Giovanni’s rolls out new menu

Giovanni’s is upping the ante on fine dining as the island’s premier Italian restaurant rolls out a revamped menu.

Hyatt Regency Saipan executive chef Gabrielle Colombo said the enhanced menu showcases new ingredients and produce that its food and beverage department procured from suppliers in the U.S. mainland and Italy.

“We found new produce and brought them to Saipan for our loyal diners—local and tourists. We created a new menu with more natural flavor with a focus on more gourmet ingredients. We brought in new, high quality ingredients so people can really appreciate and enjoy the taste of our food.”

For example, Colombo said, Giovanni’s has brought in buffalo mozzarella from Italy and Colorado rack of lamb. Buffalo mozzarella is made from the milk of domestic water buffaloes from the Campana region, while the Colorado rack of lamb—you guessed it—is from Colorado.

“We brought in the Colorado rack of lamb, which is a top quality lamb from the U.S. mainland. Colorado is a mountainous region and its farmers are very focused on growing cattle and lamb and it’s fantastic. We’ve been searching for this kind of quality produce for three of four months and finally we got close to a supplier and we’re able to bring this in.”

Colombo said the Colorado lamb is tastier and so tender it actually melts in your mouth.

The new ingredient is featured in Giovanni’s as Agnello, which is Colorado rack of lamb, thyme, almond crust, bell pepper campote, and kalamata olives.

Buffalo mozzarella, meanwhile, is used in Giovanni’s Caprese Salad and Pizza Margarita.

“Buffalo mozzarella is the most expensive cheese in the world,” Colombo boasted.

Aside from these enhanced creations, Hyatt’s Italian restaurant is also rolling out new pasta and risotto dishes.

“We’re focusing on home-made pasta—fettuccine—with a nice fresh pesto of walnut. Also we’ve introduced Milanese risotto with saffron, with one version called black rice by using squid ink and it’s very unique,” said Colombo.

To top it off, Hyatt also brought in organic chicken and they still have their signature Certified Angus Beef steaks.

“Hyatt is the place to be for events and special occasions. We want to stay ahead of the competition and that’s why we rolled out a new menu,” Colombo said.

Staying ahead of the competition is also the driving force behind Hyatt’s recently launched “Giovanni’s To Go.” Colombo said their meals-to-go offering allows everyone to take out artisanal pizzas and salads straight from Giovanni’s kitchen.

“We want to make our ‘To Go’ offerings more affordable and allow more people to try and test our classic Italian-style pizza. We’re doing thin-crust using fresh and gourmet ingredients, again to make it different from the competition.”

So far so good, as “Giovanni’s To Go” has averaged 17 to 20 orders a day, Colombo said.

Items from “Giovanni’s To Go” include Three Cheese Pizza, Grilled Chicken Pizza, and Italian Meat Pizza. It ranges in price from $15 to $18. Salads are Mixed Green Salad and Classic Ceasar Salad.

To place orders from “Giovanni’s To Go” menu, call 234-1234 Ext. 31. Standard orders usually require a 20-minute wait. Orders can be paid and picked up at Hyatt’s DJ’s Corner. (Saipan Tribune)