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Del Posto restaurant in New York City serves a lasagna that's 100 layers. Nope, that's not a typo.
Mark Ladner, the chef at the high-end Italian restaurant (owned by Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich), was inspired by the tortilla Espanola at Casa Mono. He admits that it takes a lot of people to construct the multi-layered dish.
"Three separate departments work on it," he told Slashfood. "One department makes the ragu, one makes the pasta sheets and another assembles it in giant square pans. We butter the inside of the pans and start building in them, alternating the layers of pasta and sauce, which are Bolognese, tomato marinara and a besciamella."
The only tricky part of the whole procedure is the setting process, which Ladner says can be "fickle." Skewers are used to stabilize it while it's hot and a special spatula is used to serve it.
The succulent structure is $30 a serving and also available on special tasting menus (one pricey one includes the pasta being carved and served at the dinner table by Ladner himself).
Ladner says customer response has been overwhelmingly positive.
"It's an incredibly traditional dish with a very familiar flavor. What's surprising about it is that it's deceptively light because the pasta sheets are so thin they're almost translucent."
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5-13-2010 @8:27PM Scp said... I would say that it's worth the $30 for a taste!
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5-14-2010 @2:15AM Holly said... It's interesting but I wouldn't pay $30 for a slice when it's just thin pasta layers with alternating layers of white sauce, tomato sauce and a meat sauce. I like my lasagna with cheese, lots of cheese. If I just want to eat pasta & sauce, I'll order a plate of spaghetti.
5-13-2010 @8:32PM ANGELA said... AND WE WONDER WHY 80% OF THE COUNTRY IS OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE?
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5-13-2010 @10:25PM JoAnn said... I guess you didn't read where he said that the layers of lasagna are handmade, and are so thin that they are translucent. I've made pasta from scratch, and you can make the lasagna noodles very thin -- not at all like the boxed kind. The article also said nothing about the lasagna having tons of cheese or sausage or anything else -- just sauces -- nor did it say that the diner is supposed to eat the entire tray of lasagna, just a serving portion. Moderation in portion sizes, and you can eat pretty much what you like.
5-14-2010 @1:13PM glenn blackwell said... Buzz words to justify this monstrosity were; moderation, thin, very thin, and translucent.
Stressing the fictional key phrase "just a serving portion" Translates to size of a cell phone
Not mentioned was the tons of cheese. NOTE: That would be the yellow stuff in the photo.
None of this registers to the Wal-Mart nation mentality of obese walking heart attacks.
"Moderation in portion sizes, and you can eat pretty much what you like"
...........comical
5-15-2010 @4:13PM Deb said... Looks and sounds like a savory Baklava. I make Baklava with about 40 layers of Phyllo. I can't put the nuts in between each layer or else the sheets perforate. And each sheet is buttered with Ghee. Very decadent! (Yes, I am proud of my Baklava.) But is there any meat in this lasagne? It would be boring without the meat, I would think.
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5-19-2010 @6:08PM Lefty said... Bolognese is a meat sauce...
5-13-2010 @10:34PM stephanie said... There is meat in the lasagna. It is made with bolognese which has meat in it.
5-14-2010 @12:15AM SallyK said... would you be willing to share your baklava recipe?
5-13-2010 @9:12PM Mark said... MYOB
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5-13-2010 @9:13PM Ray Wright said... Now that is what a meal should look like and taste if the picture means anything. Go for it Chef, You have it together
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5-13-2010 @11:14PM Steve said... totally NOT worth 30 bucks..STAY AWAY OMG
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5-13-2010 @9:45PM suz said... looks interesting, but, i'd rather eat mine. 6" deep, sauce, noodle, meat, veggie, cheese, repeat till top, then noodle and cheese. veggies include zuchinni sliced thin like noodle, tomato, 3 different mushrooms, onion, and green pepper. meat is hamburg, sausage (hot and sweet), and a bit of pepperoni. dang, i can't wait till sunday dinner, the family will be happy!!!
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5-13-2010 @10:01PM LARRY said... And good old George W. started two war"s with no way out, Your an idiot !
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5-13-2010 @10:48PM JoAnn said... Larry, please learn punctuation and grammar. "Wars" is the plural of "war" and "your" is possessive the possessive form; you meant "you're" as in "you are." Speaks volumes about your intelligence.
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5-14-2010 @6:04AM margie said... I really don't see the point in correcting anyone's grammar here. There is no way I would pay $30 for a serving of this. You are all a little nutty if you ask me....but then you didn't ask me did you. Most of you can't even stay on the topic so don't point your finger at someone elses grammar.
5-13-2010 @11:02PM Jen said... I'd love to try it as it looks amazing. I've found that lasagna tastes better the more layers you have. I do agree with adding cheese and other secret ingredients, which I'm sure they do in this one too. Just because it's 100 layers doesn't mean you have to have a huge piece...or maybe you do :-) This is not what makes America fat. Any good cook knows that you should enjoy what you eat but it doesn't mean you eat the whole pan in one sitting. And don't forget a good glass of wine with that lasagna. Cheers!
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5-13-2010 @11:19PM Trish said... It looks delish....my son would go bananas if he knew this dish existed...he loves Italian food, if he had his way he'd have it every night.
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5-14-2010 @12:15AM SallyK said... Deb- i have always wanted a good baklava recipe, would you be willing to share?
On a more related note, I'm a huge fan of italian food, lasagna being a fav, I would spend $30 on it if it were me and the hubby on a nice date!
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5-14-2010 @2:42AM Deb said... I would have to write it out for you. What is your email? I can send it to you this weekend, if you want. The recipe is from the book "Mediterranean the Beautiful Cookbook" by Joyce Goldstein. The key is that there is no honey in this recipe, which makes it alot lighter and less sticky.