Spiaggia Presents New Eight-course Dop Tasting Menu

SPIAGGIA PRESENTS DEGUSTAZIONE DI PRODUTTI DI DENOMINAZIONE DI ORIGINE PROTETTA (DOP)

An Elegant Eight-Course Tasting Menu Showcasing Italy's Authentic, Artisan Ingredients

CHICAGO (April 24, 2007) - In line with Spiaggia's (980 N. Michigan Ave) commitment to bringing Italy's finest ingredients stateside, Chef/Partner Tony Mantuano and Executive Chef Missy Robbins are proud to introduce the Degustazione di Produtti di Denominazione di Origine Protetta, a new, eight-course tasting menu spotlighting many of Italy's rarest DOP products. The initials "DOP" signify the government designation of quality reserved only for products produced according to treasured local traditions dating back as early as the 12th century. Spiaggia, nominated for Outstanding Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation in 2007, shares with Italy's farmers and artisans a passion for upholding and celebrating these methods, perfected through the centuries.

Chefs Mantuano and Robbins have spent months sourcing menu components, working hand in hand with Italian farmers and artisans with whom they have established relationships over the years. In bringing a taste of Italy's very best to Spiaggia's guests, each course in the tasting menu draws inspiration from Italy's premier DOP products - ranging from fruity Monti Iblei extra virgin olive oil produced in the provinces of Syracuse, Ragusa and Catania in Sicily, to hazelnuts from Piedmont. The menu also features Castelluccian lentils from the Perugia and Macerata provinces and Montasio cheese from the northern Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (believed to have first been crafted by an unknown monk in the Abbey of Moggio).

The DOP ingredients integrated throughout the menu are prepared by Chefs Mantuano and Robbins in Spiaggia's signature contemporary, regional Italian style. The degustation includes:

MOZZARELLA DI BUFULA IN DUE MANIERE
Buffalo milk mozzarella with Valtaro porcini mushrooms and Monti Iblei
extra virgin olive oil and with marinated San Marzano tomatoes

DUE PROSCIUTTI SUL' BOMBOLONI
Prosciutto di Parma and Prosciutto San Danielle with warm savory
doughnuts and Parmigiano Reggiano

SOGLIOLA CON POLENTA, SPECK E TREVISO
Poached Dover sole with creamy polenta, Alto Adige speck, Treviso and
Chianti Classico extra virgin olive oil

GNOCCHI RIPIENI AL PESTO DI CAPPERI
Hand crafted Montasio cheese filled gnocchi with Pantellerese caper pesto

RISOTTO DI VIALONE NANO AL ZAFFERANO
Creamy vialone nano risotto with saffron and melted marrow

MANZO AL FORNO CON LENTICCHIE DI CASTELLUCCIO, COTECHINO E
ACETO BALSAMICO TRADITIZIONALE EXTRA VECCHIO
Wood roasted beef deckle with Castelluccian lentils,
cotechino sausage and 100 year old balsamic

FORMAGGI CON CONDIMENTI TRADIZIONALE
Gorgonzola dolce with sun dried Cilento white figs
Castelmagno with candied Piemontese hazelnuts
Taleggio with Sicilian blood orange marmalade

MILLEFOGLIE AL KIWI LATINA
Italian kiwifruit layered with crisp pastry and vanilla cream

The cost of the Degustazione di Produtti di Denominazione di Origine Protetta is $165 per person, and expertly chosen wine pairings are available for an additional $90 per person. Guests can savor this exclusive tasting menu through June 2007.

Spiaggia, Chicago's only four-star Italian restaurant, has earned a national reputation for excellence since opening in 1984. James Beard Award-winning Chef Tony Mantuano's contemporary Italian cuisine, accompanied by an equally lauded wine list and professional, yet highly personalized service, makes Spiaggia one of the finest luxury dining experiences in the country. With an opulent and beautifully appointed dining room, panoramic views of Lake Michigan and the bustle of the city's finest shopping districts below, Spiaggia is one of the cit