Olde Magoun’s Saloon Featuring Rare Italian Craft Beers
Inspired by a trip to Eataly—Lydia Bastianich, Joe Bastianich, and Mario Batali’s sprawling Italian food emporium in New York—Olde Magoun’s Saloon owner Greg Coughlin has introduced a special menu of cicchetti and seven rare Italian craft beers on draft.
“We do certain themes throughout the year,” Coughlin says. “We’re just coming off an IPA month and we’re going to put on a bunch of sour beers in August. This month we decided to do Italian craft beer with a special menu on Wednesdays incorporating cicchetti, which is the Italian version of tapas. We’re also doing an Italian roast on Sundays such as porchetta, beef braciole, and whatever else our chef, Howard Haywood, decides to do.”
Olde Magoun’s Saloon’s Italian Birra and Bar Food menu will take place every Wednesday and Sunday until May 28, featuring small plates like foccacia stuffed calamari, burrata cheese fritters, and grilled lamb chops with a barrel-aged lambic sauce. The beer selection includes examples from Birrificio del Ducato, Birrificio Loverbeer, and Birreria le Baladin, brands once limited to the taps at Eataly.
“Mario Batali has definitely raised the awareness of the Italian craft beer culture at Eataly, and because he’s buying it in such large volumes, he’s helped make it more viable for the importers to bring it into other markets,” Coughlin says. “I don’t know how sustainable it would be for a restaurant like that just to open up without Mario’s name attached to it. But certainly for a month, we can do a little microcosm of what he’s doing and offer a different experience for our customers.”
ITALIAN BIRRA’S ON DRAUGHT
BIRRIFICIO LOVERBEER
Madamin (5.7% ABV): Flanders Oud Bruin fermented and matured in oak casks
Beer Brugna (6.2% ABV): Sour Ale brewed with plums
BIRRIFICIO DEL DUCATO
Baciami Lipsia ( 4% ABV): Gose-style sour
BIRRERIA LE BALADIN
Nora (6.8% ABV): Egyptian-style ale brewed with unmalted kamut, ginger, orange peel, and myrrh
Nazionale (6.5% ABV): Belgian-style pale ale made with all Italian ingredients
Super Floreale (8% ABV): Belgian-style Tripel, dry-hopped with American hops.
BIRRIFICIO ITALIANO
Amber Shock (7 % ABV): Dunkler Bock
CICCHETTI MENU
Scotaditto d Angelo
grilled baby lambs chops with rosemary, shaved garlic, lemon, and barrel aged lambic sauce
Arancini
deep fried Saffron risotto stuffed with pancetta and fontina / amatriciana sauce
Calamari Imobttiti
savory herb and foccacia stuffed calamari with puntanesca sauce
Frittelle di Burrata
burrata cheese fritters with arugula, oven-roasted roma tomato, and aged balsamic vinegar
Prosciutto Avvolto Asparagi
prosciutto wrapped asparagus with lemon vinaigrette, shaved parmesan, and fried egg
Polpetta
veal, pork, and beef meatballs with arrabiatta sauce and crusty bread
Fonduta Valdostana
fondu of fontina cheese / truffle essence / assorted dippers
Antipasti
imported cured meats, cheeses, and vegetables
Polenta alla Romana
wild mushroom ragu with marsala gravy
Tirimasu
layered lady fingers with Peroni-scented marscapone cheese and shaved Ghirardelli chocolate