Grassa Gramma takeout makes a fine Italian dinner at home Cacio e pepe, a classic Roman pasta dish, is elevated with hand-made Tuscan pici pasta, pecorino, and smoked black pepper from Bourbon Barrel Foods. (Partial serving, plated at home.)I wonder if you miss sitting down to a good meal in a fine local restaurant as much as I do.
It’s not just about the food. Driving through Holiday Manor the other day, I spotted Grassa Gramma and remembered how much fun it is to dine there.
Executive Chef Ben Notess’s fine Italian fare is a big part of that draw, of course, but that’s not all. There’s the attentive service provided by general manager Tarek Hamada and his team. There’s the simple comfort stylish table settings. And of course there’s the spectacular, not quite over-the-top antique Italian decor that owner Kevin Grainger sourced from Italy and all around the Mediterranean.
I want all that again, and I want it at all my favorite local eateries. Sure, bringing dinner home in boxes and bags is better than nothing, but it’s not the same. So, I wondered, is there some way to make the takeout experience a little more like fine dining? Maybe! Why not bring Grassa Gramma dinner home and make our dining room feel like an Italian restaurant?
Here’s how that played out: I downloaded a Mario Lanza album of ‘60s-style Italian-American tunes. I draped a red-and-white checkered towel in a wicker bread basket and got out an old souvenir Chianti bottle with its wicker basket. I set the iPad on the table displaying a photo of the Cinque Terre. Dim the lights, plate Grassa Gramma's fine fare on our Hadley dishes, and hey! It didn’t clone Grassa Gramma, of course, but it felt like a fine-dining experience.
You can do this too. Or maybe you already do.
Grassa Gramma, which translates roughly as “Chubby Nana,” evokes a particular image for owner Graingier. “Grassa Gramma is a tribute to Italian heritage and a testament to the passion of its matriarch.” the restaurant website declares. “Grassa Gramma is a love letter that celebrates Nonna's status in her kitchen and honors her unwavering commitment to family, food and friends.”
If you’re willing to dine in now, I think you can feel comfortable at Grassa Gramma. Tables are comfortably separated in the looming space that was once a suburban cinema, and the management team appears committed to keeping things safe. Outside dining remains an option even in the dead of winter, with each outdppr table covered by a clear plastic dome to keep the elements out and the heat in.
Chef Notess’s menu offers samples of Italian regional cuisine from north to south, and Grangier pledges that it makes use of the best quality ingredients available: “If it's fish, it's wild. If it's game or meat, it's organic or prime. Produce comes from actual farmers; not simply farms. It is local, when possible, and always … seasonal.” ...
Read the complete article on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/grassa-gramma-takeout You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/Grassa Gramma2210 Holiday Manor Shopping Center
333-9595
http://grassagramma.comhttps://facebook.com/GrassaGrammahttps://instagram.com/grassagramma