Month: November 2017

Lisbon

Alma – The best restaurant of the entire 2017 trip.  This a Michelin one star restaurant and the service, food and experience were all first rate. They did an interesting thing, for a small cover charge they bring you 4 small bites which were unusual and very artistic, it was well worth the small charge.  As an appetizer I had squid, chickpeas, tomato confit, baby chard, in squid broth to start.  Joanne had sardine, eggplant, roast peppers, bread crisps, smoked paprika mayonnaise as her starter.  The main courses were grilled Iberian pork presa, banana chutney, passionfruit and onion pickle, spiced molasses jus and confit suckling piglet, sweet potato purée, pak choi, orange jus.

Montemar – Large seafood restaurant near the covered market.  The meal was good but the restaurant was invaded by a bus load of 50 English tourists.

Cafe Lisboa – is one of seven other restaurant owned by the Chef at Alma.  We were there on an off night, only a few diners and the food seemed like it could have been very good, but there was nothing memorable about this meal.

Porto

Abadia –  Very traditional Portuguese restaurant.  We went there on our first night with Jorge. Pork and veal dishes seemed to dominate the menu.

Valentim Matosinhos – This was Jorge’s favorite seafood restaurant.  It is located steps away for the fish market in Porto.  We had a whole sea bass and it was delicious.

Douro Valley

Quinta da Pacheca – This is a wine estate that has rooms as well as a restaurant. The drive into the gate of this quinta at night gives you a wow effect. The property is elegant and so is the restaurant. We ate dinner with Jorge at the restaurant.  Dinner was a very affordable 3 course meal and each course was paired with a wine form the estate.

Quinto do Portal– This is also a wine estate and a restaurant.  We toured the winery with Jorge (the winery had a very interesting cork siding on the exterior).  Lunch was probably our best meal in the Douro valley.

Parma

Ristorante Cocchi – This was an Elizabeth Minchilli recommendation.  The restaurant is in a hotel about 10 minutes outside the centro.  This could of been a great dining experience but the restaurant was too hot.  As I recall the we shared a ravioli dish with 3 different types and I had the sliced bee for the second course , which was good, but I rushed to get some fresh air.

La Degusteria Parma – This is the restaurant of the venerable La Prosciuteria, which is one of the most well know places for proscuito in Parma.  The offer verticals of proscuito and parmigiano.  We had 2 lunches there and both were very good.

Trattoria Del Tribunale -This was another Elizabeth Minchilli recommendation.  Unfortunately were outside and there were people smoking near us which definitely impacted the taste of the food.  However, Joanne had the Nodino di vitello, which is a veal chop and she enjoyed it.  I had the guanciale and I have had better.

Angiol D’Or – This was our favorite restaurant in Parma.  It is located right outside the Baptistry.  We ate a lunch and dinner there.  The food and service were great.  We had melanzane parmigiana and maltagliati (typical Parma pasta where the dough is rolled and then cut into thin strips, producing noodles). We had a very nice dinner, we started with hamburger di gamberi and the gnocchetti.  The secondo was a thick lamb chop and filetto di maiale.

Modena

Franceschetta 58 –  sister restaurant of Osteria  Francescana.  We ate the smart lunch and it was delicious.  I had the Emilia Burger by Massimo Bottura which was a slider that came in a typical McDonald’s type box, but it was no McDonald’s burger. The second courses were pork belly with balsamic vinegar sauce, carrot and ginger purée and sautéed spinach, and roasted octopus, cauliflowers and octopus emulsion.  Yum!  We returned here in 2019 and I once again started with burger and then had fussili with clams.  Joanne had 2 types of zucchini with a cheese sauce for a starter and then a delicate breast of guinea fowl.  This is one of our favorite places.

Locanda del Feudo – I must thank our neighbor Carolyn for suggesting the restaurant.  We also stayed at the Inn before our flight to Portugal from the Bologna airport.  It was one of our best meals in Italy.  The service was so attentive and the chef prepares artistic food.  We had gnocchi di ricotta to share,  rolle di coniglio (rabbit cooked in the oven with peppers and onions), and a black pork cutlet Bologna style with pureed vegetables.

Bologna

Osteria Broccaindosso – We had 2 dinners here during our stay in Bologna in 2019 because it was that good. This is an authentic osteria in every sense. It was filled to the brim with local patrons having a great time. The menu is not that extensive, but all the pastas we tried were delicious. However, if you go, this is the place for Cotoletta. It was the best of all the Bologna restaurants.   The cutlet is topped with a slice of prosciutto  and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Broth and butter are then added to the pan and the dish is covered until the cheese melts.  It was delicious.  The cotoletta Milanese is thin, lightly breaded and they do not add the prosciutto or the cheese.  The other thing we were very impressed with at the restaurant was the lasagna with bechamel sauce. It was just right, not too heavy and very tasty.

Al Sangiovese – We ate here on the 2012 trip and were lucky to stumble upon it again in 2019. The restaurant is run by a husband and wife team that immediately make you feel welcomed. The service is very attentive and the food is even better. We shared the zucchini flan, and then had the pasta (gremagn0)with sausage in a white sauce and then the Cotoletta. It was delicious.

Osteria Bartolini – This is a seafood restaurant that the guide from our walking tour highly recommended.  We had 2 meals here on the 2019 trip.  A dinner and Sunday lunch.  At the lunch we shared delicious plate of spaghetti con vongole and then the branzino with vegetables.  At the dinner we shared a whole fish, which was delicately prepared lemon and herbs and started with mix of 2 types of fried calamari.

La Capriata – terrible sevice.

 

 

 

 

 

Nostrano – Hands down the best restaurant in Pesaro.  One star Michelin and it was evident from the service and the extras that it was worthy of the Michelin star.  Modern simple interior with plenty of space for the guests.  I had a delicious suckling pig and Joanne had the amberjack.

’59 Restaurant – Restaurant located in the Excelsior Hotel in Pesaro.  It was surprisingly good.  There were families with children in the restaurant that night, but that just added some entertainment.  The food was delicious and definitely worth a second visit.

Ristorantino Primasecca – In Fano.  Special seafood restaurant south of Fano and on the beach.  We had a whole branzino which was delicious, but way too much food because we split a pasta as a starter.  Delightful walk on the beach after lunch.  Very memorable.

Alta Marea Ristorante – Our first day in Pesaro in 2017.  Nice restaurant down the street for the Excelsior.  We ate outside and had a large mixed fried seafood platter  and a plate of the house ravioli, which really hit the spot after a day of traveling.

Andreina – In Loreto (near Recanati).  Another Michilin star restaurant and we were not disappointed.  The service was exceptional and the food was delicious.  I started with the capriolo, which is deer meat that was very tender and continued to cook via a heated plate.  Joanne had a starer called -The shrimp runs after the hare, which was a shrimp and rabbit dish artfully prepared. Main courses were Rombo (white fish) and Guinea Fowl.

La Cantina Di Ale – Hotel Palazzo Bello in Recanati – Wonderful pizza bianca and aperitif  before dinner at Andreina.

La Ginestra – In Recanati – small local restaurant and the only piatto memorable was the roasted peppers!

Osteria La Guercia – In Pesaro, local cuisine, but nothing memorable other then tight seating and a lackluster menu.

Il Bacio – in Gradara right outside the castle.  We had a tranquil lovely lunch in an outdoor courtyard.  The food was simple, but good.