Carpaccio is one of my all-time favorite items on any menu. If I see raw beef listed, it will literally direct my entire ordering process. Legend has it that the original dish traces back to Harry’s Bar in Venice, where restaurateur Giuseppe Cipriani (also credited with inventing the Bellini) created it in 1950 for Countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo, who had been advised by her doctor to eat raw meat for her health.
Cipriani sliced the raw beef paper-thin, arranged it on a plate, and dressed it with a simple sauce of mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire, mustard, milk, and pepper. He named the dish after Venetian Renaissance painter Vittore Carpaccio, whose work was on exhibit in Venice at the time–the deep reds and whites of the newly created dish echoing the palette of the artist’s paintings.
Since then, the dish has been riffed on in numerous ways, and we’re fortunate to have several varieties on menus around the Magic City.
- Bottega Cafe – the Frank Stitt version is a classic, featuring Bear Creek beef sliced whisper-thin and layered over his signature horseradish cream sauce. Served with a mound of peppery arugula and ribbons of Parmigiano, it is as good as it gets.
- Gianmarco’s – the Homewood take on the Venetian dish comes with large caper berries that lend a saltiness, complemented by roasted garlic aioli sauce, red onion, arugula, and Grana Padano cheese.
- Lapeer – At this Rotary Trail restaurant, carpaccio is made from shaved American Wagyu beef and served with horseradish cream sauce, shallots, capers, and Grana Padano. Truffle salt and a side of toasted Bandit sourdough bread take it to the next level.
- Bocca – The Tom Saab version of carpaccio is made simply with beef tenderloin and finished with horseradish, capers, sea salt, and arugula, letting the ingredients speak for themselves.
- Lé Fresca - Owner Marco Butturini, an alum of the Stitt Hospitality Group, makes this dish in the classic style with arugula, capers, and Parmigiano, making it the perfect starter to a great Italian meal downtown.
- Little Betty – Perhaps the most deluxe version of all, where the thin Wagyu beef slices are dotted with caviar bumps and a truffle aioli. Pickled mustard seeds truly gild the lily.