Restaurant: Niko Cucina
Location: Lungomare Marconi , 60019 Senigallia, Italy. 071.7931087
Date: June 18 & 22, 2015
Cuisine: Italian
Rating: Great kitchen
Traveling east from Umbria we set up residence at the lovely beach town Senigallia. This is one of those delightful Italian resort towns that Americans don’t really visit. All the better for us.
Despite being off the American radar this town sports two 2 star Michelin restaurants! Plus our hotel had a top notch place called “By Niko Cucina” (the chef being Niko). You could eat on either the ground floor patio or up here with the terrible view and lousy stifling air — not!
The menu.
Campari spritz (with Prosecco).
2010 Azienda Agricola Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Villa Bucci. 91 points. A fine mature Verdicchio with plenty of structure.
Bread.
Gluten free bread, which supposedly was awesome (for gluten free bread). The chef said he bakes it himself and adds vinegar to get the right fluffiness.
Un Salmone giapponese in grecia. Salmon with Greek yogurt.
Crudi by Niko. Niko’s choice of raw/cured seafood. Left to right, shrimps, tuna, and amberjack. All were extremely fresh and delicious.
Cheesy pasta. Alex took a break from penne pomodoro for some pasta with parmesan and cream.
And on a different say he got a different shape (rigatoni?).
Spaghetti seppia nera e pomodori bruciati. Squid ink pasta in a form of guazzetto (tomato and garlic) sauce. Delicious.
Like art!
Strozzapretti con sugo di mandorle all siciliana. A tomato/eggplant pasta.
And a gluten free version of same (yick).
Spaghetti vongole ndula e lime. A spicy southern twist on the spaghetti with clam sauce. Delicious too.
2013 La Marca di San Michele Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Capovolto. 90 points. Another Verdicchio in a different style. This was Niko’s favorite (he recommended it). A bit less fruity than the Bucci, but very good.
Frittura by Niko con yogurt greco. My dad and I agreed that this might have been the finest “Fritto Misto” (mixed fried) we’ve ever had!
Fresh roasted Turbo. Potatoes and tomatoes.
Here is a piece of the delicate fish.
Insalte mista.
Verdure croccanti. Crunchy vegetables.
French fries.
Limoncello. Fire in the hole!
My Mom with chef Niko. He was extraordinarily nice and friendly.
Overall, Niko really delivered. Not only did he cook, but he hung around and offered fun comments and advice — and his food was really spot on. More modern and seafood oriented than what we were eating in Umbria, this was some delicious stuff with really fresh ingredients and and on point preparation.