The content was then filtered using a sintered funnel, (which is equivalent to four folds of bandage or sheet of cheese cloth).
Every single appetizer was a winner, from a gutsy, garlicky potato-and-onion soup to a delicate spinach-and-artichoke salad tented in sheets of grana cheese.
It comes in a tall bowl completely covered by a crunchy sheet of melted cheese, and topped with a mound of crème fraîche, black truffles and celery leaves.
Among the more ingenious appetizers, a beet crumble comes swaddled in muslin, which a diner unwraps to reveal a mini loaf pan of scalloped roasted beets topped with a thin but potent sheet of goat cheese and a crunchy winter-weight blanket of oats and hazelnuts.
Sliced fennel covered with lacy sheets of mild Montasio cheese ($6.95) and roasted beets with Parmesan ($5.95) are both attractive salads, though prosciutto with apple ($8.95) and a simple platter of grilled vegetables ($7.95) are overly bland.
An example is the simple tri-color salad, a harvest of arugula, radicchio and endive, anointed with balsamic vinaigrette, and topped with sheets of shaved parmigiana cheese -- simple perfection.
Aside from single-order starters that will feed more than one, there's a splendid Caesar salad ($6.95), covered with sheets of shaved parmigiana cheese and a noteworthy figs al Forno special ($7.95).
Place stuffed mushroom caps on a baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of cheese.
The equally notable goat cheese and potato terrine was Mr. Thomsen's creation; instead of merely slicing the mix of goat cheese and sheets of lightly baked potatoes and serving it cold, he quickly sautées each slice to caramelize it.
