By Request

BETTY SHIMABUKURO

Wednesday, November 28, 2001

---

Fettuccine Alfredo drips
with taste -- and calories

How many times has it happened -- the dish you ordered is OK, but what your friend ordered is fabulous? The only thing to do, of course, is steal lots of tastes.

Patti Chong did that at Pescatore's, "a cute Italian restaurant" in Hilo and ended up hooked on the restaurant's Alfredo sauce.

Not a particular fan of the cream sauce, Chong still stole a taste from her boyfriend's plate, "and continued to consume more. ... That Alfredo sauce was just awesome. We have not found anything like it on Oahu."

Hope you didn't swipe too much -- this dish is dripping with calories (see the nutritional analysis below). But, hey, you only live once, right?

Restaurant owner Jim Murphy says that richness -- from 8 full ounces of heavy cream and a full cup of Parmesan cheese, not to mention the butter -- is what makes the sauce so great.

Murphy opened Pescatore's in downtown Hilo in 1990 following a long culinary career that included the Hyatt Regency Waikoloa, various Kona restaurants, as well as positions in California and Colorado. "It's been a long road," he says.

But in Hilo he found himself a niche in Italian food. Pescatore's menu offers dishes from throughout Italy, with an emphasis on fresh fish. The Alfredo sauce is a favorite, Murphy says, especially topped with shrimp.

Pescatore's Fettuccine Alfredo

1 heaping tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon butter
Dash crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon white wine
8 ounces heavy whipping cream (Avoset)
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped basil
Salt to taste
8 ounces cooked fettuccine

Sauté garlic in butter; add crushed red pepper. Stir in wine, then cream. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add cheese and allow to melt into sauce. Stir in basil and salt. Serve over hot pasta. Serves 1.

Variation: Top with sautéed shrimp.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (without added salt or shrimp): 1,680 calories, 129 g total fat, 79 g saturated fat, 500 mg cholesterol, greater than 2,000 mg sodium, 71 g carbohydrate, 58 g protein.*

Food Stuffs: Morsels

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
"By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.