Lidia’s Italy, located at 1400 Smallman Street in the Strip District, will host a special dinner on Tuesday, March 11 at 6pm to celebrate the traditional Italian “Carnevale” festival.
Also known as Mardi Gras, the festival is celebrated in Italy and elsewhere around the world before Easter, as a final party prior to Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. In Italy, the celebration features parades, masquerade balls, music and parties. Festivities can last for several weeks before the official Carnevale date. The amount of grandeur and splendor of the festivities depended on a good harvest, famine or plague.
Masks are also an important part of the Carnevale tradition in Italy, especially in Venice. At Lidia’s, attendees will be given masks to celebrate the dinner in authentic style. Carnevale is a farewell celebration, a time to get it out of your system, so to speak, hiding behind the masks that have become a symbol of the Venetian Carnevale. It is always a time to indulge in culinary delights.
WATCH/LISTEN: ‘Burgh Vivant’s interview with chef, restauranteur, and author Lidia Bastianich.
In Venice and throughout Italy little soft fired pastries are served. In Venice these are called bugie or little lies, that are consumed behind the masks of anonymity. These sweet treats have different names throughout Italy, called chiacchiere in Milan, crostoli in Friuli or cenci in Tuscany.
For the Carnevale dinner, executive chef Jeremy Voytish will prepare a special 5-course menu including:
Antipasti: Pasta sfoglia con salsicce e pancetta (Ricotta and flour pastry stuffed with house-made sausage, pancetta and Montasio cheese) & Carpaccio con rucola e Grana Padano (Beef carpaccio with wild arugula and shaved Grana Padano)
Primi: Scampetti con polenta (Stone ground white corn polenta, sweet shrimps, EVOO)
Pasta: Bucatini all’Amatriciana (Bucatini pasta with a crushed tomatoes, garlic, and house cured pancetta)
Secondo: Vitello Saltimbocca (Veal cutlet, prosciutto, sage, brown butter)
Dolci: Frittelle di mele alla vaniglia (Crispy apple fritters with vanilla)
Seats for the dinner are $60 per person, with an option of wine pairing for an additional $25 dollars. For more information or to reserve a ticket please contact 412-552-0150 or visit www.lidias-pittsburgh.com