FOR PICKUP    THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY  JANUARY 28, 29, 30  2021

  ORDER until 9AM WED January 27th

FROM FRANCESCA...

Best of Italy --------------------------$29

Eating our way from south to north, try these refined dishes from Sicily, Puglia, Campania and Tuscany. The table is a canvas for a dinner composed to please the eye and the palate, offering a work of complimentary flavors and textures throughout the meal -- herbal, sharp, warm, bold, soft and sweet.

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Caponata -- a medley of little vegetable cubes, sauteed with garlic and onion and flavored with a touch of sweet and a touch of sour to get your tastebuds’ attention for the meal.

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Orecchiette with broccoletto sauce --  imported artisan-made pasta dressed with a smooth, bright sauce of extra virgin olive oil, garlic and broccoletto, with a touch of heat and  a love bite from peperoncino and pecorino cheese.

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Chicken Piccata -- thin escallops of air chilled sauteed chicken breast in a lemon butter sauce and capers.

Vegetarian option: Portobello  Piccata

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Semolina & Chocolate Tart -- Shortcrust pastry with a creamy filling and dark chocolate ganache.

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MAKE A NIGHT OF IT!

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BEVERAGES:  Some nice wines from Puglia are available, from a Primitivo to a Sangiovese, and will pair well with dinner. A white Pinot Grigio or even better, if you can find an Orvietto or a Soave, they will be divine with this meal. No alcohol option,

try a Dry Sparkling lavender or mix some of your favorite mineral water with a splash of beet juice, a dash of tart cherry juice

and a cucumber slice in a decanter and enjoy with the meal.

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MUSIC:  Please yourself knowing that in Italy you can hear almost anything playing at any time.  TUNE - IN Radio is a free app that lets you listen to live radio anywhere on the planet. That's pretty fun. 

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MOVIES:  Well, there's been a list of them to date. If you are new to Personal Chef's travel-inspired dinner experiences, drop

us a line and I'll review the list. Since we're starting in Sicily, if you have't seen "Cinema Paradiso" that's the one for this week.  It's my all time favorite. You might watch "Room With a View" or "La Dolce Vita".  Or watch an opera tonight ---maybe Tosca,  La Boheme or its modern remake RENT.

FROM TOM...

A Hint of BBQ   ----------------------- $29

From the Southern home of BBQ comes the basics y’all expect…

Jalapeño Poppers - Tasty blend of cheeses, inserted into Jalapenos,

wrapped with bacon and cooked off into a rewarding flavorful gift. 

Enjoy with a hoppy IPA!

BBQ Pulled Pork - Slow cooked Pork Shoulder, pulled and dressed with an

original, multi flavored BBQ.

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Southern Style Mac & Cheese - Macaroni enveloped into an decadent 

mix of cheese and flavors and baked to a textural perfection.

Tomato-Cucumber Salad - A culinary perfection to accompany the spicy

goodness of BBQ and the rich perfection of the Mac.

Sweet Corn Bread Pudding - A blend of herbs, cream, corn, cornmeal

and bread presents a rich and satisfying bread pudding.  The perfect ending!

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MAKE A NIGHT OF IT!

 Beverages: Good wines for this feast include a Chardonnay on the white side or a Zinfandel on the red. A Colorado craft brew will fit the bill. And a pitcher of sweet tea is the perfect no-alcohol pairing.

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Movies: THE BUTLER is a timely and compelling movie with wonderful performances and cameos by everybody.

If you haven't watched it in other southern dinner nights, FORREST GUMP is always a winner, with the soundtrack 

as your backdrop while you eat.

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click to order, pay and choose pickup day and time

NOW COOKING .....   -- NOT AVAILABLE TO ORDER

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A SPANISH AFFAIR   -----------------------  $29

Travel tonight to the kingdom of Spain and sample some of the

diversity of ingredients and flavors, reflective of the independence

and individuality of its 17  “autonomous communities”.

The peppers are a specialty of Andalucia, the paella is

Valenciana and dessert is from Asturias. The special paella rice has

been imported from Murcia and the saffron from La Mancha. This

is truly a Spanish affair.

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Paella mixta  --   Saffron-infused bomba rice imported from Valencia stars with rich chicken, pork, and sausage with delicate shrimp, mussels, and clams in supporting roles.  Vegetarian paella available.

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Roasted peppers with garlic  -- Smoky, sweet and sour. Peppers are roasted and then slow cooked with an intensely garlicky olive oil sauce and finished with balsamic and white wine vinegars.

Casadielles asturianas -- lovely crisp pastries of olive oil dough filled with a mixture of sweet anise-kissed walnuts, fried crisp and then rolled in sugar.

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Pairing suggestions. Extend your night and make it a real getaway.

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BEVERAGES:  Here we are in Spain. "If it grows together, it goes together". There are so many great wines made from Tempranillo, Garnacha and  Monastrell grapes. and at very affordable prices. Try a Rioja Reserva or  a Jumilla Reserva.

A Colorado craft brew would go well also. A great no alcohol pairing would be a lemon-based sparkling water with a splash of beet juice and a splash of tart cherry juice. Or just a good mineral water and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

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MUSIC: Listen to the master Andres Segovia’s classical guitar while you eat,  starting with "Leyenda" (also known as "Asturias")  by Isaac Albéniz.

MOVIES: For movies to take you there,  the absurdly humorous The Trip to Spain will most certainly entertain you, especially  if you’ve enjoyed sitting around at a gathering where a couple of guys were constantly “on” and playing off one another.  

A Spanish Affair offers inside humor as it hinges on the perceived stereotypes between the Basques and the Andalucians. Or watch Frank Sinatra, Sophia Loren and Cary Grant drag a huge cannon up and down Spanish hills in a definitely-not-great but classic and very scenic The Pride and The Passion.

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from Tom   A BISTRO, SOMEWHERE IN NAPA ---- $29

Bistros seem to be everywhere.  It tends to be a handy name.  Let’s open a restaurant, what shall we call it?  Bistro Bob’s!  The Pine Valley Bistro!  Peasant Tom’s Bistro!  The interior, the ambiance, the food tends to be, whatever.  Except for rare exceptions.  Traditionally, a Bistro welcomes you with a warm comfortable feeling.  Dark woods, cozy tables, a smoky feeling  atmosphere.  The food stems from that of Country French, warm, familiar and comforting.  

This week, we’ll travel to Napa and visit  Bouchon, a California bistro,  the creation of one of my favorite American Chefs, Thomas Keller.  Let’s get hungry!

We’ll start with a French classic…

Soupe A L’Oignon (French Onion Soup)

A seemingly simple soup, it actually demands great attention to detail:  slowly caramelized onions, fresh made roasted beef stock, baguette crouton and Emmentaler Cheese.  A delicious way to start your evening.  Fair warning, a bit of effort is required with your plating.  You’ll need an oven durable bowl to make your cheese crust under the broiler.

An absolute Bistro standby comes next…

Poulet Roti Forestiere (Roast Chicken and Wild Mushroom Ragout)

A roasted chicken is a favorite preparation for me.  Whether brined or salted, the skin is wonderfully browned and crisp to the bite, while the inside is moist and most flavorful.  Accompanied by a Wild Mushroom Ragout, the flavors marry to create something special.  At the side will be Roasted Potatoes and fresh vegetables.

I think it’s time for some chocolate…

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Bouchons Au Chocolat (Chocolate Bouchons)

A bouchon is a cork.  These brownie-like cakes, resembling a bouchon, are rich, chocolaty and baked with chocolate chips in the batter.  Glass of Port anyone?

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Wine Pairings -

If you’re looking for good pairings for this evening, I’m here to help.  Being basically a French menu, the wines tend to be French.  

-For the soup, you don’t want too light a red, rather something big with a fair amount of tannin.  A Beaujolais Cru will be wonderful, although the acidity found in a Gamay will cut wonderfully with the richness of this soup.  As for a white, an Alsatian Pinot Gris will work very well.

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Poulet Roti Forestiere (Roast Chicken and Wild Mushroom Ragout)

A roasted chicken is a favorite preparation for me.  Whether brined or salted, the skin is wonderfully browned and crisp to the bite, while the inside is moist and most flavorful.  Accompanied by a Wild Mushroom Ragout, the flavors marry to create something special.  At the side will be Roasted Potatoes and fresh vegetables.

I think it’s time for some chocolate…

​

Bouchons Au Chocolat (Chocolate Bouchons)

A bouchon is a cork.  These brownie-like cakes, resembling a bouchon, are rich, chocolaty and baked with chocolate chips in the batter.  Glass of Port anyone?

​

Wine Pairings -

If you’re looking for good pairings for this evening, I’m here to help.  Being basically a French menu, the wines tend to be French.  

-For the soup, you don’t want too light a red, rather something big with a fair amount of tannin.  A Beaujolais Cru will be wonderful, although the acidity found in a Gamay will cut wonderfully with the richness of this soup.  As for a white, an Alsatian Pinot Gris will work very well.

-The chicken will also pair well with the Beaujolais.  But if you’d like to move to something else, try a Pinot Noir from Burgundy.  The French Pinots have great structure and acidity, but not enough tannin to overpower that wonderful chicken.  Staying in France, look for a French Chard or a White Burgundy.

-Beer with chicken, nothing too hoppy.  Look for a balanced pale or a pilsner.

-Dessert, as mentioned, a good Port or teck down my favorite dessert wine, a Vin Santo!

Want to dress up the evening and just plain have some of the best to be found in Napa?  Two wineries which sincerely produce high quality wines, plus are great places to visit, Far Niente and Joseph Phelps.  Both websites tell great stories and show you the beautiful views of Napa.

Hey, the food and wine are basically from France but we’re in Napa, well actually Yountville, so I have the perfect movie for you.  In 1976 a sommelier from Paris traveled to Napa Valley to find a wine to take to Paris for a blind wine tasting against the best French.  Fun, fun, fun!

Music?  It’s California, man!  Dive into some history with some Dead, The Doors or the Eagles.  Make a night of it!