Fantastic Collezione Menu from Mark Ladner

Last week I went to taste the second Collezione of Mark Ladner at Del Posto.

Mark has created something fantastic! Like every respectable collection, each season brings something new and exciting. With Mark’s Collezione, it is not only the combination of food and wine that makes it fantastic – it is the food, wine and china – I love that!

Mark Ladner is a "biblioteca". The knowledge that Mark has about Italy, its food, history and culture is visible throughout the entire Collezione, down to the head of the tuna, Ginori plates and vintage implements of service. The difference between Mark and most chefs cooking Italian, is that Mark investigates and is more knowledgeable than most the other chef – whether Italian or not. Italian cooking is his passion and I think that because he is not Italian, he researches and learns about everything Italian to make sure his food is more authentic. And it is! Mark’s passion, combined with the infrastructure, brain trust and resources at Del Posto make his new Collezione . . . True Italian cooking!
The Collezione started with Pane Filone hot pot with Vittorio Cassini 2010 (the extra virgin olive oil). I recognized the pot that Mark brought to the table from afar as a vintage Alessi pot, designed by Marchesi. The bread(baked in the pot) came out of the oven just 2 minutes before. In front of the table he took the bread out of the pot, and ripped it with his hands and put in on my plate. Then Mark came with a small bowl with dusty stuff, that he told me was frozen extra virgin olive oil. This was the first time in my life that I saw dry, extra virgin olive oil from Liguria, that was frozen! I think that he chose the olive oil from Liguria because they produce delicate oils. So on top of the hot bread he put the frozen oil. As I waited for the oil COMING BACK LIQUID, I smelled all the flavor from the oil on the bread, and I ate it with my hands. There were no utensils on the table. I ate it all.
I started to understand the beginning of the Collezione. The plate for the bread was from Richard Ginori, plates that all the Kings in Italy have. So at this point I started to see what the menu is about – it is not only the food, but vintage pots, 1880 Richard Ginori plates, Masa Italian linens, and the glasses designed especially for Del Posto. The next course was Pinzimonio in Bagna Caoda. Bagna caoda is a traditional dish from Piemonte. But here Mark served a non-traditional type of bagna caoda with ingredients they don’t have in Piemonte like beefy jerky, pretzels, cheddar cheese and black truffles – it was very good and very interesting because still there were no utensils.
The Soft Scrambled Eggs were served on more very rare china from Richard Ginori, this time the Museo collection. The eggs had the garlic anchioves sauce from the bagna caoda, with caviar and were so soft and the combination put together was fantastic. Mark spoke a lot about this dish, but I was more interested to drink the wine than care about the perfect combination that he put on the plate. The wine was Alteni di Brassica, 2007, one of the most prestigious Italian wine producers(Gaya).
When the Wild Black Bass in Moorish Spices arrived, it was presented to the table in another beautiful vintage copper pot from Alessi shaped in an oval. On top of the pot was the fried skins of bass. When Mark presented this, I first thought the fried skins were the dish itself because the skin was so good. But instead Mark opened the pot and there was a whole bass, the length of the pot. The pot was built specifically to cook fish(was a Pesciera). Then he took the pot away, and returned with the fish flaked in small pieces in a vintage stainless steel round bowl (by Alessi), that was shallow, light and beautiful. Inside was the bass with sweet clams and a spiced flavor. The fish was paired with a Rose from Moltepulciano d’Abruzzo.

With the Insalata Caprese with Testina di Tonno, I tasted the head of the tuna fish in an incredible way. When I closed my eyes and ate the tuna, in my mouth I felt and tasted the head of the fish, and the cheek of the fish, because the head had so much flavor and is the best part of the animal. Mark made and canned the tuna fish him self. The burrata tasted like it arrived from Italy that morning. And the tomatoes were so sweet, like candy, and I ate the vine too.

This combination and the colors, it was amazing. Mark’s interpretation with Italian food – it is a classic example of True Italian cooking because the burrata is a product imported from Italy, and served with a local product.

It was almost spiritual - the incredible combination of these dishes – the fact that the tuna tasted like I was eating the head of the fish and the burrata and tomato, and the choice of the sparkling Rose.

The Fonduta e Robiola Anellini with Black Truffles and Vacca Rossa (the cheese) was fun. The intention of this dish was to pick the anellini ring up with your finer and run in through the cheese and black truffles. The anellini was shaped like an engagement ring.
The 100 Layer Lasagna is 50 layers of ragu that is cooked for 6 hours and 50 layers of pasta. Again, the dish came on plates from Richard Ginori.
Before Mark served the next course of Bigoli con Anatra and Goose Liver, he brought out friulian style polenta and poured it on top of a marble table and let it sit while I ate the bigoli.
This traditional pasta (by Tony) was made with duck. It was a whole-wheat pasta made with the torchio, a typical instrument for making pasta in Veneto. Tony grated the frozen liver over the pasta. I loved the liver, it was fantastic! And the pasta was so "scrunchy" – like when it has a bite but it’s not crunchy – it’s perfect!
The dish, Veal in Ash with Grass and Corn, was served in 2 stages. The veal itself was dusted in powdered hardwood charcoal then grilled to 100 degrees. The kidney is cooked in its own fat. Alongside the veal at the table, Mark had a sauce made from osso bucco in a copper pot. He plated the set polenta, sliced the veal and finished with the vinogrette of osso buco made with the same Barolo we were drinking! Bergadano Barolo “Sarmassa” 01
Then he served the polenta crusty from the inside of the cast iron vessel, made with only water and extra virgin olive oil. It made a crunchy chip, and he served it on top of tall grass, with the kidney condiment. The picture is beautiful.
I was introduced to the start of the desserts by Brooks and Mark sat at the table to join me. The Salt Baked Pineapple was the first of five desserts and began with the international symbol of hospitality, salt roasted with spices and frozen yogurt. The peel was soaked in spices and dipped in Greek yogurt and frozen. A perfect segway to the dessert courses.

The Eggplant Costata with Sheeps Milk Ricotta Straciatella and Chocolate Olive Oil was a trip into Naples. It was nice because it was equally savory and sweet. And the ricotta ice cream was the best I’ve ever had – even in Italy. It was fantastic.
The Tree di Cacao was so sexy and the Tangerines on ice were very good, along with Lidia’s Fregolotta. The way they finished the Collezione with dry cookies, and the juice of the fruit all over the table, it was so Italian – this is what it is like in Italy.

The sequence of the dishes was great too. I ate the chocolate and was so full. And then the tangerines, it made my mouth ready to eat more chocolate – because the tangerines were soft with acidity and the chocolate was crispy. The dried cookies were the perfect way to finish.
The Service of café alla Neapolitan was being prepared from the start of the desserts. I know, because I smelt it! They whipped a splash of the coffee with sugar in front of me and it was delicious.

This Collezione by Mark Ladner is what I mean when I talk about True Italian cooking, and was the perfect way to start my first note on this blog!