UYE-Steppin’ Out: Mangia!!! With Chef Marc Round 4!!!!

This was Round One for me and I could not have been more pleased with this event. Others have already done a great (and timely) job talking about each of the courses and the food in general. I just waned to give a short review from the perspective of a UYE newbie.
Even though I’d skimmed other reviews of Unilocal Events, I was unprepared for how much I would enjoy this event. I’d never had the experience of eating a delicious meal with a room full of unabashed food lovers. There was an air anticipation and enthusiasm in the room. Before each course, Chef would tap his wine glass for our attention and discuss each dish – we learned about the ingredients and the preparations. Then the dishes would be presented and you could see people at each table giddy with anticipation. And yes, the food was outstanding. Thanks to Chef Marc, I am a now fan of cold calamari. And to me that’s what this experience was about. Hubby and I had the chance to taste a few dishes we wouldn’t have ordered if we were eating there by ourselves.
This sit down UYE offered an introduction to to both Parma’s flavorful and considered dishes and the warmth of other Unilocalers. I had the opportunity to meet William C., Dennis and Diane T., Nelson Q, and CF. Everyone was so kind and made the meal all the more enjoyable.
I am so very glad that had the opportunity to attended this fantastic event.

Finally made it out to Nelson Q.‘s infamous UYE dinner series at Parma by Chef Marc and what a treat it was! I should seriously kick myself for missing the first 3!
First off, Chef Marc and his team know how to run this operation. Sure, it’s a hectic and busy one but they are doing just fine! I love how he takes the time to describe each dish before it comes out, making us salivate and giddy with anticipation.
First course: Cold Calamari Salad — A light dish with perfectly cooked squid, sharp provolone from Bologna, olives, celery, onions, and peppers.
Second course: Hot Calamari Stew — Slow cooked squid in a tomato base with squash and orzo… again, perfectly cooked.
Third course: Freshly Made Mozzarella and Heirloom Tomato Salad — Freshly made is an understatement. Chef Marc literally made that cheese right before our very eyes and served it up to us. I’ve never had cheese that freshly made before. That alone is first rate!
(At this point, I noticed a few of my fellow diners eating some garlic bread and couldn’t resist ordering some. I was warned by Arvin C. that he had made the mistake of filling up on that delicious bread in the past, so I should watch out. Oh my gawd. That is one damn good garlic bread. You can not stop at one piece, it’s just so incredibly good! Later on, Chef Marc noticed our table slowing down on food and asked if we had garlic bread. We guiltily nodded and he shook his head having warned us that there was a lot of food coming and not to fill up on that! Haha! But it’s so good!!)
Fourth course: Spinach Pasta with Wild Boar Ragu — Washcloth pasta with a tasty bolognese sauce that is not overpowering one bit.
Fifth course: Sweetbread — Chef Marc said it was going to be just a taste, but it looked like a complete dish! A port wine coconut mt milk reduction along with sweet onions that was very rich.
Sixth course: Lamb Loin with Exotic Mushrooms — Eight different mushrooms that are dried out for two days then soaked in olive oil before being roasted in a wood oven is a standout for this dish. The flavor profiles of each mushroom were a joy upon itself!
Seventh course: Dessert Sampler — Cannolis, Strawberry Cake, a pound cake of some sort, and a chocolate cake. The strawberry cake was a hit and the waiter could see our side of the table devouring it. He asked if we wanted more and a yes was an immediate answer. Unfortunately, they were out, but he came back with a slice of Lemon Ricotta Cake. So good, so moist, and not overly lemony.
All that for $ 50/​person! What a deal! And the additional $ 20 for wine pairing offered some tasty complements!
The staff were great with giving everyone their correct bill (imagine 40+ separate checks) and taking it all in stride. Chef Marc even had time to upsell some olive oil before retiring for the evening and it worked. We weren’t the only ones walking out with boxes of olive oil!
Overall, a fabulous meal with fabulous company! When’s round 5?

If there were ever a meal worthy of nearly two months of shredding: Chef Marc delivered it and then some. Two of my dear friends were able to join our group of 40+ on the culinary journey. While they had been to Marc’s before (not for Chef’s Table) nothing prepared us for the surprises Marc had on hand that evening…
Initially, I arrived early to meet with Tien and chat, but my (non Unilocaling) friends were already there at a table waiting for me. The four of us chatted as Marc stopped by and promised an unforgettable evening (big talk considering I’ve been a client for nearly 9 years & 2 restaurants) As luck would have it, I was seated next to the beautiful (inside and out) Kaycee L. and we chatted about April’s Tough Mudder, training and fielded texts from poor Kevin P who was stuck at work.
The calamari two ways brought me back to my Nonna’s cooking; the first cold prep was similar to what we include in «Dish of the Seven Fish» on Christmas Eve. Perfectly prepared calamari with celery for crunch, imported aged provolone, calamari olives and bold olive oil. The second way, was reminiscent of a Lenten dish of light tomato broth, low and slow prepared squid with zucchini and yellow squash. The tomato really brought out the flavor of the Castello Vermintino.
Then Marc announced that he was going to pull fresh mozarella for the group: I was floored. Doing this is no small task and the difference between fabulous and rubbery increases with the size of the batch. My friends were remarking how my family prepares this (on a much smaller scale) for holidays. If anyone has the culinary chops and cajones to pull this one out, it is Marc. When finished, we were served the freshest Caprese salad with heirloom tomato and basil which perfumed the air. The Chianti was a perfect match for this course.
The Spinach Fazzoletti (handkerchief pasta) al dente with Spicy Steelhead Ragu was fantastic! While the carnivores loved their Wild Boar, I enjoyed the spicy kick and ended up with my first to go box for the evening for half of it. Again, the Tuscanny wine was a nice pairing. But, my wines were beginning to back up on me! I had three glasses in front of me several times.
Next, I had the white shrimp with coconut and port wine reduction in lieu of the sweetbreads which the carnivores seemed to enjoy. The Sardinian wine accompanying was bold and beautiful.
Onto the Steelhead (two filets!) over an array of fresh mushrooms Marc dried and seasoned at Novecento prior to this evenings feast. Here, though it was delicious I hit the wall «not another bite» taking most in another to go box. The accompanying Shiraz was enjoyable.
The dessert platters were a «Parma’s biggest hits» immedeately I recognized the lighter than air but flavorful Strawberry Cake I’d had «to go» on Father’s Day. Initially suspicious, everyone agreed it was amazing. After managing to down half a mini cannoli, I tapped out on the Lemon Ricotta, Rum and Chocolate Mousse cakes. They were devoured by my table mates. I forget the dessert wine, but it was a lively sparkling red.
Marc and team truly outdid themselves on this feast. Though I didn’t get to interact with many other tables or my beloved Criztiano (who was covering the other half of the dining room but did stop by several times to check on me) it was a meal for the record books. Thanks to Nelson for arranging and the incredible Parma staff for always going above and beyond. It is rare to encounter a Chef with Marc’s passion and it shows in everything he does. Bravo!!!
PS: Great birthday dinner for my Unilocal buddy, Dennis T!
Unilocal 100 Challenge

I love Italian food. Twice I have eaten my way through Italy on vacations. The food is unlike anything you will taste in America, unless Chef Marc is cooking :)
This was the second event I have attended in the Steppin’ Out series. I am always blown away with how friendly Nelson is, never forgetting a name and always making the rounds to each table making sure everyone is happy and having a great time. This event wouldn’t have the family feel to it if it weren’t for Nelson.
I couldn’t have asked for a better table to sit at. I brought my long time family friend with me as my plus one. Her husband was out of town for the weekend and she was in need of a night out. She is still talking about Chef Marc! Also at our table was Christie O and her two friends. We came to the event as strangers and I am so happy to have found a sweet, compassionate and caring friend in Christie.
I will avoid the long review of each menu item as I am sure many people already listed what we enjoyed that evening. I will say, the wine pairing with the meal is 100% the way to go. I have tried the Mangia! event both ways and nothing compliments Chef Marc’s masterpieces like a great glass of vino.
My only regret is that my appearance to the Stepin Out series is so infrequent. That for sure will change!

A memorable to say the least. Calamari 2 ways. Cold dish was a Greek style salad and hot was a soup. Both quite delicious. Calamari was tender as could be. Cold was blanched while the hot was low and slow. Both techniques made for very tasty calamari. Next was fresh mozzarella made in front of us with heirloom tomatoes and basil, a caprese salad if you will. Next was my favorite, wild boar Ravi over spinach pasta. The pasta was ok, it wasn’t the highlight of the dish for me. The wild boar Ravi was out of this world good! I can’t recall a better tasting dish. The flavors were mind blowing. If I had some hot sauce or chef made it spicy, I would have been in heaven! Next was a special treat, sweetbreads. First time trying it. Texture was on the chewy side, but still quite soft and even creamy. Can’t find the right words to describe this dish. But I liked it. Then came the lamb loin n mushrooms. Not sure how many different mushrooms were used, but it was 7 or 8 if I recall. Very simple dish. Nothing fancy here. Sautéed mushrooms and perfect medium rare lamb loin. This minimalistic dish was Devine! The ingredients did all the talking. It was such a simple dish but the two ingredients married so well with each other. Adding anything more would simply ruin it. This was simple but very a very well thoughtout dish. Dessert was good. Assortment of cakes n cannolis. A nice finish tI a good meal. The strawberry cake was delicious. I wish I had some right now. The journey was 3 hours long. It was not just a dinner, it was a culinary experience.

Eric R. and I both enjoyed Round 4 as first-​timers at Parma and the Mangia series. Eric R.‘s favorite part was the making of fresh mozzarella — he took lots of video and pictures of the intricate process which was also quite the show.
We had a great table, dining with very keen and smart foodie folks. First, calamari two ways. I enjoyed the cold dish, carefully and successfully avoiding the chopped celery, and taking Eric’s hot peppers out of his dish after he accidentally chewed one. The next dish was a slow-​cooked calamari soup with zucchini in tomato broth. Definitely like nothing I have had before.
The salad course included heirloom tomatoes and the fresh mozzarella just made in front of us, plus basil. I added some of the balsamic and olive oil from the table on this — needed a dash of pepper but was truly a highlight.
We got bread, though we we warned it might fill us up. It was very crusty with parmesan-​garlic on the top… mmmm. Next, spinach «wash cloth» pasta with steelhead sauce. The fish was in the texture of ground meat which was interesting. The pasta was very delicious and made in house.
Next, sweetbreads. This was a first for me, and I had just watched Top Chef Finale part 1 where sweetbreads were presented. These has roasted and pureed onion (special Italian onion, but from Pahrump!) and a coconut-​port reduction. Glad I got the chance to try these.
The entrée — lamb loin with roasted mushrooms. The flavors were amazing, but the lamb too rare for me (I know chefs are rolling their eyes at me right now). Don’t worry, I still ate it all!
Dessert: a plate full of amazing treats, which I was preceded to destroy with a knife to cut them for everyone at the table. We had rum cake, strawberry cake, chocolate mousse cake, cannoli… whoa. I liked everything. Then I tried the lemon ricotta cake that Christina W. got. Mmmm. Service was really good considering the size of our enormous 41 person UYE group. When the iced tea tasted «off,» the manager immediately gave me a bottle of Harney & Sons gingko citrus green tea as a sub.
My favorite besides seeing so many cool and happily fed people was the sign on the front door «The wait is 2 hours if you do not have a reservation.»

What a fun night with Chef Marc, Nelson Q., and a host of Unilocalers, many I was meeting in real life for the first time. The other reviews for the night have already summarized what a great evening of Italian cuisine it was. My favorite part, by far, was the mozzarella-​making demo by Chef: the resulting caprese salad was amazing and I could have had seconds and thirds. I also won’t discount the camaraderie of the whole group of 40+; always nice to be around others who appreciate good food. Our table was right up front and it was great to be seated with the food photogs, Tien and Shawn, as well as sharing the Parma experience with April, Doug, Liz, and my Asian Persuasion peeps, Chad and Nelson S. Bravo, Nelson Q.– I’m glad I was part of Round 4!

We made sure to save up our appetite all day. We were so hungry when we got there but it was well worth it.
We started out a lonely pair at the last empty table since there weren’t any more spot open for a couple but it ended up being a fabulous table of Unilocalers… the always sweet Chad, silly Tien, and we got to meet Shawn and his lovely wife, Terri, and Nelson. I think we were the only table to ask for bread, Chef Marc warned us not to fill up on the wonderful crusty bread but like the honey badger; we didn’t care.
Chef Marc was so nice and did such a fabulous job for such a large group, even entertaining us with the making of the mozzarella.
THE GRUB:
We chowed down on Cold Calamari Salad that Yes! even Doug liked it, I was proud that he tried it and even happier he liked it. Warm, Spicy Calamari Soup with Vegetables… I could go for some right now. Caprese Salad (I love caprese) with fresh made mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes. A crowd favorite of Wild Boar Ragu over fresh Spinach wash cloth Pasta. The basket of bread we ordered was working over time sopping up all the yummy sauce. So good! A special little surprise of Sweetbreads with Port Wine reduction, we’ve never had Sweetbreads before, I was pleasantly surprised. I wouldn’t hesitate to get sweetbreads again. And that Port reduction! Wow! And we’re still not done. Perfectly cooked to tender magnificence was sliced Lamb Loin with 8 different Mushrooms served with Jus. Oh the jus was a simple but delicious addition to the dish. I was full at this point but Chef Marc made sure to end the night with some sweets. A mother lode of cannoli and cakes. Two bites put me over my limit, but Doug devoured the rest of the Chocolate cake once everyone got a taste.
An FYI for next time, the wine pairing is the way to go, I got 2 glasses of house white (14 $).
Everything was so good! The food, the presentation, the company. Huge thanks to Nelson, Chef Marc and his restaurant crew for the wonderful night. Doug and I are looking forward to trying Parma on our own now that we know how good it is!

Truly unbelievable night of food, Unilocalers, and THANK GOD finally got in on one of da rounds with Chef Marc. It only took me till round 4 too realize the finer things been missing out in life! Lol! HUGE shout too Nelson Q for all the work he does in his UYE=Steppin’ out events! Unfortunately not made all of them but every one I have had the honor too make god bless good times great food greet Unilocalers. Talk about huge event over 40 people! Awesome too be able too meet more new Unilocalers for the first time and seeing familiar faces again. LIttle shout out too April and Doug always know follow their lead comes too event. Not only always good conversations with April and Doug but going up front action we were first tables too get served! Rest of the table Terri and Nelson (team asian persuasian). and meeting Shawn and his wife. Tien it fun table made the night that much more enjoyable!
Chef Marc someone that truly has such passion for food and the entire staff of Parma. Thank you. Unilocalers we pretty much took over the whole restaurant. Cool. Chef Marc taking the time too explain every course with great detail, outgoing personality, and little show put on for us with making fresh buffalo mozzarella. By far seeing Chef Marc stretch or work the fresh buffalo mozzarella as much treat and highlight as the food. The food every course was filled with flavor, depth, and point not sure if even going too make it too the end.
Too start had two way calamari one served cold and other one hot. The pasta course one that really enjoyed! The fresh spinach pasta served with wild boar ragu. I am always fan of any type of game. It was devine. The fresh heirloom tomatoes with fresh as you get buffalo mozzarella. Another stand out for me. The lamb racks cooked too the perfect medium rare with light au jus. If there was a dish felt define Chef Marc is sometimes food not about douching the food, over seasoning, but in this course letting the product stand out by itself, and nothing better then perfectly cooked lamb salt and pepper got piece of game. The dessert family style with assortment perfect way too end the night. Cannolis me was the winnah of the assortment.
Sure plan on coming back trying more of the menu and sure order few loafs of bread too take home. There that good guys!

Round 4 of Mangia!!! delivered another culinary knockout punch with a variety of dishes and quite inventive food preparation by Chef Marc and his kitchen staff. Courses were seven in number, plus a few pescatarian alternatives. While I was not equally enthusiastic about all items sampled – largely due to my own personal tastes – I greatly enjoyed the epicurean journey. Part of the fun of this type of event is to explore and experience new tastes.
Up first was Calamari Two Ways: cold and hot. Cold was represented by a mixture of cold squid, Green and Purple Olives, celery, tomato pieces, Sharp Provolone Cheese, Red Onions, and a very peppery but good Balsamic Sauce with extra virgin olive oil. I still prefer calamari in fried form, but this dish was a cool and refreshing beginning to a true Italian feast. The olives were very flavorful, and the cheese a welcome newcomer to my taste buds. The hot version was tasty, slow-​cooked Calamari Soup in a somewhat spicy tomato-​based broth that contained calamari rings and a few squash blossoms.
The next course was a Caprese Salad made with Heirloom Tomatoes and fresh mozzarella hand-​kneaded by Chef Marc himself just before it was served. A colorful dish, my salad displayed red, green, and orange tomatoes on a white plate.
Salad was followed by another colorful and interesting course: Wild Boar Ragu with Spinach Fazzoletti, known as washcloth pasta because of its shape. I had never previously tasted boar, and found this rendition of it to be quite similar to good Bolognese but with more fat adhering to the meat.
For meat eaters, sweetbreads with a Coconut Milk & Port Wine Reduction was served next, along with Tropez Onion. Because sweetbreads are super-​laden with cholesterol, I was under more than one physician’s admonition to stay far away from it. So, I just nipped off and tried an unremarkable very tiny piece, and then followed the lead of a tablemate, and requested the pescatarian alternative for this course. I was then rewarded with a lovely grilled shrimp, also with a Coconut Milk & Port Wine Reduction and a quite tasty Tropez Onion. The shrimp was perfectly cooked, and the onion was soft and pliable.
The dinner just kept getting better. For, as an entrée we were served Lamb Loin with several types of exotic roasted mushrooms, including Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Enoki Mushrooms. Although already cool on arrival, thin slices of lamb were very nicely seasoned and cooked perfectly medium rare, and all elements were melded well with outstanding cold-​pressed Virgin California EVOO grown and harvested at Golden Olive Ranch in Madera, California. In fact, the olive oil was so good that I, like Nelson and Sylvia Q, bought a 4-​bottle case of it immediately following the dinner. The lamb was juicy and delicious, a far cry from an ordinary lamb chop.
The final course was an abundance of sweet riches: a platter displaying multiple tubes of very good Cannoli, moist Rum Cake, Chocolate Cake that tasted like rich Chocolate Mousse, and a divine and outstanding Strawberry Cake that was moist and yet light at the same time.
Chef Marc and his staff worked hard throughout the dinner service, and were very accommodating. While the kitchen ran out of veal before Diane placed her ala carte order, and was too busy to make Roasted Potatoes, she was given requested extra Alfredo Sauce to cover her abundant scallops of chicken, and besides the shrimp substitution, I was delivered refills of Sprite numerous times without asking for even one, and no extra charge was assessed beyond the $ 50 cost of the meal. We were presented with all handcrafted fresh food that easily would have cost twice as much ordered off a restaurant menu.
Besides the excellent food, the camaraderie and conversation at my table were quite enjoyable, including making the acquaintance of Dalton H., Samantha G., and Carolyn F.
Thanks to Nelson Q. for setting up this wonderful event, and to Chef Marc and his very competent staff for toiling hard on our behalf. I look forward to the next round!

What an unforgettable evening once again! Chef Marc and Team Parma went all out for our group of 41 diners,(Yes, 41!!!) consisting of Unilocal OGs, and new faces, repeat diners in the MANGIA! series and first timers as well.
We had just missed being booked into Chef Marc’s extended room next door, as the smell of fresh paint still lingered after countless attempts to get rid of the smell (fans, air fresheners, burning herbs, etc) still proved unsuccessful. Our party took up the central lounging area of the restaurant instead which resulted in a 2 hour wait for diners without a reservation. Ooooops! Did I do that??? BUAHAHAHA!!!
Our 3 hour food trek through Italy consisted of the following courses:
CALAMARI TWO WAYS
Castello Colle Massari Mellace Montecucco Vermentino, 2011
The Cold Calamari salad was a great way to awaken our tastebuds. Some of the softest calamari ever by cooking it quickly and ever so slightly prepared similar to a Greek salad with some heat from chili peppers and a nice sharpness from an aged Provolone cheese from Bolognia.
The Hot Calamari Soup had a very nice sweetness to it, and the calamari was cooked low and slow this time, while still retaining its softness. Nicely paired with zucchini and orzo pasta.
FRESH MOZZARELLA CAPRESE
Famiglia De Rose Chianti, 2009
This was the «surprise» Chef Marc was planning since the end of MANGIA! Round 3. Having fresh mozzarella made before our party was an awesome spectacle to take in. a time consuming process, and well worth the wait as we all tore into perhaps the best Caprese ever with fresh basil, and sweet Heirloom Tomatoes.
SPINACH FAZZOLETTI WITH WILD BOAR RAGU
Famiglia De Rose Toscana Rosso, 2006
Chef Marc prepared fresh Spinach Fazzoletti (Washcloth Pasta) perfectly al dente and paired it with a very flavorful wild boar ragu. Nice, hearty, and very well seasoned. At night’s end, a few people had mentioned this dish as their favorite.
PAN SEARED SWEETBREADS WITH A COCONUT-​PORT REDUCTION
I Fiori Cannonau Di Sardegna
This was another «Culinary Curveball» that was unexpected and a very nice surprise! Crisp on the outside, nice, fatty and creamy on the inside, went well with the coconut milk and port reduction and Tropez onion jam which cut the fattiness and added a nice sweetness to the dish. While some chose to pass it up, the majority of first timers absolutely cleaned this dish!
LAMB LOIN WITH FARM FRESH PAN ROASTED MUSHROOMS
Penfold’s Shiraz Bin 28, Kalimna 2007
The lamb loin was cooked to a perfect medium rare and served with a medley of farm fresh mushrooms that were first air dried in the cooler to lose the excess moisture the mushrooms carried, then they were slowly pan roasted which gave it a very intense mushroom flavor. Served with the natural lamb jus, this was a perfect ending to our savory offerings.
*Throughout the evening’s courses, Chef Marc also used Virgin Olive Oils, an assortment of cold pressed single source extra virgin olive oils consisting of different varieties of olives grown at Golden oLIVE Ranch in Madera, California.
So good, even a few diners purchased a few sets for $ 24. a GREAT DEAL!
PARMA DESSERT SAMPLER
Roscato Rosso Dolce, 2011
A platter of Parma’s signature desserts capped off our dinner-​Cannolis, Lemon Ricotta Cake, Strawberry Cake, and Chocolate Rum Cake. Absolutely delicious!
Big MAHALO to Chef Marc and Team Parma for pushing themselves above and beyond our expectations, and also broadening our culinary horizons that allow us to come away with great food moments and memories. and also to all Unilocalers and guests who attended… Hope to see you all for ROUND 5!!! ALOHA!!!
Unilocal 100 CHALLENGE 2013−(33÷100) «The UYE of UYEs!»

FIRST! (I’m mature, really)
The BF and I have been wanting to go to a tasting, but it never quite worked out scheduling wise, and the skies parted and aligned that we actually had to work early shifts this week. Still, this is worth requesting a schedule change for to attend.
We were presented with calamari: two ways.
The first was a cold calamari salad, with olives, celery, onions, peppers, sharp provolone. It is everything people love and recognize as Meditteranean flavors, but this is «Greek salads» bigger, briny, refined sister. If you love calamari, greek salad, and ceviche like I do, you would enjoy this.
The hot calamari «stew was tomato based, with zucchini and yellow squash, orzo. The sauce/​broth took on the flavor of the calamari pretty well and made it hearty. My only caveat was the BFs bowl had no calamari in it, so I had to share one of the two small pieces in mine.
Next was Chef Marcs «surprise» which was fresh mozzarella, handmade right in front of us. I love fresh mozz and miss delis that freshly make it and have it sitting at room temp (in water, in the fridge makes it more bouncy and the water leeches out the flavors). It was served simply with heirloom tomatoes and a bit of olive oil and balsamic. The best possible caprese you can get — fresh creamy cheese and quality tomatoes. We were the only table to request some of the delicious and dangerous crusty bread to go with this. It was the death of some of us to fill up on it.
Pasta course was wild boar ragu with spinach «washcloth» pasta. Good flavor of the spinach comes through the pasta and the wild boar was rather good. Sometimes it can be too salty or a bit chewy/​bouncy of a consistency but it was neither of those things. I like anything done up in a ragu that’s bolognese style here… You cannot go wrong.
We got a small «taste» but it was still a rather sizable plate of sweetbreads, with a port wine coconut reduction, carmelized tropea onions. I love sweetbreads so I thought it was rather good. This was more of a «rustic» way in that it was still a bit on the chewy side and often places crisps these up or bread them to hide some of that. I appreciated that aspect of it though.
Entrée we had sliced lamb chop on top of a variety of various mushrooms that were soaked in spices and olive oil then roasted and some au jus. Nicely medium rare, nice quality meat that wasn’t strongly gamey. the mushrooms were really nice as each one held their characteristic flavor and some were woodier, some delicate, some soft, some chewy, etc.
For dessert we got a plate with cannolis — pretty solid cannoli, chocolate cake — moist and not overly sweet or sticky, strawberry cake– tasted like if tres leches was made with nesquik (compliment, as we wanted more), vanilla sponge cake — pretty good too. We were asked if we wanted anything else and my table sprang for more of the «nesquik cake» which there wasn’t any and we got lemon ricotta cake instead which was delicious moist, dense and just the right amount of lemon flavor.
So glad I sat where I did. I looked around the room of people and I doubt anyone was louder and cracking up more than us. Oh, the tangents dinners take us. That is just as valuable as the food. Ridiculously fun. The three hours we were all there didn’t matter because the conversation never ceased.
Thank you Nelson for setting it up, thank you Chef Marc and the entire staff that busted their butt off for this! It is no easy feat I know that much! I couldn’t imagine doing a tasting for 40ish people AND several 4 tops AND another huge dinner party at the same time. If anyone can, it would be this place though. I always say time and again that some of the servers here are the best.

What a magnificent dinner THAT was! Holy mother of god did Chef Marc and his staff put on a show. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of food I ate. The Tuscan themed menu was really creative and offered a couple of curveballs that really blew me away.
We were fortunate enough to attend round 2 and before getting there, I wondered how Chef Marc would top himself since that was a glorious meal as well. Making fresh mozzarella right before our eyes was ridiculous! Accompanying that with heirloom tomatoes and great olive oil equaled the greatest caprese salad I’ve ever had. My wife was the lucky recipient of a piece of the mozzarella as it was just finished and she raved about the still being warm with outstanding milk and cream flavor. Marc and his staff making the cheese right before us was a really interesting process from beginning to end.
The second curveball was the sweetbread course. A really welcome and surprising treat. Last time I had sweetbread was at Le Cirque and this one blew it away. It was moist, tender, juicy and fatty all at the same time. Our tablemate, Jess, remarked how it was reminiscent of ribeye. I was ready to have this whole thing in a sandwich.
Every course was a freakin highlight! Handmade spinach pasta with wild boar sauce… are you fucking kidding me? Calamari done two ways, first was a cold salad with the most amazing sharp provolone cheese I’ve ever had and the second way was slow cooked to ultimate tenderness. The final course was sliced lamb loin served with exotic mushrooms which was amazing as well. They brought out a mixed plate of desserts to finish off the meal which included cannollis and cake which was the perfect ending.
I was really impressed with the staff and how smoothly everything went for a party of 40+. They were on point from start to finish and earned every bit of gratuity they got.
And I have to commend Nelson Q for setting up event. He has championed Parma and Chef Marc for a long time now and they deserve every accolade coming to them. A huge thanks to Nelson!!!
My wife and I look forward to coming back on our own and will probably call in a couple of requests for certain dishes prearrival after having some of the best Italian food we’ve ever had.

Very cool night with the Unilocalers. We had almost the entire place to ourselves, and Chef Marc was very personable and friendly.
He went over a lot of the dishes he was preparing, and you could tell he was putting the love into his work! He showed us how they make fresh mozz and it was a cool concept… very labor intensive.
We went through about 7 courses I believe, and I ate pretty much every single thing that came my way lol. The wine pairing was only $ 20, but almost every course had a wine to go with it, so well worth the $$!
The highlights for me, was the cold octopus dish (so much flavor in each bite!), the wild boar on pasta (excellent! Super flavorful and very memorable!) and the lamb (cooked perfectly and super tender with great taste).
I could go on and on about all the dishes, but it seems like a lot of others already covered the bases. I did take photos of everything though, and will upload them when I get home from work tonight.
Only minor complaint was the time taken between some of the courses, but there was plenty of conversation and good wine to make the night one to remember.

An epic dinner indeed…
There were 40 something people in our party, the biggest dinner party Chef Marc had ever serve from the tiny kitchen, but that didn’t Chef from creating such fabulous dish and even demonstrating the mozzarella making in front of our eyes show.
My fiancé went with the wine pairing so I was able to sip sip from his glass. They were all paired nicely with the dinner items.
The first we got to try is the calamari, presented 2 ways.
Cold calamari salad– what a way to excite our palate! The combination of sharp provolone, olives, spicy red peppers, celery, onions and the tender rings of calamari was exuberant.
The hot calamari tomato soup had zucchini and yellow squash, with orzo poured on top of it. It was tasty, but I still cannot get over the cold calamari salad.
Next was Chef Marc’s «surprise» which was fresh mozzarella, handmade right in front of us. From little milky curds to huge ball of fresh mozzarella! These were then sliced and mixed with fresh heirloom tomatoes and basil. High quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar were placed at our table to enjoy with the caprese. Nelson, Sylvia and I added a pinch of salt to it and it is the best caprese salad I have tasted. At this point, I was kind of full already, but the smell of the next course reenergized my palate.
The wild boar ragu with spinach pasta… easily my favorite course! So flavorful! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Debbie just got a pasta making machine and we are encouraging her to make these spinach pasta and hopefully recreate the ragu… you can do it Debbie! But if fail, no worries, we will be coming back to Chef Marc for some more… I hope it will be on the regular menu. .
The next surprise course, the little «extra» that isn’t part of the 5 course but from the passionate Chef Marc, a tasting with big bold flavors, the sweetbread. The port wine coconut reduction was lovely on the plate and tasted perfect with the sweetbread. It was served with the onion pureed as well. Yum yum yum.
The main entrée consisted of perfectly cooked, medium-​rare sliced lamb chop on top of a variety of mushrooms that were dried out, then soaked in olive oil and spices. I was pretty full so I gave my last piece and a half of lamb with some mushrooms to Earl.
We finished our meal with a plate of desserts. The cannolis are the best ones I tasted. The shell had the right crisp to it. The chocolate cake was ganache heaven, the ricotta cake was moist, dense and lemony. My favorite is the strawberry cake. The cake was light with a hint of tang and sweetness, the frosting was fluffy and not overly sweet with almond slices. I heart this cake. I am seriously thinking of having this same strawberry cake as our wedding cake.
Gratitude –Nelson, Chef Marc and staff, for making this epic dinner happen!