Ballantyne Magazine

WINTER 2010

Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.

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BALLANTYNE | fab fare Stroll into the charming eatery and you're likely to find owner Rodolfo "Rudy" Amadio greeting patrons or perched on a stool near the bar where he's able to watch Italian soccer on a flat- screen television. A mainstay of Charlotte's restaurant scene, Amadio has been serving dedicated diners for close to 20 years. His family opened their first local eatery in 1991, when they launched Luisa's Brick Oven on Montford Drive near Park Road Shopping Center. "It's still the oldest brick oven in Charlotte," Amadio says. From there, Amadio moved on to gelato shops, opening one in Dilworth and another in Birkdale Village outside of Lake Norman. But Amadio always had an eye on starting another restaurant in South Charlotte, finally seeing his opening when this prime location in the corner of the Piper Glen Shopping Center became available. Try Your Hand at Rudy's Veal Scaloppini Listed on the menu as "Saltimbocca alla romano," the veal scaloppini at Rudy's Italian Restaurant & Bar is topped with prosciutto and served with but- ter and sage sauce. Want to make it at home? Here's the recipe. 2 veal cutlets (3 ounces each) 3-5 leaves of sage 5-7 slices of prosciutto 2 tablespoons fl our 2 ounces unsalted butter 2 ounces white wine Pound the veal cutlets until thin. Top them with sage leaves and cover them with the prosciutto. In a pan, heat the butter. Be sure to use unsalted butter as the prosciutto is salty enough. Dip the prepared cutlets in fl our, then place them in the pan. Pan-sear for two minutes on each side. Add the white wine to the pan and leave over heat until the wine has evaporated. The juices, butter and fl our will combine into a thick sauce, which can be poured over the veal. Serve and enjoy! RUDY'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT & BAR Lunch Monday-Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday: closed Dinner Monday-Thursday 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday: closed Note: The restaurant's bar stays open between lunch and dinner hours. 6414 Rea Road 704-544-4949 www.rudyscharlotte.com 64 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE Rudy's offers a casual atmosphere and a seriousness about good food. Opened January 2010 Rudy's Italian Restaurant & Bar officially opened nearly a year ago, welcoming customers in January 2010. And those who come, according to Amadio, come for one dish in particular: "Saltimbocca alla romano." That's Rudy's veal scaloppini, which is topped with prosciutto and served with butter and sage sauce. "It's a typical Italian recipe, but it's very hard to find a good version," Amadio says. "Ours is an original recipe from Rome, which is where I'm from. This is my hometown recipe." The main ingredient — of course — is the veal. And the main challenge, according to the restaurateur, is securing top- notch meat for the dish. "It has to be the best quality," Amadio says. "You don't find veal easily in the grocery store. And if you find it here, I don't know why, but they cut the grain on the opposite side of which it's supposed to be cut. It's kind of strange. And then when you cook it, it shrinks, so you don't get anything left (for your meal)." Secret Ingredient Another secret Amadio reveals is a very fine Italian flour and a dash of white wine used in the preparation of his dish. "Between the flour, the butter and the wine, it gives it a really interesting flavor," Amadio says. Entrees at Rudy's are served with a starch and vegetable, though the selections change daily. String beans in tomato CELEBRATING TEN YEARS 2000-2010 sauce, roasted potatoes, risotto and polenta are a few recent examples of Amadio's favorite side dishes. And if you happen to be in Rudy's on a Thursday night, you are going to have to try the gnocchi — potato dumplings served with five special dipping sauces. "It's a typical Italian dish," Amadio explains. "We make it very simple. I won't tell you the whole thing. I want to protect how me make it. But I will tell you it's mostly a Yukon Gold potato and our famous Italian flour. And we only offer these on Thursday night with our five different sauces: a marinara, a meat sauce, pesto, butter and sage and four cheeses. Everybody comes here on Thursday just for that." The rest of the week — it's veal scaloppini and much more. WINTER 2010-2011

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