On Thursday, April 28, chef Michael Annandono of Michaelangelo’s in Little Italy is recreating the meal from Big Night:

• Passed hors d’oeuvres
• Zuppa: Minestrone soup and broken pasta
• Risotto: Tri-color risotto (tomato, basil pesto, seafood)
• Timpano (Pasta pie): Penne rigate, meatballs, cheese, hardboiled egg and pastry shell
• Pollo: Roasted Cornish game hen and grilled asparagus
• Pesce: Baked Alaskan halibut, red pepper polenta, lemon, and white wine
• Suckling Pig: Roasted suckling pig, spinach, sausage and herbs carved tableside
• Dolce: Tiramisu

The cost for this feast is a reasonable $75 pp. And there’s no waiting for Louis Prima.

The chef, Michael Annandono, shares a pasta recipe with us for the latest in the Heinen’s Local Chef Recipe series.

Lobster Fra Diablo

Courtesy of  Michael Annandono, Executive Chef/Owner, Michaelangelo’s ( 2 servings / prep time: 10min / Cook time: 15 min)

According to Annandono, the world renowned San Marzano tomato derives from volcanic soils of Mount Vesuvius near Naples, Italy.  This thick flesh and almost seedless tomato delivers a bittersweet and less acidic flavor. Paired with sweet lobster meat, shaved garlic and white wine, this spicy pasta dish has been a staple in southern Italy for generations.

• 3 wt   Boiling water
• 1 T     Salt
• ½ lb  Spaghetti
• 2 T     Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 ea    Garlic cloves, slivered
• ½ ea   Shallot, slivered
• 1 ea    10 oz lobster tail or 1.5 Lb Whole lobster
• 1.5 c   whole San Marzano tomatoes
  
• 1 tsp   Sea salt
• 1 tsp   Red pepper flakes
• ¾ c     Dry white wine
• 1 tsp   Fresh oregano, chopped
• 1T        Flat leaf parsley, chopped

Heat 3 qt. of water with salt and bring to a boil. Cook pasta al dente and set aside.  In a medium sauté pan, heat olive oil on med-high and sliver garlic and shallot into the oil for 1 min.  Sear the lobster flesh side down in garlic and shallots. Flip lobster and add tomatoes, sea salt and red pepper flakes.  Cook for 2 min. until tomatoes start to split open.  Add white wine and deglaze.  Cover and let simmer until lobster is not translucent.  Serve over pasta.

This post was sponsored by Heinen’s. When making at home, Ed Thompkins, the wine buyer for all 17 Heinen’s locations, suggests pairing it with a light Italian red such as Barbera or Dolcetto. He says both wines are great because they have enough fruit to mitigate the heat and are soft enough to not overwhelm the lobster.

I absolutely love this restaurant. The food and service always impress and with Battuto long gone, it has become my favorite for Italian. I must admit, the only thing I’m not overly crazy about is the main dining room decor. It’s not bad on any level, just not my personal taste. Perhaps a bit too traditional and somewhat stiff. But aside from that, I’m always excited to dine here, just like I was when we went the other week on behalf of Metromix.

Here’s part of my review, or you can read the full article here. By the way, as of today, Michaelangelo’s now serves lunch.

Food: There’s no shortage of restaurants clamoring for a diner’s business, each touting their take on Italian fare and each trying to stand out among the array of offerings. But when it’s all said and done, it’s the food that sets these restaurants apart. And when it comes to Italian food, even if someone has a splash of Italian in their blood, they’re a critic.

The chef, Michael Annandono, prides himself on setting Michaelangelo’s apart from the others. The restaurant, which opened on Murray Hill in 2004, offers authentic Italian cuisine prepared using traditional methods from scratch each day.

The menu focuses on northern Italian cuisine, utilizing fresh, organic ingredients and local whenever possible. As expected of most Italian restaurants, portions are rather large—even a handful of the appetizers could serve as a main course. Compared to its neighbors, Michaelangelo’s is also one of the more higher-priced restaurants.

On a recent visit, we sampled a variety of starters, like the bufala salad, with bufala mozzarella, prosciutto di parma and roasted red peppers ($14) and the cozze, steamed mussels in a lemon-garlic broth ($12). Entrées included the veal-stuffed tortellini with prosciutto, peas and parmigiano reggiano ($24) and an order of the melanzane, layered eggplant terrine with aged provolone and a tomato ragu (note: this is actually a hot appetizer, but as aforementioned, portions are large and this was plenty big enough for a main dish; $9). It’s also worth noting that all the pastas can be served as a half order.

Before our food started to make its way from the kitchen to our table, we were treated to a tasting of the day’s special: paco ribs, which are the ribs of a South American fish served in a balsamic and orange glaze. A unique dish and one that highlights the chef’s creativity with food. We also sampled the veal cannelloni, ricotta and veal stuffed pasta with pancetta and mascarpone—the chef’s signature dish.

As for everything we tasted, the standouts were definitely the pastas. The mussels were perhaps our least favorite dish—it wasn’t a bad dish, just boring. The pastas, which are all made from scratch (except the gnocchi) were outstanding, especially the veal cannelloni. There’s a reason why this is the most requested dish. The melanzane proved to be a wise decision as well with its wonderful tomato ragu.

On previous visits, we’ve sampled several of the soups (the chef does an outstanding job with soups), the tuna carpaccio and antipasti misti (selection of salumi and cheeses) and veal tenderloin plus a handful of desserts. After several visits, Michaelangelo’s continues to impress.

Décor: Michaelangelo’s is quite traditional and simple overall, perhaps a bit too traditional. The best part of the main dining room is the glass-encased wine storage unit covering several walls. The large bar area offers a more relaxed and cozy atmosphere with darker wood floors, a stone fireplace and a few oversized chairs to enjoy the fire, as well as the lengthy bar with plenty of available bar seating. There’s also a decent-sized patio with a bar. This area unfortunately overlooks the parking lot, but with the right landscaping, this space could easily become diner’s first-choice for seating preference. Michaelangelo’s also offers private dining options for small parties.

Bottom line: After eating our way throughout Little Italy several times over, it’s our opinion that Michaelangelo’s is perhaps the best in the neighborhood.

1. What are the top 5 spices every home chef should have? Kosher salt, course ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, saffron and bay leaves.
2. What is your favorite and least favorite thing to make? Most favorite is handmade pastas; least favorite is soup.
3. What is your favorite thing about Cleveland and what drives you nuts? Most favorite is the ethnic restaurant scene; least is the reputation of a meat and potato city.
4. If you could cook for one person, alive or passed, who would it be? Jimi Hendrix
5. Favorite restaurant in Cleveland? Chez Francois in Vermillion
6. What restaurant do you miss? The Top of the Town
7. What hidden gem(s) have Clevelanders yet to discover? Michaelangelo’s in Little Italy!
8. What’s your last meal on Earth? Tagliolini alla Bolognese
9. Most unusual food you have every tried? Horse
10. Most famous person you have ever cooked for? Madonna
11. If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing? Fly fishing guide
12. Favorite TV show? Las Vegas
13. Favorite kitchen gadget? French knife
14. What is the best plate of food you have ever had? Veal Ossobuco
15. What’s your signature dish? Veal Cannelloni
16. Why should someone visit you for dinner? We offer the finest ingredients prepared fresh daily in traditional methods.
17. What’s the inspiration behind your restaurant? Bringing the authentic cuisine of Italy back to Cleveland and serving it in a beautiful and sophisticated atmosphere.

After meeting Farmer Lee Jones and learning about the Veggie U initiative, plus the fact that program was in jeopardy  locally due to lack of awareness and funds, I knew this was something we could try to help and something that would resonate well with you – my readers. Truthfully, I was hoping we’d be able to support a few classrooms (each classroom requires $200). But that didn’t happen. Instead, according to my contact at Veggie U, you guys saved the entire program in Cleveland, raising a total of $3,820 – with 100% of the donations going towards the kids! More importantly, that’s 84 Cleveland schools, 171 classrooms and 3,840 students that will participate and learn about eating healthy, sustainable agriculture and combating adolescent disease and juvenile diabetes starting March 1. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

I cannot thank you all enough for your incredible generosity and taking the time to donate. It is greatly appreciated by so many, especially those 4^th graders and their teachers. You guys simply rock and have truly made a difference. Hopefully, this is something we can continue each year and impact future students.

I also realize we were able to raise more because so many helped to spread the word – via good ol’ fashioned word-of-mouth, tweets and Facebook. Thank you – just look at the difference it made. I especially want to thank many of our bloggers and media. We have a wonderful blogging community here and it’s one I’m very proud to be part of. It’s one that’s incredibly supportive, both of each other and of our city. A special thank you to I Heart Cleveland, Live to Cook at Home, Heidi Robb, Confessions of a Cohabitant, Chef’s Widow, Cleveland’s a Plum, A Girl About Cleveland, Local Food Service, Bite Buff, Cleveland at Heart, Great Lakes Design Collaborative, Garden, Grocery, Gadget Girl , Cooker Girl, Metromix and Michael Ruhlman.  And our local food reporters/editors Joe Crea and Debbi Snook at the Plain Dealer. They took an immediate interest in this effort and shared with readers.

Finally, we would not be having this conversation if it wasn’t for our chefs, restaurant and store owners. I shared the idea and almost everyone got on board and offered their support to make it even better. We all know this group is responsible for making us some seriously good eats. But they also have some seriously big hearts and are an incredibly supportive group. They made it interesting and because of their generosity, people donated even more (let’s face it – that was some prize any foodie would covet!). We started out with roughly $1,400 in restaurant gift cards, and after the initial post, additional restaurants contacted me wanting to participate for a total of nearly $2,000 in restaurant gift certificates! These awesome establishments include: Western Reserve Wine Tartine Momocho Lola The Greenhouse Tavern Heinen’s Blue Canyon The Flying Fig Fire Erie Island Coffee Fahrenheit Miles Farmers Market Jekyll’s Kitchen Moxie Touch Supper Club Parallax L’Albatros Chinato Crop Bistro North End Hyde Park AMP 150 Muse (The Ritz-Carlton) The Chocolate Bar Michaelangelo’s John Q’s Steakhouse Melange Bistro on Lincoln Park.

So who was the lucky winner? Congratulations to Suzie Martens. She was chosen via Random.org. You are going to be eating very, very well for quite some time and are the envy of a lot of Clevelanders (including me!).