PastaBAR Continued: Townie Food at its Best
By Molly Cerreta Smith, Guest Blogger, Foodies Like Us
If you read my previous article on PastaBAR, you’ll remember that my husband and I dined there the night of the Fresh event, therefore we wanted to try the specially prepared three-course meal that Chef Wade Moises created in collaboration with the movie’s farm to table theme.
It was dynamic. However, the regular menu was far too enticing to pass up entirely, so we decided to order a few additional items to sample.
We started with the fritto misto – a delightful selection of fried garden vegetables including green beans, cauliflower, fennel bulbs, turnips and baby carrots – and the buffalo mozzarella, basil pesto, and heirloom tomatoes with anchovies. Each dish was clean and simple, letting the food really speak for itself. The freshness revealed itself in each delicious bite.
Fab Fritto Misto!
While I enjoyed the second course of the Fresh event tasting menu, my husband dove into the fettuccini tagliatta with charred rib-eye, arugula, cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, and Parmigiano. This dish was to die for, and I found myself stealing forkfuls from his bowl more often than I care to admit. So yummy.
Fettuccini Tagliatta -- Get your own!
We also had to sample the slow roasted pork shoulder, which was juicy and flavorful. This also happened to be the spark that ignited Chef Wade on this night.
The pork shoulder is visibly tender!
When he came to our table to say hello, I didn’t know quite what to expect. Some chefs are shy; some are arrogant. Chef Wade was a bit reserved… that is until we complimented him on his pork and my husband mentioned that he is a competitive barbequer. Suddenly something was unleashed within him, and he was talking a mile-a-minute. Smoking meat happens to be his second favorite way to cook, so the next thing you know he and my husband were talking meat, sharing vendor selections and trading cards. He revealed his busy schedule – maintaining the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, and owning and operating PastaBAR. I’m not sure the man had gotten a full night sleep in weeks, and it seemed clear that he was running on adrenaline – and possibly a lot of caffeine.
He also shared with us his inspiration for the PastaBAR menu: the small towns in Italy where he lived and worked. “They call it ‘townie’ food,” he shared. The idea of preparing fresh food from local vendors isn’t an anomaly in Italy as it is here, however. “It’s just the way it is there,” he explained.
In addition to the cultural tutelage he received while cooking in Italy, Chef Wade also worked in New York City with famed Chef Mario Batali. He served as sous-chef/chef di cuisine at Batali’s Lupa Osteria Romana, and, of course, you’ll remember that he served as executive chef of north Scottsdale’s Sassi prior to opening PastaBAR, so it’s no coincidence that pasta is his passion. And that passion is evident in every dish presented at PastaBAR, and in Chef Moises himself!
