Well we’ve had a real battery re-charge here in Italy, the weather’s been lovely the last few days and we’ve worked our socks off on the house and in the garden. We’ve only a couple of days left before heading back to the UK and almost on queue the weather’s turned all British on us. Instead of a glorious sunrise bursting through the window we had rain beating against the pane this morning. We’d only 6 more olive trees to prune as well but we reckon we deserved a day off from the paesano stuff.
So we took ourselves up the coast to Sirolo a beautiful hillside village on the Conero peninsula overlooking the Adriatic to our favourite seafood restaurant, Enoteca La Taverna. Most of the guests who’ve stayed with us have eaten there with us and I think everyone’s enjoyed it as much as ourselves. Normally we eat outside on the terrace but today we were inside of course. To greet us as ever was owner Gianni. If Carlsberg did restaurateurs they’d model them on G. We’ve never referred to a menu yet; he just suggests what we might like – it always sounds delicious – and off we go. Plate after plate of the most glorious seafood, freshly landed at Ancona that morning.
He even remembers the particular wine we ordered and liked the very first time we visited 5 years ago. The guy’s a bloody magician. Almost as good as his wife who gets up at 5am to get the fish from the market, make all the pasta freshly before the restaurant opens and then spends all day preparing all the food, then collects the kids at 4pm. Like Oscar Schindler, Gianni’s responsible for the ‘presentation’ side of things. Men eh. But hey what a team.
If you’re ever in the area do yourself a favour and pay a visit to Piazza Vittoria Veneto, just by the old church. The views are stunning too even if the entrance to the restaurant itself is a little unprepossessing. Go on in but prepare yourself for a feast….you’ll be a several lbs heavier and quite a few pounds lighter when you leave. But it’s worth every cent. Oh and tell Gianni the bald chubby Inglesi guy sent you. He was the one who put the (seafood) pasta in Paulie!
Buon appetito!
Come on, let me know your favourite eatery.
pp
Pasta Paulie 