Surprised it took so long for someone to post about this after the Gebert write-up.
I have been a fan of PQM since it opened and, while I'm seldom in that neck of the woods anymore, I still make it a point to stop. Tempesta is an entirely Italian-focused version of PQM, in a very good way. No, it isn't cheap, but it's on par with PQM in many ways, and the house charcuterie is truly excellent.
We went two days before a trip to the Philippines, about which I will eventually post. It was my spouse's birthday the following day and she loves a good meat-and-cheese plate. Since we were both packing and having family over last-minute, a nice spread to graze on while chatting and sitting on luggage seemed appropriate. We did not order the platters as such, as we wouldn't be consuming them right away. Instead, they wrapped six meats and two cheeses (in roughly 1/4 portions each, as I recall) and, after throwing in some breads, we were out the door for fifty or sixty bucks, as I recall, and this was plenty to feed two of us for dinner and an additional five for heavy snacking. They were very friendly and helpful in figuring out what and how much to get. Truthfully, we had enough leftover for a couple good sandwiches.
My arrangement, so not the prettiest; jams, mustard, and some of the crackers not included. You can probably guess at most of the meats. (Having trouble getting Google Photos to display here, so just posting links for now)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/dctVEDTTBd2WhLmy2 We also had a sandwich, the Dante, which is perfectly captured above. I thought it quite good, and plenty of food, though the bread can easily destroy the roof of your mouth. I was particularly big on the nduja aioli, which was probably overwhelming, but damn, I'd put that on everything.
Here's part of the meat case, just for fun. Most things are priced in 1/4 pound increments for easier mental calculation, weight and money.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5gnDZhKKfs1DHaV12In general, I loved the spread and we will be going back--compared to some of the imports (even at a place like Mariano's), the prices were pretty fair for meats that were obviously high-quality. I seldom enjoy mortadella, for example, but this one actually had flavor. Everyone kept eating, beyond the point of satiety. For a last-minute party before the real deal Filipino Christmas, it was hard to ask for more.