Slim Pickins: Fresh lunch behind the scenes

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

By Tyler Alford

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - A few popular local dinner restaurants have jumped onto the ‘business lunch’ plan and are offering daytime menus for the time being.

Trio, having started offering its lunch menu some months ago, is doing well with the concept serving lobster and duck confit salads among other ‘finer’ dishes.

Now, Nani’s is serving its version of Italian lunch, Monday through Friday at its location on North Glenwood. The concept is fairly simple: rich ingredients in one of two ways, panini or insalatone (salad, you American). With a price range that barely steps into the double-digits, you can get in and out for a lunch with a glass of wine and tip for under $20. Granted, there are more economical outlets for a mid-day meal, but you owe yourself a glass of pinot grigio.

On a warm Thursday afternoon, I ordered from the bar area, and took a seat outside in the shade of an umbrella at one of the annoyingly bright red-table-clothed tables on Nani’s deck. The weather was so nice that the nearby door into the kitchen was propped ajar, and I listened to the down-tempo house music sounds from inside the restaurant competing with “Tequila Her Clothes Fall Off” and other pop-country sounds coming from the kitchen. Before the meal came, I even got to listen to the inner workings of the kitchen and a quick, but loud, spat between mother and daughter (the owners) over bread.

The ambiance otherwise was very pleasurable with few tourists and just the occasional local bicycling or walking by on this lesser populated section of Glenwood Avenue.

Soon enough, an Italian-accented gentleman wearing a Kangol cap (think Samuel L. Jackson meets Freddie Prince Jr.) served my soup and salad together with a slice of bread – not, apparently, the bread the owners had argued about.
The minestrone soup was as it should be – nothing out of the ordinary, but refreshing with ample Italian parsley garnish and a depth of flavor in the grains and broth. It was hot, and a perfect portion for a lunch soup.

I chose the salad to pair with my wine. Terrona is a blend of tuna, capers, kalamata olives, tomatoes, red onion and croutons with your choice of lettuce, presented handsomely with each ingredient piled separately on the dish and the greens dressed in olive oil. The bowl seemed large at first, but ended up being an ideal amount. My server brought a little side set of oil, peppers and balsamic vinegar that I added to the salad to mask some of the powerful flavor of the tuna fish. I finished well past the one o’clock hour, and by that time, a few more tourists and stragglers were coming into the restaurant and out onto the deck.

The ingredients are fresh, and the atmosphere could be relaxing with a few adjustments and some getting use to the service standards.

I plan to go back and try the paninis, but will most likely sit further from the kitchen. . JHW

Nani’s is located at 242 North Glenwood. Open for lunch Monday through Friday with carry-out from 11:30 a.m. to 2 ish. $7-$10. 733-3888.

Photo of Nani's by WILLIE WISE
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Slim Pickins: Fresh lunch behind the scenes | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

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