Q & A with Sarah Grueneberg

In the Q&A below, Chef Grueneberg discusses her passion for Italian culture and regional cuisines, and true balsamico.

The Brennan family of New Orleans and their numerous restaurants have been renowned in the culinary world for decades. What did you learn from your experience at Brennan’s of Houston?

I learned a lot about hospitality from them and cooking from the soul, which captures Southern/Creole food. New Orleanians don’t eat just to sustain themselves; they have a joy for cooking and eating. It is the same with Italians—they are passionate about food and cuisine.

Does Spiaggia’s menu specialize in a region or style of Italian fare?

Tony’s [Mantuano, chef/partner] and Larry Levy’s (owner of Spiaggia) vision is to stay true to the regional cuisines of Italy. They both inspire everyone to go to Italy to learn and appreciate the cuisine. Rather than focus on specific Italian dishes, each region of Italy is the basis for inspiration for our recipes. We use locally grown ingredients, farm fresh produce and locally sourced fish but we still import some of our best ingredients from Italy including white truffles and some of the highest quality dry pasta. We use both pastas that are made fresh in-house as well as the dry. Certain pastas go better with certain sauces so it’s important to have both dry and fresh.

How often does the menu change?

Some classics such as gnocchi, carne cruta and agnoliotti (veal stuffed pasta) are always on menu. Seafood, risotto and certain pasta items rotate seasonally.  

How does the Italian approach to cooking affect Spiaggia’s style?

Everything is fresh. There are three ‘no no’s’ in Italian cooking—pre-cooking pasta, pre-cooking risotto and making bad espresso.

In April, Spiaggia launched its own balsamico. What prompted this?

Each year Tony Mantuano selects an Italian olive oil to be used at Spiaggia and we began branding it and selling it a few years ago, to great success. We had the idea to offer Spiaggia-branded balsamico because it is so difficult to find a good balsamico. There is only one true balsamico—everything else is an imposter.

What are you doing to put your stamp or style on Spiaggia?

After learning about the various levels of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale that are recognized by the Italian government, I suggested offering a balsamico tasting menu. I worked with Tony to create a seven-course balsamico tasting menu that we launched in May. Each balsamico is aged longer so it is thicker and sweeter than the previous one.

The menu starts with Saba, the first stage and the youngest) of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale. The Saba is followed by: Condimento Balsamico Agro Di Mosto [condimento balsamico is a type of balsamico that is aged less than five years]; Condimento Balsamico San Giacomo (aged approximately three years in oak and chestnut barrels); Condimento Balsamico Essenza (Spiaggia’s signature balsamico); Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Agragosta D.O.P., which has been aged a minimum of 12 years in a variety of nine wooden barrels; and Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Argento D.O.P., aged a minimum of 18 years in nine different types of wooden barrels. The final course offers Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Oro D.O.P., aged a minimum of 25 years in a variety of nine wooden barrels.

We’re always thinking of new tasting menus. We recently launched a Roman Tasting menu that features many traditional dishes I learned while cooking in Rome earlier this year.  

What is the one food everyone should try in their lifetime?

White truffles! They are more luxurious and fragrant than other truffles, and more expensive. White truffles should be shaved fresh over something plain such as pasta with butter, because they lose flavor when they are cooked. They are best when eaten in season, which is October through the first week of January.  

—Vanessa L. Facenda

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