Sold!
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I have been impressed, more and more, with the seafood and vegetables at chi spacca (not that I don’t love the tomohawk like a brother).
We had that Spiny lobster a few weeks ago and it was delicious (though not much food for 100 bucks). The octopus is always great. Sardines. grilled. when they have them are magnificent (the magnificent sardine is quite an oxymoron).
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You’re killing. You described my perfect meal. But I’ll be with serious carnivores. And I have to admit I’m looking forward to a little red meat!
Is it me or does that look a little pornographic?
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Well, I picked the right guys to go to Chi Spacca with.
Nephew & co. were running late, so we went ahead and ordered the dishes that take an hour to prepare (bone marrow pie, tomahawk, steak) figuring the guys would add an appetizer and maybe a few side dishes and… well… they found that completely unacceptable. It was like eating with the knights of the round table.
We ate:
Caesar Salad
Focaccia di Recco w/stracchino, olive oil
Grilled Octopus w/puréed & fried ceci, lemon
Veal Tongue w/oregano vinaigrette
Lamb Sausage
Bone Marrow Pie w/beef cheeks, cippolini, funghi
Tomahawk Pork Chop w/fennel pollen
Bistecca Costata (ny steak) dry-aged bone-in 36oz
Roasted Cauliflower w/crushed-lemon bagna cauda
Carabineros Prawns
The caesar was super bold, tangy, salty, a little overdressed but delicious. The focaccia was like creamy, skillet fried cheese melted on a thin slip of flatbread. Nice smokey octopus, with the crispy ceci (garbanzos). Yes! I had a couple of pieces of melt in your mouth veal tongue in vinaigrette. 
The lamb sausage is a sleeper hit @Nemroz. Bone marrow pie is a must 
every time! The 36oz ny steak is a skip. The server convinced us that it was the same as the 50oz porterhouse. Either she’s wrong or they both should be skipped. We got nothing from it. 
But I need to start bagna cauda-ing things - roasted cauliflower drenched in the salty, lemony, buttery sauce is the bomb!
Have you ever had that experience where you’re chowing down on something with wild abandon then suddenly remember you’re with other people? Well, this…
@PorkyBelly! The inside of a shrimp head is the best thing ever!
Tomahawk
(internet photo) A server said “Don’t neglect the bones”. I got tired of trying to explain what she meant and just grabbed one and started knawing on it. Tender meat, caramelized fat, toasty fennel pollen, salt & spices from the rub. Don’t neglect the bones!
We drank: 
2012 Bosco Agostino Dolcetto d’Alba
2013 Tenuta Prima Pietra, Tuscany
Justin Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles
The guys brought one bottle and we also bought two from the wine list, no corkage fee. They no longer have the SP68 @Nemroz 
My favorite was the tenuta prima pietra. I’m trying to get away from my preferred jammy, dark chocolatey, peppery (primativo, zinfandel) and this is a nice bridge. It has a delicious, dark fruit aroma and flavor, but subtle, less jammy more acidic. The tasting notes say it needs more time. I guess I agree with that. 
maybe too acidic.
Fabulous time!
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You’re missing the filet portion of the porterhouse in a NY steak. What’s wrong with the steak? I’m eyeing the Bistecca on my next visit!
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SP68 is 28@k&L 
so glad you tried the lamb sausage… that was my joint! from your description i’d say you should stick to Piedmonte for italian wines. lighter, balanced less jammy but nice aromas. you rocked out properly! i think the only steak worth getting is the fiorentina but you have to be ready for what that is.
and i also went to town on the bone of the chop.
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SP68 is Occhipinti? Which label or varietal?
You got it. Roughly Frappato 70% / Nero D’Avola 30%. She makes a higher end 100% frappato as well.
Maybe, but a lot of nebbiolo can be even more acidic than the wine she picked (which has a lot of merlot). Depends on the particular wine of course. And your tolerance for oak in certain Tuscan wines in their youth.
What was wrong with the steak? This.
Yes, NY strip has the good, beefy flavor and a nice chew. But a big, thick, rare cut of it? No. It was a workout getting thru the tough parts, gristle and not worth the flavor of the beef. This is not to say it was bad or a disaster, just not something I would order again. Especially compared to the meat star of the table, the tomahawk pork chop. 
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I don’t know if this helps in describing the right balance for me (amateur) when it comes to wine and branching out, and it was imbibed with pasta not grilled meat. I had the Bibi Graetz Sangiovese a while back, that and a starter glass of Pietra Rosso Lambrusco hit the right spot for me.
Great report my dear!
I am getting that bone marrow pie next month. I swear I am.
As @TheCookie knows, on all my previous visits, it has been vetoed as “too heavy” by wimpy dining partners. Not in April.
Bone gnawing is de rigueur at Spacca
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I’m a huge fan of Lambrusco and the one they have at Chi Spacca is a good one and is the cheapest wine by the bottle on the list. It goes well with the Chi Spacca food and I often order it if I haven’t brought my own wine.
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Nothing better than Lambrusco for salumi or a spread of antipasti.
A simply grilled beef steak is likely to taste bland and boring after and alongside all those highly seasoned dishes. I’d either build the meal around the steak or skip it. A properly grilled fiorentina with the right old red wine is a glorious thing. Traditionally the contorno is fagioli al fiasco.
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That’s what i concluded as well
I’m happy for you. You’re gonna’ love it.
Great, I’ll get it next time.
Wow impressive, nothing like some good head, tongue and cheek for dinner.
Those carabineros with spaghetti were one of the best things I’ve ever had at osteria mozza.
No duck or dessert?
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