A buttery plate of rigatoni?

No. It's pineapple twizzler candy. Very, very good.

The touch

Update from fellow diner, since we're picky around here: The smoked meat we had at Bisato wasn't Parma, it was Speck. Austrian-style, not Italian.

So yes we went to Bisato the other night, and yes it was as divine as always.

What was interesting? The menu had a lot of the same presentations as before, and yet each one was changed to suit the season and the whim of the chef. Cool.

(I also willfully made it happen hat I hugged Scott Carsberg, and though he seems distinctly non-huggy, he absolutely got it. I am a fanboy seeking expression of my gratitude, and there you have it.)

Here's what's amazing about this restaurant: Every little thing you order is a surprise, in a loud or quiet way. Some things that seem simple enough on the menu (which uses blessedly few adjectives) are a revelation in construction and finesse. Other things are as simple as they could be, but strangely not. I know I'm expressing myself poorly, so look at the grainy iPhone picture here. Is a plate of paper thin Parma ham simply a plate of paper-thin Parma ham? Not here. Here, it is even thinner, and fluffed up into a cloud of heaven that transports. You thought you knew and loved Parma ham. Now, you will always seek THIS Parma ham. It's a complicated equation, not just dining well. You lose your delight in all Parma ham, but you gain a new dimension.

That happened to me with Armandino's salami*, and now it's happened again with how Parma ham should be put on a plate.

* A couple of things about that last link and Salumi in general:

ONE — I have a friend who is a vegetarian of the Indian variety — has never, will never eat meat — and this is her favorite lunch spot: they make fresh mozzarella daily and have 2 choices of sandwich roll taste/texture, and care about the tomatoes, peppers, etc. enough that you get the best damned sandwich on the planet whether or not meat shows up to the party. And they always have vegetable sides that are OMG so good. 

TWO — Why must Absolutely Monica, whoever she might be, obscure her photos with a massive watermark?! Give me a break.

Lucky me!

Going with superfriends to Bisato tonight!

Then off to Whidbey Island bearing gifts for a new baby: A wardrobe of Atelier Daguerre tshirts, quilts I sewed (kind-of, I used quilt tops made by the industrious ladies of South Whidbey!) back in the day for my own babies, and some instructional and fairy tale pillows.

The best sale page!

Thanks to the sale page at Capri Flavors, I am now the proud owner of many, many packages of really nice Italian dried penne, etc. pasta made in bronze dies. Though we often make pasta at home, it's nice to have a pantry.

I also fell for the packaged "croissants," not sure what to expect. As it happens, these pastries taste just like wonderful, spongy panettone and who doesn't love that?!

BTW, a Panettone-buying tip: In my opinion, the boxed pannetone with dust on it often exceeds the flavor of fresh panettone, so don't be deterred or suspicious. It's made to last and gets better with age!