Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Wellesley’s Italian Accent
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After opening three Boston restaurants, chef and restaurateur Michael Schlow has proven his ability to deliver a sophisticated, contemporary version of many cuisines – French at Radius, Italian at Via Matta, and seafood at Great Bay. For his first foray into the suburbs, he could have plausibly tried anything, but he chose casual Italian.
Alta Strada, which opened in January in Wellesley, seems to have found the right formula for well-executed and affordable antipasti, pizzas, salads, pastas, and Italian wines. Its dining room attracts a lively crowd during lunch and dinner. A take-out market downstairs adds a convenience component to the business, with sandwiches and salads, plus prepared entrées and side dishes to heat at home.
“We didn’t want tablecloths,” says Schlow, explaining that he sought to keep the dining room informal. The décor is appropriately minimal – brick walls, blonde wood tables, a chalkboard above the bar. “A lot of plates are designed for sharing. You can make a smaller commitment to dining here than at a higher-end restaurant.”
Schlow, the sole owner of Alta Strada (he is a partner in his three Boston restaurants), conceptualized the menu. But with four restaurants to oversee, he generally only comes in long enough to “tweak, test, and taste” the dishes. Luis Morales, the director of culinary operations, runs the kitchen at Alta Strada. After growing up in East Boston and earning a culinary degree from Newbury College, Morales honed his expertise in Italian cooking as the chef de cuisine at Via Matta, and more recently, during a four-month stay in Italy.
“Italian food is so warm, welcoming, and simple,” says Morales, admitting he could eat a bowl of pasta every day and not get tired of it. The biggest challenge at Alta Strada, he says, is figuring out how to adapt the Italian tradition of using local, seasonal ingredients to the climate in New England.
“It’s extremely difficult here in the winter,” he says. “We have to go to the north of Italy for inspiration, to Milan and the Piedmont. In the summer, we can be inspired by foods in the southern part of Italy.”
The menu goes for regional dishes rather than American crowd-pleasers like spaghetti with meatballs. The antipasti ($5 each or three for $13) include the familiar eggplant caponata or marinated vegetables, as well surprises like a house-made ricotta cheese, or tender rings of chilled calamari tossed with chickpeas and celery. A main dish salad ($15) places pancetta-wrapped chicken on top of radicchio, with pine nuts and a Balsamic vinegar-honey dressing. Pasta dishes ($15 - $18) range from spaghetti with clams to the stuffed pasta “sacchetti” with prosciutto, leeks, and crushed pistachios. A slice of the rustic bread might be an eye-catching six inches wide, with olive oil on the side for dipping.
“A lot of our guests have dined in our other restaurants and live out here. They don’t have to go in the city for this kind of food,” says Morales, adding that one of the main surprises in running a suburban restaurant is the early rush at dinner. In Boston, the dining room may not fill up until 8 p.m.; in Wellesley, it might get crowded at 5:30 to accommodate families. Children can request a tomato-basil pizza or plain pasta, but there is no specific children’s menu.
With its own separate entrance, the market is poised to build up a steady business for people in search of a convenient meal that isn’t strictly restaurant take-out. “You can get all your proteins, starches, and vegetables here,” says Morales.
On a typical day, set out in the display case are dishes of marinated olives; chilled cauliflower with golden raisins and pine nuts; and grilled salmon topped with sliced kumquats. Also on display are loaves of bread, bags of raw pasta, and bottles of the specialty oils and vinegars used in the restaurant kitchen. A self-serve refrigerator stocks sandwiches, salads, and Italian sodas. Morales plans to put together individual packages of pasta, sauces, and cheese for people who want a head start on making dinner.
Schlow envisions Alta Strada as a prototype for other casual Italian restaurants, but if he’s picked out locations he’s not saying. His only comment on the subject: “I will stay in the Eastern Standard Time zone.”
Rigatoni with Soppressata, White Beans, Tomato, and Black Olives
Makes 2 generous servings
Michael Schlow says this pasta recipe exemplifies the simple style of cooking at Alta Strada.
8 ounces rigatoni
2 ounces (1/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons finely diced soppressata (see note)
1 pinch fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
2 cups canned whole tomatoes with their juices, passed through a hand-turned food mill, or crushed with the back of a spoon
1/2 cup cooked white cannellini beans, fresh or canned
10 Kalamata olives, rinsed in cold water, pitted, and quartered
4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
12 to 15 whole Italian parsley leaves
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and boil 7 to 9 minutes, until al dente, stirring from time to time to keep the rigatoni from sticking.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the soppressata and fry for 1 minute. Add the rosemary and a pinch each of salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Add the milled or crushed tomatoes, and cook for 4 minutes.
3. Stir in the white beans and olives. Cook for 3 more minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken and turn a darker red. Remove from the heat if it appears cooked.
4. When the pasta is ready (at about the same time as the sauce), drain it and add it to the saucepan. Cook the sauce and pasta together over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the pasta absorbs most of the sauce.
5. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper to taste. Add the cheese and parsley leaves. Toss for 30 seconds and serve.
Note: Soppressata is Italian pork salami. If you can’t find it, substitute hard Genoa salami.
Adapted from “It’s About Time” by Michael Schlow (Steerforth Press, 2005)
Rigatoni photograph coursesy of Shimon & Tammar
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