Published: April 25, 2003
Asiago's Downtown matches sophistication to inventive menu
By Gordon Kio
Special to The
Idaho Statesman
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Mark
Wilkerson stirs up some flames during dinnertime at Asiago's Downtown. |
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Elk
meat, dish name "braciola" (left) and pan-seared pork loin chop,
dish name "carne." |
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Facts |
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The feel of Asiago´s Downtown is young, modern and adventurous. It´s not at all what you´d expect if you´ve been to Asiago´s Ristorante in West Boise. Downtown is the city sophisticated counterpart to its Cole Road country cousin. This is precisely what they´re going for.
The space feels contemporary, despite spare use of some traditional decorative elements. The main dining area is long and narrow, squeezed in between an original brick wall and another with faux shuttered windows whose Mediterranean blue contrasts nicely against the warm, parchment finished walls. Coiled grape vine trimmings swirl lazily down one wall while casually strung Christmas lights glow from above. The three plum tables are located near the entrance and look out storefront windows onto Main Street.
The tables are covered with brown butcher paper, on which servers plunk down the house-made, rosemary-tinged bread and its accompanying oil and balsamic. I like the paper thing. Its informality puts a spaz like me at ease.
The cuisine, like the interior, is contemporary, but built within a traditional framework. Co-owner Jason Driver (his brother Christopher is the other half) describes the cuisine as Italian inspired. This means the kitchen is riffing off traditional Italian recipes. Taking liberties with classics. Interpretations are creative, but not so freeform as the restaurant´s previous incarnation, Conundrum. It seems putting the menu within a single context, Italian, has given focus.
The Salmoni Curati ($8.95) is a little something chef David Knickrehm picked up on a trip to Rome. A hint of sugar and touch of dill render the salmon similar to gravlax. Unlike gravlax, where the salmon is salt-cured, this fish is acid-cooked with a mix of vinegars. Because of this preparation, Chef Knickrehm likens it to ceviche. The inclusion of fried pasta chips reinforces this similarity with the Latin American classic and its use of tortillas. An overgenerous quantity of chips dwarfed the portion of tasty salmon, making the impression that the salmon portion was small and marring what could be an elegant presentation.
A pumpkin gnocchi ($7.25) in pistachio-basil pesto with lingonberries sounded so out there that I had to try it. It was surprisingly pumpkin-y and the sweetness of the berries (actually a conserve) melded with the pumpkin while simultaneously contrasting with the savory pesto. This is a popular item for the restaurant.
The most significant way that Downtown´s menu differs from the Ristorante´s is its offering of Principale (main courses). We Yankees tend to think of pasta as a main course and this is generally the case at Cole Road Asiago´s. However, pasta in Italy is part of the build up (Secondo) and is presented as such downtown (it still can be a meal).
Principale come in the form of various meats, fish, chicken and a very nice veggie Napoleon ($14.95). If you don´t order the pollo ($14.95) here, you´ll miss one of the most succulent chicken preparations around. They sauté a chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto and wild mushroom and finish it in the oven. Juice literally burst from it with the first application of a knife. The accompanying polenta was on the dry side, but a very fresh-tasting tomato puree was a good resuscitator. The pesce ($16.95), or grilled salmon with lemon-dill crème fraiche, was also well prepared, although its side of almond braised greens was also a bit arid.
The Il Fungo Selvaggio (13.95) with its wide, lasagne-like noodles (called maltagliati, or "badly cut") is a pasta standout. It features a rich earthy sauce with button mushrooms, shiitake, portobellos and gorganzola. I thought I picked up on a touch of pancetta adding a smoky note too.
For a closer, they offer an excellent flourless chocolate-espresso torte ($5) with fresh raspberry coulis drizzled over it. Neither too dense nor too goopy it was almost NY cheesecake-like.
Prices are very reasonable for the work that goes into each meal here. There were a couple flaws, and a couple snores, but overall Asiago´s Downtown is a real pleasure.
OTHER SAMPLINGS
Suppli (Fried risotto balls) --$8.50
Bruschetta -- $6.95
Half Caesar salad -- $4.50
Half Panzanella (bread salad) -- $6.75
Mediterraneo (spinach fettuccine with artichoke, caper and feta) -- $11.95
Trout special with risotto and wild mushrooms -- $19