If you love lasagna, the spring menu at Mount Pleasant's Giusti restaurant is worth exploring. This Italian eatery, located on the corner of 6th and Main, has been serving regional dishes since October. Now, it offers a special spring lasagna available on Mondays and Tuesdays.
A Towering Creation
The Giusti spring lasagna arrives as a brick-size slab in a thin moat of sauce, easily feeding two. Chef Mark Perrier, who also helped open Savio Volpe, has crafted a towering dish with nearly 20 layers. The pasta sheets are green, thanks to spirulina, and the ragù—made from pork, beef, and veal cooked with pancetta, lard, Parmesan rinds, and prosciutto ends—takes about 24 hours to prepare.
Inspired by Tradition
Co-owner Miguel Quezada explains that Perrier draws inspiration from old Italian cookbooks. "He has a huge library of cookbooks, not just contemporary ones but very old Italian cookbooks. Through that, he's been able to dive into regional, rustic Italian cooking," Quezada said. For this dish, Perrier modeled it after a classic Emilia-Romagna lasagna, but with a twist: more layers. Traditional lasagne alla bolognese from Emilia-Romagna typically omits ricotta or mozzarella. "North American versions tend to have more sauce and additional elements like spinach or ricotta," Quezada noted. "This one is much more focused: pasta sheets, ragù bolognese, and béchamel. That's it."
Dining Experience
On a spring Tuesday evening, Giusti is bustling with locals. The high-ceilinged room, previously home to Bar Sisu and The Whip, fills with small groups and dates. Start with an antipasti, such as asparagus topped with a fried egg and Grana Padano, and you might even take leftovers home—which taste even better the next day. The lasagna itself is cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside with a chewy center enriched by the ragù.
Giusti's spring lasagna is a must-try for pasta lovers. Available only on Mondays and Tuesdays, it's a limited-time offering that showcases the best of rustic Italian cooking.
