It’s tough to call ravioli “trendy.” After all, they’ve been a staple of the Italian kitchen since at least the 1st century AD when Apicius, probably the world’s first gourmet, raved about some thin pasta sheets used to “enclose pies.” 
But then, what do you call something that shows up on all the right menus, in all types of restaurants, in all the hip cities?
I call it delicious. And a lucky stroke of fate for us pasta lovers.
All of a sudden ravioli are everywhere. And we’re not talking the ho-hum cheese variety with the pinking-sheared-edges. We’re talking handmade, gossamer packages filled with seasonal vegetables purees, minced herbs, quivering poached eggs, and an array of cheeses from Sardinian sheep’s milk ricotta to voluptuous Crescenza.
Technically, the hottest ravioli of the moment aren't ravioli at all. Rather, the pasta creations headlining menus today are raviolo, meaning one big, luscious pasta package; and raviolini, meaning a whole school of weensy ravioli swimming in a brothy sauce.
Here are some of the best I’ve tasted lately. But I feel like I’m just getting started on a good thing…..please let me know your favorites.
At Café Boulud in New York City, chef Gavin Kaysen prepares wispy raviolini filled with English peas that are pureed with a touch of mint, mascarpone and “lots of butter.” He then sauces them with a reduction of sherry vinegar, shallots and chicken broth, and serves them with fresh pea tendrils, sugar snap peas and tiny dice of applewood smoked bacon.
Fresh ricotta cheese is whipped with a puree of basil and Italian parsley and a few drops of truffle oil before it’s tucked into the picture-perfect raviolo at Zoe in Seattle. It’s then placed on top of fresh pea shoots and covered with a small, room temperature salad of heirloom tomatoes and minced herbs.
At Tapenade in La Jolla, chef Jean-Michel Diot (who wowed New Yorkers for years at Park Avenue Bistro) does a wild mushroom ravioli dish that qualifies as a work of art. Not only does this one look and taste great, but the Port wine, white truffle oil and shaved Parmesan involved mean that a tantalizing aroma captivates everyone in the room as the server makes his way from kitchen to table.
Short ribs seem to have an affinity for ravioli. One of my all-time favorite pasta creations is the potato ravioli with braised short ribs and black truffles that’s served at Via Matta in Boston. The hearty, slow-cooked meat also shines in the raviolini at Fiamma Las Vegas, where a ragu of short ribs is enhanced with Barbera wine (right).
I first tasted the extravazanza known as a soft egg raviolo at San Domenico in New York City. (It's in the photo above right.) I got to savor a similar raviolo last week at the new Viaggio in Jack’s La Jolla. The soft egg yolk and ricotta filling oozed out with the barest prodding of the fork tine, and mingled with the pea shoots and summer truffles on the plate.
The folks at Lumiere in Vancouver like to have fun with their food. Not only does the oft-honored restaurant present a terrific raviolo with caramelized shallots,, zucchini ribbons, mushrooms and parmesan “froth,”
but it also came up with this whimsical “raviolo” that’s actually a pineapple-mango mousse.
All of these sound delicious, but I would never have guessed at the short rib/ravioli marriage. And yet it's making my mouth water. Are there any other places locally (San Diego) that you would recommend?
Caron
Posted by: Caron Golden | July 10, 2008 at 05:12 PM