L'Antica Trattoria, Sorrento - Delicious Meal in a Pleasant Setting

Our first meal in Sorrento last July, dinner at L'Antica Trattoria (http://www.lanticatrattoria.com/), was a delightful way to wind down after a long day of driving from Venice. L'Antica Trattoria has been operated by Aldo D'Oria since 1986 and has been in his extended family since 1930. It has an excellent menu and wonderful ambience. The temperature was very comfortable for sitting outside in the evening, despite the earlier heat during the day.

We sat outside on a terrace and underneath a vine-covered pergola. There are also tables under awnings in front of the restaurant and nice rooms inside. The restaurant's name is on a beautiful tile sign in the front.

Entrance to L'Antica Trattoria

We started with an amuse-bouche, which I believe was a bread crumb coated cheese ball with a tomato sauce.

Then we shared a very nice caprese salad (appropriate for being just a couple of miles from Capri.)

Great tomatoes & fresh mozzarella in this Caprese salad

One of us had ravioli with Sorrento caciotta cheese, marjoram, basil, and tomato sauce (Ravioli di Caciotta Fresca e Maggiorana, con Vellutata di Filetto di Pomodoro e Basilico) for €16.

Another had "Mediterranean Concerto" fresh, triangle egg-pasta with delicate Sorrento cheese, zucchini, zucchini flowers, basil pesto, and marjoram. (Triangoli "Concerto Mediterraneo" di Pasta Fresca all'Uovo ai Formaggi Delicati di Sorrento con Maggiorana, Zucchine, Fiore di Zucchine, e Pesto di Basilico) for €16.

Mediterranean Concerto

A third had Antica Trattoria angel hair tagliolini pasta, with prawns, and cream of lemon and spinach sauce with lampfish caviar (Tagliolini de l'Antica Trattoria al Limone con Gamberi Rossi a uova di Lamba Nere, su Vellutata di Spinaci) for €18. She also had the Sorrento Lemon Delight (Delizia di Sorrento al Limone) for dessert.

I had the €38 Menu Sinfonia (Symphony Menu) with four dishes:

1. Zucchini flowers fried in a delicate batter with fuscella ricotta (a cows-milk ricotta produced in Campania), cubes of prosciutto, with sweet Tropea onions (from Calabria) in a sweet and sour sauce. (Fiore di Zucchine con Ricotta di Fuscella e Brunoise di Prosciutto in Pastella Delicata, Salsa all' Agrodolce e Petalli di Cipolle di Tropea)

2. The "Mediterranean Concerto" triangle pasta.

3. Pork medallions with mustard, and herbs, with Savoy cabbage and green onions, fresh Annurca apples (a type of small apple from Campania) in a cream sauce, dried dates, and cranberry sauce (Medaglione di Filetto di Maiale alla Senape, alle Erbe, con Verza al Cipolotto, Fresco Cremoso di Mele Annurche, Datteri Secchi, e Salsa al Mirtillo)

4. Sorrento Lemon Delight (Delizia di Sorrento al Limone)

Sorrento Lemon Delight

We all shared a plate of mixed, home-made cookies.

Home-made Cookies

The red wine I chose was a 2010 Dedicato a Marianna Sciascinoso-Aglianico for €28. It was very nice. Sciascinoso and Aglianico are both red wine grapes from Campania. Aglianico is much more widely cultivated. Aglianico wines are available in the U.S., but I have never seen Sciascinoso wines here.

There were many other dishes on the menu that I would love to have tried.

Our waiter was very nice, and provided excellent service.

The restaurant is located at 33 Via Padre Reginaldo Giuliani, in the heart of Sorrento's historic center. It was just a couple of blocks from our hotel.

Osteria da Alberto - Wonderful Dining in Venice, Italy

The best meal by far that we had in Venice last July was at Osteria da Alberto (http://www.osteriadaalberto.it/sito/en/index.html). The food was delicious, the menu included Venetian specialties, the atmosphere was warm, and the staff was very nice. It was decorated with lots of antiques.

While it is a bit off the beaten path, on Calle Giacinto Gallina at Cannaregio 5401, I noticed that it has 112 Trip Advisor reviews, of which 49 are in Italian, so it seems clear that a lot of people seek it out.

Before leaving our hotel to walk to the restaurant, I phoned (041-5238153) to make reservations. That was fortunate. When we entered the osteria, I saw that it was almost completely full.

Just inside the front door was a counter which displayed lots of good-looking food. We were quickly welcomed by Manuda, our waitress, who took us to a table near the rear. 

Two of us  had Tagliolini al Pesto for €9 each.

One of us had a green salad (Insalata Verde) for €3.80 and Gorgonzola Gnocchi with four cheeses (Gnocchi Gorgonzola ai Quattro Formaggi) for €9.

As usual, I went for local dishes. I started with Sarde in Saòr, the same sweet and sour sardine dish I'd had the previous evening, for €9. It was wonderful.

I noticed that there were two baccalà dishes on the menu. In most of Italy, baccalà means salted cod. However, in the Veneto region of Italy, where Venice is located, baccalà refers to stockfish (stoccafisso) - cod or other whitefish, which has been air dried. I had never had it before, and wanted to taste it.

One of the baccalà dishes was Baccalà alla Vicentina (Vicenza-style Baccalà). Vicenza is the name of a city and a province just west of Venice. The other dish was Baccalà Mantecato. I did not know where that was from. I asked the waitress, and she told me it was from Venice. When I told her I was not sure what to order, she told me that they could prepare a plate with half of one and half of the other. I decided to do that. I'm glad I did. Both were terrific. The cost was €14.

It turns out that Baccalà Mantecato is a signature Venetian dish. Like so many other recipes, this one has many variations. Among the ingredients are stockfish, cream or milk, olive oil, garlic, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper.

The ingredients in Baccalà Vicentina are stockfish, onion, milk, anchovies, parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, flour, and parsley.

Two of us shared a bottle of 2009 Fabiano Valpolicello Ripasso for €30. This is a very nice type of red wine that is produced on the east side of Lake Garda, which is a short distance west of Venice.

For dessert, two of us had Tiramisu. one had Semifreddo Pistacchio, and I had Venetian cookies (Biscotti Veneziani). Semifreddo is a class of semi-frozen desserts like ice cream cakes. This one had three layers - chocolate, pistachio, and vanilla.

Semifreddo Pistacchio

Biscotti Veneziani

One of us had a cafe Americano for €1.80, and two of us had espresso for the same price.

We shared a large bottle of water for €3, and were charged a cover charge of €1.80 each.

Ristorante Terrazza Sommariva - Tourist Trap; Terrific Location

Ristorante Terrazza Sommariva in Venice, Italy has a great location on the Grand Canal, a few feet from the Rialto Bridge. While the food was passable - toward the low end of Italian food, the location was terrific. The food was also on the expensive side. We sat at an outdoor table under awning.

Three of us had Piazza Diavola, with tomato, mozzarella, and spicy salami for €10 each. (The following day, we had a better version of the same pizza at another location for €7.50 each.)

I had Pizza Sottobosco with tomato, mozzarella, brie, and mushrooms for €10.50.

We had small bottles of mineral water for €4.50 each. This was the most we paid anywhere in Italy in over 2 weeks of travel.

I had two glasses of Masi Frescaripa Bardolino Classico for €6 per glass. This decent wine is prouced near the town of Bardolino on the eastern side of Lake Garda, a short distance west of Venice.

The bottom line is that I would probably try one of the other waterfront restaurants in the same area.

Trattoria del Pennello - Tasty Tuscan Comfort Food

Another restaurant we enjoyed in Italy in July was Trattoria Casa di Dante "del Pennello," also known as Ristorante il Pennello (http://www.ilpennello.it). In particular, I really enjoyed a couple of dishes unique to Tuscany. My choice of this restaurant was based on Trip Advisor reviews.

Trattoria del Pennello

Our grandson and granddaughter both had ravioli with ricotta, spinach, butter, and sage for €9 each.

Our daughter had spaghetti alla carbonara for €7.

Those were dishes that are available in many parts of Italy. However, I had two terrific Tuscan dishes.

First I had La Carabaccia Soup. It was wonderful. The ingredients include onions, carrots, celery, vegetable broth, extra virgin olive oil, toasted bread, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. (Toasted bread is used in many Tuscan soup recipes as a way to use day-old bread. It works great.) This dish cost €6. I intend to try making it.

As a second course, I had a Tuscan version of pork and beans - Salsicce e Fagioli all'Uccelletto - sausage and cannellini beans "little bird style." Several Internet sources indicate that "little bird style" may refer to the fact that the seasonings used are similar to those used in dishes using small birds. In Italy, Tuscans are sometimes referred to as "Mangiafagioli" (Bean eaters.) This dish was very tasty and cost €12. I also want to try cooking this dish.

Inside Trattoria del Pennello

For dessert, we all had Tuscan desserts. Three had tiamisu and I had Zuppa Inglese, which is similar to English trifle. Each dessert cost €5.

The wine I chose was a 2009 Brolio Chianti Classico from Barone Ricasoli for €24. It was very nice. The Ricasoli winery is where the modern recipe for Chianti wine was created in the 19th Century by Baron Bettino Ricasoli, the "Iron Baron" who was the second Prime Minister of a reunited Italy. The castle where the winery is located has been owned by the Ricasoli family since 1141 AD. It is the oldest winery in Italy, and the second oldest in the world.

My daughter and I were each given a free glass of limoncello.

Unlike many other local restaurants, there was no cover charge.

Our total bill for four was €90.

The restaurant is located at Via Dante Aleghieri 4, about 3 blocks north of Piazza della Signoria.

La Ghiotta Lupa - Tasty Pizza in Pisa

On our outing from Florence to Pisa to visit the Leaning Tower last July, we found a place near Pisa's main train station, Pisa Centrale, to have an inexpensive but tasty lunch. It was La Lupa Ghiotta (http://www.lupaghiotta.com/la-lupa-ghiotta), which means something like "The Ravenous Female Wolf" or "The Greedy Female Wolf." It is a Tavola Calda (Hot Table), a type of Italian restaurant that specializes in casual and cafeteria-style food. La Ghiotta Lupa had a large selection of pizzas cooked on wood-fired ovens, as well as various pastas and sandwiches.

Two of us had Pizza Margherita - with tomato, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil for  €4 ($5.08). One had Pizza alla Diavola (Devil-Style Pizza) - tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, mascarpone cheese, and olive oil for  €4.50 ($5.67). I had Pizza Sasa - with tomato, mozzarella di bufala, Tuscan salami, sausage, and extra virgin olive oil for €7.50 ($9.45).

La Lupa Ghiotta is located at Viale Francesco Bonaini 113 at the intersection of Via Giacomo Puccini,  about two blocks from the train station.   

La Lupa Ghiotta

Ristorante Pizzeria L'Abate, Sorrento - Back for Another Good Meal

One of the restaurants my wife and I enjoyed during our 2007 stay in Sorrento was Ristorante Pizzeria L'Abate (http://www.labatesorrento.it/en/) at Piazza Sant'Antonino. I decided to return there with other family members last month. (The restaurant is associated with Maison Tofani, the wonderful hotel where we stayed in Sorrento.)

L'Abate has tables both indoors and outside. On a pleasant evening, like the night of our dinner, sitting outside is the best choice. Fortunately, we were able to get an outside table even though we did not have a reservation.

The other family members had tasty dishes such as Lemon Scaloppine (€9); Calzone Napoli (€10) with mozzarella, ricotta, and salami; and vegetable risotto - Risotto alle Verdure - (€10) .

I asked the waiter if he would recommend a special local dish. He suggested Pezzogna all'Acqua Pazza (Sea Bream in Crazy Water) with a side of fettuccine for (€28). It turns out that this is a signature seafood dish of the Amalfi Coast, and that pezzogna is one of the most popular types of fish for this dish. Pezzogna is very similar to snapper. 

The dish is apparently simple to prepare - freshly caught fish is sautéed in sea water along with a special type of local cherry tomatoes (pomodorini al piennolo), with garlic, carrots, celery, Italian parsley, and olive oil (http://www.aglioolioepeperoncino.com/2009/04/pezzogna-allacqua-pazza.html).  The dish was absolutely fantastic.

I also asked the waiter to recommend a local red wine. He suggested a 2010 Feudi di San Gregorio Rubrato. It is produced with 100% Aglianico grapes, and is made in the Sannio area north of Naples. The wine was decent and cost (€28).

Fantastic Views and Good Food at Da Giorgio on the Isle of Capri

When it was time for lunch in the town of Capri high up on the Isle of Capri last month, I chose Da Giorgio at Via Roma 34 (http://www.dagiorgiocapri.com/en/restaurant), mostly because of the view and because I felt the food would be decent or better. The views were spectacular, and the food was good, albeit a bit expensive. I expected the food to be a bit pricey because of the location, and the fact that we were in one of the most popular Italian tourist sites at the height of the tourist season.

We were seated at a table next to large open windows, with soft cool breezes blowing in. We had beautiful views out over the Bay of Naples in the direction of Mt. Vesuvius, down toward the harbor below the town, and at the hillsides to either side of the restaurant.

One View from our Table

The atmosphere inside was very nice, with beautifully set tables.

Three of us had the Ravioli alla Caprese (Capri-style ravioli) for €13 each. One had a cheese omelet for €10. In addition to my ravioli dish, I had Caprese salad for €11. (I couldn't visit Capri without having its eponymous salad.)

Ravioli alla Caprese

We had a large bottle of mineral water for €5, and I had a half bottle of Taurasi wine for €10. Taurasi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurasi_DOCG) is a type of red wine that is produced from Aglianico grapes in Avellino Province in the Region of Campania. Campania includes Naples, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, and Capri.

We were each charged a cover charge of €3 and a service charge of 12%.

Ristorante Sant'Antonino - A Nice Combination of Food and Atmosphere in Sorrento

When we were in Sorrento last month, I discovered Ristorante Sant'Antonino (http://www.ristorantesantonino.com/english-home/cuisine-menu/) while looking up another restaurant on the Internet. I decided to try it instead of the other restaurant. I'm glad I did because of the nice combination of food and atmosphere. The prices were very reasonable for a popular restaurant in a major tourist venue at the height of the tourist season.

Ristorante Sant'Antonino has an extensive menu (in both Italian and English) with many local specialties. The menu can be downloaded from the URL above. The restaurant is located at Via Santa Maria delle Grazie 6, just a few feet from Piazza Sant'Antonino. (Sant'Antonino - Saint Antoninus, is the patron saint of Sorrento.)

The ambiance is very nice - it is a roof-garden restaurant with a trellis overhead. Among the plants in the trellis were lemon trees full of lemons. We were amused by a cat walking across the trellis.

There were two musicians playing live music that was a perfect accompaniment to our dinner.

While my daughter and I really enjoyed our meals, my grandchildren were not excited about their pizzas.

My granddaughter had a Margherita pizza for €6, Peasant Salad (Insalata Contadina - lettuce, radicchio, red peppers, and mozzarella) for €7, and a diet coke for €2.50.

My grandson had a Margherita pizza with sausage for €7.50, Treccia Sorrentina cheese (a local version of mozzarella) for €5, and a regular coke for €2.50.

My daughter had Lemon Veal Scaloppine (Scaloppine al Limone) for €10.50.

I had a caprese salad for €8, and scialatielli pasta with shrimp and cherry tomatoes (Scialatielli Gamberi e Pomodorini) for €10. Scialatielli is a pasta which originated in the Amalfi Coast area, and which I love. It is long like spaghetti, but flat on all sides.

We shared a large bottle of mineral water, and I had a half bottle of Fidelis del Taburno Aglianico (90% Aglianico and 10% Merlot), a nice local red wine, for €9 . Aglianico grapes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglianico) are one of the main grapes used to produce red wines in the Campania and Basilicata regions in southern Italy.

For dessert, my daughter had Delizia al Limone, a traditional Sorrento dessert, for €4.50. It is light and airy sponge cake covered in chantilly lemon sauce. I had Torta Caprese, dark chocolate cake with almonds, for €4.50.

My grandchildren did not have dessert here. They were more interested in having gelato at a gelateria.

My grandaughter had a caffe latte for €3, my daughter had a cappuccino for €3, and I had an espresso for €2.

We were charged a cover charge of €1.50 each.

We were grateful to our waiter for asking the diners at the next table to stop smoking, when we complained that the smoke from their table was blowing into our faces and was very annoying.

The restaurant has several hundred reviews on Trip Advisor, most of them very favorable. Many of those reviews are written by Italians. When I use Trip Advisor to check out restaurants in other countries, I often sort the reviews so that those in the local language appear first. (Trip Advisor reviews can be sorted by language.) Reading reviews written by locals, or at least looking at the nr. of stars they have given, provides insights into how the locals view a restaurant in their own country.

A Delicious Roman Meal at Ristorante Antonio al Pantheon, Rome

After visiting the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon in Rome a few weeks ago, we had a wonderful Roman meal at Ristorante Trattoria Antonio al Pantheon (http://www.ristoranteantonioalpantheon.it/) at Via dei Pastini 12. I selected this restaurant, which is only about a block from the Pantheon, on the basis of its many favorable TripAdvisor reviews.

We enjoyed our tasty repast at a nice outdoor table.

Outside Tables at Antonio's

During the course of our meal, I had interesting discussions with the owner, Antonio Garbini, and with one of his employees, Nando. They were kind enough to spend time chatting with me despite the fact that they were very busy. Antonio's family has owned this restaurant since 1934.

Antonio & Nando

The restaurant offers many items that are specialties of Rome and of Lazio, the region where Rome is located. We had a delicious and typically Roman meal at a very reasonable price. I saw many items on the menu that I would love to have tried. I would return here in a heartbeat.

Antonio has a home in the Umbrian town of Norcia, which is renowned throughout Italy for its prosciutto and other pork products. I noticed a number of Norcia items on menu. When I mentioned that at the end of the meal, Antonio brought out a free plate of Norcia prosciutto for us to try. It was fantastic. (My wife and I visited Norcia in 2010 and had a wonderful meal at Ristorante Granaro del Monte, the oldest restaurant in Umbria. See my article about our visit to Norcia - http://viaggiviniecucine.blogspot.com/2010/11/norcia-sibillini-mountains-national.html)

Before we ordered our meal, they brought my daughter and me each a free glass of white wine. The Lazio Region, is better known for its refreshing white wines than its reds.

As we drank the wine, I mentioned to Antonio and Nando that I liked red wines and always like to try local wines, but that Lazio was not known for its reds. They told me that there were some very nice reds produced in Lazio. They recommended the 2010 Sesto 21 Syrah. It was very nice and reasonably priced at €25. It is produced by Azienda Vinicola Casata Merge (http://www.casatamerge.it/) about 8 km southeast of Rome.

My grandson and I shared an order of Jewish-style Artichokes (Carciofi alla Giudia) for €11. This dish originated in the Jewish-ghetto of Rome, and is particularly popular during February-April, when the local Romanesco artichokes are harvested. In this dish, the hard outer leaves are removed. Then the remaining part of the artichoke is put in water with lemon juice, seasoned with salt and pepper, and fried. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carciofi_alla_giudia). I loved the dish.

My grandson also had Spaghetti alla Carbonara for €8.

My granddaughter had Insalata Verde (green salad) for €5 and Spaghetti alla Carbonara.

My daughter had Tonnarelli alla Gricia for €9. Tonnarelli is a Roman pasta. The tonnarelli at Antonio’s  is house made. Alla gricia means in the style with little bits. The “bits” are small pieces of guanciale, a type of bacon. The other main ingredient is Roman pecorino cheese. This dish is basically like pasta all’Amatriciana without tomatoes.

I had house-made pappardelle pasta with fresh porcini mushrooms and pachino tomatoes (Pappardelle con Porcini Freschi e Pachino) for €12. Pachino tomatoes are a type of cherry tomatoes from the southeast coast of Sicily.

We were also charged the usual cover charge for bread. In this case, it was €1.50 per person.

The total cost of our delicious meal at this great location was a very reasonable €84.

Antonio’s is closed on Sundays.

Tante grazie per una cena squisita!

Trattoria Da Vito e Dina, Rome - Delicious Food, Excellent Prices

Trattoria Da Vito e Dina, located a couple of blocks from Vatican City and from Piazza del Risorgimento in Rome, is a great place to enjoy a delicious meal at reasonable prices. It is a small, family-run restaurant operated by Vito and Dina. It is located at Via degli Scipioni, 50. It has a couple of tables outside, and perhaps 10 inside. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. 

We were the only foreigners in the restaurant. Our entire meal was very tasty and everything was reasonably priced. Dino was a real character, heavy-set and with a big smile, who loved chatting up the customers.

My granddaughter had an appetizer of a supplo for €1. Suppli (plural) are rice croquettes that are filled with mozzarella and deep fried. She enjoyed it. (I love them.) They are similar to but generally smaller than a Sicilian dish called arancini. She also had ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach (Ravioli Ricotta e Spinaci) for €8, a diet coke (called Coca Light in Italy) for €2.50, and tiramisu for €4.

My grandson had prosciutto with mozzarella di buffala for €8, lasagna for the same price, regular Coca Cola for €2.50, and tiramisu for €4.

My daughter had ravioli with butter and sage (Ravioli Burro e Salvia) for

€8, diet coke, and tiramisu.

I had Straccetti con Porcini - thin steak with porcini mushrooms for €11, a small bottle of San Benedetto mineral water for €1.50, a half bottle of Antinori Santa Cristina Tuscan red wine for about €9 or €10, a house dessert (Dolce della Casa) for €4, and an espresso.

(This restaurant had been recommended by our hotel, A Touch of Rome. It was an excellent recommendation.)

See Trip Advisor for further information, including photos of the restaurant: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d1838601-Reviews-Da_Vito_e_Dina-Rome_Lazio.html

Trattoria la Torretta - Another Spoleto Gem

Trattoria la Torretta (http://www.trattorialatorretta.com/) was another wonderful recommendation of Signor Diotallevi, the owner of Palazzo Dragoni, our hotel in Spoleto. I had asked Signor Diotallevi to recommend restaurants where I could find the best dishes typical of Spoleto and Umbria in general. The trattoria was located at 43 via Filitteria, a couple of blocks from our hotel.

Trattoria la Torretta

We were greeted by Signor Stefano Salvucci, one of the owners of the restaurant. He was very pleasant and dapper, attired in a sharp suit. The atmosphere inside was warm and comfortable. One of the walls was antique brick and mortar, several walls were a warm light orange, and there were sections of more modern brick. The tables were covered with an elaborate dark red table cloth covered by a white cloth. There was a rose on each table. There were also a couple of tables outside, but it was too cool to dine al fresco.

Signor Salvucci

As with many of the restaurants where we dined, an English-Language menu was available.

The meal was superb.

Linda and I shared an antipasto plate called The Tastes of the House (Gli Assagini della Casa) for €10. It had seven different items, including:

- Warm eggplant medallion with fresh tomato & basil (Medaglione caldo di melanzane con pomodoro fresco e basilico)

- A small salad of spelt, rocket, cherry tomatoes, shavings of grana padano cheese and balsamic vinegar (L'insalatina di farro con la rucola, i pomodorini, le scaglie di grana e l'aceto balsamico)

- Prosciutto & melon

- Vegetable quiche (La quiche con le verdure)

- A warm sausage and vegetable tart (Sfogliata calda con verdura e salsiccia)

Linda had:

- Thinly sliced veal in a sauce of a sweet Montefalco Passito wine (La Piccatina con il Sagrantino Passito di Montefalco) for €13

- Grilled vegetables (Verdure alla Griglia) for €4. The vegetables were zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes from the trattoria’s garden.

I had Spoleto-style strangozzi pasta (Strangozzi alla Spoletina), made with fresh rather than dried pasta. for €8. Spoleto-style strangozzi is cooked in tomato  sauce, garlic, red pepper, and parsley. Strangozzi is an Umbrian pasta. Another name for this pasta is strozzapreti. It means, “priest strangler.” Strangozzi also comes from a word meaning, “to strangle.” Supposedly, these names derive from the tradition of families inviting the parish priest to dinner and vying with one another to see who could best fill him with food. Strangozzi alla Spoletina is a typical dish of Spoleto. You can find a typical recipe for it at

http://www.e-rcps.com/pasta/rcp/p_stuv/strangozzi.shtml. 

For dessert, we both had Crescionda Spoletina, a traditional Umbrian chocolate cake, for €4 each. The ingredients were:
- eggs, milk, chocolate fondant, amaretto cookies, flour, sugar, anise, and lemon zest

Our wine was a red 2007 Antonelli Rosso di Montefalco made from sangiovese and sagrantino grapes for €13. It was very nice.

We ended the meal with an expresso for €1 each.

Ristorante Tric Trac, Piazza del Duomo, Spoleto

Our first meal on this trip to Italy was at Ristorante Tric Trac (http://www.trictrac.it/) at Spoleto’s Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Piazza). It was recommended by Signor Roberto Diotallevi, the owner of our hotel, Palazzo Dragoni. I had asked him for recommendations of restaurants that served the best Umbrian dishes. Like all his recommendations, it was superb.

We were warmly greeted at Tric Trac, and the ambiance was very elegant. In addition to the tables inside, there were also tables outside on two platforms at the edge of the piazza.

Every dish we had was really delicious. It was a great start to the wonderful dining experiences we would have on this trip.

During the meal, we enjoyed chatting with the owners, Giuseppe D’Amelio and Spartaco Grilli, and our waiter about food and wine. The conversation was very interesting. (See the discussion below about truffles.)

Entrance to the Interior Dining Room

We started with the Antipasto Tric Trac for €14. It had three items:

- Scrambled eggs with truffles

- Crostini with tomato

- Peach with prosciutto

Then Linda and I each had Risotto with Provola Cheese and Truffles (Risotto Mantecato con Provola e Tartuffo) for €23.90.

That was enough food for Linda, but I then had a typical Umbrian dish - Guinea Hen in Salmi in a Casserole Cooked over a Slow Fire (Faraona in Casseruola Cotta a Fuoco Lento in Salmi) for €20.50. (Signor Diotallevi had recommended this dish.) The salmi sauce at Tric Trac was made with guinea hen livers, chicken livers, capers, lemon, garlic, sage, rosemary, white wine, and vinegar. (When I sent Tric Trac an email asking about the ingredients in Salmi, Signor D’Amelio replied very quickly.)

Our wine was an Umbrian red - a 2005 Antonelli Sagrantino di Montefalco for €35. Sagrantino is an indigenous Umbrian grape grown in the town of Montefalco. The wine was a perfect accompaniment to our meal.

The total cost for the meals for the three of us came to €152.60 ($206.01).

Truffles (“tartufo” - singular & “tartufi” - plural) are mushrooms that grow underground. They can cost several thousand dollars a pound. White truffles are more expensive than black truffles. Truffles are very light in weight, and shavings of truffles are placed on foods. Having truffles on a dish can add $15 or more to the cost of the dish. However, it is worth it.

Truffles are not raised, but are found in the woods. Dogs are now used to find them, although pigs were once used.The areas of Italy best know for truffles are the Piedmont, Umbria, and Tuscany. There are white truffles and black truffles. There are also truffles in France and Spain. There are summer truffles and winter truffles.

One of the owners explained the truffle seasons to us. He said that the winter truffles are best, and are available from December through February. He mentioned that the summer truffles are available in July, August, and September. He said we were approaching the end of the summer truffle season.