I’m a big fan of Pastaria, chef Gerard Craft’s Italian restaurant that offers delicious pastas and pizzas. They even offer one of my favorite salads in town with their chopped salad dressed with chickpeas, green olives, pistachios, pepperoni, oregano, red wine vinaigrette and pecorino cheese. (Try it!)
Former executive chef Zane Dearien has been called to run another of Craft’s restaurants in St. Louis, Bowood, so the top toque position was opened up. Stepping into Dearien’s chef’s clogs is Evelynn Hadsell, a New England-born chef with a passion for classic Italian cuisine. Hadsell moved to Nashville seven years ago and worked in a couple of local steakhouses before taking the sous chef position at Pastaria, so she’s an obvious and excellent replacement for Dearien.
To commemorate her elevation, Pastaria is throwing a gala Roman wine dinner on Thursday, July 20, which will kick off with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. followed by a multicourse culinary tour of the food of The Eternal City. Plates will be paired with Italian cocktails and wine, and chef Andrew Whitney will be on hand to talk about his fantastic American wagyu beef products from Black Hawk Farms that will surely be a highlight of the evening’s menu.
Speaking of the menu, here’s what they have planned for the dinner:
- Roman Pizza, mortadella and burrata, choice of Cardinale or Cosa Nostra wine
- Summer bean with beef tongue & salsa verde, Frascati Superiore DOCG People
- Beef bacon amatriciana, sun gold tomatoes, bucatini, Ro’si, Pinot Nero Rosato IGP
- Summer squash, pine nuts, torn herbs, crispy beef, spritz con Cynar
- Bone-in New York strip, family-style sides, Rosso DOC
The dessert and cocktails portion includes gelato, a doughnut hole and a choice of digestivo all’alloro or Sambuca con la mosca.
The dinner will be held in Pastaria’s private dining space. If you’d like to be part of the exclusive experience, call 615-915-1866 or email info@pastarianashville.com to make a reservation for the dinner which costs $135 per person. Don’t miss out on this chance to discover the future of this great restaurant!
