During my conversation with Gaccione, I asked her to cook me
four to five dishes so that I could get a taste for what she brings
to the table; so, she cooked me 11. As Gaccione glanced over the
menu circling items she would cook for me, she was saying things
like, "Oh, this is a must-try" or "this one just changed and I'm so
proud of it." She is confident in her cuisine, and that's what makes
it hers.
e spicy lamb meatballs which are paired with crisp cucumber
and tangy greek yogurt were everything I want in a starter.
Laudable complexity of spice in the meatballs itself are cut like a
knife with the cool, creamy yogurt. One of the few nearly perfect
bites of food I have had in recent memory, and I quickly realized
why this dish has not changed a cent in five years' time.
While the meatballs may stay the same, change is inevitable
for the rest of the menu. Four seasons, four menu changes, each
re-thinking over 75 percent of the menu. Just as diners get familiar
with a dish, it is stripped away from them only to be improved
with the next season.
e local burrata makes a perfect example of this. Luscious
burrata cheese is the star of the show here, but it would be nothing
without the maple roasted pears and pumpkin seed granola that
are currently being paired alongside it. A dish that shouts cries of
V U E N J . C O M
118