ATTENTION JEDDAH RESIDENTS: It's that time of year again when Il Villagio Restaurants and Lounges celebrates its 5th annual International Day of Italian Cuisines - with a Gala Dinner on January 17, 2012, featuring this year's official dish, OSSOBUCO IN GREMOLATA ALLA MILANESE. The Gala Dinner promises to be an exciting and tasty event - there will be a special demonstration about the Ossobuco dish by Executive Chef Vincenzo Raschella and Sous Chef Raffaele Cuomo.
The menu for this special evening features:
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2012 Sprout Salad
Fennel, orange, Taggiasche olives, lettuce, almonds and a mix of fresh garden grown sprouts
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Ossobuco in Gremolata alla Milanese
Braised veal shank, sprinkled with chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest on Polenta Incatenata made of corn flour with herbs, cabbage and beans
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Grapefruit Sorbet with cinnamon fragrance
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ACT QUICKLY FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A DINNER FOR TWO at Jeddah's Il Villaggio Restaurant. Just LEAVE A COMMENT on this post telling me what your FAVORITE ITALIAN DISH is. Be sure to include your NAME and EMAIL ADDRESS. The deadline for entering is 12:00 noon on Tuesday, JANUARY 17. If you are unable to attend the Gala Dinner that evening, the lucky winner will be able to enjoy your free dinner another evening of your choosing through January 31, when the Il Villagio celebration ends.
For more information about International Day of Italian Cuisines online, click HERE.
Il Villaggio Restaurant & Lounges, Al Andalus Street, Jeddah - Telephone 02-668-8233
I've always wondered how real Italian pasta would be. The closest I've gotten is the simple spaghetti I occasionally make at home.
ReplyDeleteChicken Marsala, yummy yummy :)
ReplyDeleteamirahdoreen@gmail.com
Chicken Marsala, yummy yummy :)
ReplyDeleteamirahdoreen@gmail.com
My favorite Italian dish is eggplant parmesan, when made correctly, it is divine!! We have just recently moved to Jeddah from Washington DC, and would LOVE to get to know this city a bit more intimately through good cuisine. Thanks for the give away!
ReplyDeletecrspackman (at) gmail (dot) com .
My all time favorite is the Lasagna....
ReplyDeleterondacz@yahoo.com
How can they make Chicken Marsala without the Marsala???
ReplyDeletemy favorite Italian food is pizza little slice for everybody, then there is pasta you can eat it however you want there is like million way and my best is pasta bolognese with thick sous not very juicy with oregano on top i can smell it right now mmm.
ReplyDeleteI won't be able to make it for dinner, but it sure sounds like a good one. Have not heard from you in ages, hope all is well. It sounds like you are back home. The restaurant looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI am sure the food will taste ok, but given that wine is used in Italian food in so many places it seems a bit silly to celebrate Italy with so called Italian food in a place like Saudi Arabia that believes that there is no place in life for wine.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is Pasta EVERYTHING (almost) You know who I am and how to find me.
ReplyDelete@Jerry
It might not make sense to you- but I feel sorry for anyone that believes alcohol is a prerequisite for enjoying a real (not "so-called") Italian meal.
And the winner is ... SANDY !
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Sandy - your name was randomly drawn as the winner. Enjoy your dinner at Il Villagio!!!
Yayyy!!! Thank you so much! I'm really looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't live in Jeddah, this restaurant looks so good! Good luck to the participants! Francesca from Ottawa, Canada
ReplyDeleteYou can enjoy an Italian dinner without wine (okay, it would be much more enjoyable with wine and it's almost sacrilege to have Italian food without it) BUT you can't make Veal Marsala without Marsala wine. :D
ReplyDeleteAS an itialian i can say it's not mandatory to drink wine while eating italian food but i can't imagine ragù bolognose made without wine or worse risotto without wine (you put at the beginning after toasting rice with butter and onion). Wine is very important that gives a particular taste to many italian dishes.
ReplyDelete@sandy as others have pointed out wine is an essential ingredient in some Italian food. Saudis and Muslims may have a problem with it but that is their problem. This restaurant may have wonderful food but it is a bit inauthentic.
ReplyDeleteWell ... if someone has not experienced the real foods of Italy then they would not know the difference or even whether it was great food or not so great so I guess the booze is a non-issue.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your information!
ReplyDeleteThe snobbery here is unbelievable. I imagine more Jeddawians have spent time eating "real" Italian food (and much of it in Italy) than many Americans (I'm not talking Olive Garden here- much as I enjoy it)
ReplyDeleteThis isn't some backwater full of unsophisticated palates. Jeddah is very cosmopolitan.
When the chef was making his demonstration, I could actually smell the wine he added into the recipe. We learned that he uses non-alcoholic wine in his recipes that call for it in Saudi Arabia. And it was delicious.
ReplyDeleteSandy it's not snobbery i was simply pointing out that in many "real" italian dishes you HAVE to put REAL wine.....i'm wondering how saudi deal when they visit Italy and eat some food cooked with wine, just think to bolognese sauce.
ReplyDeleteCoutnrygirl- you are right. YOU were not snobby! How do they deal with it? Some don't know....some don't care....some realize the alcohol evaporates and are ok with that.
ReplyDeleteit is the best italian facility for food
ReplyDeletei am experiencing it since it opened
bravo villagio team