When it comes to authentic Italian cuisine, there’s red sauce and there arered flags.
Instead, Kusler suggests keeping menu orders as simple as possible.
The simple dishes, the uncomplicated dishes."
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And when that’s the case, it’s a requisite appetizer for an authentic Italian meal.
“It should be reserved for authentic items, like focaccia and bruschetta,” she adds.
“Cooking pasta al dente tells me that the kitchen staff is properly trained.
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The reason pasta needs to be cooked al dente is because it marries better with the sauce.”
Unless, of course, you’re at a pizzeria riddled withred flags.
For Benjamin Lambert, chef ofModenain Washington, D.C., good pizza is all about good dough.
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“Don’t order a pizza if you aren’t going to eat the crust,” he opines.
“Traditional brick ovens or wood-fired ovens are the real deal in pizza baking,” Kneble says.
No matter the style of pizza, authenticity is all about honoring regional roots.
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For instance, chicken marsala is a go-to order for Robbie Shoults, chef-owner ofBear Creek Smokehousein Texas.
“Real Italian food is more than pasta,” he emphasizes.
“This dish comes from Piedmont, a northwestern region known for its beef.”
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