If All Meat Was This Pretty . . .

I’d still probably be a vegetarian, but it’d be a lot harder. Just look at that lovely meat (both sliced and spread). I expect meat-eating pals will be drooling now:

PS: This plate was delivered (if I remember correctly) to pal Shane Farmer at a restaurant in Arezzo called Le Tastevin.

*See all Italian restaurants

*Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.

Somedays I Really Miss the World’s Best Trucker Restaurant

And the world’s best trucker restaurant is, of course, Mastro Dante, right off the E35 in the Upper Tiber Valley in Italy. Big plates of pasta, mighty mouthfuls of meat (if you partake), a bottle of wine per person, and the most fantastic antipasti bar:

all for a mere 12 Euro. Dang, I wish I could roll up there for lunch today.

*See all Italian restaurants

*Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.

Marianne’s Antique Pasta Roller

In Col di Rosa (our landlords Marianne and Andrew’s wonderful house outside of the town of San Leo Bastia), there is not only a lovely separate apartment that you can rent (if you visit Italian rental site Amici Villas, that is) but also the possibility that you might get invited upstairs for a meal cooked by Marianne. I’ve detailed one we had here, but didn’t talk enough about how amazing the kitchen/dining room is, packed with intriguing pieces like this antique pasta maker:

I probably didn’t talk enough about how wonderful a cook Marianne is, either, but really, you should go over to Italy and discover that for yourself.

*Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.

Amuse-Bouche, Italian Style

Looking at the chilly day in Assisi pic below reminded me that to get out of the cold (and because it was lunching time) we wandered into a restaurant called al Frantoio (which we tried to go to twice more on other Assisi visits, but it was closed each time, darn it it all). The full al Frantoio experience is detailed here, but I forgot when writing it up the first time about the lovely plate of sun-dried tomatoes and olives they brought to us right when we sat down (along with a little bread-cracker basket):

Nat even enjoyed eating the olives, which isn’t a food she usually munches. But wow, I thought the sun-dried tomatoes were the tops—tangy, sweet, and olive-oil-y. Yummy.

*See all Italian restaurants

*Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.

Maccarones de Punzu at Calaluna

This was a delicious Sardinian gnocchetti (or small round pasta) topped with tomato sauce and spices. Yummy (though sadly, we never stopped by this welcoming Umbertide restaurant, Calaluna, again—maybe seven months wasn’t long enough?):

*See all Italian restaurants

*Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.

Pizza at Bar Fizz

I know I’ve mentioned Bar Fizz (aka, Restaurant Guliano) a number of times here, but it is our local eatery, and one we love, and one that’s owned by a swell Italian fella, and because of all this I feel I should mention it as much as possible—not to mention that we eat there about once a week. Enough, really, that I feel I’m a Fizz-icist (ba-dump-bump). Also, I haven’t (what’s wrong with me?) had any pizza pics here on the Six Month blog lately, so call is Fizz-met (ba-dump-bump again). Our Fizz evening started with a pitcher of the vino Bianca al Spina, or the white wine off the tap. It’s a lovely light crisp frizzante wine that even looks good in low light:

cause we’re hungry (and cause we hadn’t had it in a while) we started with a shared spaghetti al pesto, which (as usual) was great, with the pasta cooked just right and the sauce fresh and not overwhelming:

Then (and this is some sort of a modern Italian miracle), we had pizzas, and neither of us had our favorite (which Nat created): Quattro formaggi con cipolla. Instead, I had the Siciliana, senza acchuighe (or without anchovies). Pal Tasha had this first way back when, and she dug it, and I dig it too: peppers, onions, and salty delicious capers:

Nat went for another regular in our Fizz pizza, the Vegatariana (sense olive—neither of us totally dig the olives in their non-oil form), which has artichokes, mushrooms, onions, and peppers and a heaping helping of awesomeness:

You probably know us well enough by now to guess that we didn’t skip dessert. And if you’ve read this blog for a bit, you can guess what we had (cause I wrote a whole post about it): big tartufo with brandy. Go read about it, cause I was too full to take any more pics. Another smashing night at the Fizz (dang, I’ll miss having it so close).

*See more Italian restaurants: Capponi, Nestor's,Nonna Gelsa, Le Capannine di Sommavilla, Calagrana, Trattoria Il Saraceno, L Enoteca Wine Club, Mastro Dante, Bar Fizz, Da Cesari, al Frantoio, La Balestra, Lo Strattoio, Mencuccio, La Fortezza. La Tufa, Kentia Pizzeria, Il Feudo del Vicari, Buca di Bacco, Camino Vecchio, Quattro Leoni, Ottavius

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Lunch at Ristorante Ottavius

When we headed out to Bevagna (as detailed below) one of our main drivers was a particular restaurant, Da Nina, which served (as landlord and pal Marianne told us) a wonderful gnocchi, perhaps the best in the whole of Umbria. Well, I couldn’t stay away from that, so we did indeed head to Bevagna, loved it muchly (and medievally, again as detailed below), but discovered soon that Dan Nina was no more (or had changed names--and if that was the case, we had no luck tracking down the new name). You may think, at this point in this short story, that we starved. However, we didn’t--cause we’re resourceful. Once we realized the Nina was nowhere, we followed the signs to Ristorant Ottavius (who boasted outside on a board about their gnocchi). While I’ll never know if it was as good as Da Nina, it sure tasted dandy to me. I started with an omelet topped with freshly grated black truffles (and I know I’m really out of truffle season, but these tasted fantastic):

Wait, wait, that was a lie—I really started (as did Nat, who shared my omelet, too) with some sips of Grechetto dei Colli Martani, a local DOCG white wine that is understandable renowned, because it was delicious, crisp, light, and lovely:

After the startings, we both headed to main course, the dish Ottavious likes to brag about, the gnocchi al Sagrantino:

Sagrantino (if you didn’t already know, and if you did, well, bully for you) is a famous wine that’s only available from this area (Bevagna and Montefalco—which is another lovely little town—and the areas around them), as the grapes don’t grow anywhere else (at least that’s the fable). It’s a rich, complex-but-friendly wine (also available in a dessert style), and made an absolutely fantastic sauce for the gnocchi. Really, it lived up to and backed up all the bragging they do about it.

To round out the meal, I ended (and again shared, cause good food should always be shared if possible) with an ensalata mista that was pre-dressed. This is almost unheard of (usually the bottles of vinegar and oil are brought up with the greens), shocking even. You know Italians don’t like a lot of “road-less-traveled” when it comes to the basics, so I have to imagine some are aghast! when they get their salad here, but I was overjoyed, because the dressing was delicious:

If I’m going to have to miss a meal at a restaurant whose praises have been sung to me, then I’m glad I missed it by going to another restaurant whose praises I’m happy to sing (if that sentence made sense, then I’m happy about that, too), much like happened in Bevagna.

*See more Italian restaurants: Capponi, Nestor's,Nonna Gelsa, Le Capannine di Sommavilla, Calagrana, Trattoria Il Saraceno, L Enoteca Wine Club, Mastro Dante, Bar Fizz, Da Cesari, al Frantoio, La Balestra, Lo Strattoio, Mencuccio, La Fortezza. La Tufa, Kentia Pizzeria, Il Feudo del Vicari, Buca di Bacco, Camino Vecchio, Quattro Leoni

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Lunch at Cucina la Marianne

This is one moment where I hand my head in shame--with all the food and restaurant and eating posts, I have yet to post about perhaps our favorite eating spot: Cucina la Marianne. Or, eating at our wonderful landlords and pals Marianne and Andrew’s house. We’ve had a whole host of happy lunches there, sometimes eating on the deck (if warm enough) and sometimes in the wonderful kitchen surrounded by Marianne’s lovely dishes:

We’ve had the best (I think) creamy-gorgonzola-y sauce and pasta there, yummy veggie lasagna and creamy lush cheesy cannelloni, as well as incredible (even more so cause change is needed at times) Indian food. A week or so ago, though, we stopped by for bruncheon fare, with our charming hosts and new pals Terry and Michele. We started with some snacks and soon followed an orange and fennel salad:

Oh, even before that, our starter, which we’ve had a couple times, and which is one of our all-time favorite Italy dishes, mushrooms in cream and garlic. The mushroom are whole and just bursting with flavor, while the cream just riches up the dish and the garlic provides accents (the picture is not doing the combo any sort of justice):

Next on the amazing menu was a roasted veggie tart: red and yellow peppers, artichoke, and olive oil with a bit of salt and pepper. Simple, tasteful, and allowing the vegetable flavors to shine, this dish would have been worthy with solely veggies, but the crust, the crust brought it to another level as it managed to be both firm and flakey:

That tart, the mushrooms, and the sprightly salad would have been enough (you might think), but Marianne also served up a scrumptious quiche with asparagus and tomatoes and another great crust (and really, what a lineup of veggies between this and the tart--it’s like a whole farm on the table), with (and this was such a pleasant surprise for us Kansans) baked potatoes on the side:

Hold on! I almost forgot (and I never forget this usually), there was also a bright, fresh, green and red (lettuce and radicchio) salad. I always like having a good bunch of greens on the side (keeps the insides healthy):

The piece de resistance (as they say) was still to come, however, a coffee cream pie that was full of coffee flavor (but not so much it overwhelmed) with yet another great crust, and served up with fresh strawberries:

Another delicious lunch served up by Marianne, accompanied by good conversation (and, naturally, good wine).  We’re lucky Americans-in-Italy indeed. You know, now that I think about it, if you have your own dreamy Italian trip with a stop at one of the Amici Villas (all of which are in the most beautiful place on earth), you might also be lucky enough to eat at Cucina la Marianne (just be nice and see if the invite comes). I think you should start planning.

Italian Breakfast, Bar Pina Style

I think I’ve mentioned Bar Pina, outside of Umbertide, before on the blog—and know that Natalie has mentioned it on Bella Cinghiale. It’s perhaps our favorite spot to sit outside in the sunshine and have a beer, or vino off the spina, and where we meet wonderful landlords and pals Andrew and Marianne before lunch or when running an errand, and where many folks meet before heading one way or another. But whenever I may or may not have mentioned it, I know I didn’t mention that when we’re going off exploring, or taking visitors down into Umbria, we often spot at Pina for coffee (Natalie) and mirtillo succo (for me) and pastries before hitting the highway. I love me some mirtillo succo (or blueberry juice) and a croissant stuffed with crèma:

An amazing start to the day. This particular day, we were stopping by for Italian breakfast with pals Angela and Bobby, before heading into the Umbertide mercato, and they enjoyed the Pina, too (it doesn’t hurt that the day was absolutely beautiful):

Dinner at Quattro Leoni

As mentioned in the big Florence post below, we had dinner while with pals Angela and Bobby at Quattro Leoni, a nice little spot on the Oltrarno side of Florence. Funny enough, we had dinner here before with pals Jeremy and Megan, way back when in an earlier trip to Florence, and they went to school with Angela, which is how we know Angela. Isn’t that amazing? Our dinner was also amazing, as we started with a Vedure Grigliata e Burrata (or, grilled veggies and that creamy oozy in the middle, firm on the outside, ball of wonderfulness known as Burrata):

and a Sformatino di Carciofi con Fonduta di Formaggio (think smooth, rich, artichoke-y goodness):

Then both Natalie and I had a Fiocchetti di Pera in Salsa di Taleggio e Asparagi (pears, asparagus, cheese sauce, pasta). Nat had this the first time we ate here, and it was amazing, flavorful, hint of sweet, and so good we ordered it again (this picture doesn't do it justice, much like the above don't do their subjects justice):

Now, cause I was just sipping wine and talking and sipping more wine, I didn’t right down the fancy names of Bobby and Angela’s dishes, but remember enough (and have better photos of their dishes anyway) to talk a touch about them. Angela had a pasta dishes full of fennel sausage that she couldn’t stop raving about:

I think she said it was her favorite dish in the six months she’s been living in Italy (she has been known to gush though). Bobby started with a spicy tomato sauced pasta that he was nice enough to share with us (so I know it was good) and nice enough to top with a heaping helping of freshly grated parmesan:

Since he has a healthy appetite (like all decent Midwesterners), he followed up the apps and pasta with a baccala (or salt cod), fried and topped with tomato sauce (I didn’t taste this dish of course, be he seemed awfully fond of it):

A dandy enough dinner that we may just stop at Quattro Leoni a third time, the next time we’re in Florence.

*See more Italian restaurants: Capponi, Nestor's,Nonna Gelsa, Le Capannine di Sommavilla, Calagrana, Trattoria Il Saraceno, L Enoteca Wine Club, Mastro Dante, Bar Fizz, Da Cesari, al Frantoio, La Balestra, Lo Strattoio, Mencuccio, La Fortezza. La Tufa, Kentia Pizzeria, Il Feudo del Vicari, Buca di Bacco, Camino Vecchio

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Tartufo Bianca Affogato al Brandy—My Kind of Dolce

Admittedly, I’ll eat up the dolce (or dessert, or pudding, depending on your original locale). However, I don’t set my cap on sweets, and if I have to choose between the sugar or the savory, I’ll choose the savory. But, but (there’s always a but, right? And in my “I’ll eat savory and sweet often” case, it tends to be a big ol' but), I don’t usually turn down the dolce, and if it’s a dolce in the style of the Tartufo Bianca Affogato al Brandy I had at the fantastic Bar Fizz the other night, then sign me up:

The Tartufo Bianca was a big baseball-sized mound of vanilla ice-cream, stuffed with a chocolate-y ice cream dreaming of coffee, and that’s all good and well, but it was floating in like an inch of brandy. Good brandy. That’s the kind of dolce I can really get behind—one floating in liquid loveliness.

*See all Bar Fizz related posts

PS: “Wait,” you say (I can hear you—at least in my head. But I’m not crazy, just attuned cuisinistically), “but, but, what did you have for dinner?” Well, I don’t want to rub any noses, but it was lasagna night at Fizz, and once again those crazy kids were kind enough to make us tartufo lasagna (the “tartufo” here being truffles), which I detailed here.

Cielo Chiara Special: "Chicken" and Artichoke Po’ Boy

Don’t get up in my Italian grill --but no recipe with this Cielo Chiara special. I figured (and hopefully don’t figure wrong) that you could make this meal yourself, but wanted to show the pretty picture as a way to thank my friendly mom, who recently sent us a care package of non-Italian food. Not that I’ll ever get completely sick of the pasta, pizza, risotto, and more that we have served to us (and made by us) here in such scrumptious fashion, but a little balance isn’t a bad thing. Which is why the care package was so appreciated, as it had things like black beans, miso soup, and veggie sloppy joe mix. The black beans spiced up with rice made the ideal accompaniment to our Po’ Boys, which were topped with tartar sauce (I made mine with pickles, onion, mayo, parsley, pepper, salt, and lemon), lettuce, faux chicken, and artichokes (made in the Calagrana style depicted here). If I’m going to shy away from the local cuisine for a meal, this is the way I wanna do it:

*See more specials: Penne e Noce, Zuppa di Pomodoro e’ Fagioli,Torta Vegetariana, Lasagna Vegetariana con Tartufo Crema, Homemade Tagliatelle e Gorgonzola, Orzo Vegetale con Crema, Four Italian Drinks, Capellini Aglio e’ Olio con Porro, Ginger Ice Liqueur, Artichoke Piadina

*See all Cielo Chiaro Specials

Lunch at Camino Vecchio

We were in Assisi again (not the pejorative “again” though, which would make it sound like going to Assisi is a chore, which it definitely is not, as it’s not only chunk-a-luck with art and artistic churches but a lovely little hill town in its own right, if a bit overly touristed and pilgrimaged here and there and then, all of which is to say it’s never a chore to visit) and thinking of lunch. It was Nat and I and pals Jon and Nicole and Christy (and yeah, I’ve blogged about them some, and am still blogging about them, though they’ve been gone for over a week, but blogging about them almost makes it seem like are still here, just outside the door about to walk in, which would be sweet), and our first thought was Il Frantoio, but once more they were out on vacation (which is nutty—that’s like months of vacation. More power to ‘em, but we probably won’t try them in the future, cause its down numerous stairs, and what if they’re on a permanent vacation). After walking up and down the streets of Assisi, we wandered into the very friendly and well-named Al Camino Vecchio (the name’s so close to “Camaro” that it called to the 70s-KS-boy in me). Now, it was a bustling, family run spot, packed with a host of folks from different nations, and we were a party of five talking it up as if we were getting paid by the spoken word (which is how it is with old friends that don’t see each other enough), and what is leading up to? Poorly taken photos. Which is a salivating shame, cause the food was delish. We started with a round of wine (notice the two carafes in the above photo—one red, one white) and a round of salads, then I moved on to an intriguing gnocchi variant (I believe it was called “gnocchite” or some such—again, too much talking and laughing to have time for writing things down). It was actually a gnocchi ravioli:

it had gnocchi dough around a spinach ricotta filling, topped with a zippy tomato sauce, with an end result that was different and scrumptious. The gnocchi dough is so different, more pillowy and pliant than pasta dough. I dug it indeed. Nat went for the straight gnocci, topped with cheese and truffle and cream and it was also quite good, gooey and flavorful (so much so it threw off my aim I suppose):

The other dish that was a super standout was Nicole’s pisi (I believe—it was a pasta I hadn’t seen the name of before) with ceci, or pasta with chickpeas in a light tomato sauce. The pasta was done just right, and played well with the also al dente chickpeas (their bright flavor against the more tangy tomato sauce would have made St. Francis himself dance around and do the happy robot). Of course, again, my aim was off in the photos:

Even though it’s a hike up a high-arching street, Al Camino Vecchio is work the workout—and remember, the walking means you can have another course. 

*See more Italian restaurants: Capponi, Nestor's,Nonna Gelsa, Le Capannine di Sommavilla, Calagrana, Trattoria Il Saraceno, L Enoteca Wine Club, Mastro Dante, Bar Fizz, Da Cesari, al Frantoio, La Balestra, Lo Strattoio, Mencuccio, La Fortezza. La Tufa, Kentia Pizzeria, Il Feudo del Vicari, Buca di Bacco

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Lunch at La Buca di Bacco

After our big Orvieto exploration (detailed below, if you missed it, in five—or so—pictures) we’d picked up quite a hunger. After walking the Orvieto streets for a bit (making that hunger even more keen), checking out a few places and walking away from their menu turisticas, we stopped in at La Buca di Bacco. And it was a fortuitous stop, because our lunch was the perfect complement to a morning of site-seeing. I started with delicious warm porcini salad, topped with freshly shaved cheese and radicchio:

The foresty warm porcini provided a happy balance with the tang of the cheese and crunch of the bitter red radicchio. Nat (and Nicole, who was also in Orvieto with us, along with Jon) started with a creamy, smooth, asparagus soup, topping with a swirl of the local olive oil. The oil’s brisk personality played well with the delicately smooth soup:

Jon had a lovely ensalate mista (more than the basic lettuce and onion, it had a host of veggies), but I forgot to snap a snapshot, but I did get a pic of his ricotta ravioli topped with a hint of cream and walnuts (which I also had). The pasta was homemade and finely dente’d, and the persuasive ricotta went well with it and the crunchy walnuts:

Nat and Nicole both went for radicchio risotto with gorgonzola. The double shot of strong personalities (bitter leaf and pungent cheese) might scare off some, but the ladies weren’t scared at all, and you know what (well, of course you don’t, but let me be rhetoric risottoly)? The two tastes came together like Sunday mornings and sleeping it late—they seemed made for each other:

After a quick walk through the restaurant’s Etruscan basement seating room (ideal if you ever need a party space in Orvieto by the way), and a moment or two to finish up the clear, crisp, friendly, reknowned-for-a-reason Orvieto white wine we accompanied the meal with, we walked back into town full and happy.

*See more Italian restaurants: Capponi, Nestor's,Nonna Gelsa, Le Capannine di Sommavilla, Calagrana, Trattoria Il Saraceno, L Enoteca Wine Club, Mastro Dante, Bar Fizz, Da Cesari, al Frantoio, La Balestra, Lo Strattoio, Mencuccio, La Fortezza. La Tufa, Kentia Pizzeria, Il Feudo del Vicari

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5D5M #5, Dinner at La Tufa

For our last tantalizing stop in Five Days, Five Meals, we pull up to a place we’ve driven by many times, as it’s on the way to Terontola, where our visitors come in on the train, a place called La Tufa. It’s in a town called Ossaia (which has a little history thanks to Lago Trasimeno battle star, Hannibal), and has one of those signs that for some reason catches the eye: cute font, welcoming swing, intriguing name. Every time we drove past, either Nat or I would say “we’ll have to stop there sometime.” But it’s over the hill, just far enough to be out of “wonder where we’ll eat tonight as it’s 7 pm and we haven’t decided yet” style planning. The other night though, we a not-last-minute plan, and ended up at La Tufa. And, we were glad we made the trip, cause it was as inviting inside as the sign would lead you to believe. Nat also got to realize a long-standing dream or having a pizza with French fries on it:

What a combo: French fries, pesto, mozz cheese. Dreamy (both in that it tasted dreamy, and was it all just a dream?). The pizza crust was good, as well as the topping. I would have been overly jealous, but A: we were sharing (a lot of pre-tirement involves sharing, by the way), and B: I ordered a hot (baby, it was cold outside) Ribollita, or bread and vegetable soup that was really tasty, almost like a bread and veggie casserole with a crispy top and hot center:

I also had a pasta course (cause really, I have a hard time ordering just one course when there are so many choices) and it ended up being quite different from the norm (the central Italian norm, that is). It was a pasta with a tomato pesto sauce, and the sauce, unlike most pasta dishes here (pasta dishes that aren’t a baked pasta, that is), was served in abundance. It was almost more American in style, with the sauce taking as much or a front seat as the pasta. Luckily, the sauce had very good flavor. The pasta itself was also different, almost spatzle-y, with shorter, thicker pieces of irregularly-sized pasta (which provided a chewy, captivating balance for the sauce):

Looks like we’re going to have to have our guests schedule more arrivals and departures near dinnertime. A fitting end to our workweek (at least in number of days) of meals, better known now in international circles as: Five Days, Five Meals. Hopefully your shirt isn’t too covered with drool.

*See more Italian restaurants: Capponi, Nestor's,Nonna Gelsa, Le Capannine di Sommavilla, Calagrana, Trattoria Il Saraceno, L Enoteca Wine Club, Mastro Dante, Bar Fizz, Da Cesari, al Frantoio, La Balestra, Lo Strattoio, Mencuccio, La Fortezza

*See all Italian restaurants

5D5M #4, Our Regular Savior: Kentia Pizzeria

I feel somewhat bad about putting Kentia pizzeria into the Five Days, Five Meals schedule. Not because it isn’t a worthy meal-getting-place, but because we go there so often I don’t want to be shorting it by putting it in the midst of other eats. Maybe I’ll just need to do another Kentia post (my pics aren’t the finest). We first tried Kentia, which is in Umbertide, somewhat reluctantly, way back when pals Keith and Tasha were visiting and we all needed a quick bite. See, Kentia is (mainly) a takeout place, with just a few barstools. And when there are so many good sit-down pizza spots, why would we try a takeout place unless we were desperate for a snack on the run? That first trip was a revelation under a green awning (Kentia has a big green awning viewable for blocks). A different style of pizza (sometimes called "pizza al taglio"), Kentia brings out big square sheets of pizza, and then you point out how much you want, and then it’s sold by weight. The pizzas tend to be crisp, without a sloppy mess of toppings, but with quality, fresh ingredients. That would be enough to have us stopping in here and there, but what brings us back even more then “here and there,” is the combination of the pizza and the welcoming, friendly atmosphere and staff. It’s just a friendly place, with pictures of pizza and family on the wall:

Even the spices are smiling:

Especially when the pizza comes  out hot from the oven—so hot that it quickly steams up the glass-topped counter:

This trip, we both had “slices” (by this I mean: big squares of pizza) of mushroom with a white sauce. We took them to go (as we usually do—there’s something incredibly fun to me of taking them in the car) after telling the always-charming counterman (and owner from what I gather) we wanted them cut, which means he folds them up to make a pizza sandwich:

Genius. Another dandy aspect of Kentia? Two slices (about four inches by seven or thereabouts) and a Fanta orange soda for 4 euros. Unbelievable. I wish I could somehow convince him to open a Kentia in Seattle, cause there’s nothing like it--and I’m sure gonna miss it.

*See more Italian restaurants: Capponi, Nestor's,Nonna Gelsa, Le Capannine di Sommavilla, Calagrana, Trattoria Il Saraceno, L Enoteca Wine Club, Mastro Dante, Bar Fizz, Da Cesari, al Frantoio, La Balestra, Lo Strattoio, Mencuccio, La Fortezza

*See all Italian restaurants

5D5M #3, Lunch at Il Feudo del Vicari

We woke up the other day with not a plan on the schedule and not a cloud in the sky, but with an itch to get out of the house. But, we’d woken up a bit late, so without enough time to do any serious exploring of a new town. Enough time, however, to do some lunchtime exploring of somewhere that didn’t demand a drastic drive, so we headed to Anghiari. Anghiari is a hilltown just into Tuscany, about 15 minutes at most from Citta di Castello, and across the highway from Sansepulcro, where we’d stopped a few times on past trips but hadn’t been yet (except to take folks to the shoe outlet on Anghiari’s outskirts) during the pre-tirement. Perched literally on a hillside, Anghiari is (I believe) a lovely spot--so much so we wondered why we hadn’t been spending more time there and are determined to go back again before leaving. But this time, we were on a lunch mission, and a Five Days, Five Meals mission, and focused in on finding the right spot. And the right spot was: Il Feudo del Vicari. We were taken upstairs into a cozy little room (except that the chairs were of the looks-good-but-kills-your-back straight-backed medieval style), where we ordered wine and a host of intriguing dishes. But first, check out my mysterious wine-drinking lunch companion:

We started with a dish that instantly rose into the precious “top ten dishes I’ve had this month list”—a cheese dip topped with truffles:

I mean, really, isn’t that amazing? Melted cheese (I believe it was a parmesan variant) with shaved truffles and light extra virgin olive oil on top? Fan-freakin-tastic. For my main, I had a lush ricotta-stuffed ravioli topped with butter and sage:

For her main, the mysterious lady above went to the pasta forest (in a way) with a tagliatelle porcini (and between us, it was better than my ravioli—even though the ravioli was tasty. But the porcinis were mushroom-y, teeth-y, and full of flavor):

As much as I love good pasta, my side dish may have been the finest post-cheese-dip part of the lunch though. A simple patate arrosta (or roasted potatoes), they were crisp, buttery, parsley-y, and perfect:

I saved the bottom one to be my last bite of our Anghiari lunching adventure.

*See more Italian restaurants: Capponi, Nestor's,Nonna Gelsa, Le Capannine di Sommavilla, Calagrana, Trattoria Il Saraceno, L Enoteca Wine Club, Mastro Dante, Bar Fizz, Da Cesari, al Frantoio, La Balestra, Lo Strattoio, Mencuccio, La Fortezza

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