Just got back from the Farmer's Market at the Grove where friends and I sat in Pappardelle's first food tasting there. 8 courses, plus their famous chocolate dessert pasta - yum. Would say it left me with a fantastic delicious aftertaste at the end of the night, but a friend tricked me into eating tabasco chocolate they had bought at the World Market....
Anyway, here are photos from tonight and what the dish was. Check out Pappardelle's stand at the farmer's market for all their pasta, balsamics, oils, and marinades! You can also find them on Facebook here.
Tables were set with fresh roses.
First up, cubano orzo salad with black bean and roasted corn. Made a good cold salad.
Sweet potato gnocchi with sage-infused cream sauce. Creamy, soft, and so good in the mouth :).
Southwest blend pepperjack mac & cheese. The cheese went great with this mixed pasta, tortilla, and the hints of peppers and southwestern tastes.
Winter pear and gorgonzola ravioli with vanilla fig drizzle. The ravioli shell was simple but flavorful and went well with the altogether tastes.
Tomato and mozzarella ravioli, caprese style. Ain't it pretty?
To prove to you that there is tomato in this....
Spicy thai linguine with peanut sauce, with an added optional tropical sausage by Huntington Meats for the meat-eaters. I liked the spice with the peanut.
Porcini mushroom linguini with portabella cap. I loved the mushroom flavors with the blue cheese.
Lemon pepper linguine with asparagus. It's a good citrusy dish for the season.
And here it is, the grand finale. Their famous chocolate hazelnut ravioli with chocolate and hazelnuts.
I admit, as not a big fan of chocolate, I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Who knew pasta would go so well as dessert?
Such friendly service, happy intimate crowd, was a great first tasting I think for Pappardelle's.
Thanks to the chefs for the 3-hour tasting! Definitely not as easy as it seems, and they all did a great job.
Looking forward to more. They mentioned doing not as many courses next time. So perhaps that will allow just slightly bigger portions and more time to explain about each one? But overall, service was fantastic and friendly, and we had a great time chatting away and being part of this pasta adventure. Can't wait to see what you guys do next!
See the photos on Flickr.
