What's new is an emphasis on regional Italian cooking. For a while, Tuscan food was all the rage. Now Neapolitan fare is back in favor. But now we're also learning about the cuisines of Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria and Livorno. Risotto and polenta, Sicilian ricotta cake, fish soups from Argentario and Elba, vegetable tortes from Lucca, and stuffed pasta squares from the Chianti region appear on everyday menus at restaurants like Peppercorn's in Hartford, Cavey's in Manchester, Il Falco and Mona Lisa in Stamford.
Luscious memories intrude.
Of a wonderful Sardinian feast at Mona Lisa based on family recipes that owners Anna and Luciano Magliulo collected on a trip to Anna's native island. Hard to forget. Ethnic cuisines have staying power. I suspect there are places in the U.S. where the dining public is too timid or conservative to give a fad the time of day. Connecticut is not one of those places.