The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los Angeles Kings run to the Stanley Cup, and some simply as a result of too much travel. Having enjoyed many of these meals with friends or family and with some of them amongst the year’s very best the reality is that with time my memory has deteriorated and as life moves forward I’ve realized there is little hope to ever “catch up” or document these experiences as well as I’d hope, yet in order to preserve them I present these pictures, notes, and thoughts on the experience.
Napa Valley Flight
Neapolitan Margherita with Bufala Mozzarella, San Marzano Tomatos, Fresh Basil, Frantoia Olive Oil
Roman Duck Confit with Oven Roasted Duck, Bufala Mozzarella, Fresh Spinach, Red Onion, Over Easy Egg
Semolina Gnocchi with Smoked Nueske’s Bacon, Peas, Black Truffle Crema
Sweet Bufala Ricotta – Honey and Roasted Pistachios
Clearly believing two ovens to be better than one Due Forni has been gathering a lot of attention in Las Vegas ever since opening its doors and given the convenient off strip location and lunch hours the pizza and wine bar became our first stop after my friend’s plane touched down. A surprisingly large space with earth tones, wood, and Edison bulbs serving as decoration while two Neapolitano brick ovens dominate the back half of the restaurant turning out both Roman and Neapolitan pies our arrival found the restaurant almost entirely empty and within moments we were seated, a young man named Eric proving a competent if not slightly overzealous server.
Wanting to see what the restaurant had to offer both from the ovens and the kitchen I was given the charge of ordering while my friend enjoyed a $24 flight of hefty reds and with so few patrons at 2:00pm our pizzas arrived quickly, a superlative Margherita with oozing puddles of imported mozzarella and bright, assertive tomato sauce beneath a slick of olive oil and basil followed by a crisp and crackling 500F Roman style pie with tomatoes replaced by a creamy egg intermingling with rich, smoky duck and strong notes of red onion. Generally a fan of more blister and bubble on my Neapolitan but thoroughly impressed by the ingredient quality of both pies I’d be hard pressed to choose a favorite, though I imagine a Margherita Roman with some Prosciutto would be perfect.
Unable to resist gnocchi, whether flour or potato, an order of this semolina iteration arrived alongside the duck confit and although rich and plentiful with great texture I personally found the dish to be a touch too saline and a bit heavy on truffle oil – the sort of dish that probably would have benefitted by a glass of something dry and white – and ending on the “RICH” theme I’ll simply say that anyplace willing to serve a cup full of sweetened cheese topped with honey and nuts as dessert is worth visiting in my book…smoky, creamy, sweet – definitely a must order, and perfect with coffee.