04 June 2008

Right now!!


I adore risotto. I love it so much that I’m tempted to bathe in it sometimes. And what’s not to love? Rice, a classic carbohydrate, slow-cooked and intensely flavored with specially matched, often luxurious ingredients, and sometimes butter or cheese (or both!), all blended into a silky, comforting nursery food for grown-ups. Spoon it up! Risotto is sustenance that works on many levels. The trouble is, it’s not so easy to find in restaurants and it’s a bit of a nuisance to make at home (although my Italian friends swear by their pressure cookers for this task).

But risotto fanatics can show up for lunch at ProntoPescePronto across from the fish market and get their fill. Created by the fellows who gave us Osteria alle Testiere (many would say the city’s best restaurant), this small, sleek food boutique specializes in tasty little dishes that showcase the market’s best fresh seafood. (There are also a few fancy groceries and some good bottles of wine.) It’s a chic and refreshing change from the city’s usual midday panino or tramezzino. Here you can mix and match, pick and choose, then take your selections away, perfectly packed, or stick around and enjoy them subito (immediately) with a nice glass of wine.

And now there’s risotto every market day! I like it when Bruno posts his handwritten sign to announce that it’s ready to be dished up (at 12:15, to be exact).