Italian with friends
Ristorante Di Sopra launches social hours (and Andiamo Catering) + more food & drink news
Ristorante Di Sopra just launched a house social hour from 4-6 p.m., Sundays through Thursdays. Catch special $8, $12 and $15 small plates plus wine, cocktail and mocktail specials. As well, the eatery has expanded its hours to seven days a week, with new weekly specials starting on Tuesdays. Also, Chef/Owner Franco Pisani launched Andiamo Catering in May. Partnering with him in that venture is Lindsey Truitt, nine-year company employee and Sopra and older sister outfit Paravicini's Italian Bistro’s consigliere. If that mafia term for her title amuses you, just know that Pisani’s ringtone on his phone is the Godfather theme-song. I know this because I was sitting next to him when it rang during a media preview at the social hour earlier this week.
I spoke with both Pisani and Truitt as well as Chef de Cuisine Matthew Maher during the preview to learn more about the “why-now” aspect of the newly launched services. And our group of invitees was graciously treated to a beautiful spread of sample plates which legitimately wowed us. I last had nice things to say about Sopra’s fine spreads back during its July 2020 relaunch, and I’d praised Paravicini’s progress at its 10-year mark. The outfit’s celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Congratulazioni!
Before we get into the food descriptors and pretty food presentations, I want to share more info from my interviews and what Pisani told our group. He firstly said he’s calling this a social hour instead of a happy hour because “it’s more about spending time together than just getting a deal.” He said he’s never discounted anything before because “I feel that it cheapens who you are.” (He clarifies that he did attempt a happy hour that only lasted a week, because it was just prior to the Covid pandemic shutdown, so he’s not really counting that.) That’s why the social hour menu is broken into a few modest price tiers instead of featuring percentages off of existing items.
Pisani says he had also tried catering when he first opened Paravicini’s “but we got too busy and the operation got too big.” So he scaled back to selling larger sheet pans of products for pickup. Still now, the eateries kitchens aren’t designed for catering, so Andiamo acquired prep space nearby off Bott Avenue. Truitt, who was a catering director for six years prior to her time with Pisani, says they’ve been getting so many frequent requests for catering that launching Andiamo was a no-brainer business-sense-wise. She also does the company’s accounting, she tells me, so she knows the numbers they’re capable of. Since its May 15 launch, Andiamo’s already completed 15 contracts with as many more already in the queue in the coming months. Andiamo’s fleet includes a mobile kitchen and beverage cart built-out for full espresso service, plus a gelato cart that Pisani describes as “like an El Camino with gelato coolers.”
Ok, now back to the new social hour menu. With the new dishes, “we’ve kept traditional to our style of food,” Pisani says. “We’re sticking with the classics…. I’ve never been a trendy guy. I’ve always done whatever I wanted to.”
The simplest of the social hour snacks is a chips and dip, with thick and crisp house chips and a roasted garlic Alfredo sauce. Easy, what’s not to like? Next we have stuffed mushrooms that Pisani jokes were on every menu back in the 80s and 90s; a throwback, made with a blend of ricotta, Parmesan, Romano and mozzarella, which is handmade in house daily.
Then comes a Napolitano dish: Clams Posillipo, made with pancetta, onions, tomatoes and garlic in a lemon-white wine broth. Yeah, you’re gonna wanna mop that broth up with the house focaccia in particular. Following the clams, we’ve got “our spin on poutine,” says Pisani, meaning the french fries and cheese curds are out, replaced by fried polenta with house mozzarella and burrata, with Venetian duck ragu as the kicker. This is one of the $12 items; you should definitely get it; it’s super hearty and satisfying, with a little cinnamon lacing as the sexy, not-so-secret ingredient.
What’s next? Bangin’ braised beef sliders and a lavish lobster roll (each $15). The former start with beef that braises in Chianti for six to eight hours, receiving a caramelized onion and roasted garlic “smear” topping. Pisani’s preferred lobster roll isn’t New England style, but Connecticut style, meaning just warmed lobster meat and melted butter on a soft, Texas toast-thick New England bun. It’s excellent, served with a mini side salad for fresh, acidic offset.
I ask Chef de Cuisine Matthew Maher more about the menu’s overall composition. He’s been with Sopra a year, having worked over the past 15 years at many fine places in town, including the Swiss Chalet and Peppertree, Springs Orleans, Tapateria and Chiba Bar. He calls Sopra’s menu (including this social hour section) “Franco’s food through my lens.” He says it’s Pisani’s “ethos and guidance, but with my touches and my vision at the end of the day.” He notes being a true scratch kitchen; Sopra makes fresh pastas and their own breads plus soft cheeses and desserts.
Sopra’s sweets selections are pretty stunning overall, with a wide variety of flavor profiles. Yes, you can order vanilla ice cream with the vegan tart if you don’t eat plant-based and want to accentuate its berries and chocolate. And the limoncello mascarpone cheesecake holds a beautiful, rich texture with a tart limoncello curd and toasted meringue. The java-lover’s cappuccino chiffon cake with coffee buttercream is tall enough to cast its own shadow in the late day sun pouring into Sopra’s inviting rooftop patio. And the most interesting of the batch, the cantaloupe panna cotta with cantaloupe jelly and granita with a salty prosciutto (a play of the familiar prosciutto and melon mingle plate appetizer).
Lastly, Sopra’s house bartenders are also having fun making special cocktails ($10) and mocktails ($5) daily. I try a rather-sweet and beach-y Tropical Heat mocktail with pineapple and lime juices, peach syrup and coconut milk, served with a salt and chile rim. Sopra’s White Negroni rendition kills the Campari and sweet vermouth in favor of softer Lillet Blanc and Cocchi Americano Bianco Italian aperitif with a rosemary garnish; it sips fresh and aromatic. The Limoncello Spritz blends prosecco and limoncello and floats mini scoops of lemon sorbet on top for somewhat of a liquid dessert and definite hot day refresher.
Tip tip hooray!
Side Dish readers, you have one week left to check out the Schnip’s Pick June cut of the month at Ranch Foods Direct. It’s Callicrate tri-tip with Gather Food Studio’s Memphis-Style Mustard Rub. It’s a delicious barbecue recipe. Remember, you can pick up the tri-tip roast and Gather’s fresh spice blend at both RFD retail market locations, and Side Dish’s free subscribers get 5% off their total market purchase. My paid subscribers get the same plus a *one-time* free pound of 80/20 ground beef. Please take advantage of this perk to show support for all three of our businesses. And play the short, 40-second video below to see why Ranch Foods Direct’s regenerative ranching practices and humanely raised livestock make for a much better meat choice for the environment as well as a higher quality end product for the consumer.
Chicken run
I’ve always favorited local indie outfits over commercial restaurant chains in my reporting, but I do tend to at least acknowledge newbies to our marketplace. It turns out I actually have some personal history with Chicken Salad Chick, which grand opens Wednesday, June 28 at 5660 Barnes Road.
Why? Because it was launched in Auburn, Alabama, not far from where I grew up in Birmingham. That was in 2008, and the company has since grown to more than 225 locations in 17 states. I didn’t know anything about them until last year, when on a visit home, we drove between B’ham and the Gulf Coast and my dad insisted we stop at a CSC for lunch. Though he has a great food sensibility about him (and properly warned us about a newly opened barbecue spot in B’ham that we tested anyway, indeed finding it to be totally disappointing) I was a little skeptical at this CSC eatery just off the side of a rural highway. A whole brand built around an item I associate with school cafeteria and simple potlucks and backyard cookouts: chicken salad? How good could it be?
Well, not only did we wolf down a meal on site, but we left with several to-go tubs of various flavors to stock our cooler with for easy snacks on the beach. If I recall correctly, I think we got the lemon-basil, cranberry-almond and a jalapeño salad. Suffice to say, I had to admit they were nicely flavored and a quality product understandably fit for mass production; a simple enough concept to scale.
According to a press release I requested, the first CSC location in Colorado opened this past March in Greeley. This C. Springs location is brought to us by local franchise owners Kirsten and David Garrett and Kirsten’s mother Judy DeVincentis. The trio also founded FirstLight Home Care, a caregiving provider. Apparently they have plans for two more CSC locations around our area. Kristen, a Colorado native, was an Air Force engineer for almost a decade and was stationed in Alabama, where she became a CSC fan, hence her interest in bringing the franchise here.
Small bites and haps
• Another Alabama-based chain — this time out of Mobile — is coming to the Springs, soon. Rock N Roll Sushi looks set for a mid July opening at 7875 Silicon Heights, off Constitution Avenue and Marksheffel Road. The company launched in 2010 and has since grown to more than 50 locations mostly located in the Southeast. With the rock n’ roll theme, they play up an “amplified dining experience” (get it?) and “big, bold and loud” flavors. Sushi rolls on the menu have names like the Pyro Roll, Axl Roll, Metalhead Roll and … wait for it … Sweet Home Alabama Roll.
• Summa is hosting a free Summa Solstice Block Party all day (starting at 10 a.m.) on Saturday, June 24. There’s going to be a local artisans market, live music, a cornhole tournament, raffles, guest taps from Atrevida, Cerebral and Lady Justice breweries and of course, Summa’s awesome food. The event benefits Inside Out Youth Services.
• It’s been widely reported that Casa Bonita will finally begin serving diners this upcoming weekend, on June 23 and 24, as well as from June 29 to July 1. This is the limited ticket rollout with a timed visit, apparently. So it’s not the true grand reopening to the general public just yet. I must say it’s the most hyped and cautious restaurant rollout I’ve yet experienced in my food-writing career. It would seem they really do want to ensure a new era of quality and consistency, as I was told during my earlier tour. That, or they just want to continue building a lot of buzz and anticipation. Although I signed up on the company’s email list, I’ve not yet received anything from them, neither as a regular dude or a journalist on the prior media list.
• From Side Dish partner Focus on the Beer this week: “FH Beerworks is celebrating their ninth birthday this Saturday. The celebration begins Friday at NEAT Whiskey House with Cigars & Whiskey Flights on the NEAT Patio. Saturday morning, join FH owner Travis Fields as he launches his Craft Life Initiative 3-hour Workshop at FH Beerworks.” Saturday’s special beer releases include a 291 Bourbon Barrel-aged German Cake Stout, to hit the taps at 6 p.m. Visit Focus on the Beer’s Substack for more details on that, as well as Phantom Canyon Brewing Co.’s Block Party Beer Fest from 2-6 p.m., Saturday June 24 at the brewery, and LOTS more beer news and happenings.
This week behind the pay wall
My paid subscribers received a review of Sonora's Prime Carniceria & Taco Shop from me earlier this week. That’ll get released from Side Dish jail in a month from now. But if you’re dying to know more about my run-in with Chupacabra — the paletas, not the actual “goat-sucker” creature of lore — then consider subscribing for $5 a month by clicking the below link. You can make that money back (and more) by claiming your first drink free at my third Thursday Sip with Schnip event at The Carter Payne, and by claiming your free pound of beef at Ranch Foods Direct. It’s that easy to support independent journalism and local businesses.
Parting shot
So a couple weeks ago I was downtown and snapped this photo of Jose Muldoon’s sign. Being the sometimes snarky pants person that I am, I later posted it to my Facebook with a comment that “Apparently Jose's is ‘down to fiesta’ but not down to change a lightbulb.”
That earned some laughs and comments, but doing a little due diligence, I also reached out to the company to ask why the sign hasn’t been fully lit in years — why they haven’t fixed it.
A few days later, I heard back from Jose's GM Eric Janssen. Here's what he had to say:
We retained bids pre-pandemic for a sign renovation and the costs were prohibitive. As you can imagine they’ve only increased. Since neon has become close to extinct (and expensive to work on), we have been sourcing other lighting mediums such as energy-efficient LED to replace the neon. The post-pandemic workforce issues have inhibited our search for a creative contractor to retro-fit and renovate the sign. Should you have a recommendation please send our way. With next year being our 50th Anniversary we intend to have the sign operational in the near future.
Now who feels like a big jerk? (This guy.) So, maybe we can crowdsource some help: Anyone know “a creative contractor who could retro-fit and renovate the sign”?