Valentine’s Specials

Call for reservations at (214) 618 1991

Seatings available at 5 PM, 7 PM, and 9 PM

Lobster salad with Lemoncello Vinagrette

Parmesan crusted Sea Scallops with Farro ai Porcini

 

14 oz Manhattan Steak with Asiago sauce

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Trattoria al Giardino and San Felice Agricola are hosting a Wine Dinner the night of Tuesday November 18^th at 6:30 PM. The menu include four courses paired with four wines from the San Felice Vineyards in Tuscany

San Felice US Ambassador, Francesco Riviera,  will be present as a guest speaker during the event to explain the featured wines and respond to your questions.

Reservations only, seats are limited

call at  214 – 618 – 1991

$60 per person, plus tax, plus 20% service charge.

See the menu here

About San Felice Agricola            

Like every locale in this land that boasts ancient cultural roots, San Felice too offers material evidence that goes back to the region’s Etruscan origins. But it was in the 10th century that documents emerge that show the Pieve San Felice in Pincis, dedicated to the martyr San Felice da Nola, as one of the oldest Chianti-area foundations. Its properties and the medieval borgo that grew up around the church experienced the same historical vicissitudes as the surrounding areas. They passed through various types of control, from that of the religious orders to that of powerful local families, a case in point being the Sienese Cerretani family, whose oversight lasted until the 19th century. The Del Taja family then assumed control, and turned the estate into a highly successful enterprise, right into the first half of the 20th century, their prestige symbolised by the fact that they were among the founders of the Consorzio del Chianti Classico,with its famous black rooster logo.

After the Second World War, however, San Felice went through a period of decline, along with the entire Chianti region. But its fortunes turned with its acquisition in 1968 by a large financial group, and then in 1978, when it was acquired by RAS.

Enzo Morganti, a far-sighted manager with long experience in growing sangiovese, launched in that year the re-structuring of the enterprise and its transformation from an entity largely focused on quantity to one fully dedicated to high quality. He laid the foundations as well for systematic scientific research, which was initially directed at developing the full potential of the sangiovese variety.

Today, Agricola San Felice, widely recognised for its innovative approach and for uncompromising quality, has achieved remarkable success, as well as business performance, as its growth in the Italian and global markets has made clear.

more at www.agricolasanfelice.com

Insalata Caprese and Buffalo Mozzarella

But what makes Giardino’s Caprese so good is the authentic imported Italian Mozzarella di Buffala.

You may have heard of it before, but do you really know why is it called like that?

Areas of production

In Italy, the cheese is produced in almost all nation using Italian buffalo‘s milk and type with official name by Government Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP is produced in areas ranging from Rome in Lazio to Paestum near Salerno in Campania, and there are production areas in province of Foggia, Puglia and inVenafro, Molise.^[1] Buffalo mozzarella is a €300m ($430m) a year industry in Italy, which produces around 33,000 tonnes of it every year, with 16 percent sold abroad (mostly in the European Union). France and Germany are the main importers, but sales to Japan and Russia are expanding. 

Apart from Italy, its birthplace, buffalo mozzarella is manufactured in many locations around the world. There are producers in Switzerland,^[3] the United States,^[4][5][6][7] Australia,^[8]Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Venezuela, Argentina, the United Kingdom, near Macroom in Ireland, Spain, Colombia,^[9] Thailand,^[10] Israel, Egypt,^[11] India^[12] and South Africa,^[13]all using milk from their own herds of water buffaloes. Some scientists believe that Italy and Bulgaria have the best dairy water buffaloes.^[14]“In ancient times, the buffalo was a familiar sight in the countryside, since it was widely used as a draught animal in ploughing compact and watery terrains, both because of its strength and the size of its hooves, which do not sink too deeply into moist soils.”^{[citation needed]}References to cheese products made from water buffalo milk appeared for the first time at the beginning of the twelfth century.^{[citation needed]} Buffalo mozzarella became widespread throughout the south of Italy from the second half of the eighteenth century, before which it had been produced only in small quantities.^[22]Production in and around Naples was briefly interrupted during World War II, when retreating German troops slaughtered the area’s water buffalo herds, yet commenced a few years after the armistice was signed.^{[23][24][25][26]}
 

Production stages[edit]

“The richness of buffalo milk makes it highly suitable for processing. To produce 1 kg of cheese, a cheese maker requires 8 kg of cow milk but only 5 kg of buffalo milk. Producing 1 kg of butter requires 14 kg of cow milk but only 10 kg of buffalo milk. Because of these high yields, processors appreciate the value of buffalo milk.”.^[11]The steps required to produce buffalo mozzarella are the following:^[27][28]

• Milk storage (raw buffalo milk stored in big steel containers).
• Milk heating (thermic treatment to the liquid, then poured into a cream separator).
• Curdling (by introduction of natural whey).
• Curd maturation (the curd lies in tubs to reduce the acidifying processes and reach a pH value of about 4.95).
• Spinning (hot water is poured on the curd to soften it, obtaining pasta filata).
• Shaping (with special rotating shaper machines).
• Cooling (by immersion in cold water).
• Pickling (by immersion in pickling tubs containing the original whey).
• Packaging (in special films cut as bags or in small basins and plastic).

Extracted from  Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Thank you Sandra for taking the time to share your experience at Trattoria al Giardino

From:   http://sandra5dotcom.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/new-italian-restaurant-in-frisco-definitely-worth-a-try/

2010 Italian Rosso di Montalcino, a velvety smooth red

We recently tried a new dining option in Frisco, the Trattoria al Giardino located at Hwy 121 and Legacy in Frisco. We arrived on a Saturday with a 7 pm reservation, and the restaurant was buzzing with folks enjoying the warm ambience of the dining area. At that point, the Trattoria had only been open a week, and like any new restaurant, we expected some hiccups. There were just some minor ones, related to service, but overall, once the kinks and the “opening jitters” are worked out, the service will likely be impeccable.

Now to the best part – the food and wine. Our group of four ordered the clams cooked in a white wine sauce, which, in my humble opinion, were the best of the four apps we had. We also tried the carpaccio, which was served with slices of parmesan cheese on a bed of greens. Not the traditional way to serve carpaccio (I’m partial to the capers/aioli sauce version), but it was an interesting take on the dish. We also tried the calamari, fried and tasty, served with the red sauce you’d expect, and embellished with slivers of fried artichoke (a nice touch). We also had the mussels, which were initially brought to our table by mistake (instead of the clams), but the error was immediately corrected, and the attentive manager told us to enjoy the mussels, and then the clams were brought over right away. The mussels were fabulous, served in a small black pot, steaming hot and sitting in a buttery sauce – which then of course was quite suitable for dipping the focaccia bread into. Really good stuff!

Each of the entrees were served up promptly, and my “Vitello al Limone” – the veal scaloppini with white wine, capers, and lemon – was tender and delectable. Served with a side of roasted zucchini, potatos and carrots, the veal was light and very flavorful, with the hint of lemony capers adding a zesty flair. My husband ordered the Osso Bucco, which arrived on a bed of lovely risotto. He gave me a bite of both, and both the meat and the risotto were fabulous. I went back for several forkfuls of the risotto.

The entire meal was accompanied by a super Italian red wine – a 2010 Rosso di Montalcino. Velvety smooth, yet bold, it was the perfect accompaniment to all of our entrees. Last but not least, the four of us split the Tiramisu. My husband has made this dessert for our family, so I’m slightly partial to his, but Trattoria’s version was quite enjoyable and served artistically with a cocoa powder outline of a spoon and fork decorating the plate.

All in all, we had great time at Trattoria al Giardino, and I’d recommend stopping by. Make a reservation because it’s likely going to stay busy.”

 

We spent most of our summer working on a couple big projects this year! First, we completely renovated the interior and exterior spaces at the restaurant. And second, we perfected all the signature dishes that are now found on our lunch and dinner menus.  

Each signature dish on our menu, was inspired by the freshest and finest ingredients available including; the ripest tomatoes, the best olive oils, and finest Italian flour. The renovations we made to the dining room, kitchen and patio area were all inspired by our namesake.  For those who are new, (äl-jar-dē-no) Al Girardino means “in the garden” And, that’s exactly what we provide!  The best ingredients available, served in a comfortable and cozy garden-like atmosphere, that captures the heart and soul of what you love most about Italy is what you’ll find here.

Check out the signature dishes that we’ve added to the menu:

Veal Limone: Veal scaloppini pan seared with olive oil lemon juice and white wine and cappers. Served with veggie and potato of the day.

Veal Siciliana: veal scaloppini pan seared topped with fresh tomato sauce, grilled eggplant and fresh mozzarella, finished with basil.

Pollo Parmigiana: Brest of chicken crusted with parmigiana cheese, fried and topped with fresh mozzarella. Served with side of spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce.

Risotto Pescatora: Arborio rice sautéed with combination of mussels,clams,calamri, and shrimp with homemade fish stock and light tomato sauce.

Rigatoni Bolognese: Rigatoni with classic Italian meat sauce.

Papparddelle al Pomodoro: Wide flat pasta with fresh tomato sauce,garlic and basil.

Gnocchi Gorgonzola: Homemade potato dumplings in a cream sauce with melted gorgonzola and parmigiana.