For those of you who missed it, Sabrina Tinsley, co-owner and chef at La Spiga, appeared as a challenger on Iron Chef America. She battled Bobby Flay, who ultimately won the challenge featuring beans. You can catch reruns of the episode on Food Network and you can book a loft dinner with your friends to try the food that Sabrina prepared on the show. For more details, visit the web site.

La Spiga is also offering pasta making classes. For details, visit this link.

We hosted a media event last night at La Spiga to showcase Aperitivo Hour and a new selection of about a dozen Italian beers, which were paired with bites from the menu. Some of the pairings included the Seson from Piccolo Birrificio and steamed clams; Bran from Birrificio Montegioco and grilled pork sausage; and Sceres to match cheese.

Seson contains juniper, chinotto peel and coriander, which imbue the beer with bright citrusy flavors. Bran is a strong brown ale that contains 12 different malts. It was the perfect counterpoint to the spicy, unctuous sausage. The Sceres is brewed with cherries and it exploded with flavor when paired with a zest-garnished cheesecake.

In the next couple of weeks, La Spiga will begin offering the list of Italian beers with suggestions for menu pairings. Stay tuned for a beer pairing dinner.

Chef Sabrina Tinsley does not serve Insalata Caprese unless Sungold tomatoes are in season. These cherry tomatoes burst with sweet pulp and accompany milky mozzarella and fresh basil for the ultimate tribute to summer. The finishing touches are drizzles of olive oil and the juice from the tomatoes. Insalata Caprese (salad from Capri) is on the antipasti menu for $10.

To channel a touch of the Piedmont, chef Sabrina offers Vitello Tonnato as cool comfort for a warm day. This dish involves veal poached in white wine that’s seasoned by bay leaves, leeks, onions, carrots and celery. Typically, the loin is used, but chef Sabrina prefers the eye of round for its smaller, more manageable size. After the veal is poached, it’s chilled and thinly sliced.

What makes the dish is the tonnato sauce, which is made with canned Italian tuna, capers, anchovies, a touch of the veal poaching liquid, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Chef Sabrina enjoys vitello tonnato for the texture combination and the refreshing flavor. She likes to remind customers who may be shy about ordering the dish that the tuna sauce is redolent of an American favorite: tuna fish sandwich.

Vitello Tonnato is $14 on the summer menu.

La Spiga
1429 12th Ave.
Seattle, WA 98122
206.323.8881