COME FOR THE WONDERFUL RISOTTO, STAY FOR THE VEAL, LAMB AND MORE.Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic If you're in the mood for a risotto ri·sot·to n. pl. ri·sot·tos A dish of rice cooked in broth, usually with saffron, and served with grated cheese. [Italian, from riso, rice, from Old Italian; see rice. , there's a young chef from Bergamo, Italy, at Ritrovo in Westlake Village who specializes in this labor-intensive dish. Risotto, usually made with arborio rice ar·bo·ri·o rice n. A rounded, medium-grain rice from Italy that is both firm and creamy when cooked. [After Arborio, town in the Po valley in Italy where the rice is grown.] , takes not only a lot of stirring, which means a strong, youthful arm helps, but also a talent for mixing the right ingredients in the correct amounts with the rice to create a perfectly balanced melange mé·lange also me·lange n. A mixture: "[a] building crowned with a mélange of antennae and satellite dishes" Howard Kaplan. as far as its final texture and taste. One thing about risotti, they rarely possess good looks - which, of course, makes those flavors and textures all the more important. Ambrogio Taramelli, Ritrovo's 27-year-old risotto maestro, lists three variations regularly on his dinner menu and adds one changing seafood recipe. Ritrovo's risotto listings may be a tad confusing. They tend to make you think that everything is mixed in with the rice. For example, the risotto con rucola e gamberi (with arugula arugula or rocket Yellowish-flowered European herbaceous plant (Eruca vesicaria sativa), of the mustard family, cultivated for its foliage, which is used especially in salads. and shrimp, $13.25) would have you picturing a mixture of rice, shrimp and arugula. But what materializes is a heap of rice with the fresh arugula leaves stirred in and several shrimp surrounding the mound. The rice mixture is wonderful, and the shrimp sort of help to round out the dish. For $5 or $6 less, I could have done without them. One evening, chef Taramelli's risotto pescatore ($13.75) was a magnificent blending of the rice with champagne and white truffle oil Truffle oil is a modern culinary ingredient added to foods, which is intended to impart the flavor and aroma of truffles to a dish. Most truffle oils are not, in fact, made from actual truffles, but are instead a synthetic product that combines aromatic hydrocarbons . Again, the ring of separate oysters was fine, but not significant. And the waiter, a very knowledgeable and attentive server, asked if he could add a few additional drips of the expensive white truffle oil, which he did and which made the risotto even richer with that earthy flavor booster. But Ritrovo is more than risotto heaven. The contemporary view kitchen delivers a nifty, garlicky gar·lick·y adj. Containing, tasting of, or smelling of garlic. Adj. 1. garlicky - relating to or tasting or smelling of garlic; "garlicky sauce" , plateful of baby clams ($8.50) in a white wine and tomato broth with diced tomatoes In the simplest definition, diced tomatoes are just that, tomatoes that have been diced. In the United States retail environment, however, the term refers to a relatively recent arrival in the processed tomato market, generally consisting of canned chunks of plum tomatoes in tomato and sautees calamaretti ($8.25) in a similar way, fresh with garlic and this time with a light tomato and olive oil olive oil, pale yellow to greenish oil obtained from the pulp of olives by separating the liquids from solids. Olive oil was used in the ancient world for lighting, in the preparation of food, and as an anointing oil for both ritual and cosmetic purposes. liquid in a well-filled bowl. Salmon ($18.50) is treated with respect - and so is chicken, nicely marinated, pressed ($13.50) and served with peas and potato crisps. The chef likes to use sage. It shows up to good effect on both the juicy veal veal, flesh of a calf from two to three months old weighing usually less than 300 lb (135 kg). The locomotion of the veal calves is often restricted, and they are fed a real or synthetic milk that is high in protein and low in iron; this produces the desired chop ($19.75) and the baby lamb chops off the rack. Fresh vegetables are grilled properly and used effectively on entree plates. And the impressive breads here are baked on the premises - the adjacent Italian bakery and grocery is conveniently owned by the restaurant. As for endings, ask for the chef's ``fragiole'' ($5.50), made with fresh fruit (we had strawberries one day) cooked in a sweet, warm balsamic balsamic (bäl·sämˑ·ik), n a substance that can soften and reduce mucus. sauce with ice cream. Wines could be stored better. A Wild Horse pinot noir was an able accompaniment one time. Service is not only effusive ef·fu·sive adj. 1. Unrestrained or excessive in emotional expression; gushy: an effusive manner. 2. Profuse; overflowing: effusive praise. , but it seems that little things are added along the way. There are those unexpected touches that warm a patron's heart. All this in an appealing courtyard-style environment that is open, airy, comfortable and, when the doors open onto the patio on a summer night, distinctively Italo-European. THE FACTS The restaurant: Ritrovo. Where: 1125 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village. When: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily except Sunday; for dinner from 5:30 to 10 p.m. nightly, to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Recommended items: Soups, breads, zuppetta di vongole (baby clams in white wine), any risotto, calamari Luciana, grilled lamb chops (cut rack) with sage, pressed chicken with peas and potato crisps, salmon with lemon sauce, fragiole dessert. How much: Starters and pizzas from $4.50 to $10, pastas and entrees from $8.75 to $22, desserts $5.50 each. Full bar. All major credit cards accepted. Wine list: Fairly extensive list offers more than 80 wines by the bottle with fair markups, though only a dozen are $20 or less. Few vintage dates noted. Plenty of choices, but storage is suspect. Some bottles may be too close to kitchen heat or placed high up where warm air collects. Corkage cork·age n. A charge exacted at a restaurant for every bottle of liquor served that was not bought on the premises. corkage Noun a charge made at a restaurant for serving wine bought elsewhere $8 per bottle. Reservations: Suggested. Call (818) 889-0191. Our rating: Three and One Half Stars for food; Three and One Half Stars for service; Two and One Half Stars for wine. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Manager Maurizio La Rosa, left, and chef Ambrogio Taramelli at Ritrovo. Evan Yee/Daily News |
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