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

  One Friday afternoon I stopped by  Casa A Tre Pizzi  for a chat with  Chef Giovanni Erculanese.  I had just visited an archaeological site in nearby Posillipo. I was quite excited about that particular visit because I learned so much about the history of that particular section of Naples and thus that particular history of the Campania region. The chef and I discussed how important it is to understand the history and culture of a region or area to help us also understand and appreciate the evolution or creation of a particular dish or recipe in a restaurant.   That is why I was so excited when I sat down a week later for dinner just a couple of metres from the pass to try some of the chef’s dishes for the new season.    Casa a Tre Pizzi is a restaurant located where Mergellina meets Posillipo.     The restaurant is run by the Notaro family – Andrea, Mirko and their father Salvatore- from Somma Vesuviana, a town near Naples.     Why is this important you may ask? Well, Somma Vesuviana

  Karen, have you spoken to Giuseppe lately?  Do you know he opened up a restaurant?  Really?   I asked my friend Luca.   Where? In the city... It has been a couple of years since I had seen Giuseppe.   A couple of crazy years, so, no- I was unaware that after last summer in Ischia, my friend, maître sommelier Giuseppe Di Ruocco had recently opened up a restaurant in Fuorigrotta in Naples.   Bothanica. Bothanica is a green oasis in the heart of the city, not far from downtown Naples.   Not far from the soccer stadium, right next to a very busy hospital.   But you soon forget all that as you turn down the dirt road that takes you into a place world’s away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Naples is like that.   It has hidden pockets of peace that let you take a little break form the city without leaving the city. It is in this little pocket where Di Ruocco and Mario Maselli opened up Bothanica e few months ago.   Bothanica – a concept where Di Ruocco could express hi

  Chef Luigi Costigliola and Restaurant Manager Luca Costagliola Ok, but why is the restaurant named Bugiarda? I asked with a smile and giggle.      That was one of my questions during my pre pre-dessert chit chat with Chef Luigi Costigliola and  Restaurant Manager Luca Costagliola in Hostaria Bugiarda ’s cool cozy dining room last Sunday afternoon.   You see, bugiarda in Italian means liar – and I had just spent the last couple of hours with these two cousins who  took me on an enogastronomical journey full of flavors, creativity, some surprises-but no lies. A journey which began soon after Luca showed me to my comfy corner booth and asked me what I’d like to drink.   You decide, please , was my response, but let’s try to keep it in Campania.   Montenuovo Rosé Campi Flegrei  Piedirosso, Cantine Babbo     Luca poured a glass, I sipped as Luigi sent out his welcome- pane e panelle – a fried chickpea sandwich on a homemade bun.