By Rose Spinelli
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For the uninitiated, Polenta con Funghi is a square of cornmeal cut to resemble toast points. On it is placed an intermingling of rich and fleshy mushrooms–portobello and cremini–hickory grilled and served with a demiglaze, the perfect companion for a rendezvous with a chunk of crusty Italian bread. The presentation is so lavish, the portion so bountiful, and the taste so full-flavored and texturally deceptive, you’ll swear you’re eating a juicy steak. As appetizers go, it should win a prize. But that’s another story. The important story here was how you could win a trip for two to Florence, Italy, just for ordering the 10,000th one.
This news caused a stir in our little circle. Unlike those cards you fill out in movie theater lobbies to win trips to Disney World, drop into the black hole of a cardboard box, and forget about, this was more substantive–I could eat my way to Italy! Since that first year when there were few rules and no historical indicators from which to gauge patterns, I’ve been told the restaurant sells an average of 15 per weeknight and 25 on the weekend. But I started showing up every night so as to better monitor the countdown. That I’d be noshing on a Polenta con Funghi was just a pleasant perk.
It was also the night chef LoDuca was compelled to set down some rules and regulations, like limiting customers to one polenta each. Some scuttlebutting among the waiters tipped us off to a patron at the bar engaging in some dirty dealing. “I’ll take all the polentas you’ve got,” he demanded. It was the Dissident.
According to my battle-scarred estimates, someone will claim the 40,000th in the next few days. That night the victor will walk away with airfare and hotel accommodations, crying veni, vidi, vici polenta!
