Miss Dish
Foodie Handbook: HOW DO YOU RATE?

by CARYN B. BROOKS
cbrooks@wweek.com

GENTLE READERS,

Are you really a foodie? How do you rank? Page 26 in The Foodie Handbook, by your lady in craving, Miss Dish, notes that regulars on the special-dinner circuit may add 50 bonus points to their rating. Don't know what a special dinner is? Deduct 50 and read on.

Special dinners are themed events that restaurants hold every so often as a way to shake things up. Common excuses for a special dinner include a notable chef or vintner traveling through town or a seasonal ingredient worth exploiting. These dinners tend to be interactive: You can ask the chef/vintner questions. They're also social: You often share a table with people you don't know (which can go either way). And there's a level of theater to them (luckily the food's much better than most dinner-theater scenarios), because usually there are presentations before, during and after. If you're into food (and have deep pockets: These events are spendy), they can be absolutely inspiring.

Two upcoming special dinners feature visiting vintners from the Piemonte region of Italy. Both Serratto (2112 NW Kearney St., 221-1195) and Assaggio (7742 SE 13th Ave., 232-6151) are building specific meals around the arrival of Aldo Vacca of Produttori del Barbaresco, Pietro Ratti of Renato Ratti, and Paulo Saracco of Saracco. Serratto's dinner is on Sunday, March 18, and costs $75; Assaggio's dinner, titled "Legends of Piemonte," is on Monday, March 19, and goes for $100. Both are likely to sell out.

Miss Dish spoke with Sarah Joannides, co-owner of Assaggio, about how these special dinners come about. Assaggio is no stranger to events; the restaurant often hosts programs, whether to celebrate truffle season or, more creatively, to re-create Italian neighborhood festivals. This one, according to Joannides, is the product of friendship. "This is a huge deal for us," she says. "It's a chance for people to learn about these wonderful wines from the people behind them." Her husband and partner in the restaurant, Darryl, met Vacca at a wine tasting at Liner & Elsen in 1994. Darryl asked if he might stop by and visit on his next trip to Italy, and Vacca welcomed him in Italian style. Vintners often tour on the off-season, so when Sarah and Darryl found out the trio of bene boys were coming to town, they jumped on the chance for a special dinner at Assaggio. Sarah says the competition is fierce when these tours are set up.

Michael Cronan, owner of Serratto, which is also hosting Team Vino, says this was a perfect event for his restaurant, because he likes the guys and likes the product, and his customers do, too. "I try not to glut my calendar with lots of events," says Cronan. One benefit of having special dinners, he notes, is that it inspires the staff. "So much damn energy goes into these things. Everyone's thinking about it in the shower."

MORE FROM THE DISH DESK:

Item! The guys from the No Fish! Go Fish! carts downtown are opening up their first storefront restaurant on Friday, March 23 (which, in fact, is Miss Dish's birthday: She expects a candle in her soup!). There will be the famed griddle sandwiches and soups, as well as an expanded menu featuring different kinds of sandwiches and salads. The new location, 634 N Killingsworth St., is the former home of Vinnie's Pizza and the neighbor of a community police station. "We're not doing donuts just yet," says co-owner Sean Brown.