New Orleans Magazine -Restaurants Nouveaux
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Excerpt featuring a Mano
July 2010
a Mano
By: Jay Forman
Since a Mano opened last fall it has quickly found its stride, turning out authentic regional Italian cuisine in a welcoming atmosphere that manages to feel airy and chic at the same time. Rounding it out is a knowledgeable and enthusiastic waitstaff, a natural complement to Chef and Owner Joshua Smith’s work in the kitchen.
Smith’s passion for Italian was jump-started during his tenure at Teller’s restaurant in Kansas, which promoted the 2006 Turin Olympics by highlighting fare from the Piedmont region. “That was my first little break into regional Italian,” says Smith. “I was struck by how much variation there was on the peninsula and even more on the islands. It was so different than what we know in America.”
Smith spent time cooking in rural Tuscany, but it was the cuisine of Rome that really grabbed him. This passion is reflected in dishes such as his Buccatini all’ Amatriciana, a classically Roman dish featuring guanciale (in-house cured jowl bacon) with onion, tomato, Pecorino and chili flakes. Another dish with a Roman touch is his Semolina Gnocchi tossed with oxtail ragu, which offers an incredible depth and richness of flavor.
The menu showcases a selection of house-cured meats. Burgundy slivers of duck prosciutto are banded with flavorful fat. The copa (cut from near the neck) offers a well marbled, naturally balanced ratio of lean-to-fat and is a favorite of Smith’s. Fans of chicken liver will enjoy his Fegatini con Crostini, crusty bread topped with a generous layer of pâté and drizzled with Saba, a concentrated, raisin and grape reduction. The livers are sourced from Justin Pitts at the Crescent City Farmers Market. A Mano is also one of the few places I’ve seen tripe on the menu. Smith credits the hogshead-loving culture of southern Louisiana in driving interest in his more challenging menu items. “Romans are known for their love of innards and off-cuts. If I was trying to sell this in the Midwest, I wouldn’t get anywhere.”
Smith stays attuned to the seasonal. Figs will play a feature roll in summer, along with cantaloupe. The wine list is exclusively Italian, with many reasonably priced bottles and a focus on central and southern Italy. With its ingredient-driven menu backed by a foundation of great pastas and cured meats, a Mano is a terrific addition to the growing crop of restaurants offering ever more diverse fare in New Orleans.
– J.F.
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