Dinner and a Movie - Ceneforum at Veritas Restaurant (Na)

 How about dinner, drinks and a movie?  That's what Veritas had in mind when they invited Marco Lombardi for a series of  cinegustologia.  Cinegustolgia is a way to immerge into a movie and see it in a different light.  To describe the movie as if you were describing a wine or something you would eat.  Using words such as hard, soft, acidic, smooth, bitter, sweet, coarse or fragrant.
On this particular evening, the films chosen were by director Tim Burton.  The plan?  We'd watch a few clips of the film...discuss...pair that particular film with a dish prepared by Chef Gianluca D'Agostino and pair that dish to an artisan beer by Karma Birra Artiginale.

First film:  Edward Scissor Hands or Edward mani di forbici
One of my favorite all time films.  This fairy tale like film starring Johnny Depp. We have a certain sympathy for Edward, our antihero...feel a sweetness, smoothness.  The film has a dramatic ending...crunchy even.

So why not pair it with an antipasta which is a curly octopus salad with creamy smooth potatoes?  Several slices of crunch artichokes...a beet popsicle placed on top reminded us of a particular scene where Edward is carving an ice sculpture outside...it seems as though snow is falling...
Our beer, Cubulteria, a beer with intense spices such as cinammon and orange peel.  Though deep and light. Fitting...  

Time for our first course and Sleepy Hollow, Il misterio di Sleepy hollow.
Once again Depp.

Once again a dark film which needed a dark beer, Carminia, brewed with 5 different types of hops.  A profound film, dark, intriguing.  The movie is full of scenes in the woods, dark...mysterious, a smokey grey atmosphere.  The perfect inspiration for the next dish, a lasagnetta with speck, mushrooms, and smoked provola. The smokiness of the speck and the provola...the woodiness of the mushrooms...I think you're getting the picture...

Second course, Mars Attacks. Science fiction with a political twist. We watched the nice little martians murder those on the screen...definitely acidity...

The martians, physically, had a smooth soft head...like the cod we were served next with a surprising pumpkin sauce...an unsuspecting twig or two of chicory to constrast with the sweetness in the pumpkin sauce...To take us by surprise.

Dessert. Big Fish. La storie di una vita incredibile.
We watched the ending of this fantasy film as we came to the end of our meal.  The end of our time together.  Silence in the room.  Silence and a certain sweetness as we watched Will carry his father to the river, saying goodbye to his friends, turning into a big fish.

A deep sweetness that would be expressed in the chef's dessert. A creamy chocolate sauce with a cookie flavored with orange blossoms.  Karma's Na Tazzulella 'e cafe' beer was chosen for contrast..its dark capuccino color, its aromas of arabic coffee beans...

At this point I was hooked on cinegustologia. I was curious what would be the perfect match for other Burton films like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice, or Batman.  But our evening was over...over with a desire for more.

An evening of reflection,  of discussion.

An evening of dinner, drinks and a movie...