Menu Development | By Marc Halperin
He suggests that, given a more authentic treatment, even traditional, universally known southern Italian staples, such as meatballs and lasagna, might prove tasty and novel enough to renew quick-service consumers’ interest. “A lasagna in a real Bolognese sauce with veal, beef, pork, and chicken livers that’s cooked until silky is a great deal tastier than boiled ground beef in tomato sauce,” Scherotter notes.
As for the issue of portability, it’s not hard to imagine quick-service chains devising an edible carrier that could work for the sort of concoctions Scherotter has in mind. Deep-fried pasta balls with a true Bolognese sauce inside or a real meatball filling might make for a distinctive treat that bridges the desire for speed, ease, and convenience with consumers’ desire for more complex and authentic flavors.
Shelley Handler, the original chef at Alice Waters’s Chez Panisse Café, believes that some newer Italian imports could conceivably trickle into quick-serve settings in the not-too-distant future as well.
“The first thing that comes to mind is granita, the classic granular espresso ice with unsweetened whipped cream,” she says. “We see them here in upscale restaurants, but granita is a natural for a broad swath of this coffee-happy nation. Granitas can be crystalline or a bit more Slurpee-like, and they can be made by hand or in a machine that is not unlike a Slurpee dispenser. Of course, chains could run wild with these and offer endless flavors.”
Handler adds that piadina, a tortilla-like flatbread, might also prove popular with Americans. “It’s typically made with lard and topped with prosciutto or other cured meats or cheeses,” she explains. “Or, sometimes, it’s covered with paper thin slices of aged, seasoned lard. I kid you not—it’s ridiculously delicious.” An English muffin–like bread called tigelle, often served with prosciutto, garlic, and rosemary, might also be adapted to a quick-service environment, she notes.
Handler suggests that while certain tastes and creations—granitas, for example—immediately strike her as appropriate for American taste buds, a few recent mainstream successes caught her off guard: “This prediction process is tricky,” she says. Who knew an obscure bread from the Veneto region—ciabatta—would take the U.S. by storm? You can’t always tell where the next hit will come from.”