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Archive for Senigallia

Eating Senigallia – Madonnina del Pescatore

Aug01

Restaurant: Madonnina del Pescatore

Location: Via Lungomare, 11, 60017 Marzocca di Senigallia AN, Italy. +39 071 698267

Date: June 21, 2015

Cuisine: Italian (2 Michelin stars)

Rating: Awesome high end

_

The second of Senigallia’s Michelin two star duo (not in any particular order) is:

We got to try these with only one night in between for close comparison.

Located a few miles south along the coast, Madonnina is on a slightly quieter stretch of beach than Uliassi — but also enjoys a lovely view.


The sea is visible beyond.

2013 Azienda Agricola Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore. Again we order this reliable and reasonable fresh local white.

An amuse of parmesan semi-freddo ice cream sandwich!


The menu. We went for the “close to tradition.”

Americano cocktail solido e viaggio intorno all’ alice. Another amuse, a prosecco foam with fruit gelee.

More amuses. I can’t remember exactly what. The right was a crisp with anchovy paste.

Bread.

roast beef : tonno bianco tataki, il sugo della fettina di mia madre salsa di sedano rapa e topinambur al forno. White albacore tuna.

insalata di polpo, gelatina di pane e aceto, la sua maionese. octopus salad, bread, jelly and vinegar, mayonnaise. Very very tender octopus.

ravioli al “plin” di pesce, salsa porro e curry, spinaci e sogliola. ravioli “pliny” fish , leek and curry sauce , spinach and sole. Little pastries of pliny fish.

2012 Fattoria La Monacesca Verdicchio di Matelica Riserva “Mirum”. 90 points. Quite a fruitier expression of this wine. Good ripe fruit, light touch of sweet and waxy core, nice mineral side and firm acidity. This as always is a nice, expressive and complex wine and always a joy to come across it.

carpaccio tiepido di spigola, purè al lime, salmoriglio e salsa di rucola. warm carpaccio of sea bass , mashed lime , seasoned salt and rocket sauce.

spigola di amo arrostita, salsa di fagiolini ed insalatina alla senape. Bass,roasted potatoes , sauce and green beans salad with mustard.

lasagna ai frutti di mare in bianco con salsa di cocco e prezzemolo. lasagna with seafood in white with coconut sauce and parsley. This was sort of a giant ravioli/lasagna. It was soft and delicate and rich and rather delicious with hints of thai type flavors.

guazzetto “al forno” di pesci, molluschi e crostacei. A version of the classic seafood stew.

A version with no shellfish.

tiramisù con gelato al caffè, mascarpone liquido gelatine al borghetti e pane del giorno prima. tiramisu with coffee ice cream, mascarpone liquid borghetti jellies and bread from the day before. A bit like a tiramisu gelato.

vulcani attivi. Volcanic activity. This interesting presentation of chocolates had a number of chocolates named after particular volcanos and placed on the map where they belong. The flavors were themed after the regions, for example with the “Vesuvius” having tomato and mozzarella in with the chocolate!

A granite of grappa with a final chocolate.

Alex had his own tasting of Penne Pomodoro.

Parmasean.

And vanilla gelato over chocolate cookie.

 

Overall, we had a fabulous meal at Madonnina. I’d pretty much place it and Uliassi at the same level, and they draw off the same base regional cuisine. They do differ in style. Madonnina is fancy, but somewhat more direct in its translation of the dishes, a bit less experimental. This resulted in a 100% “good dish” rate, which almost no highly experimental place achieves. These were really nice dishes that fundamentally tasted great (and very Italian).

Service was also fabulous. Attentive and reasonably speedy (as 2 star places go) with no late meal stall. It’s very common for elegant places to really slow down the pace around the last entree through dessert and check — just when you are getting tired!

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Senigallia – Uliassi
  2. Eating Senigallia – Niko Cucina
  3. Eating Senigallia – Taverna Porto
  4. Eating Rome – Metamorfosi
  5. Eating Gaiole – Lo Sfizio di Bianchi
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: eating-italy, Italian cuisine, Madonnina del Pescatore, Michelin Guide, Senigallia, Wine

Eating Senigallia – Taverna Porto

Jul31

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.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Senigallia – Niko Cucina
  2. Eating Senigallia – Uliassi
  3. Eating Santa Margherita – Hotel Miramare
  4. Eating d’Agliano – La Quercia
  5. Eating Assisi – Locanda del Podesta
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: eating-italy, Italian cuisine, Senigallia, Taverna Porto

Eating Senigallia – Uliassi

Jul28

Restaurant: Uliassi

Location: Banchina Di Levante 6, 60019 Senigallia AN, Italy. +39 071 65463

Date: June 19, 2015

Cuisine: Italian (2 star Michelin)

Rating: Awesome and inventive

_

One of the reasons I was drawn to visit the town of Senigallia was its pair of 2 star Michelin restaurants. It seemed to me that any small resort town with TWO of them had to be a nice place.

I was right too. We visited both, but Uliassi was first and it’s tucked away in the corner of  Senigallia’s main seaside drag right near the river, just a block or two from the center of the old city.

We began with a bit of bubbly.

Bread sticks. The darker one was anchovy flavored!

Rice puffed nori. Delicious crispy seafood puffs.

_

The menu. We opted more or less for the Classic (with supplements and substitutes).

Amuse. On the left was one of those wafer cookies… filled with foie gras and some kind of nut butter — delicious. The center was beef tartar crusted in something. The right was a bit of fish with truffles.

A shot of Kir Royal.

Tempura vegetables. Super light and delicious fry.

Artisan bread.

2013 Azienda Agricola Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore. 89 points. The young Bucci Superiore is very light and fruity. An excellent seafood wine.

Cuttlefish tagliatelle with nori seaweed pesto and fried quinoa. A “pasta” made of cuttlefish. As squirmy as the idea is, it was rather delicious.

Raw amberjack “a la puttanesca.” A lovely seafood carpaccio.

Crispy red mullet, parsley soup and rhubarb. The bread-like thing was the mullet. I don’t even like red mullet, despite it having been the most prized local fish by the Ancient Romans — but this was fabulous. It tasted like a super grilled cheese or something.

Salad of cheese and almonds.

Rimini fest skewer. Squid covered in bread crumbs and ham bits. The balls were sphereized frozen cheese!

Potato puree and truffles. A simple version for the vegetarians.

Albanella jar, shellfish and aromatic herbs. A semi-deconstructed seafood pot. Not so unlike an Italian version of the Lobster Pots we used to cook up on the East Coast as a kid. The sauce was nice but light, emphasizing the fresh seafood.

Seasonal vegetables and pesto.

Roasted cuttlefish, wild herbs and sea urchins water ice. Not for the average American pallet, with that briny squid ink taste and the frozen bits of sea urchin!

Cappelletti butter and sage. A simple but lovely pasta.

Potatoes puree, roasted teal, roots and black truffle. The more elaborate version of the puree, with teal meat and lots and lots of black truffle. Really delicious.

Smoked spaghetti, clams and grilled cherry tomatoes. Almost a classic vongolle pasta, but with a lovely smokey flavor.

Monkfish, pork cheek and wild fennel soup. We were getting pretty full here, but this monkfish and “bacon” (pork cheek) was rather delicious — if rich. You can see from the menu why they probably don’t sell a lot of red wine!

Strawberry, cream, mascarpone and cardamon merengue. This was amazing! The berry flavor was so strong, and the frozen berries were cold on the tongue. The merengue provided a nice crunchy counterpoint.

Molasses cookie, chocolate ice cream, coffee, caramel, and licorice.

passionfruit soup, yogurt ice cream, pink pepper, and candied banana.

The hazelnut in different consistence: cream, brittle, crumble, cookie, powder, ice cream, and sponge. Pretty awesome.

Alex’s special 4 course tasting:


Rigatoni pomodoro.

Crispy potatoes, two ways. Homemade potato chips above, beneath them are french fries.

Artisan parmesan.

Mascarpone and chocolate. Fresh sweet cheese (it’s basically cream set with lemon juice) and cocoa powder.
Overall, Uliassi served up a great meal. They were extremely accommodating to our various needs (small child and Kosher style eaters), particularly given that I had forgotten to warn them. The attitude was great too. The meal ran a little long, particularly as they got busy, but still, you could see how many (technical) courses there were.

Our evening was oddly rainy and blustery, so we sat inside. But the restaurant is in a lovely seaside location with a casual elegant shore vibe. On a nice night (and the other 4 we spent in the town were lovely) it would be fabulous to dine outside.

The food itself was DELICIOUS and very inventive. Extremely Italian, local to Le Marche, but also very modern. Perhaps there was one too many cuttlefish dishes, but many of the dishes were fabulous and most really spot on.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Senigallia – Niko Cucina
  2. Eating Assisi – Locanda del Podesta
  3. Eating Rome – La Pergola
  4. Eating Colle di Val d’Elsa – Dietro Le Quinte
  5. Eating Santa Margherita – Hotel Miramare
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: eating-italy, Italian cuisine, Michelin Guide, Senigallia, Uliassi, Wine

Eating Senigallia – Niko Cucina

Jul27

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.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Rome – Roscioli
  2. Eating d’Agliano – La Quercia
  3. Eating Castellina – Albergaccio di Castellina
  4. Eating Santa Margherita – Antonios
  5. Eating Colle di Val d’Elsa – Arnolfo
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: by Niko, eating-italy, Italian cuisine, Niko Cucina, Senigallia
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