North Italia has always served brunch and offered happy hour at its 45 locations, but corporate chef Chris Curtiss was ready to expand both with refreshed menus and more affordable choices.
“I wanted to give guests some ‘outside-the-box’ dishes and drinks and be mindful of offering different price points,” said Curtiss, who also holds the title of director of culinary research & development for the polished casual-dining chain, now owned by The Cheesecake Factory.
For the happy hour menu, he transformed North Italia’s signature pizza dough into garlic knot slider buns and created two variations. Sicilian Meatball Garlic Knot Sliders are enhanced with pepperonata, smoked mozzarella and Calabrian aioli, while Vodka Chicken Pesto Garlic Knot Sliders feature spicy vodka sauce, provolone and pesto.
“I was aiming for a pizzeria vibe,” said Curtiss. At lunch, guests can order the same sliders as a trio with a side of fries.
Several new cocktails also fit into the “outside-the-box” mission. The Cacio e Pepe dirty martini is a takeoff on ingredients in the famous pasta dish—grana padano cheese and fresh cracked pepper—mixed with vodka and house olive brine. Alta Rossa is made with raspberry and rose-infused tequila, fresh lemon and Italicus Rosolio (a bergamot and lemon-flavored liqueur). Completing the trio is Ciao, Bella, a ginger-and-vanilla vodka-based cocktail with white peach, lemon and sparkling rosé.
Upgraded culinary techniques, like dehydrating raspberries and extracting flavor from the cheese rind, characterize the drinks.
Poached Eggs & Polenta is new on the brunch menu.
The cocktails complement the brunch menu, which features a mix of sweet and savory dishes that tap into North Italia’s Italian roots. Poached Eggs & Polenta is a combo of roasted mushrooms, fava beans, sugar snap peas, piquillo peppers and romesco sauce. Eggs in Purgatory evolved from a winter menu item, updated seasonally with heirloom cherry tomatoes and arugula along with spicy marinara and grana padano cheese.
On the sweet side, Curtiss developed Strawberries & Cream French Toast made with cinnamon custard brioche and cannoli cream, served with buttered maple syrup. “Brunch items run $15-$17 to keep it more affordable,” he said.
To refresh Chicken Scarpariello, an Italian classic, Curtiss refines the cooking technique. He starts with dark meat chicken thighs and drumsticks, then salt cures them along with rosemary and thyme for 12 hours. Next, the chicken is confitted—slow cooked in its own fat—then crisped in a sauté pan and served with pan sauce. This dinner entrée also includes Italian sausage and potatoes. “It’s a super-fun dish,” he said, adding that it’s priced in the mid-$20s range.
Chicken Scarpiello got an upgrade for North Italia's seasonal menu.
Spring-summer updates to items like the Farmer’s Market Board and Seasonal Vegetable Salad required changing over from fall-winter ingredients to seasonal choices. Key ingredients sourced for the new menu include asparagus, cherry tomatoes, fava beans, sugar snap peas and blueberries.
A dinner entrée of Grilled Branzino, for example, features roasted fennel, broccolini, sugar snaps, rainbow cauliflower, fingerling potatoes and cipollini onions, while Seared Sea Scallops are accompanied by asparagus, pancetta, crispy shallot and sweet corn risotto.
“This was an efficient menu change,” said Curtiss. “The ideas we started with came together beautifully and we only had to bring in a few new SKUs. We have a well-stocked pantry and were able to cross-utilize a lot of ingredients already on hand.”
One of the most notable upgrades impacted the dessert list. The Hazelnut Torta, which had been on the menu before, has been elevated with house-made touches. “Previously, we were purchasing the hazelnut praline and Nutella ready-made, but now we’re making both in house,” said Curtiss. The cake is totally gluten-free and topped with candied hazelnuts and salted caramel gelato.
North Italia’s Spring menu refresh debuts April 30 systemwide.