Italian Food

And...it always comes back to the food for me.

I made 3 food discoveries on this trip - all in Sorrento. I did have my first fresh pasta in Rome - and the texture and taste was unforgettable; but otherwise - let's just say of the food in Rome: it was good. It was Italian. It made my tummy happy.

In Sorrento, though, I made three food discoveries.

#1. Crema di Asparugi at La Lanterna Due. So good I went back for dinner a second time. An enormous bowl of amazing soup. Not terribly photogenic soup (you want a picture of green broth? really?) but warms your soul to the bone and makes you say "mmmm" every spoonful good. Creamy, with a chicken-stock broth (I think) and a mild asparagus flavor served piping hot. Three of my favorite food elements: asparagus, cream, and soup - in one spot.

#2. Fresh Octopus and Celery Salad. The way the Italians cook Octopus is meaty - full of texture and flavor. Fried Calamari is so much less than what octopus can be. I had no idea until last summer when I had Octopus "in hell" in Vernazza and discovered its true rich, meaty (read: NOT CHEWY) nature. When the waiter at Restaurante Sorrento (I think that was its name) read it off the specials board I knew immediately I had to order it - what, on earth, could be so special about Octopus and Celery? Well, when it's lightly dressed in white wine vinegar and lemon, the celery is crisp and cut so it can't be stringy, and the octopus is perfectly braised, it is VERY SPECIAL indeed.


#3. Giant Lemons. Nearly the size of American footballs, as big as an entire pint of strawberries, these were humongous lemons. I can be quoted as saying, while gazing gape-mouthed at the behemoth lemons, "If only margaritas were made with lemons ... hmm... wonder if its possible to grow limes that big, too?"


mmmm Italy. So yummy in all seasons.