費用対満足度の高いMenù di carne…TRATTORIA『IL CUORE』 : Iru Kure

For lunch on the first Saturday in February, I went to "[a:3000825,TRATTORIA IL CUORE]", where owner chef Tsuyoshi Shizukuishi, who is the head of the Iwate branch of the All Japan Chefs Association, a subordinate organization of the All Japan Chefs Association, shows off his skills. Apparently, owner chef Shizukuishi, who also appeared on the popular TV show Waratte Iitomo, is a descendant of a samurai who ruled what is now Shizukuishi Town, Iwate County, Iwate Prefecture. I was visiting alone, so I was happy to sit at the counter, but when I saw my car pull into the parking lot and my outfit with Italian Cuisine tricolor in mind, I wonder if Madame sensed that I was a man of some kind? We were shown to a large table seating on the kitchen side. The casual lunch menu was a choice between a pasta course for 1,600 yen or a fish dish Pesce or Meat Dishes Carne for 2,600 yen, so we ordered the latter without any hesitation. After the antipasto misto, we chose the pasta of Hanamaki's "Nama Shiitake and Fresh Mushroom Bolognese" or the seafood and Chinese cabbage galaxy wood ear mushroom salmon cream for the former, and the main course was Spanish mackerel all roasted with sherry vinegar sauce or "Beef Bistecca with Balsamic Sauce" for the latter, and rice or The meal consisted of panettone, soup and salad, and a dolce misto as an after-meal drink. Normally I would have ordered bread, but as he told me that his hobby is visiting producers on his Sundays off, and Hanamaki is one of the two largest rice-producing areas in Iwate Prefecture, along with Oshu, I decided to order rice, which is unusual for me. The food served was as shown in the picture, with the antipasto misto consisting of apple and potato passata, uova strapazzate crostini, clove-flavored carrot marinata, chicken breast pickled in shio-koji, purple cabbage agrodolce, and salmone affumicato. The first course was an Italian-style egg-stirred soup called "Stracciatella". After a crunchy insalata made with extremely fresh vegetables that were purchased directly from the farmers who produced them, the primo piatto was "Raw Shiitake Mushrooms and Fresh Mushroom Bolognese" from Hanamaki. This long pasta dish was made with raw shiitake mushrooms and fresh mushrooms, both of which had a strong umami flavor, and was accompanied by beef bolognese. The pasta was not handmade, but was made using dried pasta measuring 1.7mm to 1.8mm thick, and was perfectly al dente and very tasty. The second piatto was "Beef Bistecca". The 'Balsamic Sauce' appeared. At first glance, the bistecca looked cute and small, but on closer inspection, the meat was folded in half and served, so it was actually twice as much. Given the price, I didn't have high expectations, but the taste suggested that it was made with Iwate beef, which I believe is a cross between Japanese Black and Jersey beef, and the meat had a strong flavor. I served it on top of pesticide-free Hitomebore rice from Hanamaki, a special A production area, to make my own Steak rice. After the meal, I had 'Gâteau au Chocolat' and 'Strawberry Gelato' for dessert, and 'Espresso' for the cafe, which completed the meal. The cost rate of the food was probably over 50%. I'll come back when I get the chance.

花巻の郊外にあり温泉ブームが真っ盛りだった往時に栄えた花巻温泉へ向かうロードサイド沿いに
非常に人気のあるリストランテがあると地場民放TV局の放映番組で店の存在は知っておりました。

花巻のクライアントとの打合せが入り、この機会を逃すと次ぎの機会まで相当日が空いてしまうこと
は明らかであり當店のランチを戴きながら打合せをさせて戴くこととなり五月と或る日に初めて伺わ
させて戴きました。

ランチメニューはパスタセット800yen、ディッシュセット900yen、パスタ&ディッシュの"ランチコース"
1,600yenの他にリゾットセットやハンバーグ、ステーキ等、数種類のメニューが用意されていました。

今回戴いたのは色々な味が愉しむことができる"ランチコース"をクライアントとともに戴きました。

コースの内容は厚焼き玉子の中にポテトサラダが詰められたもの帆立の精巣に卵巣のペーストで
作ったソースをかけたもの烏賊下足をミンチにして固めた練り物などがのせられた"前菜三種盛"が
供された後、玉子スープ、パスタ、ディッシュ、サラダ、パン、ドルチェ、珈琲と順に供されました。

印象に残った料理は北海道帯広産のフレッシュマッシュルームとベーコンを使った和風テイストの
パスタです。
マッシュルーム&ベーコンという具材の組合せのパスタは一般的にはクリームソースや卵黄を加えた
カルボナーラ風のものがオーソドックスであると思いますが小口切りの青ねぎと削った"からすみ"を
トッピングされ和風味に仕立られたパスタは味よし香りよし、そしてパスタのアルデンテもよしと風味
豊かであり新鮮味を感じる一皿でした。

一方で気になったこともいくつか…、意図的にこの日の"ランチコース"は和風テイストに傾斜された
ものであったことは理解できますがスープが玉子スープであったりチキングリルのソースが霙ソース
だったりとイタリアンレストランの味というより喫茶店のソレに近いものを感じるものであったこと。

安価なランチタイムに供するものだからかもしれませんが全体の量を減らしても質を少しアップして
戴きたいと思うのは贅沢な要望でしょうか？

尤も単品で1,000yen超のパスタにいろいろなものがセットされて1,600yenの値には確かに魅力を感
じない訳ではないのですが戴いた"ランチコース"に関してはシェフは"質よりも量"を重んでて構成を
考えて居られるように感じられましたのは決して気の所為ではないように感じた次第です(爆)

食後のエスプレッソの画像はボケボケに移ってましたので画像の掲載は自粛させて戴きました(笑)