Bottega – Savory Fried Dough

I admit it — I get pretty psyched when I see savory versions of fried dough. Well, truth be told, I’ve only written about one version and so far, I experienced a total of three that I can remember. It was an unexpected surprise when some darling friends took me to dinner at Michael Chiarello’s Bottega in the Napa Valley (Yountville, to be exact) and I was directed towards a fried dough appetizer. I didn’t even recognize it as such when I read it on the menu: Organic Prosciutto “house cured”, pasta fritta, Lambrusco

“Fritta” means fried and it slipped by me until Ron described it. Well of course I had to have it… Served on a large platter were four massive fritters; pasta dough studded with rosemary, deep fried, and then rolled in Parmesan cheese. These warm globules of goodness were served alongside paper-thin slices of prosciutto which had been drizzled with olive oil and topped with a few chunks of mango.

What threw me was the bowl of Lambrusco. When the platter arrived, I hadn’t remembered everything that was written and I thought the bowl was some form of dipping sauce. Ron was the one who told me it was to drink and I felt pretty foolish, dunking the tender, cheesy wonders in the bubbly cold wine. But when a bite of the fritter and prosciutto were taken and followed by the Lambrusco, I had the “ah-ha” moment. The lightly bubbly wine was clean and bright next to the rich sharpness of the cheese coating to the dense, succulent dough.

I give great credit to Chiarello and his team on this dish. It would be easy to make a dough that is leaden and heavy and these were not. It would be easy to under cook them and there was no detection of a gooey, raw interior.  A traditional “dipping sauce” might seem an easier complement but by pairing it with meat and wine and fruit were inventive and original. Kudos are deserved and this Fried Dough Ho couldn’t be happier.

6525 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599
(707) 945-1050

Bottega on Urbanspoon

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3 Responses to “Bottega – Savory Fried Dough”

  1. Fried Dough Ho » Blog Archive » [Yountville] Bottega – Sweet Fried Dough Says:

    […] About « [Yountville] Bottega – Savory Fried Dough […]

  2. [Yountville] Beretta | Feast Blog Says:

    […] me multiple opportunities for research. To start, there was a savory option of fried dough, which I wrote about here. I was having quite a time determining what to have as a main course and ultimately, it was easier […]

  3. The Fried Dough Ho » Blog Archive » Delfina Pizza’s Zeppole – Italian Fried Dough Says:

    […] restaurants like my visit to Bottega in Yountville and stumbling on the fact that they offer both a savory and sweet fried dough. Or a trip to England where the intent was to search for grouse at an […]

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