On the Daily: March 2, 2026
We launched the new menu yesterday.
The delivery of the physical menus arrived late, a result of weather delays, supply chain gymnastics, the usual choreography of running an Italian restaurant in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We had been preparing for weeks, but until that finished and finalized sheet of paper is physically in your hands, none of it real. Especially now. Tariffs, freight, cost increases. Every month feels like a small miracle.
Final testing and tweaking was taking place all morning in the kitchen. Adjusting. Checking. Plating and re-plating. Entering every single item in the POS. Removing the things that didn’t make the cut. Coordinating and scripting our supporting social media. Preparing an engaging presentation for the team. And it was a relief when we heard the Fedex truck pulling up outside, ready to hand off the heavy box of menus for the month. Cracking it open was confirmation that we could go full throttle.
This month’s theme is early spring. Fresh, bright, green and clean. There is caciotta alla erbe, a young and soft cow’s milk cheese infused with fresh herbs. There is a luxurious straciatella dressed with a fresh pea puree, extra virgin olive oil and a touch of lemon. Michele built a beautiful zucchini and pea pizza, lightly dappled with fresh mozzarella and spring onions. A crostini with roasted tomatoes feels like the last whisper of winter, lifted by basil and fresh ricotta. But the fava bean risotto is the strongest expression of the season, inspired by Michele’s own springtime memories of this bountiful bean in Italy.
This menu is grounding, especially in the context of the crazy world we find ourselves in now. It is spiritual, in connecting us to powers and rhythms greater than our own. Lent is a reference too, meeting us in alignment with a period that asks for restraint, reflection, proportion, intention. And, creatively, it is exciting to work through this exercise with Michele in expressing what this season means to us as a family and a community.
Michele and I move in a kind of quiet shorthand, but the execution of a month’s menu or a night’s service is impossible without our team. We hold so much gratutide for the hands that execute our dreams and embody our message. Listening, taking notes, asking questions, making our ideas better, sharing what excites them. The kitchen team’s focused energy. The dining room readied by our front of house.
Sometimes it feels like we are all performing a tightrope act but the love of our guests drives us. The delight we see on their faces when our staff so beautifully present our product. The locals who show up after long shifts. The visitors who return to us year after year. The delightful disorientation of our first time visitors who do not expect to be transplanted to Italy on the wings of the energy of a New York city vibe. The balance is real. The success, when we can pull it off, is sweet.
Yesterday’s service felt strong. The menu was well received. It brings a special clarity, a point of view. A brightness that is honest. It reflects seaon and culture without being precious. And, most importantly, it satisfies.
I eat at Sale Pepe almost every single day. At some point. A forkful standing at the pass. A bowl before service. A slice after. So when I can still feel excited, it is a real thing. And I love that I still get to live inside this food. Even when it’s hard. Because it is not a small thing to change a menu every month here. It is logistical, financial, emotional work. It requires faith in your team and in your guests. It requires a strong disciple.
And yesterday, in the middle of it all, the coordination and the editing and the delivery delays and the last minute adjustments, I felt grateful. Grateful that we get to bring something fresh and intentional to the table in March. Grateful for the opportunities that the rhythms of the season bring us to express and connect. This is why we do it.
