Piccolina Toscana, Wilmington: Tortellini

Going back to the original Griglia Toscana almost 20 years ago, one item has never left the menu of the oft-refreshed restaurant. It is listed simply as “tortellini,” and it is made by hand from start to finish, says chef-owner Dan Butler. The pasta dough of high-gluten flour and eggs is mixed, rolled paper thin, cut into disks, then rolled around a paste of mortadella and ricotta with a touch of Romano cheese. After cooking, it is tossed in a sun-dried tomato cream, with sinful amounts of butter. “We tried to change it once, lighten it up,” Butler says. “People very politely said, ‘Yes, that’s fine. I’ll have it the old way, please.’” 1412 N. Dupont St., Wilmington, 654-8001