Great Appts

The greatest appetizer in Clark County?

Considering I haven’t had every single appetizer in every single restaurant in our fair county, it’s safe to assume not –but it would be equally dangerous to dismiss it altogether.

The first time I had La Bottega’s Gorgonzola Cheesecake it was a revelation. In part, because I was working on a cookbook (‘A Seriously Cheesy Cookbook’ to be published next fall –if I can find a publisher), and in part because it was fantastic.

I immediately ran home (no, I didn’t, I took the car), and found on the Internet several recipes close to La Bottega’s, right down to the polenta crust. I tried a couple, and found one that was quite good, but the result was a little too dense, almost like a brick. Another recipe was even better, the main difference being the La Bottega version uses roasted garlic cloves around the edge of the cake. But even so, it wasn't quite what I remembered.

So I went back to La Bottega recently, to try it again, and sure enough, their version is light and fluffy, creamy, almost to the consistency of ricotta cheese. It’s easy on the gorgonzola, so if you’re not a huge fan of blue cheese, it’s not in your face. On the other hand, if you love blue cheese, there’s enough gorgonzola flavor to please.

It’s served in a light marinara sauce, with crusty smoky, grilled bread, adding complexity and depth of flavor to the whole dish. It gets two Yums Up.

While there, I decided I’d better find a wine to go with it, and the most obvious choice on the ‘by the glass’ list was the Pravis, 2007 Vignetti Delle Dolomiti Pinot Grigio, $18. Perfect match. The marinara sauce threw it off a bit, but it’s easy to avoid that.

May not be best, but until I try every appetizer in Clark County, I wouldn’t count it out.

Now if I can just duplicate it at home, so I can finish my cookbook.