Nunzio’s by Chef Michael DeLone announces a special five-course tasting menu featuring the rarest, most luxe Italian foodstuff on the planet – white and black truffles. The limited-time tasting menu will run from October 12-16 at the start of the truffle season in Northern and Central Italy and will be offered at $95 per person plus tax and gratuity.
The five courses transport diners on a culinary journey through Tuscany, Umbria, and Le Marche through distinctive dishes, including truffled egg toast, pillow-soft gnocchi studded with white and black truffle cream, Dover sole and scallop with potato beurre blanc and black truffle shavings, veal tenderloin featuring a truffle and mushroom fricassee, prosciutto Cotto, polenta and shaved Alba white truffle. The menu ends with a truffle of the chocolate kind for dessert.
“I wanted to introduce diners in the area to truffles through this special dinner at the new Nunzio’s,” explained Chef Michael DeLone. “This restaurant celebrates Italy every day with creative and authentic menu items, but I know truffles are very special ingredients rich in culture and history for all Italians. All throughout Italy right now there are innumerable festivals and celebrations of the harvest happening and I wanted to bring some of that energy and excitement to our tables here.”
Interesting Facts About Truffles:
- They are not a mushroom, rather, they are a fungus in a league of their own, but because they grow underground and near tree roots, they are often incorrectly associated with mushrooms.
- Fresh black truffles have both summer and winter seasons and may be cultivated year-round. Most of the world’s elusive, sought-after white truffles grow in the forests of Northern Italy only from October through December.
- The most expensive truffle sold to date was at an auction in 2021 for $118,000. It weighed an impressive two pounds.
- Wild pigs were once used to find them in the forests because the aromatic compounds that make truffles are similar to the pigs’ pheromones, making them expert finders. However, they are also expert eaters, so foragers had to switch to using dogs instead.
- Truffles are incredibly scarce and difficult to find, which is why they are so expensive. So much so, the business has become so competitive that once a spot is found, the secret spots are passed down generationally and guarded carefully.
- White truffles cost up to $8,000 per kilogram, while their black counterparts command $1,200 per kilogram.
Located in the heart of Collingswood, Nunzio by Chef Michael DeLone, is an authentic Italian BYOB offering unsurpassed hospitality. Since its new ownership less than a year ago, the restaurant has undergone innumerable changes ranging from its cuisine and menu to its programming and event offerings.
Marilyn is a freelance writer covering the food and drink scene of South Jersey. You can find more of her writing on Philly Grub and NewsBreak.