Beginning today - Friday, April 1 - Chef de Cuisine Julia Robinson will make a big appearance an energizing rundown of new-to spring menu things at Brigantessa. Made in a joint effort with Chef-Owner Joe Cicala, the spring menu is affected by their travels throw Southern Italy, and will transport visitors to Puglia, Basilicata and Campania. The whole Brigantessa group, including co-proprietors Francis Cratil-Cretarola and Cathy Lee, repeatedly spend time visiting the Italian region and bringing back taste's that move the eatery.
-
· Grilled Mozzarella in citrus leaves with roasted pepper gratinati
-
· Lobster Crudo with salmon roe, crispy fennel and blue basil
-
· Spanish Mackerel a Scapece with orange, olives, chili and celery leaves
Other dishes offer traditional and innovative takes on southern cuisine:
-
· The restaurant’s Antipasto “Della Casa” will include seasonal sformati (molded, savory dishes, somewhere between a souffle and flan), mixed olives with orange peel and rosemary, stracciatella (shredded, creamy mozzarella), cardoncelli mushrooms, and other rotating southern specialties
-
· Vegetable Ash Caserecci are tossed with spring vegetables, ramp pesto and cacioricotta (a sharp cheese, similar to a dried ricotta) a dish evocative of Puglia’s Salento Peninsula
-
· Blood Orange-Infused Spaghetti with sea urchin, Maine lobster and Fresno chile artfully transforms domestic ingredients into a vivid taste of the Pugliese coast
-
· Wood Oven-Braised Goat in Pignata with carrots, cippolini onions and potatoes baked in a terracotta and covered by a Neapolitan crust, from Matera, Basilicata
-
· Wagyu Ribeye will be grilled on a lava stone, as it is in Matera, and served with charred spring onions, long hots and mosto cotto
The restaurant will also add a seasonal pizza: Primavera, with mozzarella di bufala, ramps, prosciutto and Meyer lemon, a traditional dish that is also a nod to some of the flavors of spring in the mid-Atlantic. Additional spring dishes will be available as regular menu items and as Chef Robinson’s daily specials throughout the season.
About Brigantessa… Brigantessa is an authentic Southern Italian forneria and Neapolitan pizzeria. Since opening, the restaurant has quickly earned praise for their exceptional cooking and inviting atmosphere. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Craig LaBan wrote that their pizzas “are special…Brigantessa’s back-to-roots approach reconnects a missing link of Philadelphia’s rich Italian heritage with a menu inspired by the pre-‘red gravy’ cuisine those émigrés left behind – deftly updated with sharp execution and great local ingredients,” in his resoundingly positive “Three Bells: Excellent” review. Foobooz.com called the restaurant “warm” and “appealing” and Eater.com previously nominated Brigantessa for “Philly’s Hottest Newcomer of 2014” and Chef-Owner Joe Cicala for “Chef of the Year,” calling the restaurant “bustling…equally traditional and on-trend.”
