Rigatoni alla Vodka Two Ways
Plus, is Miami a lousy city for coffee and doughnuts?
Rigatoni alla Vodka for Fourteen Bucks
As a person growing up in Brooklyn, New York, there was only one thing to order in a classic red sauce Italian restaurant — rigatoni alla vodka. Sadly, that once-staple of the Bensonhurst crowd was retired along with collectible jelly jars and Baked Alaska at weddings for decades.
Luckily, food and fashion always return to delight and sometimes haunt us. Several trophies of the 1980s have returned like wire-rimmed serial killer glasses and my beloved rigatoni alla vodka, thanks to Carbone which made the pasta dish the edible equivalent of a Birkin bag.
If you’re looking for a delicious, steaming bowl of retro goodness, you need to hop over to Casa Isola on Tuesdays for Jose Mendin’s $14 pasta special. Every Tuesday, you can enjoy rigatoni alla vodka for $14. For the record, Casa Isola makes a wonderful rigatoni — toothsome pasta is tossed in a creamy red sauce with enough Calabrian chili pepper to tingle your lips delightfully. Rigatoni not your thing? There’s also linguine aglio e olio, casarecce pasta, ravioli biaconeri, bucatini amatriciana, pappardelle alla bolognese, bucatini alla tartufo, and crab spaghetinni. That’s Amore!
Carbo load every Tuesday from 5 to 10 p.m. starting January 23, at 1418 20th St., Miami Beach; casaisolamiami.com.
Carbone Spicy Vodka Sauce in a Jar
Speaking of rigatoni alla vodka, Carbone has released its own spicy vodka sauce in a jar. In all honesty, the good people at Major Food Group sent me a few jars to try. Not only did I finish them in record time, I went out and purchased several more. I will say it now on the record - Carbone jarred sauce is always in my pantry. I love to sautee chicken with onions and peppers with the sauce to make a super easy 20-minute cacciatore.
If you do want to try to recreate Carbone’s famous rigatoni alla vodka at home, you need to add heavy cream to the sauce (the recipe is on the label). I also like to add additional Calabrian chili flakes for an extra kick — you can’t get spicy enough for my taste. Hot Stuff!
Calling all Chefs and Cooks
Are you a hospitality professional seeking to work with one of Miami’s finest chefs? You’re in luck because MaryGold's by Brad Kilgore is expanding its culinary team and is hiring a sous chef, a lead line cook/tournant, line cooks, and prep cooks. Yes, chef!
Send your resume, along with the position you’re applying for to info@kilgoreculinary.com.
Is Miami Really a Lousy Coffee City?
A new survey, conducted by Clever, has me howling — and slightly concerned. It ranked the 50 best coffee cities in the United States. Portland, Oregon came in at the top spot — while Miami came in at a paltry 44th place — behind Detroit, Dallas, San Antonio, Atlanta, Memphis, and Houston. It gets worse. According to the study, there are only 0.3 coffee roasteries per 100,000 residents.
Like a doughnut with your coffee? Well, Miami has just 0.5 donut shops per 100,000 residents. This survey also says Miamians prefer Dunkin’ Donuts’ dish water over Starbucks. Buzzworthy!
Go Ham With Hammy
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Miamians love their pork products. If you can’t go a day without some lechon in your life, consider adopting Hammy.
This love bug is a spayed female white terrier that’s about 8 years old. Her ID number is A1828168 and her Kennel Number is D12. Hammy’s been at MDAS since May 2023 — isn’t it about time she got her forever home?
Hammy is one of hundreds of dogs available at Miami-Dade Animal Services. If you’re looking to bring a new best friend into the family, this is the place to start your search. Adoptions are only done in person, and you should bring a current picture ID and proof of current address. Dogs older than four months carry a $65 adoption fee and puppies are $85 — all dogs come home fully vaccinated, are dewormed, and have been spayed/neutered. In other words, adopting a dog is the best deal in Miami. Hamtastic!
Go Ham at Miami-Dade Animal Services. 3599 NW 79 Ave., Doral; 305-884-1101; miamidade.gov/animals
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