Tuscan Kitchen and Market

          I recently had the opportunity to attend a grand opening party at Tuscan Kitchen and Market, which is set to open any day now in Burlington, MA. 

About Tuscan Kitchen

          The Burlington Tuscan Kitchen will encompass everything that guests have come to love about the Tuscan Brand. Italian ingredients ranging from hand-made pastas to freshly baked artisan breads to homemade gelato are prepared fresh daily. Tuscan Kitchen will also incorporate imported pasta machines, a meat rotisserie, wood-fired ovens, and fireplaces to create a cozy atmosphere. This new restaurant will seat 543, 101 of which will be outside.

About Tuscan Market

          Tuscan Market has an impressive Italian-imported décor and custom-designed equipment. Tantalizing aromas of homemade pizza and panini will lead guests to the various house-made foods available for purchase including artisan breads, fresh pasta, fresh mozzarella and delicate Italian pastries made from scratch in the open kitchen for all to see. In season, local fresh produce will be available for purchase at designated stations throughout the marketplace along with delicious cheeses and cured meats. Visitors can take a break and relax at the Tuscan Market Café, a 30 seat café area, while enjoying coffee, espresso or a bite to eat. For something sweet, an authentic homemade gelato machine imported from Italy will feature over 24 different flavors of the creamiest gelato offered this side of Italy. 

          With over 25 years of experience in the food industry, owner and chief food taster Joe Faro’s vision to expand the Tuscan Brand into Massachusetts has finally transformed into a reality. When Faro first opened the award-winning Tuscan Kitchen in November 2010, the concept was to combine the freshest ingredients with time-honored preparation to create a truly incredible culinary experience.

          Faro’s motto has never been truer, “You are guaranteed to experience true regional artisan Italian at Tuscan Brands.” The opening of the new Tuscan Kitchen and Tuscan Market is scheduled to open the first week of September 2014.

The Dinner

          We started in the market area with some sparkling wine and passed hors d'ouvres including fresh shaved parmesan, and two types of crostini with braised octopus and butternut squash.

          Before heading in to the bar, I had to stop and check out the prepared foods section of the market - everything looked so good!

          We loaded up on charcuterie and headed to the bar next, and they had an amazing wine selection!

          Once we sat down to dinner we started with a sampling of apps including Tonno Crudo with navel orange, and calabrese peppers, and a crostini with wild caught Jonah crab. These looked so good I dug in before I remembered to take a picture. They tasted even better than they looked!

          Next was the pasta course, which included Canneloni Di Vitello (thin sheets of rosemary pasta stuffed with slow braised veal breast, wilted spinach, and tuscan bean mista) and Truffled Mascarpone Gnocchi (gnocchi with wood roasted mushroom, fava beans, and shaved pecorino tartufo). Both of these were amazing, but the truffle cream sauce was one of the best I've ever had. 

          For my entree I ordered the Filetto Di Manzo: a 10 ounce aged wood grilled filet with caramelized garlic "riduzione", truffled parmigiano fingerlings, and brussel sprout and pancetta slaw. The filet was so tender you almost didn't need a knife, and I loved the rich flavor of the sauce which also had a hint of truffle. 

          Since dessert was a serve yourself display with tons of yummy looking pastries and treats, I naturally took a bunch of them even though I could only try a bite of each! My favorite was definitely the lobster tail. 

 

          I'd heard great things about the Salem, NH Tuscan Kitchen and the new Burlington location definitely exceeded my expectations. I can't wait to go back and try it again once they're officially open!