Peachy Picks Grifone Encore Review Spring 2016 Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Star of Grifone, Owner Mario Belich!
Fresh Origins is America’s leading producer of Microgreens and Edible Flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. The farm is located in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, where the near perfect weather allows for production and harvest all year. Fresh Origins produces almost 400 Microgreens, Petitegreens, Edible Flowers, Shoots, Tiny Veggies™ and related items. Many are not available anywhere else, with new introductions nearly every month. Fresh Origins products are on top of the finest cuisine in the world! Fresh Origins supplies distributors of specialty produce who serve fine dining restaurants and resorts nationwide. There are also a few online sources of their products available to private chefs and home cooks. Read our first Culinary Queen interview with Kelly Sasuga:
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It's not who you know, it's Whom You Know and we know Mario Belich, proud owner of Grifone, a Peachy's Pick since our first visit in 2012. Here is their first feature:
Grifone was last featured in 2015:
Right down to the perfect napkin at your spot, Grifone cares about every last little detail and getting everything right the first time. That's why we keep going back! Their fine Italian cuisine is classic, and you will feel welcome from the minute you arrive courtesy of Mario Belich personally greeting each and every guest as they enter. Once you visit Grifone, you will return again and again as they have a high ratio of loyal guests, especially compared to lesser restaurants that crash and burn over the years. Grifone first opened in 1986, and Mario joined in 1997. Mario bought Grifone in 2006 and it has been his pride and joy ever since.
It should be: it is fantastic and it should be your next dinner.
Mario totally knows us by now and actually remembers what Peachy likes! Everyone knows how much she love love loves a rich red from Italy (did you know that September 9th is Italian Wine Day in China? We think every day is Italian wine day.) We reveled in this delightful Campo Maccioni Morrellino di Scansano 2012 which demonstrated its versatility throughout our dinner. Mario 110% cares about his guests; in the uber-competitive Manhattan restaurant market, we cannot say that for every restaurant owner and if you look at who was featured in 2012 and who is still featured now, you will not see the same list. We are proud to say that every day our list evolves and we make new friends but keep the old; you know what they say: one is silver and the other is gold.
The calamari at Grifone is deserving of many gold stars! It is the freshest we've seen and it's warm and of an ideal chewy nature with perfect light breading. The freshness is so prevalent the true flavor shines through and you want to order this absolutely. We wish we were eating it right now!
Love is not a strong enough word for how we feel about burrata.
Served with balsamic and evoo, the burrata is a creamy delicacy that has its natural flavors evoked further through both the sundried tomato and the hot pepper. It boasts a perfect, light texture and is super, super fresh.
There it is smiling at you!
The only thing better than one pasta is three pastas, of course!
Starting from the top left, meet:
Cavatelli with meat bolognese cream sauce,
Lobster and crab ravioli in pink cream and tomato,
and Paglia e Fieno: hay and straw in a decadent cream sauce with prosciutto, green peas and grilled parmigiano-reggiano. If we had to pick one, it would be hard to not say the lobster and crab ravioli was most triumphant. The variety and high caliber of each will send your ears a burst of applause from your stomach.
Mario also decided to showcase three of his most popular entrees; above on the left is chicken scarparietto (shoemaker style) with sausages, garlic and white wine, and is joined on the right by Mario's personal favorite, veal with shittake mushrooms and red roasted pepper. Both are superlative entrees however, Peachy personally liked the Branzino the best of the three, though of course she liked them all.
The stellar Mediterranean sea bass is seasoned with onion, shallots and breadcrumbs giving the crisp, fresh fish superior flavor and a superb contrast with the dual taste sensation. Every bite was incredible and we were quite happy. But of course we would be, because we were at Grifone!
The desserts are top-of-the-line and our resident cheesecake enthusiast (not Peachy) was entirely happy with the ricotta cheesecake which was light with lemon essence.
If you are lucky, Mario will introduce you to his grappa, which he personally crafts on premises. This time we tried the raisin and it was simply smashing.
His artisan creation comes in many flavors and we aspire to try them all!
Dessert? Of course you know you want the frozen peach sorbet!
Unless you want coconut...
Peachy Picks Grifone and Grifone continues to be Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
