Belfonte and wife Noemi Pieri moved to the US in 1958 to pursue their lifetime dream opening their own Italian Restaurant.
Using recipes they brought from their families in Tuscany, they opened Bacchanalia in 1979, just blocks away from their home. The Pieri’s remained fulltime in the business until 2000 when their daughter and son, Paula & Dante, took over the business.
Pieri continued to develop new recipes until he passed away in 2006. Today, Noemi still contributes in the kitchen hand making the ravioli.
Entering through the quaint cozy bar, the intimate old fashioned dining room is in the rear, with white table cloth covered tables.
For our dinners we both selected ‘signature dishes’, Linda ordering the baked clams and I had the signature Veal Lombardo.
The Veal Piccata Lombardo is represented as ‘Veal medallions sauteed in a lemon, wine Sauce with Capers and topped with Mozzarella Cheese’, but somehow they forgot the capers.
Had I ordered the basic Veal Medallions sauteed in a light Lemon Brown Gravy, it might have been more complete and tasty.
When I questioned the preparation and presentation, they brought me a ramekin of fresh capers, which I added to my now cold entree! Presumably, these are normally cooked in for a more tasty sauce.
Linda’s Baked Clams stuffed with Homemade Filling were okay.
Ruffino Chianti Classico Reserva 2021
This over-achieving label is the base entry of the Ruffino family and represents high QPR in this release at retail prices - not so much at tonight’s restaurant price at nearly 3x retail.
Ruffino apply their century-long Tuscan traditions with new state-of-the-art cellar technology and modern winemaking, operating seven prominent estates in Tuscany, all situated within the major DOCG production regions including Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Chianti and Chianti Classico.
Founded in 1877 by Illario and Leopoldo Ruffino, their winery in Pontassieve is just outside of Florence. In 1913, the Folonari family purchased Ruffino and started a nearly century-long pursuit to develop and consolidate a collection of estates in Tuscany. Producing wines according to a strict quality standards and rigorous technical research, Ruffino have became an international symbol of the Chianti region having won numerous awards including the prestigious gold medal at the Bordeaux Wine Fair in 1895.
Winemaker’s notes - “Intense ruby red. This complex wine is characterized by cherry and violet notes with delicate hints of tobacco, white pepper, and a touch of flint. This complex wine is characterized by cherry and violet notes with delicate hints of tobacco, white pepper, and a touch of flint”.
This is 80% Sangiovese augmented with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
This was rated 93 Points by Wine Spectator and 92 Points by James Suckling.
Bright ruby red, medium bodied, a bit disjointed, yet, expressive plum, cherry and boysenberry fruits with notes of tobacco, forest floor, thyme and baking spices, with juicy acidity and a tangy texture on the lingering finish.
RM 89 points.
