Culinary Tour 2015. Day 6.

After a morning eating fresh pecorino cheese of all kinds at a sheep farm, we drove to lunch at Caldora. Caldora is a well-appointed restaurant, set in Pacentro, one of Italy’s most beautiful small towns. One of Pacentro’s claims to fame (although you wouldn’t know it when you visit) is that Madonna’s family originally came from here. (Yes, Madonna, the singer/entertainer.) Regardless, it is truly gorgeous, with a quaint and picturesque main square, and breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. One of the reasons we decided to come here for lunch instead of dinner was that the dining room provided a stunning view as we ate.

The owner started us out with some local cured meats and pecorino cheese. This salumi was cut somewhat thicker than we had seen previously, but while being slightly more chewy, the flavor was incredible. Rich and salty, the local pigs definitely showed their worth in this antipasta.

There were two pasta dishes, one a fresh tagliatelle with mushrooms and fresh vegetables, the other a fresh ravioli filled with local ricotta in a tomato sauce. We were originally thinking that both pasta dishes were vegetarian – one of our party preferred to eat less meat so we tried to accomodate where possible. We discovered that although there was no visible meat, the tomato sauce on the ravioli was actually cooked with duck – so, close enough, right?

Grilled lamb was our main course, a staple of Abruzzo, and prepared simply. The term “scottaditta”, literally, “burns your fingers”, is the name of the preparation. The typical way it is served is grilled, with a generous amount of olive oil, salt, and a squeeze of lemon. Truly, it needs nothing else. The lamb here is butchered much younger than we are accustomed to in America, resulting in a smaller, tenderer, and less gamey meat. The flavor is wonderful, with a fantastic texture, and the fact that it is small means everyone has enough but not too much.

Dessert is generally a simple affair in Abruzzo, as you have seen. A dry tart paired with sweet wine, or a few cookies, generally suffices. Not at Caldora. They definitely pulled out all the stops for our group. A sort of deconstructed mille fuille, with chantilly cream, wafers, powdered sugar and chocolate was an impressive end to our meal.

Culinary Tour 2015. Day 5. (Part 2)

 

Le Magnolie is an olive oil farm that has opened up some rooms for guests, and has a small restaurant on premises with rustic brick floors and communal tables. The food is strictly local, mostly grown right on premises, or at least up the road. Their daily supply of fresh ricotta is from the neighboring sheep farm, and if the produce they serve is not grown right outside their kitchen, it’s from outside their neighbors’ kitchens. Jay was originally told about this farm by some wonderful restaurant friends in Philadelphia, who set up for him to stay there on his first trip to Italy. We had visited a couple of times before, and couldn’t wait to go back.

Ravioli were on the menu for the night, however there was a catch. We had to (help) make them ourselves. Everyone donned deep green “Le Magnolie” aprons and rolled up their sleeves. Olga soon had everyone hard at work, up to their elbows in pasta dough, having a lovely time rolling out the dough and filling them with that delightful fresh sheep’s milk ricotta until all the ravioli were ready. Our ravioli were perhaps not quite as uniform as Olga’s, but then practice makes perfect.

In the meantime, the smells from the rest of the evening’s meal were getting all of our stomachs rumbling, and we eagerly sat down to dinner. The antipasti, as befits a farm, were simple and fresh. A local young pecorino cheese was served with the farm’s spectacular olive oil and fresh made bread. Le Magnolie’s olive oil is a beautiful green color, with very bright grassy flavors, and a hint of peppery spice at the finish. Eaten together with the creamy cheese… I couldn’t have manufactured a better combination myself.

A puree of baby asparagus soup, finished with the farm’s olive oil, brought a concentrated burst of spring flavor.

Finally, served in a big communal dish, the fruits of our labor arrived. The ravioli, bathed in a simple tomato sauce, passed around from hand to hand. The hands that made it, serving each other, and then tasting the results of their work. And what a taste it was – I may be biased, but these remain some of the best ravioli I have ever had. The ricotta had a wonderful flavor of fresh air and wildflowers, and was just the right texture, moist yet light and fluffy. They simply melted in your mouth. I will never tell how many I ate.

The secondo, or main course, was chicken in the style of porchetta – braised and stuffed with herbs and garlic. Chicken is usually not so remarkable, a dish I eat when I am on a diet, or when there is absolutely nothing else very interesting. This dish was an exception. I would have happily ordered this in any restaurant. Another version of braised greens with white beans was served with it. The chicken was succulent and packed with flavor.

A homemade tart and pizelles, both filled with local montepulciano (wine) grape compote made our dessert. The compote was almost savory, and paired wonderfully with the last drops in our wine glasses.

The barking farm dogs followed us to our van as we piled in, sleepy and satisfied. The ride back felt quick and comfortable, the glow of good food, wine, and olive oil surrounding us like a warm blanket. An ending to a good day, just as it should be.

Culinary Tour 2015. Day 5. (part 1)

After all of the eating we did on Day 4, I think everyone slept like a rock. Day 5 dawned bright and beautiful, and we had some breakfast and readied ourselves for a hike. Today we were going to Rocca Calascio, and the weather was perfect.

Rocca Calascio is the fairly intact ruins of what is still the highest fortress in the Apennine mountain range. The original fort was built in the 10^th century, and was added to and modified here and there over the years until an earthquake in 1703 put it out of commission entirely. The fortress is a fairly easy 15 minute hike from the nearest parking site. Actually driving a car up the winding mountain roads to said parking site is, in my opinion, far more nerve wracking than the hike itself. It’s all worth it, though, once you’ve attained the summit, crossed the drawbridge, and peering out through the corners of the fort, you are rewarded with views of the surrounding mountains and Navelli plain that are some of the most inspiring in Abruzzo. It is hard to translate even in a photograph, but here you go:

 

After our mountain ramble, we were ready for lunch. A short drive away is the small scenic town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, home of Presidio Slow Foods certified lentils, which in plain English simply means some of the best darn lentils in Italy. The particular breed of lentils with this certification are only grown in this area of Italy. It also doesn’t hurt that Santo Stefano is on the list as one of Italy’s prettiest towns. The terra cotta roofed houses and cobblestone streets are picturesque, and the whole town has the delightful feel of being suspended in time.

We sat down at one of the two restaurants in town, and were promptly served a huge spread of locally made cured meat and cheeses. No matter what you are eating, if the ingredients came from within a five mile radius, I find it always tastes better. The local earth, the smell of the air, the grass and flowers, comes through in the cheese and meat of the region. And eating the food of a region, in the region, with the local wines, is truly an enviable experience.

After the salumi plates, we were provided with a hearty soup, made from the aforementioned famous lentils. I have never had a lentil dish that I enjoyed more. This soup, as humble as it appeared, had an elevation to its whole that was greater than its parts. The flavor was intense, without the mealy or heavy feeling that one can get with lentils. It was rich, but the finish was clean, and left you wanting another bite. We swore there was pork of some kind involved in the wonderful flavor, but apparently it was an honest vegetarian dish. I don’t know how they packed all that flavor in the soup, but I can say that now I totally understand why these lentils deserve their own slow foods certification.

The saffron flavored sausage ragu with local wild mushrooms on the pasta held the quintessential flavors of Abruzzo. Just enough ragu to evenly infiltrate the fresh handmade pasta, without being too saucy or too filling. A perfect lunch.

Although we stopped a few times on the way back to the hotel for scenic views and photo ops, we fortunately had some time to relax and recharge in the afternoon. And post a few photos on social media. And probably have a glass of wine.

Culinary Tour 2015. Day 4. (Part 2)

Dinner on our fourth day of Culinary Tour ’15 was at La Bilancia. This restaurant is famous for it’s pasta mugnaia – a thick hand rolled pasta made of simple flour and water. This curious pasta is not made anywhere else in the world except for Loreto Aprutino, Abruzzo. The significant thing about this particular pasta is that it is rolled out to be incredibly long, so that each person receives part of one single strand of pasta per serving. One of the women kindly did a demonstration for us when we arrived.

The pasta mugnaia is simply tossed with olive oil, garlic, pecorino cheese, and hot peppers. The thick strands are pleasantly chewy, and there are always extra hot peppers on the table to trim and add if you are someone who prefers things a bit more spicy.

As far as the rest of the meal, each course was arguably just a good as the famous pasta we were there for. Instead of the salumi we had been eating, here we were served a spreadable sausage to start, along with pecorino cheese, fresh fava beans in the pod, and an asparagus and egg frittata. The fava beans we shelled at the table, and eaten together with the cheese gave us a green, earthy taste of Abruzzo.

Next was a very traditional soup, “scripelle m’busse”, or crepes in broth. It is a homey dish, with airy crepes rolled in pecorino cheese floating in a comforting chicken broth. It’s exactly what you want if you’re feeling down… or up… or really absolutely anytime.

We ate our mugnaia, blissfully unaware of the fact that there was an almost painful amount of food yet to come. Sleepy, gorged thoughts of dessert and after dinner drinks began to form in our minds. As another plate of food, and another, began to arrive at the table, our visions vanished, along with our lethargy. We began to eat in earnest. There were two types of house made sausage, rich and incredibly moist, (who likes dry sausage?) one made of pork, one of pork liver.

There was a plate of arrosticini – grilled mutton cubes on a stick. Typically abruzzese, and just as juicy and salty as one could wish.

Then they brought out French fries, or simply “fried potatoes” (patati fritti), as they are called in Italy. They were the absolute best “French” fries I have ever had. I don’t know if it was because they had fresher potatoes, or that they were deep fried in local olive oil, or that they had just the right amount of salt… I may never know. All I know is that they haunt me.

And yet another side dish, a simple one I have tried to replicate at home, but never comes out quite the same. Beans and greens – in this case, white cannellini beans with local wild greens and a generous heap of dried red “bastardoni” peppers – a wonderful breed of pepper that somehow packs the flavor of hot peppers without the heat. All flavor, no burn.

The age old question – is it possible to have too much of a good thing? I suppose, but in Italy there are always digestivi and a good sleep to help out with that… after a ride home and a couple of nightcaps, we were ready to dream… of lunch tomorrow.

Culinary Tour 2015: Day 4. (Part 1)

Canzano. Our home away from home, the origin of Jay’s Italian family roots, and where we always find ourselves at some point in our travels. Canzano is a tiny town on the very top of a mountain in the region of Abruzzo. One can take a walking tour and cover the whole center of town in about twenty minutes. We brought our unflinching group up this mountain to taste “tacchino canzanese”, the specialty of Canzano. Even a small town like this one has its very own dish. It is actually official – the society that is in charge of deciding these things in Italy has declared it. In fact, whenever we mention the town to someone from Italy, Tacchino Canzanese is usually the only thing they’ve ever heard about the place. We explored an old church in the village, built in the 13^th century, full of faded but beautiful original frescos. Most of Jay’s ancestors are buried in the churchyard outside. After a quick hello to the family, we walked over to lunch at Dario’s restaurant – the home of tacchino canzanese. In fact, the restaurant is called “La Tacchinella”, or “The (female) Turkey” after the main ingredient in the dish.

We started out with plates of locally made salumi and cheese – wonderfully fresh and salty. Almost every spot on this trip served us some form of salumi, and none of it tastes quite the same.

The pasta course was a huge hit. Handmade spaghetti alla chittara – fresh dough rolled out on a device that has metal strings similar to a guitar. This technique makes long strings that are square on the side and give a good texture that hangs onto the sauce they are tossed in. Today it was served in a traditional tomato sauce flavored with meat (usually chicken (specifically “gallina”, or old hen) and/or pork, and topped with lots of mini handrolled meatballs, called polpettine. The large lumpy balls of meat we know as meatballs don’t exist in authentic Italian cuisine, at least not served over pasta. In Abruzzo these it is these tiny meatballs that are traditional. They are soft and flavorful and I think all of us went back for seconds. I know for a fact that one of our group had thirds, requiring a brief snooze afterwards. When these snoozes occur while still at the table, they are referred to as “praying”.

And finally, the piece de resistance, Tacchino Canzanese. Let me be up front here and just say that while I am the first person to be a proponent of keeping traditions alive, I am personally not a huge fan of this particular dish. It is served cold. It consists of shredded turkey meat along with the aspic or gelatin from the meat and bones, which is where most of the flavor is concentrated. That being said, it is certainly one of the most unique dishes I have ever had. When you eat in as many places and as many different cuisines as I do, you come across a certain amount of redundancy. So when I encounter something this different, it engenders a certain level of respect, and excitement. It seems very simple, but apparently takes hours to prepare, and very few people still know the recipe.

Dessert was a tasting of very traditional pizza dolce, a layer cake with chocolate, vanilla, and cherry flavorings, and a chocolate mousse pie. Their presentation was beautiful, and in typical Italian style, not too sweet and a perfect compliment to the espresso.

After dessert, Dario took us around the corner to another spot owned by the restaurant. Underground, around 1100AD, the inhabitants of the town built a stone “neviera”, literally a “snowery”, used as an ancient refrigerator. Snow would be packed into recesses in the stone walls, and being underground, it would keep the room temperature cool well into the summer months.

The neviera is ancient, and mysterious, darkly beautiful, and Dario now keeps it lit with candles and set tables for banquets and romantic dinners. While we explored, Dario poured us all a glass of vino cotto, or cooked wine, that was made by his grandfather nearly 100 years before. It was rich and sweet, and had lost little from its long aging time. A typically generous gesture, and a lovely ending to our visit to Canzano.

2015 Culinary Tour. Day 3. (Part 2)

After lunch, we were stuffed. Actually, stuffed barely covers it. We stumbled out, halfway in a food coma, eyes glazed over, vacant smiles on our faces. After all, next we were just heading back for… a tour at a pasta factory?! There is no rest for the weary. At least this wouldn’t require high energy or anything… or so we thought.

We arrived at the small Spinosi facility and sort of rolled out of our vehicles, yawning and blinking. I say “small”, but don’t be fooled – Spinosi pasta is sold all over the world, in some of the finest Italian gourmet shops you can find. After a few seconds of adjusting to being in a standing instead of a sitting position, Mr. Spinosi himself burst out of the factory to welcome us. I say burst, and I mean burst. A tall, balding man with a megawatt smile and a booming voice, Mr. Spinosi commands attention and managed to bring all of our sluggish brains back to full speed in milliseconds. He whisked us into his shop, where he showed us a video of his tours through various countries and with sundry celebrities, then whirled us down into the heart of quality pasta making. Actually, he did not allow us to call it “pasta”, insisting on referring to his product as “spinosini” rather than the more generic term. He was loud, he was funny, he was entertaining, but more than anything else he was generous. After we had convinced him NOT to cook us a full meal (please, heavens, no more food right now…!) he sat us down in the yard of his home and brought out no less than a dozen bottles of various digestivi along with chocolates and biscotti. He tried to convince us to stay for dinner (!) but we, alas, already had plans (next year, perhaps?)

Dinner that night was at our villa, and as it was mostly seafood, promised to be a bit lighter of a meal. It was to be both dinner as well as a cooking class, so we changed into our aprons and rolled up our sleeves. The chef had visited the fish market and brought back some of the freshest catch of the day for us to prepare. Additionally, we would finally learn how to make the famous olivo ascolano we had been eating since we arrived. On the menu: Fried stuffed olives, gnocchi with seafood tomato sauce, and the main course, Brodetto San Benedettese. Every seaside port in the region has their own special recipe for this fish stew, and since we were closest to San Benedetto, we went with theirs. All kinds of fish can be used, depending on what’s fresh, but the actual broth can vary by location. In addition to the more usual bell peppers, ours included the unique ingredients of green tomatoes and vinegar.  First, the fish:

Prawns, monkfish, mussels, and cuttlefish were a few of the types I recognized. Some of our crew was a bit put off by all of the eyes… can’t say I can empathize with this mindset, but we try to be sensitive. We assured them that they didn’t have to eat it if they didn’t want to. (More for me). In spite of the initial hesitations, everyone took turns getting their hands dirty…

After a spirited team effort, dinner was served.

2015 Culinary Tour. Day 3 (Part 1)

Day three started out with – you guessed it – a wine tasting. This time, a pleasant walk down the hill through the vineyards brought us to the winery of our villa, Domodomonti. The highlight of the tour, of course, was the tasting room, which they built in the same huge cavern where they keep their barrels of aging wine it. The walls have built in waterfalls to maintain humidity, and the softly glowing blue lights remind me of a spa. A spa where they pour wine. Lots of wine. Good morning.

After the ~extensive~ tasting we all piled into our van and (our driver) drove a short way up the mountain, to the small neighboring area known as “Montefiore”, or mountain of flowers. Our destination was a small agriturismo, a.k.a. bed and breakfast, where the proprietors were preparing lunch for us. As we entered the farmhouse where the dining room was set up, noticing the old photographs on the walls and here and there a forgotten Christmas decoration, the host and hostess came out to greet us. Both approximately five feet tall, both easily in their 70’s, (although you would never know it) and both with the happiest, most welcoming faces I’ve ever seen. Sylvana is the main cook, and her husband helps out on the grill… some things are the same no matter what country you go to!

Lunch started out with local salumi and mixed vegetable antipasti – delicious breaded zucchini & eggplant, and baked tomatoes and red peppers in olive oil. Fresh bread was supplied, and of course, carafes of house wine, red and white, were kept nice and full for the table.

The pasta course, oh man, the pasta course. Delicate sheets of hand made manicotti pasta rolled up with braised pork inside, baked with just a light coating of tomato sauce until it was carmelized over the top. The perfect blend of texture and flavor. I could have eaten piles of them. I’m salivating right now.

The tagliatelle was also hand made, tossed with a simple tomato sauce. Just enough sauce, not too much, not too little, and sprinkled with pecorino cheese.

No skimping on secondi here – generous piles of grilled tender young lamb with rosemary, and pork ribs – a bit of chewing needed but bursting with grilled meat flavor. All carefully grilled and brought out to the table by our illustrious host, who couldn’t be more sweet and humble and endearing if he tried. The sides of deep fried fresh potatoes and the by now familiar olivo ascolano and breaded fried cream (thickened with egg so that it is more like a custard) were enough to finish us all off.

And we had yet to have dessert. Dessert here was not to be missed. Sylvana’s not so traditional take on the all too familiar tiramisu was fresh, light, surprising, and altogether delightful. Jay loved it so much I had to drag Sylvana out of the kitchen to give me the recipe, informing her that my husband was going to leave me for her, because of her tiramisu. She generously offered that she would cook for him during the day, and she would send him back to me in the evenings, which is really not a bad arrangement when you think about it… She did give me the recipe, as well 😉

Day 3 to be continued…

 

 

2015 Culinary Tour. Day 2.

First order of business on awakening in Italy, for the morning of your first full day on a culinary tour, is…. a wine tasting. At 10AM. Of course. What better way to get a feel for the region you are exploring, than to drink its wines early, before your taste buds have fully woken up, and your mind (or at least mine) has certainly not fully awakened… It reminds me of learning a new language. At some points, you have to simply relax and let the sounds, words, feelings, emotions, and accents surround you as you soak them in. A little more is retained each time you do this. Tasting wine is similar, and there is nothing more enlightening than tasting the wine of a region, in its region. We arrived in the picturesque town of Offida and sampled the wines of San Giovanni – a completely organic and vegan winery. Vegan winery, you say? What does that mean? One of the products commonly used in wine clarification is albumin, also known as egg whites. This makes most wine undrinkable for the discerning vegan consumer. Enter: San Giovanni. Problem solved. And the wine was good.

 

Our next destination was the beautiful town of Ascoli Piceno. There is deep-rooted history here, complete with a revolt against Rome, but the contemporary attractions are enough to keep me coming back.

Lunch was at a place called “Piccolo Teatro”. Antipasti were a delicious assortment of sliced salumi with a wonderful salty “cheese bread”. Next was a baked polenta (cornmeal) with a sausage and pecorino sauce with black truffle.

Our pasta course was a – guess what – duck ragu, this time with paccheri. Duck ragu is a very traditional dish for this region, which explains why we had the same thing for lunch as we had for dinner the night before…

Our meat course was a “fritto misto” or mixed fry. With a few additions it was also pretty close to our dinner the night before – zucchini, olivo ascolano, with the addition of some artichokes, lamb, and sweet “fried cream”, another specialty of the area. (They are the square shaped bits in the photo below). Everyone was excited for us to taste the delicious flavors of the region – but when you spend a few days in the same region you definitely want some variety!! (Note to self – menu adjustment next year).

My favorite spot in Ascoli is on the central piazza. A large art nouveau style café, called Caffe Meletti, it is owned by the company that produced Meletti liquors. The bartenders are dressed in full-on white suits and bow ties, and are friendly and knowledgeable, plus there are lots of tables outside where one can sit on the piazza and people watch even late into the evening. I recommend paying this café more than one visit per day if you are in town. Our group only had time for a quick digestivo after lunch, since we had a fascinating guided tour of the historical sites and churches in the town afterward.

We had a rest at the villa that afternoon. I heard dinner that evening was absolutely amazing – unfortunately I was hit with some kind of 24hr virus and spent most of the night either in the restaurant’s bathroom, or desperately running back to it after attempting to rejoin our table. So, sorry, no photos. C’est la vie. Or, more appropriately, questa e la vita.

 

 

Dining on Pigeon at the Castle

In Perugia, we stayed two nights in a castle. A legitimate, built in the 1500’s, medieval looking, complete-with-turrets castle. It had been converted into a small, somewhat luxurious resort, with poolside drinks and wonderful Umbrian countryside views. The rooms were small and somewhat rustic, but fitted with answers to any need for an overnight stay, including local Perugian chocolates, slippers, various toiletries, and lovely bathrobes (it’s all about the bathrobes). The actual reason that we had decided on this particular accommodation, (bathrobes and turrets not being sufficient persuasion for Jay), was that this castle is the location of a well-reviewed restaurant, Il Postale, that had claim to a prestigious Michelin star. Our (few) previous meals at Michelin starred establishments had been some of the better experiences of our lives, both in food and service, and we were looking forward to adding another such memorable evening to our collection.

Since it’s not every day one eats in a castle, we began our evening with two glasses of Italian sparkling wine, Franciacorta. Our table was outside on the expansive veranda of the restaurant, which seemed to be where everyone that evening chose to sit. It was a lovely night, and the veranda overlooked a valley with the city of Perugia on the hilltop in the horizon. After some deciphering of the two different menus (classic and “creative”), we ordered our dinner, and soon enough the first tastes arrived from the chef. The first amuse bouche, a rolled slice of chicken breast, with a red pepper sauce and a dark crunchy crumble was gone in a bite. Nothing too remarkable, and too small to make any judgments on, but I’m never going to argue with extra food.

The second amuse bouche was a creative and savory take on the local specialty, Perugina. These are the little round chocolates that come in silver or blue foil wrappers that originated in this region. Only the actual ingredients for this dish were pretty far from chocolate. Made to resemble the little chocolate balls, and even placed in brown chocolate paper wrappers, these balls were made of house made chicken liver mousse. Rolled in hazelnuts, the small balls of mousse were smooth and delicious, and so light I didn’t feel the need for some bread or toast to spread it on. Delighted with this fun surprise, our anticipation grew for rest of our meal.

Our two antipasti arrived shortly afterward. Mine was a sweetbread dish. Sweetbreads are the thymus gland of a veal cow, and are not commonly available in restaurants. They are time consuming to clean and prepare, and very easy to overcook. Usually they are breaded and fried, but tonight I was having a braised preparation. The chef seemed to be partial to impressive plating techniques, and was generous in the use of various foams and mousses. The sweetbreads were served with a beet mousse, puree of fava beans, and some braised cauliflower. The sweetbread itself was quite large, but tender and well cooked. The plate overall struck me as a little fussy, but everything tasted good, so… well, let him fuss.

Speaking of fussy, our other antipasta was somewhat of a mystery. It was titled on the menu as “Subasio Under a Blanket of Snow” (roughly translated). Subasio is one of the nearby mountains in the Apennine range. This did not sound particularly edible, so we asked our waiter for more information. (Or any information, for that matter. That title was particularly unhelpful in the ingredient department). On finding out it was some form of beef tartar, involving a savory gelato made with parmesan cheese, as well as local black truffles, and further being assured that this was a very famous and sought after dish, we went for it. It arrived, looking like a bowl full of a pile of whipped cream, with a lone slice of black truffle perched on top like a flag. Whipped cream is exactly what it was, a savory one also made with parmesan cheese. Once we dug a little deeper, we found the center to be the promised parmesan cheese gelato, and under a thick bed of truffle slices in the middle of the pile, we found the chopped raw beef tartar. I really wish the taste was as impressive as the display, but unfortunately this plate suffered from serious under salting. The cheese lacked bite, the beef was freezing cold and somewhat bland, and the “mountain” of a dish, while not poorly made, still fell a bit flat for us.

Let me just interject here, that with Michelin stars, comes Michelin star pricing, and this restaurant was no exception. I have no problem with an occasional splurge, but my expectations rise (I think, understandably) along with the price tag. So far, we were underwhelmed. And our long empty sparkling wine glasses were still sitting forlornly on our table, despite the fact that we were well into a bottle of red at this point. A small detail, perhaps, but a disturbing departure from our previous experiences of service at other restaurants with this prestigious award.

The pastas were next. I ordered one with what sounded like a ton of artichokes. I love artichokes. The pasta was filled with artichoke, had an artichoke puree, and was sprinkled with fried artichokes. Spurts of the ubiquitous white foam and fresh pea shoots decorated the plate. It was good. Not nearly the best pasta ever, but tasty and definitely artichoke-y.

Jay’s pasta dish was paccheri with woodcock ragu. Paccheri is a short, large tube shaped pasta. It’s one of Jay’s favorite types of pasta – I find it difficult to eat since I have to cut the pasta into smaller pieces in order to comfortably eat it. However, it’s pasta, and I really couldn’t complain too much. The woodcock is a game bird, and the ragu over the pasta was made with lots of red wine. It was a rich and robust sauce. The meat was braised to perfection, with a gaminess that was just on the verge of being overwhelming without being unpleasant.

With the same “fussiness” I noticed in the beginning of the meal, one of the meat courses was titled “Pigeon: The Experience”. Even if I wasn’t a fan of the name, the pigeon itself was wonderful, precisely mid rare, with various pieces of the whole bird marching across the long plate, interspersed with large slabs of seared foie gras and fresh grilled vegetables.

The lamb dish was a chop and shoulder, with another fancy presentation. Grilled vegetables of varying colors were cut in strips and laid side to side like a rainbow underneath the lamb. The lamb was cooked to medium temperature, and was a little gamey for my taste, but still good. I loved the addition of chopped hazelnuts on the meat.

A small palate cleanser to ready us for dessert was a (surprise!) mousse made with saffron. It was light, pretty, and helped start changing the channel from savory to sweet.

In my dessert, I finally found a breath of the Michelin starred air I was expecting. Perhaps this is where the chef found his true inspiration, perhaps he had a really passionate pastry chef, but these desserts definitely saved our meal from dying in a sad rut of average. (This is also the point where our long neglected sparkling glasses were finally removed from their overlong stay on our table). I ordered a white chocolate panna cotta. Barely dusted with pistachio, the delicious, more savory than overly sweet creamy gelatinous dessert hit all the right notes. A sweet raspberry sorbet on the side, the panna cotta was decorated with a couple of sugary beet chips, and a brush of sweetened beet puree underlined the dish. The beet additions were actually sweeter than the chocolate panna cotta itself, a kind of creative backwards balance that I enjoyed.

The second dessert, a form of mille-feuille or napoleon, had delicious and rich layers of creamy custard and fresh pizzelle cookies with generous amounts of confectioner’s sugar. Besides being slightly difficult to eat, and including a mysterious dab of mango puree on the plate that felt out of place, this dessert could have vied with for a place in the finest patisserie. After our meal we were sent a rather large assortment of “Piccola Pasticceria”, each one showing the care and love that our two desserts had delivered before them. Whoever is making the pastry here is pretty serious about their job.

We finished our Sagrantino Passito dessert wine along with our delectable little bites of dessert, and managed to slowly make it back to our room without bursting. It wasn’t our favorite fine dining meal, but far from a total loss. The view during dinner was gorgeous, the weather perfect, and we had had lots of laughs and fun throughout the meal. As we relaxed in our room (in a castle, remember), we were thankful for an opportunity to experience tastes and luxury, even for a day.

 

Rules Were Made to be Broken

On our way to Perugia, Umbria, we stopped in a quaint little town called Bevagna. There is a slow foods restaurant there that we wanted to try. The entrance to the town was a gorgeous bridge over a small waterway, with stone structures flanking the entryway. Since it was a weekend, they did not allow driving through the town – pedestrians only. Bevagna turned out to be beautiful – not awe inspiring, like Rome, nor striking, like Abruzzese mountains, but just pleasantly beautiful and welcoming. The cobblestone roads and alleyways led to picturesque churches, buildings, and even an ancient Roman amphitheater. We joined a tour of the small amphitheater, led by what I can only describe as an Italian cowboy (??!), and entirely in the Italian language. We kept up as best we could, learned a few things (like how expensive cups were in medieval times – how many you owned showed how wealthy you were), then headed to lunch.

The restaurant was pleasant, and comfortable. You felt like you stepped into a well off but down to earth friend’s home. As the bottle-covered walls suggested, the wine list was fantastic. Our general rule when traveling anywhere is to eat and drink whatever is produced locally. However, as we all know only too well, rules were made to be broken. And a 1997 Cannubi Barolo available for a quarter of what it would cost in the states is a definite rule breaker. We were excited already.

The first course out was a pureed asparagus soup, with the added intrigue of crispy pieces of unsmoked bacon, or pancetta, and a lovely soft whole egg yolk in the center. I always love a runny egg yolk, especially when I am giving the privilege of breaking it, as in this soup. Mixed with the asparagus puree, the soup was intensely flavored and a delicious start.

Our other starter was a cheese torte, with toast points smothered in a lovely chicken liver pate. There was another flavor or ingredient in the torte that had caught our attention and made us order it, but due to the chicken liver pate being so amazing, I can no longer remember what it was. Either way, the flavors were strong and definitive, but not too strong, and the dish did not last long.

The two pastas were both brightly flavored. The first was a pappardelle with fresh zucchini, fresh tomatoes, and ground guinea hen meat. I believe it would have benefited from a bit of grated parmesan cheese, but I am a bit of a salt junky, and the vegetables and freshly made pasta were perfectly cooked.

The second pasta we ordered was gnocchi, tossed with caramelized onion and tomato. The sauce, made with anchovies, was delectable, I am a huge fan of caramelized onions but the gnocchi themselves were slightly gummy, and not my favorite.

The meat courses here were fantastic, although surprisingly not especially Italian in preparation. The first was a duck dish, a take on the French duck al’orange. A perfect medium, the duck breast was served with fresh blood orange segments, fresh herbs, and confit potatoes.

The veal was cooked medium rare, with a little olive oil, salt, and roasted potatoes. It was a bit chewy, but the flavor was outstanding. It tasted like a particularly happy piece of meat.

We were enjoying ourselves so much, we went for two desserts. One was a panna cotta with a fresh local strawberry compote, the other a house made carrot cake with crème anglaise. Both were fantastic. Panna cotta is always a favorite of ours, and while cake is not, this carrot cake was moist and bursting with not-too-sweet carrot flavor.

As we savored our surprise on-the-house after dinner drinks, we struck up a conversation with several couples about our own age at the next table. Most of them had young children with them, and as they apologized for their noisiness (which we didn’t mind in the least), we discovered that although all from Italy, a couple of them had grown up in Brooklyn, NY. We had a lovely and informative conversation, during which we were admonished, not for the first time, for our very American habit of tipping at restaurants. It has been a hard habit to give up, but after hearing it once again, for perhaps the thirtieth time, we decided to acknowledge Italian culture, and hold back on the tips. From here on out. After this meal. And here we go again. After all, rules were made to be broken.