THE FUGGEDABAODIT($9), a Chinese bun (bao) stuffed with sweet Italian sausage with black-pepper agrodolce (an Italian sweet-and-sour sauce) and pickled fennel — “We were pretty confident we’d win,” says Mark Barbire of the victorious entry he created with fellow Parm chef Rob Reinsmith. Their winning entry was inspired by a staff meal the kitchen sometimes cooks up on Sundays, when the nightly special is Chinese and they use leftovers to make pork buns.
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PARM DELI DOG ($9), a hot dog wrapped in sopressata, salami, pepperoni and provolone, topped with peppers, lettuce, tomato, spicy sauce and Italian dressing — Zalaznick likens it to “an Italian combo hero making passionate love to an NYC hot dog.”
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TABASCO TOTS ($6), grilled spuds seasoned with a mix of barbecue spices and served with Tabasco mayo — Carbone is a huge fan of Tater Tots. “They are mini works of art,” he says, “born to be dipped into any condiment!”
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GRILLED CHAR-SIU PORK RIBS ($10), the Chinese-style ribs are brined for 24 hours in a mixture of garlic, hoisin, ground-bean paste and red wine; then sous vided in the marinade for 14 hours; and then tossed on an 8-foot grill at the festival.
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THE GODFATHER ($9), a grilled sandwich made of mozzarella and tomatoes on garlic toast — it’s the portable version of the ball of warm, hand-pulled mozzarella on garlic toast that kicks off every dinner at Torrisi Italian Specialties.
Eilon Paz
