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Archive for Italy

Eating Porta Cervo – Renato Pedrinelli

Jan28

Restaurant: Renato Pedrinelli

Location: Piazza degli Ulivi, snc, 07021 Porto Cervo SS, Italy. +39 339 649 5114

Date: July 2, 2022

Cuisine: Sardinian Italian

Rating: Tasty

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Another night in Sardinia, another Italian restaurant.
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Renato Pedrinelli was well rated and conveniently located only a mile or two away from our hotel in a large ritzy shopping plaza near the Porto Cervo marina.
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As usual for summer dining in Italy we ate al fresco, coperto be damned!1A4A9971
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The menu.
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They bring by a selection of barely or recently living sea creatures for your perusal.
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Sardinia usually features crispy breads.
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2018 Argiolas Vermentino di Sardegna Cerdeña. Gotta drink local.
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Burrata pugliese e pomodorini. Burrata with cherry tomatoes.
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Half lobster Catalan style. I was a bit apprehensive given all those raw tomatoes, but somehow with the acidity and the onions it was pretty awesome.
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Classic penne pomodoro.
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Paccheri with fish ragu, bottarga and courgettes. Cheesy and a bit fishy. Nice bite.
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Sea Bream with tomatoes, olives, and capers.
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Filleted.
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Overall, while nothing spectacular, this was a solid meal. Everything in Porto Cervo is a bit focused on a tourist set — not necessarily American tourists (we didn’t see many of those) but mostly mainland Italians or other Europeans.

For more Italian dining reviews click here.

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Related posts:

  1. Eating Porto Cervo – Clipper
  2. Eating Porto Cervo – ConFusion
  3. Eating Alghero – Macchiavello
  4. Eating Rome – La Campana
  5. Eating Senigallia – Taverna Porto
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Eating Porta Cervo, Eating Sardinia, eating-italy, fish, Italian cuisine, Italy, pasta, Porta Cervo, Sardinia, Wine

Eating Alghero – Macchiavello

Jan26

Restaurant: Ristorante Osteria Macchiavello

Location: Bastioni Marco Polo, 57, 07041 Alghero SS, Italy. +39 079 980628

Date: July 2, 2022

Cuisine: Sardinian Italian

Rating: Tasty

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We drove across Sardinia to visit the lovely town of Alghero.
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Picked this attractive lunch spot just by feel and menu.
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The menu.
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They always have solid bread in Italy.
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Burratini con petali di pomodori marinati, basilico e zenzero. Burrata cheese with marinated tomatoes, basil and ginger. As you can see, Sardinians, like other southern Italians, love their tomatoes (and they are some of the best tomatoes in the world)!
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Simple pasta with the obligatory pomodoro sauce.
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Culurgionnes di Oliena con pomodoro e basilico. Home made Sardinian egg pasta filled with potatoes, pecorino cheese, and mint served with basil and tomato sauce.
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Spaghetti lla chitarra neri. Home made cuttlefish ink pasta cooked in parchment paper with mussels, clams, red prawns, scampi, small crab, octopus, squids, in a sauce of basil, cherry tomatoes, and a dash of chili infused olive oil.
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Delicious with a strong briny flavor, a bit of sweetness, a hint of heat, and lots of seafood. Crab and shrimp shells were soft enough that they could be chewed through. Pasta was very thick and al dente. The shellfish stock cooks down with the tomatoes into a wonderful blend.
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Overall a nice local meal in a great setting.

For more Italian dining reviews click here.

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Related posts:

  1. Eating Porto Cervo – Clipper
  2. Eating Colle di Val d’Elsa – Dietro Le Quinte
  3. Eating Santa Margherita – La Paranza
  4. Eating Milano Marittima – Lo Sporting
  5. Eating Poggibonsi – Osteria da Camillo
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Alghero, Eating Alghero, Eating Sardinia, eating-italy, Italian cuisine, Italy, Macchiavello, pasta, Sardinia

Eating Porto Cervo – Clipper

Jan24

Restaurant: Clipper Ristorante

Location: Via della Marina, 10, 07021 Porto Cervo SS, Italy. +39 0789 91644

Date: July 1, 2022

Cuisine: Seafood Italian

Rating: Solid (this is Italy) but nothing amazing

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Online various people seemed to insist that Clipper was the best restaurant in Porto Cervo and “quite a scene.” Not sure I trust “those people” too much anymore.
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The outside was cute enough.
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They specialize in fresh seafood like many restaurants all over the coast of the Mediterranean basin.
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Inside is cute but casual. They had a fairly bustling bar.
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The menu.
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Something fishy about these plates.
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2020 Capichera Isola dei Nuraghi IGT. We ordered it again. After I tried some other Vermentinos I went back to ordering Capichera!
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Crispy Sardinian bread.
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They had gluten free bread (and crackers) but it was all packaged. A far cry from Confusion, but still they had it.
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DOP Buffalo Mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and EVOO.
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Plate of Sardinian cheeses.
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Antipasto of fresh seafood, including various shrimp-like creatures, clams, oysters, etc.
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Sauces for the crudo.
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Simple Spaghetti pomodoro.
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Linguine all’astice with half a live local lobster. Very fresh tomato sauce. I was to have this basic dish a bunch of times in Sardinia and it was delicious every time. Really nice straightforward Italian pasta.
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Spaghetti with tomatoes, fior di latte.
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The other half of the lobster grilled with potatoes and beans.
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Random packed cookies and candies.
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A free degistivo.
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Confusion was a much better “deal” at 2x the price of Clipper. But Clipper was enjoyable enough. Just basic good local Sardinian food done for the higher end tourist audience. Not fancy exactly, but perhaps a bit International. Like most decent kitchens in Italy it was totally enjoyable, if not exactly exciting. Not totally sure why this place was considered by so many online as “the best” though.

For more Italian dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Porto Cervo – ConFusion
  2. Eating Senigallia – Taverna Porto
  3. Eating Santa Margherita – Antonios
  4. Eating Cinque Terre – Gianni Franzi
  5. Eating Senigallia – Niko Cucina
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Eating Porto Cervo, Eating Sardinia, eating-italy, Italian cuisine, Italy, pasta, Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Seafood, Wine

Eating Porto Cervo – ConFusion

Jan22

Restaurant: ConFusion

Location: Promenade du port Via Aga Khan 1, Via Porto Vecchio, 1, 07021 Porto Cervo SS, Italy. +39 340 120 9574

Date: June 30, 2022

Cuisine: Modernist Italian

Rating: Amazing, one of our best meals of the trip

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Having learned my lesson about relying on “non foodie” sources for restaurant reservations, particularly tourist centric ones like TripAdvisor, I went right back to Michelin for our first night in Sardinia with this modernist Italian 1 star in the heart of Porto Cervo.1A4A9594
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Porto Cervo is straight out of a James Bond film — literally The Spy Who Loved Me.
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Confusion overlooks the main square.
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It features gorgeous, if a touch overdone, al fresco dining.
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Nice details including the moist toilets that “inflate” when water is added.
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2020 Capichera Isola dei Nuraghi IGT. This was my first introduction to this stellar local Vementino. I ended up visiting the winery and sending home a couple of cases.
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Parmesan puff with a liquid center. Amazing.
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“Pasta” twist with salmon roe. Delicious briney quality.
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Crisp with eggplant mousse.
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Gluten free amuses. Olive, gluten-free version of the eggplant, and tuna.
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The menu.
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Trio of tomato things.
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Tomato gazpacho with avocado mousse. Absolutely amazing.
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Cured tomato.
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Crisp with cheese and tomato flavor.
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Bread sticks.
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Gluten free crisps.

And with this we finish the AMUSES!
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Simple pasta. My son thought this was one of the best he’s had. He ordered two.
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Sea bream tartare, bread and cucumber salad, and yellow tomato gazpacho. Awesome mix of flavors and textures.
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More bread.
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Special butter spread.
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Poached and crispy egg, caviar, truffle, sesame asparagus, Parmesan fondue.
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Risotto with raw red prawns, marinated in vinegar with veal nerves, and licorice powder.
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More excellent local wine.
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Another great bread.
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Seaweed wrapped in nori seaweed, green curry sauce, turmeric lentu bread.
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Sardinian cheeses, mostly pecorino.
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The plated spread.
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Parmesan.
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Bread for the cheese. Lots of bread tonight!
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Pre-dessert of white chocolate and vanilla. Lovely soft texture.
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Chocolate gelato with strawberries.
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Faux apple with apple mousse.
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Raspberry and chocolate.
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Deconstructed gin and tonic.
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Petite fours. Passionfruit and raspberry.
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More in the drawers.
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Gluten free petite fours.
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The check came in this cute box.
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Not actually bad for such an epic meal with 4 people. And there was even a E15/pp coperto (an Italian charge for sitting outside, fairly standard actually).

Overall, Confusion was quite amazing. The setting was fabulous, the service smooth as room temperature Normandy butter, and they did an incredible job of adjusting to dietary restrictions and needs. But primarily, the food was just simply wonderful. In retrospect, and a bit at the time, I’m bummed that we didn’t come back and have a second meal here. Highly recommended and probably more enjoyable than the 2 and 3 stars I ate at during this trip.

For more Italian dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Senigallia – Taverna Porto
  2. Eating Castellina – Albergaccio di Castellina
  3. Eating Positano – Mediterraneo
  4. Eating Senigallia – Niko Cucina
  5. Eating Rome – Roscioli
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Confusion, Italian Cusine, Italy, Modern Cuisine, Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Vermentino, Wine

Eating d’Agliano – La Tana dell’Istrice

Jul06

Restaurant: Sergio Mottura / La Tana dell’Istrice

Location: Piazza Unità d’Italy 12. 01020 Civitella d’Agliano (VT) Italy tel. + 39 0761 914 533

Date: June 11, 2015

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Fun birthday dinner

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On my birthday (most by coincidence) we drove up from Rome to Civitella d’Agliano, a cute little town in Northern Lazio (close to Umbria). Our hotel is owned and operated by a lovely couple. The husband, Sergio Mottura is a local winemaker as well.

Some 20 years ago when they went organic in the wineries the porcupine, having vacated during the pesticide years returned to the vineyards, so they chose him as their namesake (Istrice is porcupine in Italian).

The hotel and restaurant is situated in the lovely old square of the town.

Tonight, for my birthday, we had a sort of combined wine tasting and dinner.

2011 Sergio Mottura Civitella Rosato. Every warm evening deserves a nice rose.

Truffle cheese. Presumably some kind of pecorino.

“Pizza bianco” (aka focaccia).

Fried eggplant. A really delicious fry.

Onion rings. Also an amazing fry.

2007 Sergio Mottura Spumante Lazio IGT. One of the specialities of the winery is their Spumante. This is a 100% Chardonnay made in the Champagne style. It is very nice with good fruit and acid balance.

Tonight’s dinner menu.


2014 Sergio Mottura Orviéto Tragugnano. The classic Orvieto is a blend of various local whites. Regulations call for Trebbiano Toscano (Procanico) and Grechetto (min. 60%) grapes, and other white grape varieties, non aromatic, suitable for cultivation (max. 40%).

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2013 Sergio Mottura Grechetto Poggio della Costa Civitella d’Agliano IGT. They served us two cuvees of all Grechetto, one raised in steel and the other in oak.

Fettuccine al limone. A light flavorful pasta with a hint of lemon!

2011 Sergio Mottura Nenfro Civitella d’Agliano IGT. They also make some wines from new world grapes like this Merlot.

Sliced veal with tuna and anchovy sauce.

Frittata for the vegetarians.

2011 Sergio Mottura Syracide Civitella d’Agliano IGT. And Sryah.

Cheese and homemade quince jam.

2011 Sergio Mottura Muffo del Lazio Passito. One of my favorites was this all Grechetto passito, made in the ripasso (raison) style. Very nice sticky.

They also made me some Zuppa Inglese for dessert.

This was the classic in its Italian/English glory. This sweet connection has one of those interesting and characteristic Italian flavor profiles with the mix of alcohol and citrus for a very complex flavoring. After this, I kept sampling Zuppa Inglese gelato, which is pretty awesome.

Overall this was a lovely evening, as much like dining at a friend’s villa as out at a restaurant! The host and hostess are so warm and personable.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Santa Margherita – Hotel Miramare
  2. Eating Santa Margherita – Miramare Breakfast
  3. Eating Milano Marittima – Palace Hotel Breakfast
  4. Eating Santa Margherita – La Paranza
  5. Eating Colle di Val d’Elsa – Dietro Le Quinte
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Civitella d'Agliano, eating-italy, Italian cuisine, Italy, La Tana dell'Istrice, Porcupines, Sergio Mottura, Wine Hotel

Eating Rome – Roscioli

Jun15

Restaurant: Roscioli

Location:Via dei Giubbonari, 21/22, 00186 Roma

Date: June 6, 2015

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Really superb updated trattoria food

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Kicking off my Eating Italy 2015 is this update on the traditional Roman trattoria. I found it by extensive online searching for top Roman restaurants.

Roscioli is also a Salumeria.

Some of the wares up front.

A small section of tables crammed into the typical (and attractive) Roman interior.

The breads were pretty amazing. At least one was sweet.

These pizza-like flatbreads were delicious.






The long menu.

2006 Azienda Agricola Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Villa Bucci. VM 90. The summer’s Verdicchio Classico Riserva 2006 Villa Bucci flows with gorgeous layers of ripe apricots, peaches, flowers, smoke and minerals. This is a wonderfully rich, expansive Verdicchio That blossoms on the palate with notable complexity and nuance. At four years of age, it is still incredibly vibrant! The 2006 reserve can be enjoyed today, but it looks to have anche a very bright future ahead of it.

agavin: The server recommended this, and as I’ve never had an aged Verdicchio before I really wanted to try it. Very interesting and aromatic with a touch of oxidation and a nose almost like a white Burgundy. Really dry and complex.

This is also another local summer favorite, a blend of a Campari-like liquor and Prosecco.

Roman Arancini. Fried risotto.

Inside is rice, cheese, and a ragu. Really creamy and delicious.

BURRATA FROM ANDRIA WITH RAW PRAWNS TARTARE. king prawns tartare served with burrata cheese and finished
with favignana botargo curls.

Unusual but delightful combination of burrata with the raw prawn and the slight briny crunch of the botarga. Eaten in tiny mouthfuls to be savored, and an amazing pairing with the aged white wine.

PUGLIESE “BURRATA” WITH ANCHOVIES. anchovies from cantrabian sea (fished in 2014).

I haven’t generally paired burrata with fish, but it certainly worked here to showcase this even creamier version of the cheese.

FRIED ANCHOVIES. Fresch fried anchovies with pepper sauce and chilli.

A more elegant take on the classic little fried bait fish.

BUTTER AND PARMESAN. short pasta – rigatone – with echirè butter “demi-sel”, parmesan made from red cow’s milk, seasoned for 36 months and “bruna alpina” parmesan seasoned for 30th months.

My son’s favorite cheese is red cow parm, so he HAD to get this.

“LA MATRICIANA O AMATRICIANA”. bombolotto paffuto pasta tossed with san marzano dop tomatoe sauce, crispy cheek pig and romanian dop pecorino cheese.

Classic Roman. The pork was crunchy!

ANCHOVIES PASTA. home cooked fresh anchovies and egg, wild fennel, chopped tomato and toasted hazelnuts.

A slight update to Pasta con Sardo, the very unusual medieval pasta.

CHEESE AND PEPPER (CACIO E PEPE). tonnarello tossed with romanian pecorino cheese dop, “cacio” from moliterno, pecorino di fossa from sogliano del rubicone and malaisian black pepper.

Amazing pasta and nicely cheesy. Maybe not as much pepper as I might like but delicious.

“LA CARBONARA”. spaghettone pasta tossed with crispy pork cheek, malaisian black pepper, paolo parisi eggs and romanian pecorino cheese dop.

Another Roman classic. Really done to perfection. The airy porky crunch of the fried pork cheek was to die for.

chicory tossed with garlic, olive oil and chilly flakes.

Colon sweeper!

SALMON SELECTION. selection of salmons: scottish from cutherland, norwegian from vetvikja island and marinated with dill garnished with fresh lemon juice. A whole lotta lox!

ROMAN MEATBALLS. roman meatballs tossed in a rich tomato sauce garnished with smoked ricotta cheese curls and chestnuts polenta.

Really savory meatballs here. Lots of complex porky flavor and super light and fluffy. Great tomato sauce too.

Some little shortbread cookies with chocolate dipping sauce.

Overall, really really tasty food. Takes the classic fare, and for the most part neither deconstructs or reinvents it, but by using both amazing ingredients, slick execution, and lively plating, brings it up to date.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Poggibonsi – Osteria da Camillo
  2. Eating Siena – Trattoria Pepei
  3. Eating Poggibonsi – Babette
  4. Eating Tuscany – Boar at Home
  5. Eating Santa Margherita – La Paranza
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: eating-italy, Italian Cusine, Italy, Rome, Roscioli

Via Veneto

Oct08

Restaurant: Via Veneto

Location: 3009 Main St. Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 399-1843

Date: April 13, 2014

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Excellent contemporary Italian

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LA is overflowing with Italian restaurants, but there is tremendous range in quality (and price). From old fashioned “red sauce” places to modernist takes like Il Grano. Via Veneto is in that high middle ground were it serves Italian (not exactly Italian American) up with panache.


2011 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis. 89 points. White peach, white flowers and minerals. Fresh with a hint of effervescence. Straightforward but enjoyable.

They do get a strike for having not only a $30 corkage (which I can stomach) but a 1 bottle policy. This forced me to buy this decent bottle from the list — but I had to pay a $60 markup for it!


Bread and olives.

CAPRESE CON BUFALA LAZIALE. buffalo mozzarella from “Lazio”, heirloom tomatoes, basil, olive oil.


Caprese with Burrata. Because Burrata always makes everything better!

TARTARA DI MANZO AL COLTELLO. knife cut prime beef filet tartare prepared to order, Pantelleria caper, house special dressing.

MELANZANE ALLA PARMIGIANA. farmers market eggplant, parmigiana style. Not exactly a traditional shape, more like involtini.

INSALATINA DI ARAGOSTA E QUINOA CON MENTA E LIMONE. lobster and quinoa salad, min and citrus vinaigrette. They do love this cylindrical shape. This was a pleasant salad, but the quinoa dominated (i.e. it was hard to really taste the lobster).

RUCOLA SELVATICA, RADICCHIO TREVIGIANO E REGGIANO. wild arugula, treviso radicchio, parmigiano reggiano.


From my cellar: 1990 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Vigna Cicala. 94 points. Such a beautiful intense nose of tar, rose petals, leather…wow. Medium structured with great balance. Long and delish.

RAVIOLI DI VITELLO AI PORCINI. home made veal ravioli, porcini mushroom tomato sauce.

FETTUCCINE AL SUGO DI COSTINE DI MAIALE DELLA MONNA. home made fettuccine with slowly braised baby back pork ribs ragout, tomato sauce. Basically a porky Bolognese.


Pumpkin Ravioli. In butter and sage. Apparently very good, but no amareto cookie inside (that’s traditional).

RISOTTO AL ROSMARINO CON SPEZZATINO DI CINGLIALE. rosemary risotto with braised wild boar. It’s hard to pass up cingliale (boar), and this is a good reason why!

AGNELLO IN CROSTA. pan roasted rack of Sonoma lamb in a crust of fine herbs. Nice!


Mediterranean sea bass, simply grilled.


Some sides: beats and broccolini.


More sides: spinach and roasted potatoes.


The dessert menu.


Chocolate tart.


Profiteroles, stuffed with pastry cream.


Panna cotta with nutella. The hazelnut aspect was subtle, but this was delicious.


Crema di amaretto. A layered thing with lady fingers, this had that delicious complex secondary vibe going that I love from good Italian desserts. That’s why I occasionally make my own uber Tiramisu.

Overall, Via Veneto has a great kitchen. As this category of high end Italian Italians in LA goes, this is a very good one. All the food is extremely tasty. Service was good. It’s dark (not a problem) and a little loud. My biggest ding goes for a strict corkage policy of $30 and one bottle. That’s pretty steep, they could do without the bottle limit for those of us who want to work to empty our cellars.

Oh, and if you’re curious how this compares to the “real thing” I have about 50 write ups from Northern and Central Italy here!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats: Piccolo
  2. Piccolo – A little Italian
  3. Eating Monteriggioni – Il Pozzo
  4. Eating Tuscany – Boar at Home
  5. Food as Art: Capo
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Italian cuisine, Italy, lamb, pasta, Risotto, Veneto, Venice, Wine

Valentino – 2006 White Burgundy

Mar08

Restaurant: Valentino Santa Monica [1, 2, 3]

Location: 3115 Pico Blvd  Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 829-4313

Date: March 6, 2014

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Fabulous!

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Last year I went to an epic three night 2005 White Burgundy Dinner series (Part 1 can be found here), hosted by Burg-meister Don Cornwell. This year, he’s mixing it up a bit and we did a 2004 Red Burgundy dinner and tonight’s 2006 White Burgundy tasting.

2006 was a vintage that initially was a bit heavy and overly tropical, but let’s see how it turns out tonight.

This particular dinner is at Valentino, which has been a mainstay of the LA fine dining scene for decades. I first started coming here in about 1995 and it was a mind blowing change from the usual trattoria and red-sauce style Italians. Valentino is much closer to Michelin 2 star restaurant in Italy, although not as modernist as some of those are in recent years. If food in Italy turns you on, check out my Eating Italy segment.


Our private room. Notice the large table with a lot of space. This is important when you have 29 glasses a person!


Notice the awesome array of glasses in the background. Only about a third of them are visible. Few restaurants can handle this sort of thing, as they need over 400 stems of the same type and a dedicated Sommelier with sufficient experience and skill. Ours tonight was Julian Zaragoza, wine director, who has been at Valentino for around twenty years! He handled the whole wine service himself with extreme professionalism and personality.

Usually these dinners are done single blind, but tonight every glass was individually labeled with the wine name.


Tonight’s special menu.

Flight 0: Champagne


2000 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Coeur de Cuvée. Burghound 94. A moderately yeasty yet elegant nose that is fresh, complex and carries touches of both pain grillé and citrus blossom while leading to intense, pure and gorgeously deep flavors that possess first class breadth and genuinely excellent length. While still on the way up, after 30 to 45 minutes it began to display notably deeper and broader flavors that are at once powerful yet refined. A terrific effort that is absolutely worth your attention.

agavin: A lovely young champagne with a nice freshness to it.


Arancinette of Seafood. Basically a fried seafood risotto ball. Delicious!


Diamonds of Mushroom Polenta.


Oysters with Lemon Gelato. The bright and cool lemon flavors braced the briny oysters perfectly.

Flight 1: Batard Montrachet


The first flight includes two mystery wines.


From my cellar: 2006 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 92. A light touch of unabsorbed SO2 does not really diminish the considerable attractiveness of the wonderfully dense and layered aromas featuring mostly white flower and spiced pear notes that are also picked up by the big, rich and tautly muscled flavors that are naturally sweet and strikingly intense on the mouth coating and gorgeously persistent finish. This is a relatively understated Bâtard and while it’s certainly not retiring, it will likely require a few years of bottle age before fully blossoming.

agavin: Lovely, with a little petrol (minerality or SO2?) and a nice long acid finish.


2006 Henri Boillot Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 96. This too is relatively restrained with a pretty but reluctant white flower and spice box nose that slides gracefully into fresh, super intense and tautly muscled full-bodied flavors brimming with dry extract that confers a distinctly textured quality onto the powerful and chewy finish. This is a big Bâtard yet for all its size and weight, everything is harnessed and focused as the length just goes on and on with no sense of top heaviness. One of the more impressive examples of Bâtard that I have ever seen because it rarely ascends to territory normally reserved for the likes of Montrachet and Chevalier or the occasional Charlemagne.

agavin: One of my favorites. More advanced than the others but drinking fabulously. Honey and brulee and lots of acid.


Mystery Wine #1: 2006 J. Rochioli Chardonnay Rachael’s Vineyard. IWC 92+. Bright, greenish gold. Smoky, mineral-dominated aromas of Meyer lemon, tangerine zest, anise and talc. Juicy citrus flavors are impressively vibrant, with subtle power and slow-building herbal character. Sharply focused and fresh if a bit withdrawn on the palate right now. Finishes with excellent sappy cling and an echo of licorice. This one will need some time but the material is clearly outstanding.

agavin: I knew this was a new world. Lots of white flowers, honeysuckle, and a richer more malo style.


Mystery wine #2: 2006 Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard. IWC 93. Yellow-gold. Powerful aromas of orange peel, pear, truffle and floral honey, with slow-building minerality adding verve. Deep, spicy, impressively pure orchard fruit and citrus flavors pick up a bitter quinine quality on the back end. Brighter and more vivacious than the Hudson today, with excellent finishing clarity and mineral snap.

agavin: Not as much to my taste as the first myster. There might have been a bit of cork or taint.


2006 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 94. As beautifully as the Bienvenues showed, I was surprised that the Bâtard could actually one-up its stable mate in terms of aromatic complexity and elegance but it certainly does, at least at this early stage. The expressive nose offers up notes of white flower, citrus, pain grillé, spice hints and notes of green fruit that continue onto the bold, rich, intense and impressively detailed medium-full flavors that possess real drive, focus and finishing power. This is much more classic in terms of the traditional Ramonet style than what we saw in 2004 and 2005.

agavin: Another fabulous wine. Tight but with a long vanilla finish.


2006 Etienne Sauzet Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 95.  In contrast to the expressiveness of the Bienvenues, this is aromatically quite closed and tight with only glimpses of orchard fruit, citrus and floral notes discernable though the big-bodied and obviously well-muscled flavors are rich, pure and balanced if perhaps not quite as concentrated but somewhat curious, are even finer, which is not the usual result when these two wines are compared. The explosive finish is almost painfully intense and every bit as long as that of the Bienvenues. A qualitative choice though the character and personality of the two is notably different.

agavin: Honey with a nice finish, if slightly hot.


Swordfish Carpaccio with blue stone crab, pantelleria’s capers and Sicilian blood orange. A very nice seafood carpaccio with an elegant pairing of flavors.

Flight 2: Corton Charlemagne


The last wine on the far right was a mystery wine and served blind.


2006 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 94. The ’06 is more obviously riper than the ’07 with a complex, ripe and elegant mix of green apple, spice and minerality that complements perfectly the round, rich, detailed and stony flavors that possess ample mid-palate fat and superb depth of material, all wrapped in a gorgeously long and drenching finish. A study in harmony and grace that should also age well for years.

agavin: A bit of reduction, lean at first, then opening to a hot acid finish.


2006 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 96. A reserved, indeed even reluctant nose of fresh and stony green fruit and citrus aromas that offer real depth leads to precise, minerally and exceptionally powerful full-bodied flavors that possess huge amounts of dry extract on the hugely long finish. This is still sorting itself out but the quality of the raw materials is impeccable and it possesses impressive potential, which will require at least a decade to realize. One of the finest examples from this appellation in the 2006 vintage.

agavin: More mineral, also with a huge finish.


2006 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 94. A mildly exotic nose offers up notes of spiced apple, mango, wet stone and rose petal that precedes the impressively concentrated big-bodied flavors that possess very solid acid support on the ever-so-mildly toasty and hugely long finish. Compared to the most classically styled vintages this is not really my cup of white burgundy yet from a sheer quality standpoint this is irreproachable. Moreover there is so much dry extract present that this should have no trouble eventually integrating the residual wood. If I was going to choose a vintage among the more recent examples, this is the one that I would choose even though it will continue to age and improve.

agavin: A stunner, and one of my favorites. Lots of reduction (which I like) and a soft floating finish.


2006 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 93. A green fruit nose also has detectable sulfur but again, I’m confident that it will be absorbed given how recent the mise was. The big-bodied flavors are full, intense and minerally that I particularly admire the outstanding precision on the linear, punchy and seriously powerful finish. This is blessed with ample dry extract and I particularly like the balance here.

agavin: A group favorite. Just drinking fabulously.


2006 Domaine de Montille Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 92-95. Very discreet oak notes highlight the airy green apple and spiced peach aromas that are wonderfully refined and pure before preceding impressively rich, full and powerful flavors that also possess ample amounts of dry extract that confer an almost chewy texture onto the palate staining finish that seems to go on and on. This does a slow but inexorable build from the mid-palate on back to the explosive and almost painfully intense finale. Terrific potential here and there is so much minerality that it’s like rolling liquid rocks around in your mouth.

agavin: Chalky with a bit of tropical skittles. I really liked this a lot as well but others disagreed.


Mystery wine #3: 2006 Ceritas Chardonnay Porter-Bass Vineyard. IWC 92. Light, bright gold. Vibrant, floral-accented citrus and quince aromas are complemented by baking spices and flowers, with a gentle undertone of minerals. The minerality gains power with air and carries onto the palate, adding vibrancy to the gently chewy orchard fruit and anise flavors. The strikingly pure and persistent finish repeats the spiciness and leaves fresh pear and apple notes behind. More open-knit than the 2005 today: I’d opt for drinking this first.

agavin: Funny, with some kind of odd funk and a bit of flowers. Not to my taste.


Speck Wrapped Monkfish with Pappa al Pomodoro and Rock Shrimp Sauce. Good stuff, as this had oodles of favorites (for me). I love shrimp sauce, shrimp, speck AND monkfish.

Flight 3: Meursault


Not one but two Coche’s!


2006 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 92. This sports a mildly curious nose of soft reduction, exotic yellow orchard fruit, wood and a hint of a soap-like scent (no, not from the glass). There is outstanding richness and density to the opulent and overtly powerful flavors that possess an oily texture that strongly resembles that of the ’06 Genevrières. The amount of dry extract is most impressive and it imparts a textured, indeed almost chewy character to the explosively long finish. The acidity is quite marked so despite the outsized weight and concentration there is absolutely no trace of heaviness. This isn’t really my style but other than the slightly curious quality of the nose, this is an excellent wine all the same and one that is still very much on the way up.

agavin: Reduced and closed at first, opened up after a bit.


2006 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. IWC 93+. Very closed nose hints at wet stone. Rich and ripe in the mouth, with palate-saturating flavors of crushed stone and orange. As lush and sweet as this is, it avoids crossing over to exotic. Very deep and very young: should age very well for a 2006.

agavin: Many people thought this was weird or partially oxidized. I happened to like it a lot. Perhaps I’m biased as a Coche fan. Lots of acid on the finish.


2006 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. An even more elegant nose that is ultra high-toned and every bit as pure though here the aromatic profile is more floral and citrusy while introducing gorgeously precise and cuts-like-a-knife flavors that culminates in a long, austere, dry and serious finish. The dryness is exacerbated by a noticeable touch of gas and I would suggest decanting this for 20 minutes or so first but this should one day be a very special wine.

agavin: Reduced. Slight odd notes with a big finish.


2006 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. There is a hint of the exotic to the otherwise elegant acacia blossom, citrus peel and softly spiced pear aromas that complement perfectly the pure, detailed, intense and gorgeously delineated medium full flavors that seem almost delicate and then the finish explodes and continues seemingly without end. In the context of the ’06 vintage, this is attractively dry and while not quite fully mature, it’s not far off. While I would advise holding this for another 2 to 3 years there certainly would be no harm in opening a bottle now, especially if you own several and are curious.

agavin: Very nice. Tons of butterscotch. More oxidized, but drinking great.


2006 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. Burghound 92. This is at once ripe yet cool and reserved with a seductive mix of orchard fruit and brioche aromas that are strikingly elegant and refined before introducing equally elegant and pure middle weight flavors blessed with ample dry extract that confers a textured and full-bodied palate impression to the explosive and palate staining finish. As one would expect, this is finer than the Bouchères though perhaps not quite as deep. A choice.

agavin: petrol (reduction?). Rich, nice with a long finish.


2006 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. A high-toned, pure, cool and ultra refined nose of green apple, wet stone and white flower aromas complements to perfection the racy, detailed and chiseled middle weight flavors that seem to be fashioned directly from liquid stone, all wrapped in a punchy, balanced and hugely long finish. This is truly Zen-like in its understated harmony of expression and perfect balance.

agavin: This may have had a little cork. It tasted more malo.


Sardinian Malloreddus with sea urchin. A lovely uni pasta. Just simple al dente “grubs” and uni. There might  have also been some safron here.

Flight 4: Chablis


The lineup.


2006 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Burghound 93. A reticent if wonderfully broad, airy and pure nose of primarily subtly spiced dried peach and white flowers nuanced by oyster shell and that seashore character that classic Chablis has, introduces rich, powerful and palate staining flavors that possess superb vibrancy on the linear, focused and pure finish. Somewhat surprisingly, this is perhaps not quite as stylish as the Preuses but it’s every bit as powerful and long. And like the Preuses, this did indeed surprise to the upside.

agavin: Tropical with a long finish.


2006 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Burghound 95. An airy, expressive and ultra refined and pure nose trimmed in very subtle wood notes offer up aromas of white flower, quinine, saline, minerals and seashore nuances that give way to rich and robust, indeed huge flavors that are perhaps a bit less refined than those of the Valmur or Preuses but there is another dimension here of depth that more than compensates. A great wine with a long future that should develop slowly yet because of all the mid-palate fat, be enjoyable young.

agavin: A little heavier and more cloying, but very good.


2006 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Burghound 95. A white flower, exotically ripe yellow peach and pear suffused nose also reveals wafts of quinine and sea breeze that transition into powerful, full and exceptionally rich flavors that are almost chewy they’re so textured and the finish really soaks the palate with dry extract. This is a big and muscular example yet it’s also elegant and refined as it carries its size effortlessly. One of the wines of the ’06 vintage and as great as it is, I don’t find that extra dimension that I usually do relative to the Valmur. Still, you won’t find two better ’06 Chablis anywhere.

agavin: Flower and exotics, but a LONG finish.


2006 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. Burghound 93. A gentle touch of wood highlights airy yet slightly riper high-toned and admirably pure aromas of white flower, pear and quinine that gives way to supple, sweet, mouth coating and impressively concentrated flavors that exude a marvelous intensity on the long, powerful and driving finish supported by a solid acid spine. Definitely worth a look if you can find it but unlike most ’06s, be prepared to have at least some patience as this is unusually firm for the vintage.

agavin: A bit of Sulfur.


2006 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur. Burghound 95. This is aromatically fresher, finer and more elegant with a slightly austere and reserved nose of green fruit and oyster shell where the latter component also characterizes the delicious, serious and almost aggressively mineral flavors that culminate in a penetrating and explosive finish. A striking and austere wine with really beautiful acid/fruit/dry extract balance and huge length that doesn’t seem to end. One of the most serious ’06s of the vintage that is simply flat out great.

agavin: Muted at first, then opening up to a long finish.


The infamous (from last year) Lobster and Shrimp Risotto.Valentino has always made a great risotto and this was no exception, particularly being one of my favorite types of risotto. It was so good we had two portions!

Flight 6: Chevalier-Montrachet


The blitzkrieg of Chardonnay is drawing to a close.


2006 Henri Boillot Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 97. The most elegant wine in the entire range (which is really saying something in this case) with an ultra pure, even crystalline nose of white rose, anise, white peach, citrus and spiced pear plus subtle hints of stone that dissolve seamlessly into superbly well focused flavors that possess simply unbelievable precision on the harmonious, linear and palate staining finish that goes on and on seemingly without end. A wine of grand class and for me, the most refined wine of the entire tasting and one that is so intense that I had to ask Boillot to stop pouring for a few minutes to recover from the intensity. A genuinely great Chevalier that is more than worthy of the name.

agavin: Darker color, more oxidized with vanilla and a long finish. Quite nice right now.


From my cellar: 2006 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 96. Prost was, justifiably, extremely proud of this wine and observed that it may be the best “straight” Chevalier that he’s ever made. Not surprisingly, this is a good deal more elegant than the Bâtard with gorgeously pure floral and white fruit, stone and subtle spice aromas that seamlessly merge into the almost painfully intense and vibrant flavors that, like the Perrières, possess crystalline purity and huge length. This is a knockout Chevy and if you can find it, don’t miss it.

agavin: Vanilla and a buttery rich malo finish.


2006 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 93-95. A discreet touch of wood frames extremely primary aromas that are both reticent and backward though the gorgeously detailed, classy and refined medium plus weight flavors carry borderline painfully intense punch on the palate staining and hugely long finish. This seems to be extracted directly from liquid rock and this has that ‘wow’ factor in spades.

agavin: Butter and vanilla.


2006 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 94. This is notably more elegant, refined and complex with only a trace of exoticism to the mostly white flower and peach aromas that are followed by textured, pure, detailed and delineated flavors that are quite reserved and cool at present while culminating in a focused, crystalline, dry and driving finish. This does a slow build from the mid-palate before exploding onto the knockout finish. A Zen wine. Note that while I am giving a suggested initial drinking window of 2013, this will be capable of aging for years.

agavin: Darker and more oxidized. The most oxidized of the Burgs. Pretty hot after a while too.


2006 Domaine Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 93. As one might reasonably expect, this is more aromatically reserved than either the Bienvenues or the Bâtard with discreet nose of tropical fruit, citrus and floral hints that are followed by focused and mineral suffused flavors that possess excellent detail and fine if not truly extraordinary length. I quite like the balance and sense of harmony here though there is perhaps a touch less overall depth and breadth than I’m used to seeing. Still, this is lovely, classy and refined.

agavin: My favorite of the Chevies. Very hot and long.


Roasted Veal au jus with petite vegetables. Very petite 🙂 A nice bit of spiced veal.

Flight  7: Dessert


2001 Chateau de Fargues. Parker 94-96. Still in barrel, this Chateau d’Yquem look-alike exhibits powerful creme brulee characteristics along with some volatile acidity, huge, full-bodied, unctuously textured flavors, ample intensity as well as purity, and caramelized tropical fruits. This brawny heavyweight requires 5-6 years of bottle age, and should evolve for three decades.

Psych. We didn’t open this, instead moving up to…


1998 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Eiswein. IWC: Harvested November 22. Smells as though chili peppers and vanilla icing have been layered over the honey and red jam of the gold capsule Auslese. This exhibits such an enveloping vanilla cream character it easy to forget the acidity. Superbly concentrated if at present a tad less spectacularly expressive than the two Auslesen.

agavin: An awesome dessert wine.


Berry Macedonia with 70 year old Balsamico and fior di latte. A very interesting take on the berries and cream as the sauce (a fruit reduction) had quite a bit of the Balsamico in it, lending it a crisp acidity — which happened to pair excellently with the Donnhoff.

This was a LOT OF CHARDONNAY!

There is a lot to say about this tasting. First of all, Valentino did a great job as usual. The wine service was impeccable, and this is a difficult task (pouring lots of big blind flights). The food was good, better even than last week’s red tasting, and by the end I was plenty full (no need to run for ramen again). It maybe could have been a little faster.

I was expecting more of a mixed bag. Last year we had tons of oxidized or corked wines. And even the red tasting had a bunch of duds. But the 2006 whites were in fine shape. Nothing was seriously corked (1-2 had minor taint) and nothing was heavily oxidized (a few were either reduced or showed a little oxidation). Nearly everything was drinking great. This wasn’t just a LOT OF CHARDONNAY it was a LOT OF GREAT CHARDONNAY!

I think I’ll be picking up some more 2006s!

Other big tasting dinners from this group:

2004 Red Burgundy

2005 White Burgundy part 1

2005 White Burgundy part 2

2005 White Burgundy part 3

Related posts:

  1. Valentino – 2004 Red Burgundy
  2. Valentino – 2005 White Burg part 2!
  3. Burgundy at Bouchon – Jadot
  4. Burgundy at Bouchon – Faiveley
  5. JiRaffe Burgundy Blowout!
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2006 White Burgundy, Allen Meadows, Bâtard-Montrachet, Italian cuisine, Italy, Julian Zaragoza, Michelin, Santa Monica California, Valentino, White Burgundy

Il Grano Birthday

Jun13

Restaurant: Il Grano [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 11359 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. 310.477.7886

Date: June 11, 2012

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: One of the best Italian meals I’ve had outside Italy

_

This year, when my birthday rolled around, I spent some time searching for a dining destination worthy of a full Foodie Club outing and finally settled on Westside Italian Il Grano. I’d been a couple years ago, but a tasting menu post by fellow food blogger KevinEats.com had recently drawn my attention. Kevin covers the history of the restaurant and it’s chef/owner Sal Marino and Chef de Cuisine Water el Nagar better than I can.


I called up Sal and arranged for a custom menu for the night. He was incredibly nice and accommodating. I asked if I could bring wine and he suggested I send him a list of bottles and he would stage the food to match. I love putting my Sommelier skills to work, and given my recent certification in Italian wine I went for an all Italian slate.


We began the evening with the 1996 Dom Perignon. Parker 98 points! “The nose gives intense toasty, biscuity notes with an underlying fruit character of warm strawberries, golden delicious apple slices, oyster shells and chalk dust. Very crisp, fine, youthful and fresh in the mouth, the finish provides layers of minerals, citrus fruits and a pleasant creaminess in texture and flavour.”


Il Benvenuto. A trio of amuse. Sal may be a Neapolitan Italian American, but Il Grano is anything but old fashioned. It features a very Californian (and Italian) emphasis on first rate fresh ingredients, coastal Italian cooking, filtered through modernist techniques.


“Liquid Spinach Salad.” This is perfectly illustrated by this amuse. Spinach puree that has been spherized along with a dollop of goat cheese, olive oil, and a bit of fruit gel. The flavors of this deconstructed dish hit your mouth all at once.


“Maine fluke tartar, boysenberry, green almonds.” Three simple ingredients, but quite a flavor punch. The sweet berry paired perfectly with the subtle bit of sashimi.


“Pistachio soup, exotic fruits.” And my favorite of the trio. A bit of candied, or at least caramelized, fruits…


And then the addition of this wonderful “soup” of ground pistachio (and I suspect cream). There’s also a bit of chili oil at the bottom. Intensely pistachio — in a good way.


Bread.


Our second wine was the 2010 Castello Ducale Falanghina Sannio. This is a simple, classic, Italian coastal white from Campania. Crisp acidity, bright fruit, and a good bit of sapidity.


“Gamberone: Tomato gazpacho, santa Barbara prawn crudo, GGL cherries, sal’s 1st of season heirloom cherry tomatoes, yellow corn.”


To this already appealing pile of ingredients is added a bit of classic Andalusian tomato gazpacho. The soup itself tasted pretty much like the version we make at home, adapted from Jose Andres’ recipe. Some of us sucked the head dry.


Charred red snapper instead of the prawn for the non shellfish cadre at the table.


And with the gazpacho.


2010 Nugnes Falerno Del Massico Bianco Vite Aminea. Another white from Campania, this was quite different, with far less acid and a much more aromatic quality. Very, very interesting bouquet.


A trio of crudo.


“Wild big eye tuna & cucumber caviar.” This lovely bit of tuna is graced with cucumber in the modernist form. The caviar is a bunch of tiny balls of puree coated in calcium alginate. Pretty wonderful.


“Japanese snapper & blood orange caviar.” And so was this Tai, with a bit of fruit.


“Hokkaido scallop caprese.” But best of all was this scallop, drizzled in olive oil and with a bit of burrata and heirloom tomato. Incredible fusion of Japanese and Italian flavors.


The scallop is substituted with salmon in this variant.


2007 Montenidoli “Carato” Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The current release is, yes, five years old from the first Vernaccia to be aged in Barrique from a fine selection of free run grape musts, one can taste and feel the Leroy influence here. Deep minerality floated in creamy clouds. Grandiose, wild, and important. Here’s a pic of where this wine comes from. I discovered it last summer while Eating Italy.


“Zuppa di Porcini: Porcini soup, seared porcini, spuma al gorgonzola.”


The soup itself had a pronounced vanilla bean sweetness which made an extraordinary match with the mushroom and gorgonzola. The strongly aromatic Vernaccia only added to the mix.


“2008 Nugnes ‘Caleno’ Falerno del Massico Riserva.” The Caleno Riserva is a flagship rosso from Nugnes and, once again, it over delivers. This meaty, full-bodied red is produced from Aglianico and Piedirosso, two historic grape varietals that are thought to have originally been planted by the ancient Greeks.  The nose opens with dark fruits with layers of coffee, cigar box, and roast meats with hints of earth. The palate has sweet blackberries, plum, tobacco and a note of pepper. This is a wonderfully earthy Campanian red.


“Calmaro con caponata: Monterey Bay calamari, summer caponata, apricot-saffron emulsion.” The caponata had a bit of veal in it. The calamari itself was wonderfully tender.


“Vongole e piselli: boston steamer clams, English peas, green air.”


Tuna is substituted for the clam in this variant.


2004 San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo IGT. Parker 96! “The estate’s 2004 Percarlo (100% Sangiovese) explodes from the glass with a stunning array of aromatics that meld seamlessly onto the palate, where endless layers of fruit burst forth in a composition of exquisite balance and sensuality. Packed with sublime, expressive notes of black cherries, minerals, menthol and licorice, it is an utterly captivating wine in every way. The 2004 Percarlo is without question one of the vintage’s finest wines and shows the heights Sangiovese is capable of reaching. Though irresistible today, readers who want to experience this wine’s fullest potential may want to wait a few years.”


“Prosciutto di Quaglia: House made quail prosciutto, Murray Farms summer berries, taleggio.” Not your everyday Turkey Bacon! The combo of quail, fruit, and sharp cheese was a wonderful reinterpretation of classic carpaccio.


The no meat crew received asparagus.


With asparagus soup.


2004 Le Potazzine Gorelli Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. Parker 93. “The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, from vines in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, is gorgeous, layered and elegant in its violets, tar, licorice and cherries. The finish is long and impeccable, but this is a somewhat ethereal style, with aromas and flavors that are already a touch forward relative to most 2004 Riservas. Ideally the wine is best enjoyed within the next decade.”


“Spaghetti con funghi, piselli e fave: Fresh egg pasta with our pancetta, chanterelle, pom poms, english peas and fava beans.” This wonderful pasta is in the “ham and pea pasta” family. A classic Italian variant can be seen at this restaurant in Modena. Of course everything is better with bacon, but Sal and crew add a smokey mushroom note and tone down the heavy cream / parmesan vibe. Really first rate.


The vegetarians, sadly, miss out on the bacon.


2003 Conti Boca, a new favorite of mine. “Shimmers on the palate with layers of fruit, mineral, and herbs. Stylistically the 2004 is a much more expansive, generous wine than the 2005, with layers of fruit that radiate with notable energy through to the mineral-laced finish. This fresh, vibrant and impeccably pure wine is a jewel.”


“Risotto alle Spungnole e fegato grasso d’oca: Acquarello organic carnaroli risotto, morels, shaved foie gras.” The “forest floor” and mushroom notes of the wine sung perfectly with this incredible risotto. Certainly it was one of the best risotto’s I’ve had in recent memory, up there with Roberto Cortez’s stunning coffee/Syrah version. The bits on top. Not truffles, but foie gras!


1997 Barolo Bartolo Mascarello. A stunning showing from this mature barolo. Parker gives it 94 points and says “I underestimated this wine from barrel, but now that the great old man of the village of Barolo, Bartolo Mascarello, has gotten it in bottle, it is an impressive, old style, heavyweight effort that will age for three decades. A dark plum/garnet color is accompanied by a striking bouquet of cinnamon, balsam wood, roses, tar, minerals, and cherry liqueur. There is good acidity, a broad, full-bodied, super-concentrated palate, and tell-tale truffle, leather, and dried herb notes. Powerful and long, this well-delineated, gorgeously pure, structured Barolo is a classic from the old school of Piedmontese winemaking.”


“Pappardelle al cacao con sugo di coniglio: Homemade cocoa pasta with hand cut rabbit ragout, apricots.” Sweet and savory!


Purple potato gnocchi with squash blossoms and butter sauce.


“Salmone: Copper River salmon sous vide, baby purple artichokes, suchoke puree.” This had that awesomely smooth sous vide texture. Medium rare, but even, and incredibly soft. Sal couldn’t stomach the idea of us pairing the salmon with my next wine (the Amarone) and threw in a round of pinot noir to match!


2008 Latium Campo Leon Amarone. I thought a rich Amarone would pair nicely with the cheese, they are after all a bit port-like, the grapes being pressed after drawing on straw mats in the sun (into raisons).


Apricot sorbetto for pre-dessert!


“Il Formaggio: Rinconada Dairy sheep’s milk cheeses, black truffle soft pecorino, asiago stagionato, Carol’s dry fruit cake.” A very nice little cheese plate. I liked the peppery “jelly” in the middle.


2006 Terre di Pantelleria Khareb Muscat Passito di Pantelleria. This famous passito is from an island off the coast of Sicily and is like apricot nectar.


Fresh summer fruit: Apricots, berries, strawberry. I have to say these were some of the best fresh fruit I’ve had in a long while!


“Panna cotta alle cilege: Cherry pannacotta, cherry crumble, cherry spherification.” Wow. This wasn’t a super showy dessert in the usual sense, but instead a really nice showcase of the in season cherry. Really delightful.

I was really blown away by this meal at Il Grano. It was everything I like: showcasing bright ingredient driven flavors, with numerous standout dishes, impeccable and surprising combinations, and just plain tasty. Combined with the epic twelve bottle tasting flight (you’ve never seen so many glasses on a table), it was a fantastic meal and birthday. Really, on par with the top 2-star Italian restaurants I enjoyed last year in Italy like Osteria Francescana, La Frasca, or Arnolfo. Il Grano is less formal, but the food was just as innovative, and perhaps more reliably delicious. Sal and staff were impeccable hosts too. They really pulled out all the stops, even recovering deftly from some minor goofs (involving which special needs diner got what). I find the kind of grace under pressure and flexibility they demonstrated to be hallmarks of really great restaurant experiences.

We’ll be back soon. I’m sure Il Grano knocks a normal dinner for two out of the park as well, but if you can, go tasting!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or experience my gluttonous month-long journey through Northern Italy.

Or more crazy Foodie Club meals.

Related posts:

  1. Ultimate Pizza – The Birthday
  2. Sicilian Style – Drago
  3. Sfixio – Strong out of the gate
  4. Capo Hits a Triple
  5. Eating Milano Marittima – Ristorante La Frasca
By: agavin
Comments (7)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Campania, Foodie Club, Gazpacho, Il Grano, italian, Italian American, Italian cuisine, Italy, Los Angeles, Prawn, Salvatore Marino, Santa Monica California, Walter el Nagar, Wine tasting descriptors

Obika Mozzarella Bar – Mall Good

Jun06

Restaurant: Obika Mozzarella Bar

Location: 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Upper Level, Los Angeles, CA 90067

Date: March 3, 2012

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: It’s in a mall, but it’s actually pretty darn good

_

The day I took my Italian Wine Specialization exam a bunch of us went to lunch. I passed the test, but I didn’t know it then so was both stressed and in serious pain from my recently broken wrist.


One of the instructors, Diego (he’s not pictured, above is Stefano), took us to Obika Mozzarella bar in the Century City mall. I usually loathe mall restaurants, and I detest the parking at CC for sure, but this place turned out to be a surprise.


The inside is clean and modern, fairly small.


People brought wine. Big surprise! I wasn’t in the know before hand so didn’t have a chance to divest myself of some of my oversupply. These were all Italian, of course, and generally fall into the camp of really good terrior focused inexpensive wines. A few of these whites were really interesting. “The San Vincenzo is a fat, generous white with plenty of ripe apricots and peaches. The soft, caressing style flows through to the long, pretty finish.” It blew away your boring Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio.


This one is from Basilcata, a province in the insole of Italy I didn’t even know about before taking my class, but have recently become very fond of.


We began the meal with traditional meats and cheeses. Above is salami, proscuiotto, and mortadella di Bologna.


And the cheese, left to right, Burrata from Apulia, Buffalo Mozzarella from Campania, and smoked Mozzarella.


My plate. Good stuff. I love me some proscuiotto wrapped mozzarella (which I often had in Napoli), but truth be told, Burrata is best.


This Alto-Aldige white is pretty much in the Austrian style, but perhaps with a bit more Italian flair.


Because straight up mozzarella isn’t enough, we had both kinds fried with some fried artichokes as well. The smoked in particular was very yummy.


And this salad, a salmon, mozzarella, avocado, arugala salad. You’d NEVER see this in Italy, but it was surprisingly delicious.


You wouldn’t really see this either, burrata with beets, pine nuts, spinach, and balsamic dressing. It was great too, and you do find variants of these combinations all over LA. It’s typical that we American’s reinvent with Italian ingredients but without regard to their traditional pairings and forms.


A vegetable pizza. The crust was good. I would have liked to taste the sausage pizza, but such was not to be.


Diego was very excited for this buttery Risotto Milanese. Just straight saffron, good rice, butter, and cheese. Very rice and tasty.


Primitivo is also a rarely seen wine here in the states. It’s a relative of Zinfandel (the red, not the white), and has an incredibly fruity/spicy lushness. Very typical of Apulia, on the heel of Italy.


And finally, this Barbera D’Alba. “The Barbera d’Alba Superiore offers up dark cherries, flowers and licorice. The Superiore has a little bit more mid-palate juiciness and presence than the straight Barbera, but remains very much a classically built wine. I especially like the plush finish for its sheer sexiness.”


Out front they show off the meats. Only a few compared to some places in Emilia-Romagna which are graced with about 20 pigs worth.


And tubs of mozzarella (smoked).


And “plain.”

We didn’t really try and entrees. This was a “light lunch” and the meat, cheese, and simple risotto were more tuned to show off the wines, but if you’re catching a movie in Century City you could do far far worse than catching a bite here.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats: Pizzeria Mozza
  2. Quick Eats: Divino
  3. Sfixio – Strong out of the gate
  4. In between Pizza, there is Burrata
  5. Ozumo – Japan invades the Mall
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Apulia, Buffalo mozzarella, Burrata, Italian cuisine, Italian Food, Italy, Los Angeles, Mozzarella, Obika, Obika Mozzarella Bar, Olive oil, Wine

Quick Eats – Il Pastaio

Dec16

Restaurant: Il Pastaio

Location: 400 N.Canon Drive. Bevery Hills, CA 90210. Phone: 310.205.5444

Date: December 2, 2011

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Excellent neighborhood Italian

_

Il Pastaio is one of the Drago brothers many many excellent Los Angeles Italians. This is probably the flagship of brother Giacomino Drago’s collection of seven restaurants. The pastas in particular (the name does mean the Pasta Maker) are incredible. This meal, however, was just a quick lunch.


A lobster salad with marinated peppers and cucumbers. I’m a huge lobster salad fan and this was no disappointment. Look at all that juicy lobster meat!


Gnocci in pink sauce. A classic, but very good.


A spinach parpadelle with a meat ragu. I love this kind of hearty meat ragu. yum yum.


To avoid carb coma.


And parked outside was this totally whacky but cool chopper. If you zoom in you can see that every part of it from engine block to the seat is custom tooled!

Anyway, while this is just a mini glimpse at Il Pastaio’s cusine, it’s a fantastic place. I’ll have to come back and document a much more extensive meal.

Older brother Drago restaurant is reviewed here and Giacomino’s via alloro.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For a 50+ meals in Italy, click here.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats: Osteria Latini
  2. Quick Eats: Piccolo
  3. Quick Eats: Osteria Latini 2
  4. Quick Eats: Divino
  5. Quick Eats: Caffe Delfini
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Beverly Hills, Drago, Giacomino Drago, Il Pastaio, italian, Italian cuisine, Italy, Lobster, Meat

Sfixio – Strong out of the gate

Nov20

Restaurant: Sfixio

Location: 9737 Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA.90210. 1 (310) 385-1800

Date: November 13, 2011

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Excellent new Italian

_

Sfixio is a brand new Italian in downtown Beverly Hills with a modern Tuscan slant. It’s owned and by a husband and wife pair: Chef Massimo Denaro in the kitchen and his wife managing the front.


The location has received a chic modern update too (it used to be Da Vinci for the last 30 years).


The brushed aluminum bar.


I brought this wine from the vineyard in Tuscany. Parker 93. “The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino is a beguiling wine laced with all sorts of black cherries, minerals, spices, licorice and menthol. All of the aromas and flavors are layered together through to the exquisite, refined finish. The 2006 shows a level of richness and density this bottling has lacked in some previous vintages. Today the tannins remain a touch austere, but another few years in bottle should do the trick. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2026.”


They had good bread, particularly the raison.


An extensive menu.


And a live jazz band (who were quite good)!


“Insalata di Spinaci (Fresh baby Spinach with Walnuts, soft Tuscan Pecorino cheese, pears olive oil and balsamic Vinaigrette Reduction).”


“Burrata con Pomodorini (Imported fresh Burrata caprese with organic heirlooms tomatoes).”


“Tartara di Branzino. Fresh wild Seabass from Greece Tartare dressed with a fresh grapefruit orange, lemon sauce, topped with tiny diced veggies.” Very nice, a bit like a cerviche.


“Pappardelle al Cinghiale (Homemade Pappardelle pasta with Braised wild boar in Chianti wine flavored with Juniper berries).” I had this dish all over Tuscany this year. This one was good, probably in the top 75% of those I had. Not as great as this one say, but very good.


“Crespelle alla Fiorentina (Homemade Crepes with Ricotta Cheese and Spinach topped with Tomato Sauce and Melted Reggiano Parmesan).”


“Branzino e Verdurine (Fresh Wild Seabass from Greece cooked on Flat Iron with sautee seasonal veggies).”


An osso buco special on mashed potatoes. Certainly an excellent meaty rendition of this dish. The meat was not only tender, but very flavorful.


The dessert menu.


“Tortino al cioccolato con Fragoline (Chocolate cake with strawberries).” Very very “dark” and chocolaty. A little too dark and dense for my taste, I prefer creamier and sweeter, but it was certainly well done.

Overall, Sfixio was very good. LA is full of Italian restaurants, and there wasn’t anything radical here, but this is certainly a chef operating at a high level, with a good palette, excellent ingredients, and really solid execution. So I recommend, and we’ll go again.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Comparison with real Tuscan joints here.

Related posts:

  1. Sicilian Style – Drago
  2. Eating Staggia – Pozzo dei Desideri
  3. Eating Montalcino – Le Potazzine
  4. Piccolo – A little Italian
  5. Fraiche Santa Monica
By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills California, Brunello di Montalcino, Burrata, Dessert, italian, Italian cuisine, Italian Food, Italy, Los Angeles, osso buco, Restaraunt, Restaurant Review, Santa Monica Boulevard, Tuscany, vegetarian, Wine

Osteria Latini 3

Sep03

Restaurant: Osteria Latini [1, 2, 3]

Location: 11712 San Vicente Blvd.Brentwood, CA 90049 310.826.9222

Date: August 20, 2010

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Excellent neighborhood Italian

_

We have a regular rotation of neighborhood Italians. There are so many of them, but only a few make the cut as genuinely good. Osteria Latini is one of them. You can see my previous reviews here and here.


Olive and chickpea/squash/bean pastes.


The 1997 Biondi-Santi Brunello. This is a solid Brunello I had bought years ago in Italy (probably in 2000). It probably scores somewhere in the low 90s, maybe 91 or 92 points.


A special, lobster bisque.


“BELLA SALAD. Arrugola, pears, dry cherries, goat cheese, shaved parmesan.”


A special, calimari steak stuffed with lump crabmeat and drizzled in ponzu sauce. This is unusual, and certainly has a bit of fusion about it — but it’s good.


Gnocchi genovese (in classic basil pesto).


“ACQUERELLO RISOTTO. Organic carnaroli, sea urchin, truffle scent, lemon zest (Please allow 20 Minutes).” A very nice subtle sea urchin risotto. This special hand shaved rice takes 20-30 minutes to cook.


“OSSOBUCO ALLA MILANESE. With saffron risotto.” Latini’s version of the classic dish. Certainly good with a very nice meaty bone. The risotto could have been perhaps a tad creamier.

Two “rounds” of freebee desserts. This mixture of prosecco, lemon sorbetto, and meringue is very refreshing.


Chocolate chip cookies and biscotti.

Osteria Latini is always reliable. They have a big menu of modern Italian favorites and pretty much everything is very good.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for a legion of great eating in Italy itself, here.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats: Osteria Latini
  2. Quick Eats: Osteria Latini 2
  3. Eating Modena – Osteria del Pozzo
  4. Locanda Portofino – In the Neighborhood
  5. Eating Poggibonsi – Osteria da Camillo
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Brentwood, Cooking, Dessert, Fish and Seafood, Italian cuisine, Italy, Los Angeles, Osteria Latini, pasta, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Risotto, Salad, Sea urchin, Squid, vegetarian, Wine

More Drago – Via Alloro

Aug14

Restaurant: Via Alloro

Location: 301 N. Canon Drive – Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Phone: 310.275.2900

Date: August 5, 2011

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Very nice

_

The Drago brothers have an ever expanding little empire going in Beverly Hills. This includes Il Pastaio, Enoteco Drago,  Piccolo Paradiso, and Il Buco. Plus several others on the westside, the valley, downtown etc. I’ve reviewed Celestino Drago’s flagship Drago and I’ve been to most, all are very good.


Via Alloro is new, managed by brothers Giacomino and Tanino, and only two blocks from Il Pastaio. We decided to grab a quick lunch there and check it out.


Lots of good choices on this menu. The PDF.


Excellent bread as at all Drago restaurants.


A slightly different take on fried zucchini flowers. Stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella. Then served over a light tomato sauce.


“Vitello Tonnao. Chillded veal in tuna sauce, with parmesan and capers.” This was damn good, with the very tasty zesty salty sauce really bringing out the flavor of the meat.


Lots of great pastas here — no surprise. “Homemade ravioli filled with sweet corn, served with truffle fondue.” Hard to beat that.


And “Saliccie al forno. baked sausage with mama Drago’s stew.” This is a very Southern Italian dish and I have to say it’s the best Italian sausage I’ve even had. Incredibly succulent, with fennel, and a very bright and zesty “gravy.”


Expresso to recover!

Off to a great start on the latest BH Drago Italian. I’ll have to come back for a more extensive dinner.

Click here to see Eating Italy posts.

Or for more LA Restaurants.

Related posts:

  1. Sicilian Style – Drago
  2. Locanda Portofino – In the Neighborhood
  3. Sotto – Sicily con Sardo
  4. Quick Eats: Piccolo
  5. Seconds at Sotto
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Beverly Hills California, Cooking, Drago, Giacomino Drago, Home, Italian cuisine, Italian sausage, Italy, Los Angeles, Pastaio, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Tanino Drago, Via Alloro

Eating the Skys – Continental

Aug03

Restaurant: Continental Airlines

Location: Somewhere above the Atlantic

Date: June 30, 2011

Cuisine: Inedible

Rating: Barftastic

ANY CHARACTER HERE

So after an epic four weeks of eating in Italy — where the worst meal was merely mediocre — we boarded the first of our planes for home, specifically the Milan to Newark flight on Continental. And so, our final meal of the trip:


A lovely 2011 Ginger Ale, Seagrams.


Bread with softener and additives, served with pastic wrap.


A fine salad of wilted iceberg lettuces.


Soaked in packaged milk and emmulsifiers, it becomes… slightly more edible — and sadly the best item on the menu.


Chicken Parmesan with scalloped potatoes, mushy peas, and nitrate sausage. This was actually a kid’s meal (served to my son). As it was considerably more edible than mine (below) I picked at it.


Dry frozen rock hard chicken “breast” with teeth breaking noodles, soggy asparagus and canned tomato sauce.

Seriously Continental (and sadly they aren’t alone, really all the American airlines are just as bad) you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. This stuff is completely pathetic and was actually literaly inedible. You would have had to pay me more than $100 to try a second bite of that rock hard chicken. It’s not just a matter of cost, it’s a matter of giving a shit about all aspects of the product you offer. I think airline executives ought to be required to eat coach airline meals 100% of the time while on the job! That’d shake things up fast.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Poggibonsi – Osteria da Camillo
  2. Eating Santa Marghertia – Da Michele
  3. Eating Modena – Osteria del Pozzo
  4. Eating Florence – Nove IX
  5. Eating Cinque Terre – Gianni Franzi
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Airline, bad food, Chicken, Continental Airlines, Dinner, eating-italy, Ginger Ale, Italy, Milan, Newark New Jersey, Parmigiana, pasta, Seagram

Eating Santa Margherita – Pizzeria Santa Lucia

Aug02

Restaurant: Pizzeria Santa Lucia

Location: Santa Margherita, Italy

Date: June 29, 2011

Cuisine: Ligurian / Pizza

Rating: Good pizza

ANY CHARACTER HERE

On our last night in Italy (/cry) we wanted an early and quick meal prior to getting up at 4am the next morning. So I asked the hotel staff where they went for pizza and they all voted Santa Lucia as their favorite.


It’s located in the heart of the eastern marina, inside a cluster of many restaurants.


The menu.


The have a pleasant little patio. It was also just across the street from the Carousel, so I took my 2 year-old son while we waited.


On my last night I was a bad boy and ordered pasta and pizza at the same time! Again the waitress looked at me funny. This is lasagna pesto. Very simple, fresh noodles with fresh pesto and cheese. Simple but good.


The last shredded carrot salad you’ll see for awhile.


Santa Lucia takes its pizza seriously enough to have dedicated knives. Italians almost never serve pizza precut.


Pizza funghi (with mushrooms).


Pizza Margherita, apro pos in this town.


Pizza Prosciutto.


And mine, Pizza di mare. The seafood pizza is always a bit of a gamble, but as we were sitting right on the marina I figured I’d give it a go and I wasn’t disapointed. The briny factor was there (as it should be) but light.

Santa Lucia was a nice little pizza place, not quite as good as Pretorio in Tuscany, but in the three or so best we had on the trip (the third being Pizzeria Notte E Di).

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Santa Margherita – Antonios
  2. Eating Santa Margherita – La Paranza
  3. Eating Santa Margherita – Miramare Breakfast
  4. Eating Santa Margherita – dei Pescatori
  5. Eating Santa Margherita – Hotel Miramare
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Carousel, Cooking, eating-italy, Italian cuisine, Italy, Liguria, Pesto, Pizza, Pizzeria Santa Lucia, Prosciutto, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Santa Margherita Ligure

Eating Santa Marghertia – Da Michele

Jul31

Restaurant: Da Michele

Location: Santa Margherita, Italy

Date: June 28, 2011

Cuisine: Ligurian

Rating: Solid

ANY CHARACTER HERE

Another evening pick in central Santa Margherita, just a block away from the previous night’s Antonios.


Right in the main drag.


The outside seating was right on the square/street in front of the restaurant. I wish they did this more in America.


The menu.


Vermentino is one of the better quality local whites.


Seafood anti-pasta. This wasn’t as good as the raw plate the pervious night. But it was certainly tasty enough. This is more traditional, being marinated shellfish for the most part.


Another example of ravioli di noce (in walnut cream sauce). Also good, but not as good as Antonios’s version.


Trofie Genovese. Local pasta twists with pesto, potato and beans.


Tagliatelle ai gamberi, curry e piselli. Noodles with shrimps, curry, and peas. Something a little different, but very good. In it’s own way a little like a dish from Singapore. Maybe it’s the British influence in Santa Margherita.


Sea-bass Genovese. With potatoes, olives, pine nuts. This is the more traditional form.


Scampi all’agro. Shrimp in sweet and sour sauce.


This was basically a butter Vinaigrette, and it was absolutely delicious with the crawfish-like creatures. Finger licking good in fact.


Chocolate mousse.


Tiramisu.

This was a very solid and enjoyable meal. The food was a tiny bit better than La Paranza, but not as elegant or refined as that of neighboring Antonios.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Santa Margherita – Antonios
  2. Eating Santa Margherita – La Paranza
  3. Eating Santa Margherita – Hotel Miramare
  4. Eating Santa Margherita – Miramare Breakfast
  5. Eating Cinque Terre – Gianni Franzi
By: agavin
Comments (5)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Cooking, Da Michele, Dessert, eating-italy, Italian cuisine, Italy, pasta, Pesto, Pine nut, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Santa Marghertia, Santa Marghertia ligure, Sauce, Singapore, Vermentino, Vinaigrette

Eating Santa Margherita – Antonios

Jul30

Restaurant: Antonios

Location: Santa Margherita, Italy

Date: June 27, 2011

Cuisine: Ligurian

Rating: Best we had in Liguria

ANY CHARACTER HERE

I did my best at internet research to pick this restaurant in the heart of “downtown” Santa Margherita. It was #2 on TripAdvisor. Now this is a review source that I take with a block of salt, but in reading the reviews I got the feeling I’d like the place — and I was right.


You can see a hint of the quaint little garden inside. Like the rest of Liguria it was a little steamy, even late at night (the weather was 88 degrees and 100% humidity, shades of my youth in Virginia).


The “pre-bread” which look like donut balls but tasted salty — and delicious. After all, they were fried.


The regular bread.

We started with a romantic glass of “special cocktail,” which was probably more or less a Kir Royale.


A special appetizer of raw seafood. Two types of prawn, tuna tartar, and some yellowtail like lighter fish. It was all delicious and exceedingly fresh.


Another nice local white.


This was a marvelous example of a very traditional ligurian pasta. Cheese inside, with “salsa con le noci” which is a pesto of walnuts, milk, butter, flour and pepper. Totally delicious.


An unusual “seafood lasagna.” This was a fairly typical lasagna with a kind of lobster/shrimp ragu. Also wonderful.


Branzino Genovese. Fresh local sea-bass baked with a thin scallop of potatoes.


This was a fairly simple meal, and only for two (so less photos) but the food was pretty impeccable, showing a light seafoody Italian with just a hint of modernity. All very much to my taste. Bravo.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Santa Margherita – La Paranza
  2. Eating Santa Margherita – Hotel Miramare
  3. Eating Santa Margherita – Miramare Breakfast
  4. Eating Poggibonsi – Babette
  5. Eating Montalcino – Le Potazzine
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Antonios, Cinque Terre, Cooking, eating-italy, fish, Italian cuisine, Italy, Liguria, Olive oil, pasta, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Santa Margherita Ligure, TripAdvisor, Virginia

Eating Cinque Terre – Gianni Franzi

Jul28

Restaurant: Gianni Franzi

Location: Vernazza, Italy

Date: June 27, 2011

Cuisine: Ligurian

Rating: Solid local lunch

ANY CHARACTER HERE

We took a little train ride down to Cinque Terre, a very pretty region of five small towns clustered by the sea.

The second of these is Vernazza, which is accessible only by train or boat. Picturesque as you can see. In typical Italian fashion transport doesn’t really run during lunch so we were forced to stop and eat. I just chose a likely looking place by feel.

The menu.


The patio looks back on the harbor in the above establishing shot.


A caraffe of local white was totally drinkable.


This place puts the pesto on top, which is unusual. This is spaghetti genovese (known here as pesto).


Trofei Genovese.


Seafood ravioli. These were stuffed with fish and in a tomato based fish sauce. Very tasty actually, but not for the landlubber as it had a bit of a briny flavor.


This is minestrone Genovese. The waitress scolded me for ordering it with a pasta dish as there are technically pasta bits in here — but who cares. In any case, this is a very pesto minestrone, and pretty typical of the dish. Good though, as I LOVE pesto and could eat like 10 pastas in one meal.

Overall, a totally satisfying quick little lunch.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Santa Margherita – La Paranza
  2. Eating Florence – Nove IX
  3. Eating Poggibonsi – Babette
  4. Eating Santa Margherita – Hotel Miramare
  5. Eating Poggibonsi – Osteria da Camillo
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Cinque Terre, eating-italy, Geographical Areas, Gianni Franzi, Italian cuisine, Italy, Liguria, pasta, Pasta Genovese, Pesto, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Travel and Tourism, Vernazza, Wine

Eating Santa Margherita – La Paranza

Jul27

Restaurant: La Paranza

Location: Santa Margherita, Italy

Date: June 26, 2011

Cuisine: Ligurian

Rating: Straightforward

ANY CHARACTER HERE

This restaurant was around the corner from the hotel, had a typical menu, and appeared very crowded at lunch. So we gave it a try for dinner.


Santa Margherita is really two towns joined at the hip. This is in the center of the western half of the town, which is far smaller than the eastern.


Normal enough inside.


A variety of breads. Some of these have cheese inside.


An amuse in the form of a sheet of fried cheese. Really, who can beat fried cheese?


The endless menu.


This was a very nice (and cheap) light local white. All local wines in Liguria fit the light, cheap, and white descriptors.


Salmone affumicato (smoked salmon). It’s always served with butter in Italy. Go figure.


Tagliata of tuna. I.e. seared tuna with some vegetables.


Antipasto di mare. Mixed seafood appetizer. Smoked salmon on toast. A bit of marinated white anchovies. Some other kind of marinated local fish and a mixed marinated salad of squid, octopus, and shrimps.


Spaghetti pomodoro.


Gnocchi Genovese. This is one of the 2-3 most typical pesto preparations. Pesto in Liguria (where it comes from) is fabulous, but a little different than in the states. It’s milder, but really emphasizes the basil and olive oil. These were nice fluffy gnocchi.


Troffie Genovese. This is THE most typical and traditional form of the dish. Little twists of fresh pasta in pesto with a few green beans and a little bit of sliced potato.


Fritto misto. Various lightly fried shrimps, squids, and mysterious shellfish.


The ubiquitous mixed salad.


Profiteroles. These were stuffed with custard.


Tiramisu.


A few “free” biscuits with the bill.


The bill. Here largely for the restaurant’s address etc.


Each lady got a rose as a parting gift. This kind of stuff is very Italian — if a little touristy.

La Paranza was a good place. Traditional, reasonable, and tasty. But it’s a little staid and straight up, so there are better restaurants in town as you will see in upcoming posts.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Santa Margherita – Hotel Miramare
  2. Eating Santa Margherita – Miramare Breakfast
  3. Eating Florence – Nove IX
  4. Eating Poggibonsi – Babette
  5. Eating Montalcino – Le Potazzine
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Cinque Terre, Dessert, eating-italy, Italian cuisine, Italy, La Paranza, Liguria, Olive oil, pasta, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Santa Margherita, Santa Margherita Ligure, smoked salmon
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