Taste of the Town: Hunt for corkscrew pasta yields positive results
There are, it seems, a gazillion pasta cuts out there, but aficionados know that certain sauces and other ingredients are perfect with some shapes but don’t work so well with others. So it was completely understandable to me when Fred Bilello wrote in looking for long fusilli, a corkscrew pasta, and mafalda, which looks like narrow lasagna noodles — and it appears it was, as well, to his fellow Taste of the Town readers, who supplied sources.
Evonne Diego and Gabrielle Barel suggested Siena Foods at 6125 Valley View Blvd., both cautioning not to confuse it with the Siena Deli on West Sahara Avenue. Jennifer Esposito reported finding them at both Roma Deli 1 at 5755 Spring Mountain Road and Roma Deli 2 at 8524 W. Sahara Ave. And the Jensens at Village Meat &Wine, 5025 S. Eastern Ave., said they carry Pastosa long fusilli that’s fresh frozen and Pastene long fusilli that’s dried. …
More on Kona coffee: John Williams said he buys direct from Mountain Thunder Coffee, where a 1-pound bag of 100 percent Kona is about $35. Visit www.MountainThunder.com or call 888-414-5662.
READER REQUESTS
George Urias is looking for a local source for frozen breaded clam strips. …
Charlie Zizka, who moved to Las Vegas last week, is looking for a local source for Polly-O Ricotta. …
And Dave Ford would like to find a pastry similar to one he had in a local doughnut shop in Oceanside, Calif.: a croissant baked with ham and jalapeno cheese inside.
Readers?
NEWS FOR FOODIES
La Cucina Italiana Festival, which is part of the Winter in Venice celebration at The Venetian and Palazzo, 3325 Las Vegas Blvd. South, starts Thursday with Dinner With Wolfgang from 7 to 9 p.m. at Cut at the Palazzo. Hosted by Wolfgang Puck and Dario Cecchini and featuring Cecchini’s Tuscan-style cuisine, it’s $250 per person. Other events include the Grand Banquet with Mario Batali and Cecchini from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, which is $500 per person; and How To Italian, a marketplace with demonstrations on 16 topics ranging from pizza-making to classic pasta shapes, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the Palazzo’s Waterfall Atrium, which is $50 per person.
Bella Notte, a dinner and gala honoring Italian-Americans for their contributions to the United States, runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday at The Venetian; a portion of the $150 ticket will benefit the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. And a truffle hunt, with samples of truffle creations, Bellinis and Italian coffees, is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at B&B Ristorante, Carnevino and Otto; tickets are $150 per person.
More events are scheduled for the following weekend. For tickets and more information, visit www.Venetian.com.
Submit information to Heidi Knapp Rinella, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125-0070. You also can send faxes to 702-383-4676 or email her at hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Include your first and last names and, if emailing, put “Taste of the Town” in the subject line. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.
