Grimaldi’s Pizzeria has partnered with Hundred Acre winery to create a “Winter Collaboration Menu” featuring different dishes paired with cocktails and Cherry Pie pinot noir.
Winter in Arizona (non-Flagstaff division) means we miss out on some of the season’s traditional highlights. Driving through blinding snow, hurting our backs shoveling slush, needing four layers just to walk the dogs. Oh yeah, winter is terrible and that’s why we live here! The one good thing about winter, no matter your location, is the food. Heartier dishes, richer wines and warmer cocktails. Grimaldi’s covers all three with its Winter Collaboration Menu.
The cocktails on the menu are an Italian “75” and a “Mocha” Martini. The Italian “75” is a wonderful lunch/brunch drink with a blood orange puree and lemon juice that gives a tart touch. The “Mocha” Martini is half-dessert, half-cocktail. The vodka is numbed by an Oreo cookie-rimmed glass, Galliano Ristretto liqueur, chocolate liqueur and half & half. Basically, you’re having your after-dinner drink, your espresso and your dessert all in one.
Salads aren’t usually thought of as winter food, but the Spinach Pecan Salad has candied pecans, dried cherries, goat cheese, and red onions. A base of spinach instead of lettuce and the delicious Grimaldi’s house dressing makes this a hearty start to a meal.
Skipping ahead for a moment to dessert, two different styles of cheesecake make their way to the new menu. There’s a Butterscotch Toffee Cheesecake that in the most decadent of pairings, could go with the “Mocha” Martini. There’s also a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake that manages to not go over-the-top even though it’s as rich and chocolatey as you would expect.
The centerpiece of the Winter Collaboration Menu is the Rosemary Potato Pizza. A traditional white pizza with garlic-and-olive oil that gets topped with rosemary potatoes and pancetta. The rosemary potatoes are sliced thin, liberally seasoned and cooked just enough that the texture blends in with the rest of the pizza. The pancetta adds a touch of meat to the hearty pie. The pizza is designed to be paired with the Cherry Pie pinot noir. The wine is bright and acidic (in the good way) and is well-balanced. It pairs even better with the salad but does well with the pizza.
Grimaldi’s now has approximately 50 restaurants across the United States, including seven in Arizona. And if you really want the winter experience, they have one in Flagstaff.
To find the closest Grimaldi’s to you and for more information, visit grimaldispizzeria.com.