Two New Pasta Plates

by Josh and Megan

Fettuccine Alfredo
In any restaurant, it's so hard to create a menu that is geared toward adults and children. Obviously most kids don't have an advanced palate that would allow them to enjoy things that we adults find as delicacies (show me a 7 year old that loves raw oysters). But we're bringing back an old classic that is sure to make even the most childish of adults giddy with excitement.

That's right... fettuccine alfredo is back. I can't even begin to tell you how often people call and ask when it's going to be back. It's a simple (but great) dish that is the perfect blend of cream and cheese over fettuccine noodles, which is then topped with more cheese and broiled to create a crunchy topping.

We often take for granted that we can create such elaborate and opulent dishes or get our hands on ingredients that wouldn't grace the cabinets in most homes. But this blast from the past is proof how something so simple and easy can be so good.

The only road block that we've run into is that this dish won't be around forever. We can already hear the cries of anguish from all over the Illinois Valley after that sentence. Last time we said that, even Ray's granddaughter gave him grief for taking it off the menu. But that just means you're going to have to stop in and get it before it's gone!

Fusilli Pasta
Speaking of getting it before it's gone, Chef Chris stopped me today to ask if I had tried his new fusilli (pronounced fuze-eh-lee) pasta before it hits the menu.

No worries... we won't make you wait long to try it out for yourself!

In contrast to the fettuccine, this dish is a bit more complex. We take the fusilli, a long and thin corkscrew-shaped pasta, and mix it with sauteed shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, and grape tomatoes. Just when it can't get any better, we top it off with a white wine cream sauce.

Whether your appetite calls for something simple or a bit more elaborate, our two new pasta dishes are sure to please!