
Menu Description: Ruby Red Shrimp, Saffron, Asparagus
Components: Gemelli, Saffron Cream Sauce, Shrimp Stock, Ruby Red Shrimp, Asparagus, Butter, Lemon Juice, Parsley, Chives, Chiffonade Basil
Allergies: Gluten, Allium, Shellfish, Dairy, Citrus
Extra: Pick up - Melt 1tbsp butter in the pan and add a handful of asparagus. Add shrimp and season with salt, sauté until shrimp are almost cooked through. Add a pinch of chili, 2 oz of saffron cream sauce and 2oz of shrimp stock. Add pasta to the pan and cook down together adding a small shot of lemon juice. Once sauce is starting to coat the pasta, add parsley and chives, finish with chiffonade basil, tossing just a few times before plating
Agnolotti Di Mais
Menu Description: Corn, Truffle, Asiago
Components: Corn, Truffle, Asiago Allevo, Filling,Truffle Vinaigrette
Allergies: Dairy, Allium
Extra: This dish is primarily made with corn, summer truffles from Chile and Australia, and Asiago
Allevo. Asiago Allevo is a younger cheese similar to Parmesan. It is pasteurized and has a saltier
component. The filling is made with corn puree, ricotta, and grana padano. On the pickup, the pasta is
cooked in corn stock, butter, and grana padano in the pan. It is then tossed in a truffle vinaigrette (truffle pate, butter, shallots, balsamic vinegar, OO, white soy sauce, thyme leaves, parsley), then finished with shaved truffle and asiago allevo.
Spaghetti Al Nero Di Seppia
Menu Description: Grilled Squid, Cherry Tomatoes, Fermented Chili
Components: Black Spaghetti, Oreganata Vinaigrette, Squid,
Tomato Water, Cherry/Sungold Tomatoes, Fermented Peppers
Basil
Allergies: Gluten, Allium, Nightshades
Extra: Black Spaghetti - the color of the noodle comes from squid ink used during prep
Oregnata Vinaigrette - this vin is the same mixture used on our Agretti oreganata, and previously the fennel
oreganata.
Squid - The squid are seasoned with salt before chefs will cook on the plancha to get a hard sear on each side.
When still warm, the squid is cut into rings, tentacles are cut into quarters, and all are marinated in the oreganata
vin. This process is done daily to maintain the quality of the squid.
Mafaldine All’Anatra
Menu Description: Duck Ragu, Pistachio, Amaro
Components: Braised Duck Legs
Duck Ragu Base, Pappardelle, Rosemary, Chili Flake, Butter, 50/50
Castelvetrano Olive, Lemon, Amaro, Parsley, Pistachio
Allergies: Alcohol, Allium, Nightshades, Dairy, Citrus, Tree Nuts (removable)
Extra: When we create pasta dishes for the restaurant, we generally like to use proteins that we already have in house so that we aren’t wasting any food. This braise is a great example of that. We get ducks in to use for our duck breast entrée and use the legs for our pasta. The combination of amaro, citrus and
olives is a delicious one and it makes this pasta unique. We also are making the mafaldine for this dish in house using our new pasta extruder. Mafaldine is named after Princess Mafalda of Savoy and also goes by the name “Reginette” which roughly translates to “Little Queens
Roasted Trumpet Mushrooms
Menu Description: Potatoes, Fiddleheads, Hazelnut-Truffle Vinaigrette
Components: Roasted Trumpet, Mushrooms
Crushed Potatoes, Bourguignonne Sauce
Truffle Hazelnut Vin, Blanched Fiddleheads, Watercress
Shaved Summer Truffle
Allergies: Citrus, Allium, Tree Nuts, Dairy, Gluten
Extra: CRUSHED POTATOES: Boil potatoes in salted water with thyme, lemon peel, and bay leaves. Potatoes should be cooked but not mush mush. In batches of about 3 orders, crush potatoes gently with a fork. Add shallot, lemon juice, olive oil, chives, parsley, and salt to taste. Served hot.
BORG SAUCE: Sweat shallots and garlic in olive oil until lightly colored. Add tomato paste. Cook out the pincage.
Deglaze with red wine and reduce until nappe. Add mushroom stock and aromatics and continue to reduce to the appropriate flavor and consistency. Season with salt.
TRUFFLE-HAZELNUT VIN: Toast hazelnuts in brown butter. Drain and chop roughly. Combine all non-hazelnut ingredients (truffle pate, butter, shallots, balsamic vinegar, OO, white soy sauce, thyme leaves, parsley). Add hazelnuts to mixture per day.
PICK UP: Warm the crushed potatoes in a sauce pot. Add to plate in an off-centered line. Add 1.5 halves of
trumpet mushrooms per plate (cut into 5-6 places.) Drizzle with borg sauce. Add blanched fiddleheads. Spoon on truffle hazelnut vinaigrette. Add watercress dressed with a touch of lemon juice. Chef will finish with truffle shaves.
Blackened Steelhead Trout
Menu Description: Cucumber Broth, Pine Nuts, Wild Rice
Components: Trout Fillet, Cucumber Broth, Cucumber Dice, White Soy Vinaigrette, Plumped Raisins, Toasted Pine Nuts, Wild Rice, Corto Oil, Blackening Spice
Allergies: Seafood, Tree Nuts
Extra: Heavily season one side of char with blackening spice. Season whole portion with salt. Dress cucumbers and rice with white soy vin. Sear trout on plancha. The trout fillet is sat atop wild rice and cucumbers seasoned with white soy vinaigrette and finished with cucumber broth. The steelhead trout is an orange fish similar to salmon, but more layered and refined.
Butter-Poached Lobster
Menu Description: Summer Beans, Fregola, Sauce Amèricaine, Lobster “Louie” Salad, Avocado Crema
Components: Lobster Tail Seafood
Sauce Americaine, Fregola, Summer Beans, Green Garlic Gremolata, Opal and Thai Basil, Lobster Chop
Avocado Crema, Thousand Island, Pickled Cucumber, Shaved Radish, Dill
Beurre Monte
Allergies: Seafood, Allium, Dairy, Citrus, Gluten, Nightshades
Extra: PREP: Lobsters are steamed ahead of time. The bodies are all used to make a very potent lobster stock which is part of the prep for the Sauce Americaine. Fregola is cooked ahead of time in an aromatic shrimp/lobster stock. Beans are cut into little pea size pieces and sauteed in a hot pan.
Avacado crema is made from avocado and crème fraiche. Thousand Island “Louis” dressing is made from ketchup,
mayonnaise, and pickles.
PICK UP/PLATING: This dish is served on 2 plates, the entrée bowl as well as a small “triple scoop” bowl on the
side. The first plate has the lobster tail lightly coated with the buerre monte (butter sauce). This is served with fregola on one half of the plate, summer (green) beans on the other half and the plate is brought together with the Sauce Americaine. The dish is garnished with an abundance of basil (opal or purple basil and thai basil).
The second side plate contains the Lobster Louie (cold lobster salad). This is the lobster knuckles and claws
chopped and tossed with thousand island-style “Louis” dressing. This salad is served with avocado crema, pickled
cucumber, shaved radish, and dill.
DOTS: This dish should feel very luxurious as the guests are receiving a whole lobster- the Tail is cooked
traditionally and sauce americaine is a very classic pairing. Our hope is that every person sitting outside would
want to order this and a great bottle of wine and enjoy the nice weather. Depth of flavor comes from the lobster
stock (with deeply roasted shells and pernod to give it depth) as well as yellow tomatoes cooked down into the
sauce americain which offer natural sweetness.
Buerre = butter Monte= “to mount with” We essentially make a butter sauce from white wine mounted with
butter emulsified in. Butter is also added to the sauce americaine to give it nice mouth fee
Half Chicken Scarpariello
Menu Description: Pork Sausage, Pickled Peppers, Charred Lemon
Components: Half Chicken
Pork Sausage, Pickled Fresno Peppers,
Charred Lemon, Chicken Jus
Allergies: Diary, Allium, Citrus
Extra: Chicken Scarpariello is a classic Italian American recipe traditionally using chicken thighs, sweet Italian sausage, and a pan sauce made from vinegary pickled peppers and lemon.
- Chicken is butchered to remove breast and thigh bones and seasoned with salt, pepper and a little chili flake prior to service. It is then cooked, from raw, started in a pan on the stove and then put in the oven. We finish cooking the bird by basting it withfoaming hot butter, garlic and thyme.
- Pork sausage is made in house using ground pork shoulder meat, fennel, chili, black
pepper, sugar and salt.
- Prior to service, lemons are sliced thin and charred lightly on the plancha.
- To create the “scarpariello” pan sauce, we use the pan the chicken was cooked in, cook off a crumbled piece of pork sausage and then add in reduced chicken stock. This is mounted with butter to make the sauce glossy and thicken it slightly. It is finished with
pickled peppers, charred lemons and lots of chopped parsley.
Roasted Duck Breast
Menu Description: Foie Gras, Freekeh, Pickled Strawberries
Components: Duck Breast, Pickled Strawberry, Micro Mint, Freekeh, Foie Sauce, Rhubarb Puree
Allergies: Allium, Dairy, Alcohol, Gluten
Extra: THE PICK-UP: The Base of the plate is hit with a velvety smooth layer of Rhubarb Puree, followed by the Farro and pickled strawberries scattered throughout, topped with half of pan roasted Duck breast accompanied by pieces of foie gras. Foie gras sauce covers the dish garnished with Micro mint.
DOTS: Our Peking duck is one of the many items on our menu we take pride in sourcing locally from Long Island. Our approach to each duck we receive is a sustainable and thoughtful one.
Much of what makes our menus special is the many ways we can subtly yet cleverly implement duck from the very start of an experience (duck wings, liver mousse, Tater tots) all the way to what we have here in what is our Duck Entrée.
Country Pork Chop
Menu Description: Apricots, Red Onion, BBQ Jus
Components: Marinaded Pork Chop, Mustard Seed, BBQ Jus, Apricot Puree Peppers, Grilled Apricots
Shallot Vinaigrette, Grilled Red Onion, Baby Kale
Allergies: Allium, Pork, Nightshades, Fish
Extra: BBQ JUS: Chefs will sweat the shallots and apricot stomp when they are translucent. Apricot stomp is a simple and sweet juice made from apricots and apples. After reducing the stomp by 1/3, add all other ingredients and mix thoroughly. The remaining ingredients are pork sauce, paprika, worcestershire sauce, bourbon, and apricot puree. The alcohol is not cooked out.
PICK UP: All garnishes are to be served room temperature. Swipe apricot puree down the middle of the plate. Pile salad near the tapered end on top of the apricots. Lay pork chop on top without completely obscuring the other components. Sauce generously. Sourced from Heritage Foods
Lamb Scottadito
Menu Description: Roasted Zucchini, Pistachio, Currant Jus
Components: Lamb Chops, Lamb Jus
Scapece + Marinade, Roasted Zucchini, Zucchini Pistachio Puree, Pickled Currants, Mint, Chopped Pistachio
Allergies: Alcohol, Allium, Tree Nuts
Extra: Lamb: Lamb is cut into individual chops and marinated.
Currant Jus: We start buy roasting chicken bones and cooking with water and tomato paste to create a very
reduced brown stock. From there, we roast lamb bones,deglaze with Method sweet vermouth and steep them in
finishing with pickled currants.
Scapece: This is essentially fried and marinated zucchini.
Zucchini Pistacchio Puree: Pistachios toasted until golden brown then added into a separate pan where slices of zucchini, blended in Vitamix
while streaming in olive oil.
PICK UP: There will be two thin lines of the zucchini pistachio puree on the plate. On one line with be the three
lamb chops and on the other will be a medley of things. There will be the roasted zucchini, scapece, pickled
currants, chopped pistachios, and torn mint. The lamb chops will be sauced with the lamb jus with some of the
pickled currants.
DOTS: Scottadito translates to “burnt finger”- this is because the chops are individually cut and one burns the
finger when flipping them to cook over the high heat.
Koji-Rubbed Brant Farms Ribeye
Menu Description: Choice of Two Sides
Components: Koji Rub, 28oz Ribeye Steak, Garlic Confit
Allergies: Allium
Extra: This is one heck of a dish! A 28-ounce ribeye coming from Brandt Farms in California. This is grass-finished beef, meaning that the cows this beef comes from ate nothing but grass and forage for their entire lives. This ribeye is seasoned with a koji rub made from fermented rice, which has a similar effect to a dry age, tenderizing the meat and adding a bit of extra texture.
Also, gluten free!
The beef is rubbed and set for at least 24 hours. After cooking to temperature (medium rare), the ribeye is brushed with dry aged, rendered beef fat, and served with garlic confit and a choice of two sides.
Agretti Organatta
Components: Agretti, Oreganata Vinaigrette, Cheesy Breadcrumbs
Allergies: Allium, Alcohol, Nightshades, Gluten, Dairy
Extra: Hugely popular in Italy, Agretti looks a little like fine chives but has a green, fresh flavour with a very slight bitterness and salty flavor that makes it perfect with fish and eggs. Agretti is charred on the plancha, tossed in the oreganata vin and finished with cheesy breadcrumbs
Fingerling Potatoes, Herbs de Provence
Description: Salt Baked Fingerlings,
Clarified Butter, English Lavender, Herb Mix
Components: Salt Baked Fingerling, Potatoes,Clarified Butter, Lemon Juice, English Lavender, Herb Mix
Allergies: Dairy, Citrus
Extra: PICK UP: Fry potatoes until very crispy. Place in a mixing bowl with 2 T clarified butter, a small splash of lemon juice,a good amount of salt, and a hearty pinch of herb mix. Toss to coat. Add a small amount of lavender. Taste to confirm they are well seasoned. Plate and top with another small bit of lavender
Aspargus Nicoise
Components: Asparagus, Nicoise Vinaigrette, Chopped Oregano, Chives
Allergies: Allium, Nightshade
Extra: NICOISE VINAIGRETTE: Sundried tomatoes, Taggiasca olives, Sicilian oregano, olive oil, Red Wine vinegar
PICK UP: Asparagus is deep fried and topped with the Nicoise vinaigrette, finished with oregano and chives
Tuna Crudo Calabrese
Menu Description: Spicy Sundried Tomato, Apricot, Mint
Components: Blue Fin Tuna Belly Seafood
Calabrian Sundried Tomato, Apricot Puree, Maldon Salt,
Lemon Zest, Olive Oil
Allergies: Seafood, Nightshades
Extra: We receive whole tuna loins and break them down here in house. The belly of the tuna
is used in our “Tuna Tartare Calabrese”, and the leaner cuts are broken down and sliced
thin for this Tuna Crudo appetizer.
- Chopped sundried tomatoes, anchovy, and olives get buzzed together with Calabrian
chili then mixed together with olive oil and red wine vinegar.
- The apricot puree is made by simmering dried apricots in white wine until tender then blending them until smooth.
COOKING TECHNIQUES (during service):
- Thinly sliced bluefin tuna is laid out on a plate and each slice is dressed the Calabrian
sundried tomato mixture and apricot puree. The dish gets finished with olio verde, lemon juice, maldon salt, torn mint, and lemon zest.
Pineapple Pavlova
Menu Description: Vanilla Yogurt, Burnt Sugar, Lime Granita
Components: Pavlova, Pineapple Sauce,Pineapple Compote, Whipped Vanilla Yogurt, Lime Mint Granita, Pineapple Chips
Allergies: Egg, Citrus, Alcohol, Dairy
Strawberry “Panzanella”
Menu Description: Basil Sponge, Strawberry Gelato, Whipped Mascarpone
Components: Strawberry Gelato, Strawberry Sauce
Mascarpone Cream, Basil Oil, Basil Sponge Cake
Black Pepper Tuile (wafer-like cookie)
Allergies: Dairy, Egg, Citrus, Gluten
Tiramisu
Menu Description: Mascarpone Mousse, Pavesini (Ladyfingers), Espresso
Components: Tiramisu Mousse
Allergies: Egg, Dairy, Alcohol, Gluten
Extra: Tiramisu Mousse: Yolks and egg whites are whipped separately with sugar until light and fluffy. Mascarpone is added to the mouse. Ladyfingers ( Pavesini ) are dipped in Espresso+Brandy and laid on the bottom of the pan. Alternating layers of mousse and espresso dipped lady fingers are layered into the pan.
Pick Up: Tiramisu is plated and topped with a combination of cocoa powder and hand shaved
dark chocolate curls.
DOTS: Tiramisu is a coffee-flavored Italian dessert. It is made of ladyfingers (Pavesini) dipped in
espresso, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese. The recipe has
been adapted into many varieties of cakes and other desserts. Its origin is disputed between Italian
regions Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia
Chocolate Cake
Menu Description: 16 layers of back-to-back Chocolate Cremeux and Chocolate Sponge Cake, Crème Anglaise, Fleur de Sel
Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Cremeux, Chocolate Ganache,Crème Anglaise
Allergies: Dairy, Egg, Gluten
Extra: DOTS: This Chocolate Cake is decadence at its finest. 16 layers of back-to-back Chocolate
Cremeux and Chocolate Sponge cake topped with a Chocolate Ganache and sprinkled with a
little finishing salt and sits on top a Vanilla Anglaise
Gelato Trio
Menu Description: Amarena Cherry Chip, Fior di Latte, Coffee Crunch
