A Venetian Bath of Wine and Spice

[lsanderson]

The Minimalist
A Venetian Bath of Wine and Spice
By MARK BITTMAN

THIS is a column about luck, not skill — or at least not mine. Having become enamored of Peasant, on Elizabeth Street, I discovered that the chef, Frank DeCarlo, also ran the newer Bacaro. (Bacaro is the name given to a Venetian bar serving what are called cicchetti but are better known elsewhere as tapas — or small plates, or snacks.)

The first time I ate at Bacaro I was struck — even dumbstruck — by one particular dish. It’s a marinated rib-eye, and part of the luck came in ordering it in the first place, since I’m not big on marinating meat that tastes fine just by itself. This, however, was clearly an ancient recipe — you could taste the sweet spices and the rich red wine immediately — and an unusual one. More

Recipe: Really Old-Fashioned Marinated Rib-Eye