Welcome to Best Bites, a series where we celebrate not a whole restaurant or menu but one specific and amazing dish. These bites have something to say, and we are listening. Keep reading for dishes that are seriously worth the trek across metro Phoenix to find. Dig in!
Sometimes there are dishes that, after reviewing the menu, jump out because they’re putting together flavors in new or different ways. One of those items is the Bacon Sourdough Bolognese at the downtown neighborhood spot First & Last.
The description of the dish beyond that is spare: rigatoni, red chile pepper, parmigiano reggiano. There’s little doubt that the richness of the bacon will come through, but what about that sourdough?
Its tang pops right at first bite. It comes from Nice Buns Bakery country loaf bread crumbs that are added to the sauce. But, the bacon – rich and smoky – quickly makes its presence known in the bolognese. That depth is palpable thanks to the kitchen team’s work curing and smoking their pork bellies in-house.
But, that house-made bacon isn’t the only thing that adds depth and salinity. The bolognese has a surprising ingredient: fish sauce that is oak barrel-aged at the restaurant.
“It refines it like Bourbon, almost,” says Robb Hammond, who owns First & Last with wife Ashley. “It takes a little of the roughness away and makes it almost like a finishing sauce, and that’s the part that we really love about the bolognese.”
The dish was developed about two years ago by two-time James Beard Award-nominated chef Cassie Shortino while she cooked at First & Last.
“We always want to make sure to live up to that expectation that she set with that dish,” Hammond says.
While the bolognese has gone on and off the menu since its creation, Hammond says it's finding a more permanent place because of its popularity with diners. First & Last makes and serves about 100 pounds of the sauce each week.
Once this sauce is completed, it’s tossed with beautifully al dente pasta is made by Sonoran Pasta Co. The heritage grains used in it add a hint of nuttiness. The dish is finished with fennel pollen to brighten it up.
The bolognese is one of several pasta dishes on the restaurant’s menu, an element the kitchen is beefing up for its dinner and recently added lunch service. After tasting this dish, we’re looking forward to seeing how that element of the menu continues to grow.
Sometimes there are dishes that, after reviewing the menu, jump out because they’re putting together flavors in new or different ways. One of those items is the Bacon Sourdough Bolognese at the downtown neighborhood spot First & Last.
The description of the dish beyond that is spare: rigatoni, red chile pepper, parmigiano reggiano. There’s little doubt that the richness of the bacon will come through, but what about that sourdough?
Its tang pops right at first bite. It comes from Nice Buns Bakery country loaf bread crumbs that are added to the sauce. But, the bacon – rich and smoky – quickly makes its presence known in the bolognese. That depth is palpable thanks to the kitchen team’s work curing and smoking their pork bellies in-house.
But, that house-made bacon isn’t the only thing that adds depth and salinity. The bolognese has a surprising ingredient: fish sauce that is oak barrel-aged at the restaurant.
“It refines it like Bourbon, almost,” says Robb Hammond, who owns First & Last with wife Ashley. “It takes a little of the roughness away and makes it almost like a finishing sauce, and that’s the part that we really love about the bolognese.”
The dish was developed about two years ago by two-time James Beard Award-nominated chef Cassie Shortino while she cooked at First & Last.
“We always want to make sure to live up to that expectation that she set with that dish,” Hammond says.
While the bolognese has gone on and off the menu since its creation, Hammond says it's finding a more permanent place because of its popularity with diners. First & Last makes and serves about 100 pounds of the sauce each week.
Once this sauce is completed, it’s tossed with beautifully al dente pasta is made by Sonoran Pasta Co. The heritage grains used in it add a hint of nuttiness. The dish is finished with fennel pollen to brighten it up.
The bolognese is one of several pasta dishes on the restaurant’s menu, an element the kitchen is beefing up for its dinner and recently added lunch service. After tasting this dish, we’re looking forward to seeing how that element of the menu continues to grow.
