First the toilet paper vanished. Next it was everything in the soup and pasta aisles, including all the jarred marinara sauces and every shape of noodle except angel hair. Apparently, people don’t like angel hair, even when it’s literally the only thing left on the shelf.
And here we go again.
But if we learned anything from the first wave of pandemic hoarding and supply-chain disruptions, it’s this: The supply chain that keeps the shelves filled at grocery stores is different from the one that keeps our favorite restaurants stocked and ready to go. And because restaurants aren’t operating at full capacity, they often have staples to spare, like housemade bolognese and freshly cut bucatini.
Case in point: Cucina Enoteca, an Italian restaurant with locations in Irvine and Newport Beach. Their takeout and delivery menu features a pantry section that includes four of their housemade pasta sauces: San Marzano tomato sauce (basic marinara), bolognese (the classic meat sauce), amatriciana (tomato sauce with garlic and guanciale) and a heady short-rib ragu (with crimini mushrooms and carrots). I’ve tried them all and my favorite is the bolognese, which is probably better than my own longtime recipe that takes me all day to make from scratch. It tastes great on just about any kind of pasta. On the restaurant’s regular menu, they serve it with rigatoni.
They make all their pastas fresh, too, so everything from the rigatoni to the bucatini arrives still somewhat soft. You’ll need to cook it soon or else freeze it. Same for the sauces. The sauces start at $9 a pint; a bag of pasta, also $9. You can get it all delivered via Doordash, or you can order directly from the restaurant’s website (where they offer a few more choices and better prices) and pick it up yourself. Easiest pasta night ever.
Staying at home is getting old, but I’m ready to hunker down again. I’ve already stocked my freezer with several batches of bolognese and a variety of pasta shapes — and this time around I won’t be stuck eating angel hair.
Cucina Enoteca
Where: 951 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, 949-706-1416; 532 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine, 949-861-2222
When: Lunch and dinner daily
Online: urbankitchengroup.com
The Link LonkDecember 04, 2020 at 02:03AM
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Review: Easiest DIY pasta night ever - OCRegister
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