Restaurant: La Taverna del Porto
Location: Via Giosue Carducci, 10, 60019 Senigallia, Italy
Date: June 20, 2015
Cuisine: Italian
Rating: Pricy but tasty all in dining
Sandwiched between Michelin 2 star meals we asked our hotel for a restaurant recommendation.
They sent us across town to La Taverna del Porto.
It was located on a bustling square — and this being a summer Saturday in a beach town — the piazza was alive with activity.
At the restaurant, there were a few items written on a board, but we were just asked “meat” or “seafood” and they started bringing stuff.
Potato soup. A simple but tasty blend.
Like the food, the only option for the wine seemed to be “Rosso ou Bianco”. We went bianco and got this perfectly pleasant local Verdicchio.
Squid salad. Squid mixed with carrots and marinated.
Grilled vegetables.
Octopus salad. With tomatoes.
Various seafood. Seabass on pesto crostini. Salmon and tuna crisps.
Creatures of the deep. These ugly shrimp cousins look a bit like the monsters from the video game Journey and taste… well a bit like the sea bottom.
Shrimp and avocado.
Capresse.
Hot seafood. Stuffed mussels, fried anchovies, skewers.
Mussels in gauzetto sauce. Tasty.
Clams in tomato cream sauce. Even tastier. I love these local vongole.
Green beans.
Eggplant wraps.
Penne pomodoro.
Linguine vongolle. Classic linguine in clam sauce. Super simple. Very tasty. Lots of garlic.
The host asked if we wanted more. We were pretty stuffed. I guess he would have brought a main and dessert. Then we got a bill for 5 x E35. Given that it was 50% more than all the other casual places we ate at in Italy, and that one of the 5 was a 6 year-old who had the penne only and 2 others were vegetarians, it seemed kinda steep. I think it was just one price included, so if we had a main course and dessert and 5 real eaters it would have been fine — but still. Wine was included and seemed “all you can drink.” Of course, the local Verdicchio probably costs them < E5. It’s still not bad wine for seafood.
The more I travel the less I trust hotel recommendations for food, which is a shame as doing the research is a bit of work. The people at our hotel were extremely extremely nice so I think it was just a difference of what one is looking for. Still, the food was good and it was a fun evening.