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Organic Italian
Escopazzo’s Food Was
Always Delicious; Now It’s Healthier Too
Hominy? In Italian food? It appears we get more from hominy than
just grits.
 Owner
and Executive Chef
Giancarla Bodoni
By Mark Goldberg
You may have noticed something different in the past
two years, at Escopazzo, the Italian treasure on Washington Avenue.
Then again, you may not have, unless your taste buds are so finely
tuned that you can tell the difference between standard foods and
the organic meats, fish and produce that now go into the preparation
of owner/executive chef Giancarla Bodoni’s dishes.
Don’t confuse the preceding statement with natural
foods. Escopazzo is far from a sprouts and wheat germ restaurant.
There’s still the prosciutto, gamberoni, calamari and ravioli.
Although the foie gras is gone for “humanitarian reasons.” And some
of the pastas have been paired with fascinating partners.
What has this done for the restaurant? On our Friday
night visit, every table in both rooms was filled and turned over.
Some twice. In the past 13 years, the crowds still consider
Escopazzo the place to go.
The evening began with an Eggplant and Goat Cheese
appetizer ($15). The thin slice of melanzane was marked on
the grill, then wrapped around goat cheese, in the shape of a small
cigar. Large tubes and baby calamari were strewn around the
eggplant, offering a nice contrasting texture, while a light cherry
tomato sauce completed the dish. A mint leaf rested in the corner,
but offered so much more when eaten with the heady goat cheese,
which it muted and lightened.
There is no healthier meat on the planet than ostrich,
with its zero body fat. And Bodoni plays her Ostrich Carpaccio ($17)
to the hilt by pepper-crusting the meat before slicing, then
marinating it in capers and lemon sauce before placing it on
ciabatta toast and topping it with shaved fennel, baby organic
arugula and sliced Parmigiano.
There really is a “Raw Foods” section on the Escopazzo
menu these days. We chose a Carrot Fettuccine ($15). No pasta here.
The carrots — orange, red and white, all from Homestead — were
sliced like tagliatelle noodles. The “sauce” was a puree of ginger,
almonds and a little mint with a touch of raw apple cider vinegar.
Tart, sweet and with an al dente snap, health food lovers will go
for this. Of course, there is a genuine pasta section and the
Ravioli ($23) was intoxicating. Large homemade pillows of pasta,
perfectly prepared, were stuffed with a blend of ricotta,
caramelized pears, onion, sage, honey and nutmeg. It was sweet
versus savory with the sweet winning out. However, the sage and
butter sauce was a tad salty, surprisingly, distracting from the
pear’s sweetness.
Tilefish ($32) eat lobsters and other crustaceans. In
turn we noticed a lobster-like flavor in our tilefish, proving the
axiom “you are what you eat.” While the fleshy white meat of our
tile was slightly overcooked, the broth of clams, spec (smoked
pancetta) and hominy was a nice addition. Hominy? In Italian food?
It appears we get more from hominy than just grits.
The
process of converting maize into hominy changes some of the niacin
and other B vitamins into a form more absorbable by the body. It
improves the availability of the amino acids, and supplements the
calcium content. It’s another dimension of Bodoni’s organic
conversion.
Kurubuda Pork Chop ($36) comes from one of the world’s leading pork
farms, in Hawaii. Our meaty, tender chop was pancetta-wrapped before
grilling and served with a rosemary-spiced white peach confiture and
a sweet mash courtesy of whole corn kernels.
If you’re not certain what to order, go with the five-
or seven-course tasting menu ($65-$85). You can even pair it with an
equal number of wines ($85 - $105). But, whatever you do, don’t miss
Mama Bodoni’s Tiramisu. Giancarla’s mother-in-law has been making
her one-of-a-kind tiramisu every day for the past 13 years. There is
none better in its taste or simplicity. And there’s nothing organic
about it.
Comments? E-mail
letters@miamisunpost.com.
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Organic Italian
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ADDRESS: 1311
Washington Ave., Miami Beach
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PHONE:
305-674-9450
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HOURS: Dinner
from 6 p.m. until midnight, 1 a.m. on weekends. Closed Mondays.
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FOOD: Italian
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SERVICE: Skilled
and personable
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PRICES:
Appetizers $12 to $24, entrées from $17 - $36
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WINES: A
deserving list of true Italians from every region
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ATMOSPHERE:
Inviting as a country cottage
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RESERVATIONS:
Suggested
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CREDIT CARDS: All
major credit cards
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