"Slop"py knows!
In fall of 1993, i started working at a little place in Hudson, Ohio called poetically "The Red Tomato". 14 tables equaling 52 seats (58 with some Saturday night reconfigurations) A simple menu and No Bar, No televisions and no license to serve hard liquor. We had 2 beer taps, a modest wine list and 2 really good Italian beers in bottles.
The menu pricing went something like this- bowl of soup 3.99, dinner salad 2.99, veal parmigiana (authentic, cut from a leg, trimmed, cubed, pounded, egged, floured, pan fried, baked, sauced, cheesed, baked, served) 14.99! This price included about 8-9 oz of veal, 4 oz of linguine with homemade marinara sauce, a side salad and... and infinite supply of homemade bread and garlic butter(homemade). It's about now when you comment and ask to make a reservation....
This place, this "Red Tomato" was more than just the Mona Lisa holding a tomato crooked on a faux finished wall, this was something else. The arms of this restaurant didn't just reach the city of Hudson, it reached all of Northeastern Ohio in a way that was intimate, almost as if, we were playing in the major leagues and everyone else was on a rec team. They and I (after being taught) made it all... carryout was a huge part of the business and the pizza was no joke! But, the real place where a joint like this shined was in their catering. Simple, wholesome and unmatched! We did clambakes as a catering job... full on clambakes for $12-14 per person! The obscene amount of food you could get for 12-14 bucks a person was insane!
One afterthought item that was done for catering was that we always served penne pasta in house made marinara but, it was different somehow... creamier, earthier & cravier!!! As pasta goes, it was there to fill your belly except, IT STOLE THE SHOW! at every event, they wanted more. Problem was, when they eventually came in to eat in the restaurant, it wasn't on the menu anywhere... I guess we had a secret menu but never knew it!
Oh well, Here's the first recipe of a few that make up the components of that magical delight!
Stay tuned for more!!!
Cheers!
Quinney
Roasted garlic butter
The menu pricing went something like this- bowl of soup 3.99, dinner salad 2.99, veal parmigiana (authentic, cut from a leg, trimmed, cubed, pounded, egged, floured, pan fried, baked, sauced, cheesed, baked, served) 14.99! This price included about 8-9 oz of veal, 4 oz of linguine with homemade marinara sauce, a side salad and... and infinite supply of homemade bread and garlic butter(homemade). It's about now when you comment and ask to make a reservation....
This place, this "Red Tomato" was more than just the Mona Lisa holding a tomato crooked on a faux finished wall, this was something else. The arms of this restaurant didn't just reach the city of Hudson, it reached all of Northeastern Ohio in a way that was intimate, almost as if, we were playing in the major leagues and everyone else was on a rec team. They and I (after being taught) made it all... carryout was a huge part of the business and the pizza was no joke! But, the real place where a joint like this shined was in their catering. Simple, wholesome and unmatched! We did clambakes as a catering job... full on clambakes for $12-14 per person! The obscene amount of food you could get for 12-14 bucks a person was insane!
One afterthought item that was done for catering was that we always served penne pasta in house made marinara but, it was different somehow... creamier, earthier & cravier!!! As pasta goes, it was there to fill your belly except, IT STOLE THE SHOW! at every event, they wanted more. Problem was, when they eventually came in to eat in the restaurant, it wasn't on the menu anywhere... I guess we had a secret menu but never knew it!
Oh well, Here's the first recipe of a few that make up the components of that magical delight!
Stay tuned for more!!!
Cheers!
Quinney
Roasted garlic butter
