Tripe and mint is a winning combo.
Welcome back to Scoop’s mini-series of exploring a handful of dishes at Locanda, Delfina’s new Roman-inspired offshoot.
Yesterday, chef Anthony Strong explained the inspirations and traditions of Locanda’s Amatriciana; today, we dig deep into another classic Roman dish, Trippa alla Romana.
Strong’s words follow. Buckle up.
One of our biggest challenges with opening a Roman restaurant is trying to keep the term “alla Romana” from being attached to everything. But Trippa alla Romana is one of the only dishes that I felt truly deserving of the title. Out of all Roman food, this is one that I could suck down all day, everyday.
When I was in Rome, overfeeding myself daily, Trippa alla Romana was the thing that pushed me over the edge, because I had to have it at least once at one of my two lunches and two dinners a day and still looked forward to every bowl of it. Again, each had a million variations, but they all showed up steaming hot, viscous, tomatoey, and rich, with a bit of mint to sharpen it all up. The mint on top is what makes it so elegant, because it is such a hard-core dish. The mint is like the Chanel bag the tripe carries to the party, keeping it sexy and classy.
We went through at least a dozen very slightly different versions of Trippa alla Romana before settling on the one we’ll be serving here at Locanda. We’re using our house-cured pancetta, tripe from Lucky Dog ranch and just one leaf of sharp, strong nepitella torn into the dish. It really is the perfect food and has every attribute important to a cook: slippery, juicy texture with the right amount of acidity, richness and spice. And (most importantly) it is the best thing to put into your body after a night of drinking.
Tomorrow: More culinary explorations behind the Locanda velvet rope.
· Previously: Locanda Diaries: Anthony Strong explains Locanda’s Amatriciana [Inside Scoop]
Locanda: 557 Valencia St., between 16th and 17th; (415) 863-6800 or locandasf.com