Once Upon a Melanzane

It is my sincere belief that the eggplant is one of the most misunderstood vegetables on the planet. Naysayers will denounce its “mushiness” or call it “gross” because of its silky, fleshy texture or shoot an askance look in its direction because of its odd shape and color. I pray that you never find yourself sitting or eating with the sort of nudnik who fails to appreciate the dynamism and majesty of the eggplant.

I find that even when eating eggplant in its various incarnations, its fundamental nature prevails: the eggplant has a magnificent smokiness when roasted, and the crisp, yet pliant, skin ultimately yields to its softer core.

I’ve plowed my way through plate after plate of Szechuan deep-fried eggplant at the now-defunct Formosa Cafe, scarfed a platter of Sala Thai’s eggplant stir-fry in black bean sauce, and enjoyed eggplant sliced, grilled and oiled up on pizza at Faccia Luna, but I think the one format that truly showcases the majesty of the eggplant is the magical melanzane (eggplant parmesan, for the uninitiated).

Every place seems to do it differently, but the end result is the same: sautéed or fried eggplant sliced thinly, layered with cheese (usually mozzarella, depending on the place), and smothered in some fabulous sauce. If you know me, you also know that I am passionate about tomatoes, so when the ripe red fruit and the eggplant collaborate in this dish … well, it’s just beyond words. In fact, I rarely speak even to AC while enjoying it. AC, be silent.

Over the past several months, I’ve had the joy and pleasure of sampling and repeatedly enjoying our immediate area’s best melanzanes. And I've listed my two favorites according to the following categories:

1.    Mountain of Melanzane. This category is dedicated to those restaurants that present their melanzane in a painstakingly brick-like form—perfectly tailored into a 3-D rectangle with sauce and cheese cascading down. The largely unheralded Trattoria da Franco in Old Town rules this category. The eggplant slices are so thin and delicate, they must use a straight razor. I’ve never seen anything like it. The sauce is on the creamy side, but is clearly homemade, and the cheese is ample, but sufficiently tucked away between the layers of eggplant.

2.    Country Style. This is the kind of rustic melanzane that you would surely find out in the hinterlands of Tuscany, where some zaftig grandmother is effortlessly slinging melanzane left and right. And you can get it at Cafe Monti, in Alexandria. The presentation is sloppy, all three main components just seemingly tossed on a plate willy-nilly. But when you sit down and dig in, you'll feel like your wizened Nonna whipped up your favorite after a long day of picking olives. In this case, you get several slices of eggplant of medium thickness, cooked to perfection so that that the flesh has a bit of rigidity (but is still soft), and the skin, still on, has a nice crackle to it. Best part is the mozzarella cheese—totally charred (probably finished off in the broiler), allowing for a covering of crispy golden, but still elastic, delicious cheese.

Check out my favorite melanzanes at the following two places:

Trattoria da Franco
305 South Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 548-9338

Cafe Monti
3250 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 370-3632

-AK