andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

  A pleasant stroll on a windy summer day on the port of Baia...and then I arrived.  My reservation was for 1 pm, and I believe that I was quite punctual, if I must say so myself.  As I was getting my bearings, I saw her from a distance.  Her - Roberta Di Meo - who greeted with a warm handshake and even warmer smile welcoming me to her restaurant- Riccio Restaurant. This was my first time to Riccio, so Di Meo kindly filled me in on the small ristorante's background story.  It was then that I learned that she opened the restaurant back in 2016 with her father, Salvatore.  Their intention was to share their passion for Campi Flegrei- not just in the cuisine, but in the local wines as well. So slowly over time- and the addition of Chef Agostino Alboretto the restaurant grew and is a favorite spot in the area. Di Meo handed me the wine list- which features local wines as well as national/international offerings.  I chose a Falanghina from Contrada Salandra - a wine which would pair

  What makes a dish memorable?  Well, one that you remember a long time after you have tasted it.  One that, just by looking at a photograph, brings back the aromas, the textures, and the flavors of a dish fantasticaaa.   That is the case for this particular appetizer that I had nearly 1 month ago at Josè Restaurant in Torre del Greco.  It was not my first time at this Michelin starred restaurant, but it was the first time for my son, David.  In fact, I often watched his reaction too the whole ' Iavarone experience'.   Like when  Chef Domenico Iavarone' s codfish appetizer arrived.   David and I paused a bit before digging in. One...two...three bites of baccalà .  Three bites of  cod, charred spring onion, candied lemon and olives . Three bites of goodness...that maybe ended too soon.  But then, what is an appetizer?   A n  appetizer   is a small serving of food — just a few bites — meant to be eaten before an entree, and often shared by several people. You can also call a

An appetizer can be defined not only as something to tie you over before the main dish arrives, but as Oxford Dictionary puts it as s omething that arouses or increases anticipation for what is to follow. That is just what Chef Ciro Sicignano 's dishes did.  Last Saturday's lunch at Lorelei Ristorante in Sorrento included his aperitif and four appetizers to arouse and increase anticipation for what was to follow.  Let's take a look. Maitre Sommelier Sascha Fausto began by serving me a glass of Franciacorta DOCG Brut Doppio Erre Di - Derbusco Cives Then the aperitifs - here which included a wide array of specialties such as a taco with bonito tartare, a panzerotti filled with smoked mozzerella cheese,  and  a mini fried pizza,   As well as a flatbread filled with the famous nero Casertano suckling pig. Then the appetizers- first up, Sicignano's millefogie with raw shrimp and broccoli. On top, a creamy sauce made with sea urchins.  

I walked out of the Milan train station a little disoriented - a fish out of water.  A little unsure of which direction I needed to go, and to be honest, a little. hungry.  I walked over to a nearby newstand and asked for directions to Excelsior Hotel Gallia .  Right over there , he said, as he pointed across the street. A few minutes later, Chef Antonio Lebano met me in the hotel's lobby.  After a quick tour of one of Milan's most exclusive hotels, we hopped in the elevator and headed towards the 7th floor - Terrazza Gallia .  My destination for a long leisurely light lunch and an opportunity to get to know how Antonio and his older brother Vincenzo have brought a bit of southern hospitality to Milano.   Chef Antonio Lebano  Let's start with a look at two appetizers that caught my eye and palatte. Lebano' carrot dish.  I never really like carrots as a child.  They were either served to me raw on a salad bar or maybe in a soup.  So what was it abo

La Venere di Botticelli I decided to treat myself to a night out.  Get dressed up and go out to an elegant restaurant in Naples.  You know, enjoy the city by night.  I chose George Restaurant  , who less than a week earlier received a prestigious Michelin Star.  Quite an accomplishment for a restaurant that has been open for less than 2 years.  This was my fourth visit to George, and I was familiar with several of Chef Domenico Candela 's signature dishes - but not none that were on his Spasso Sensoriale tasting menu rich with new specialties for the fall/winter season.   Spasso Sensoriale which could be translated as a sensory/ sensual stroll.  Dishes pleasing to the eye and palate like this appetizer that Candela entitled La Venere di Boticelli - after the painting The Birth of Venus painted during the Italian Rennaissance by artist  Sandro Botticelli.  The theme comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a very important oeuvre of the Latin literature. Venus is portrayed na

As the temperature drops just a tad and the sun sets around 7 pm ish you can tell that fall has officially fallen on Campania.  Another sure sign?    Fall menus ready for the harvest. Ready to express the colors and flavors of the new season.  I decided to head out to Casa a Tre Pizzi in Naples last week to see what Chef Gianluca Farina would be serving this autumn. Chef Gianluca Farina Casa a Tre Pizzi's fall menu is the fruit of the collaboration between Farina- Pizzi's Head chef and Francesco Sodano - who serves as Executive chef and consultant.  Here's a look at what they served to start me up ... Starting up with something to satisfy my thirst.  Mirko Notaro brought out - no, not a sparkling wine - but a cocktail.  His latest, and I would a have the opportunity to be one of the first to try it.   Wild Turkey 101 Rye Bourbon, Cointreau, cinnamon extract, and green apple centrifugal juice.  Notaro later told me that he named it the KP drin