Patti's House Salad at International Market
In addition to the thawing snow and recent rain, there has been a flood of food news spilling over the dam that is my email box. Put on your waders and get ready to read, because there’s some important info in this edition of the Monday Menu!
Fresh off the announcement that International Market chef Arnold Myint has been named one of the James Beard semifinalists from Nashville, he has announced the return of a favorite dish for the month of February. The original version “Patti’s House Salad” was a special feast that necessitated advance ordering to allow ample time for all the complicated mise en place required, as Carrington Fox explained in this love letter to the dish in 2010.
In recent years, Arnold has revamped the salad into something that doesn’t require quite the commitment of time on the part of the kitchen or diners. It’s still a really special opportunity to honor Patti and her legacy during her birth month. Past iterations of Arnold’s edition of the salad have offered the choice of protein accompanied by an amazing array of accouterments, including surrounded by ramekins of peanuts, limes, pickled garlic, onion, toasted coconut, Thai chile, herbs, sweet radish, green bean, lemongrass, crispy shallot, lettuce, rice vermicelli and tamarind-chile sauce. The exact offering may be a little different this year, but it’s sure to be special.
Arnold and his sister Anna Myint are offering their mom’s special contribution to the culinary canon as part of their nightly chef specials menu throughout February, and reservations are recommended.
Ryan and Matthew Poli recently announced the launch of iggy’s Market in their Wedgewood-Houston restaurant. The market will offer a changing variety of handcrafted foodstuffs, including raw pasta and sauces so you can enjoy iggy’s cooking at home. The market will be open at their location at 609 Merritt Ave. Wednesday through Sunday from noon until 8 p.m. Follow them on the 'Grams at @iggys_nashville to find out what’s on the daily menu, and here’s an idea of recent offerings:
Pastas
Spaghetti: Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word “spaghetto,” which comes from the word “spago,” meaning cord, string or twine.
Lumache: In Italian, lumache directly translates to “snails.” The connection is easy to make when you see this pasta.
Little Ribbons: Also known as mafaldine — with its wide ribbon shape and wavy sides — this variety was named after Princess Mafalda of Savoy and her curly hair.
Rigatoni: Rigatoni means “ridged” or “lined” and is from Southern and Central Italy. Its namesake ridges create adhesive surfaces for the sauces and grated cheese.
Sauces
Spicy Tomato Arrabbiata (vegan): made from Roma tomatoes, onions, basil, garlic and toasted chile oil.
Tomato Vodka (vegetarian): This sauce is inspired by Ryan Poli’s South Side Chicago roots. It’s one of the first sauces he ever learned how to make back in 1995, and the recipe still holds up today. Made with Roma tomatoes, onions, basil, cream and Tito's Handmade Vodka.
Alfredo Sauce (vegetarian): made from milk and cream infused with thyme, garlic and Parmesan cheese.
Bolognese: This is the iggy’s take on a classic Bolognese sauce. Made from dry-aged beef and pork from Bear Creek Farms, tomato, carrot, celery, onion, garlic and thyme, and cooked slowly for hours to reach a rich umami flavor.
Iggy’s is also hosting an upcoming Peter Zemmer Wine Dinner on Wednesday, Jan. 31, featuring six courses and four wines (including Alto Adige wines from Peter Zemmer) for $135 per person. They’ll be serving it to the entire restaurant, so you’ll need to make a reservation for a specific time. But once you pull the trigger, here’s what you can expect:
- Greener Roots Gem Lettuce, toasted almonds, chardonnay vinaigrette, Manchego cheese, apples
- Pinot Grigio 2022
- Arancini, hen-of-the-woods mushroom, celery root purée
- Burrata, onion jam, toasted sunflower seeds, Dozen Bakery sourdough toast
- Schiava Vernatsch 2021
- Agnolotti, whipped ricotta cheese, chives, Parmesan-butter, 5-year-aged Parmesan
- Chardonnay Riserva Vigna Crivelli 2020
- Bolognese, Bear Creek Farm pork, beef, herb breadcrumbs
- Lagrein Riserva Furggl 2018
- Black Bottom Twist, Vanilla and Chocolate Soft-Serve, Chocolate Brownie, Miso Caramel
Green Door Gourmet is also throwing a very special wine dinner on Tuesday, Feb. 6, featuring Italian celebrity chef Paulo Coluccio, a noted pasta master who is making only three stops on his latest North American tour. Nashville is joined by Boston and Miami on the list of lucky cities. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it’s already sold out. But fear not!
There’s another chance to interact with the talented pasta prodigy, as he’s putting on a cooking class in the Cumberland Cottage at Green Door Gourmet on Monday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m., followed by a tasting. If you’re a fan of Tuscan cuisine, this will be a rare opportunity to learn from a master of the region. Make your reservations for the $140 class and tasting ASAP, because spaces are extremely limited!
Finally, Lunar New Year falls on Saturday, Feb. 10, this year, but they’ll be celebrating all month long at Sunda New Asian. The kitchen has put together a menu of classic Chinese specialty dishes to commemorate the Year of the Dragon, including Cumin Lamb Dumplings (pickled mustard greens, ginger vinaigrette, chili crisp), Seafood Lo Mein (crispy scallop and shrimp, pea pods, carrots, water chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms, xo sauce), Pan Seared Rainbow Trout (mustard greens, salted black bean sauce, scallions, radish), and Luck and Wealth (cookies assortment and orange). Kick off your meal with a special cocktail that the bar staff has contributed to the event, the Lion’s Tail Cocktail — Suntory Toki whisky, allspice dram, lime, angostura bitters.
You’ll definitely want to make reservations to be a part of the Sunda fun!
