Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman Mary Jean Wegner makes her rounds at Cucina di Poalo -- the restaurant she runs with her husband Paul -- located off Vista in Boise. Mary Jean isn't shy about telling people that she does all the talking and her husband Paul is the talent in the kitchen.
This restaurant review originally appeared in the Idaho Statesman at: http://bit.ly/cXpeKL
Mary Jean Wegner is not so much a restaurant owner as a tousle-haired force of nature. She twirls around this tight cluster of tables and chairs scattering greetings, menu suggestions and meals like a benevolent, if slightly mischievous, typhoon. (To one table of regulars, she says she’s adding “a shut up and eat it special.”) Husband Paul, on the other hand, floats in the eye of this cheerful daily tempest, stirring pots, cutting herbs and plating his signature lasagna with the quiet grace of a dancer.
For those loyal patrons of Cucina di Paolo – and there are legions – this won’t be news. But for those unfamiliar with the Wegners’ tiny, brick box of a restaurant, there’s a dose of personality here not common to this franchise-infected stretch of Vista Avenue. It makes the food taste better. And the food is already good.
When I first stepped through the door, Cucina di Paolo looked more deli than eatery. With glass cases full of pre-made menu items separating the kitchen from a very small dining area, it was obvious a good deal of the focus here is on take-away. But a closer inspection of those deli cases – organized under signs labeled “Pasta . . . bilities!,” “Incidentals!” and “Sweet Nothings!” – revealed Cucina di Paolo to be more than a mere maker of potato salads, slaws and sandwiches. Instead, they contained polenta domes stuffed with fresh mozzarella; thin strips of grilled eggplant in a garlic, parsley and olive oil marinade; tangles of fresh pasta and homemade desserts.
When Mary Jean slid a steaming bowl of bouillabaisse ($10.95) my way on that first visit, she pushed away any lingering notion that hers was a simple deli with extra attitude. The scent of saffron, orange zest and fennel rose off that Mediterranean seafood stew like an Idaho vision of a Marseilles afternoon. Studded with clams, mussels, calamari and shrimp, it was the best bouillabaisse I’ve had in Boise. (Well, it may be the only bouillabaisse I’ve had in Boise, but that didn’t stop me from mopping up every drop with a chunk of crusty bread).
About that time, my lunchmate glanced up from her slab of chipotle meatloaf ($9.95 w/soup or salad) and flashed a look of surprise. With a texture both chewy and soft, complicated with sliced onion and a smoky chipotle bite, that meatloaf was comfort food with pedigree (although the accompanying gravy was a bit salty).
Much of what Cucina di Paolo offers tastes like the unpretentious yet ambitious home cooking you might get from a friend with decades of dog-eared Gourmet magazines stashed in the kitchen cupboard.
Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman Traditional beef lasagna served with bechamel sauce and fresh Parmesan cheese along with a fresh green salad and garlic bread for $9.25 at Cucina di Poalo on Vista in Boise.
Self-taught chef Paul Wegner honed his cooking chops early. At 12, he helped out at his family’s American Falls pizzeria. After a stint in the army in Italy, he stayed there to work in kitchens (thus the Italian name Cucina di Paolo or Kitchen of Paul). Back in Idaho, he and Mary Jean peddled pans of homemade lasagna at Boise’s fledgling farmers’ market. That was nearly 20 years ago.The Wegners still sell those “Take-N-Bake” lasagnas at the Capital City Public Market while offering them also at Cucina di Paolo. I counted 14 meat, chicken and vegetarian variations on their takeout menu including traditional beef and sausage, chicken Mexicali-style and organic summer squash with basil pesto (ranging from $6.50 for an individual pan to $68 for a 24-piece portion).
In the restaurant, they serve four types of lasagna. The beef and sausage is rich and savory ($9.25), especially with a little bechamel sauce surrounding it. I’ll be back to try the others.
I’ll also check out the Friday clam chowder special ($4.95/bowl) – a patron sitting near me one lunch (everyone sits near you here) slurped some chowder and then, to no one in particular, whispered “unbelievable.”
An eavesdropping Mary Jean smiled.
For more on this story in the Idaho Statesman go to: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/02/26/1095636/owners-make-good-food-taste-better.html
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Guy Hand is a writer, public radio producer and photographer specializing in food and agriculture. |
