Oh, we dined with such guiltless pleasure last night at La Spiga’s Ferragosto event. It was a sweltering hot evening (by Seattle’s standards), so we were thankful for the big round table on the airy back patio.

Previously, I had asked Sabrina, chef and co-owner of La Spiga, why food in Italy just tastes better than here in the US. “It’s a trio of things,” she said. “One, it’s the ingredients. When you cut corners you can tell. Two, preparation. In Italy there’s a big focus on digestability.” Onions, garlic and bell peppers are hard to digest, so there is more preparation and care in making these items easier to digest. And, three, “the mind-set in general. Food and cooking,” she says, “is very important to the culture. It’s the love of food and sitting around the table and enjoying a leisurely meal.” Here in the U.S, everything is about convenience: grabbing something quick or rushing home from work to feed the kids and put them to bed. It’s just not in our long history to sit, appreciate and savor the meal.

It smelled of Italy last night, and I was looking forward to my first bite. Our first stop along the path of gluttony was a simple, tasty assortment of assaggini (little tastes), such as buttery green olives, creamy pâté, bocconcini, pepperonatta, and fried flat bread.

Grabbing our glasses of wine we moved on to stations of porcini and truffle orechiette pasta, hand-crafted salami, imported cheeses, grilled sausage and lamb skewers, among a bevi of other toothsome delights.

The piatto principale: porchetta (whole roasted pig). Sous chef Jonathan Langley artfully stuffed the roughly-80-pound pig with toasted fennel seed, sage, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. To top it off, he shoved in a pork shoulder for good measure and roasted it for 14 hours. It was tender, juicy and herbaceously delicious.

At La Spiga, one could tell that each offering was prepared with love and care, just like in Italy. And we sat around our large round table and leisurely enjoyed every bite.

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Photo courtesy of LookatLao

In 1989 I studied in the beautiful medieval Tuscan town of Siena, Italy. I quickly fell in love with everything Italian, especially the food and wine. Fluffy gnocchi as light as clouds, butter lettuce salads perfectly dressed with olive oil and a bit of salt, intense cheeses, cured meats and salami that made your taste buds sing, and the wine! You could taste the winemaker’s love for his grapes in every glass. My young palate learned to love food and wine in that country.

When I moved back to the States I was sorely disappointed with most “Italian” food. Pasta dishes are huge and loaded with sauce, gnocchi is dense and heavy, pizza is thick. The structure of food in Italy is much more subtle, allowing intense flavors to come through. Some restaurants do an exceptional job, but truly authentic Italian restaurants in the U.S.A. are rare.

Then, a few months ago, our friends took us to La Spiga on Capital Hill in Seattle. My friend Tracy also lived in Italy and said, “I promise, you’ll love it. This is true Italian food.” La Spiga is owned by chef Sabrina Tinsley and her husband, Pietro Borghesi, who hails from the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy. They specialize in Northern Italian cuisine, known as Romagnola (think rich sauces, homemade pastas, cured meats, parmigiano-reggiano cheese), and Sabrina is a master at keeping it authentic. I closed my eyes with every mouthful and savored what I have missed: Italy.

Recently I heard about Ferragosto, an event they are holding on August 17, and I quickly called up Sabrina to learn more. In Italy, Ferragosto marks the height of summer, and people head outdoors to celebrate in the way Italians do best: by drinking and eating lots of good food. Typically held on August 15, Ferragosto is also considered a major holiday for Roman Catholics, as it is the day the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven. To Sabrina and her family, Ferragosto is simply “a true celebration of summer.” And, according to her, it’s a time to get wet, be it at the beach or the family country home, “you will get wet.” Hot weather, swimming, and copious quantities of delicious wine and homemade foods? Sign me up!

Fortunately for us, La Spiga is bringing Ferragosto to Seattle by opening the garage-door facade of their charming restaurant and bringing the street festival indoors. Stations will be set up to serve Italian street foods such as salsiccia alla griglia (grilled sausage), tortelli alla lastra (potato stuffed grilled bread with cured meats), a summer salad buffet, and much more. The dish I’m already salivating for is porchetta (whole roasted pig).

Beginning at 4 pm, and running until 9, we will be enjoying every taste of what is sure to be an outstanding meal, all we can eat for $30 (drinks and tax not included). If you are in the area, you won’t want to miss this special event, and seating is limited. Call (206) 323-8881 or email them to make a reservation.

Click here for more details on our experience at La Spiga’s Ferragosto, and more of my conversations with Sabrina.

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