HOT MINUTE W/ JOSEPH GRILLO

THE PAIRING
I made linguini with homemade pasta sauce with sautéed garlic, onion, scallion, mushroom, spinach, and Pastine “kitchen ready” crushed tomatoes. I simmered for two hours adding MOTO Calabrian Chili Hot Sauce, salt, pepper, and oregano.

I garnished the pasta with a pinch of MOTO Calabrian Spice Blend and had it along side baby butter lettuce. This is a dish I make at home all the time.

THE BEVERAGE
I paired my dish with a Altesino 2006 single vineyard Brunello di Montalcino, a Tuscan town of infinite beauty that makes some of the most complex expressions of Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello). After 3 years of barrel aging these wines hold mountains of dried cherries, rosemary, olive oil and smooth earthy spice over sophisticated lingering tannins.

THE SOUNDTRACK
Warpaint's self titled LP. This Los Angeles quartet is a deep vibe of swagger, feminine confidence, and musical complexity with killer songs and endless cool.

“My father is from Calabria, so the flavors taste like home”

ABOUT JOSEPH
I’ve been a touring musician since 1995 with several guitar rock bands from Garrison (Revelation Records) to Instruction (Geffen Records) to Gay for Johnny Depp (oh my, that didn’t age well) to I Hate Our Freedom (Arctic Rodeo Records), and most recently in everyone’s favorite emo-rock party band, Her Head’s On Fire (Iodine Records).

In between tours I stared working at the local wine shop in Brooklyn and now own and manage boutique wine shops in Brooklyn (Northside) and Saratoga Springs, NY (By the Bottle Shop).