Today, on Thanksgiving Day, we went to Bargni. I wouldn’t blame you if you said, “You went where?” It’s not the kind of place, you go back to the States and say, Hey, when we were in Italy we went to Bargni. Remote location. A small town on a hill west of Serrungarina. Twice this…More
Monthly Archives: November 2019
Intermittent Feasting–and a welcome carbonara
Fat rats. Research focused on them suggests there may be something to intermittent fasting. So says Monique Tello in Harvard Medical Publishing. Good, I think. Because this morning I feel like a fat rat. My wife and I are in our fifth and final week in Italy. Around this time in our stay, a kind…More
Dubious Beef–a long table in Panzano
So you’re standing outside a restaurant in Italy. Its PR machine has been humming for months, no, make that years. The restaurant has been featured on Chef’s Table, in Food and Wine, who knows where else. You’re standing outside enjoying a glass of their Tuscan wine, actually a third or fourth glass. It’s a small…More
In the Hills Above the Sea–required eating
I remember a distinction professors made on their course reading lists: required reading vs suggested reading. Put Gennaro down as required eating. That’s Da Genarro. It’s on a hillside high above the Adriatic, on a two lane road called “la panoramica,” through a national park called San Bartolo. I wouldn’t say the restaurant is in…More
Into the Mix–glorious seafood, the mista
One of the delights in eating in Romagna (and I hazard to guess all over Italy) is the “misto.” The mix. Where I come from, eating fish you usually get one thing. Your appetizer is one thing–a tartar, half a dozen oysters, a bowl of mussels. And your main course is usually one thing–fillet of…More
Romagna Food Notes, Part IV
This post is not exactly Romagna food notes. Tizi’s family on her mother’s side is from le Marches, a contiguous region known for white truffles. There are truffles in Romagna, too, any Romagnolo will tell you. We’ve been to eat, for example, in Sant’Agata in Feltria, which, as far as I can tell, is a…More
Romagna Food Notes, Part III
“This chicken has barbecue sauce on it,” I say to my wife. We’re eating take-out for lunch, a few chicken legs, roasted potatoes, some bietole, and grilled zucchini. All this for 20 euro from a place in Santarcangelo. I also picked up a bottle of Sangiovese for 5 euro from a street vendor. This weekend…More
Romagna Food Notes, Part II
Where I come from, the wine I drink comes from somewhere else. Around here, the wine they drink comes from around here. Vineyards everywhere. Wine production is local, in small batches and large batches, quaffing wine, slurping wine, sipping wine, wines that go with your food just right, wines you want to contemplate and appreciate…More
Food Notes for My October 2020 Excursion, Romagna, Part I.
Last night we went to Ro e Buni, in Villa Verucchio. (That’s Boo-NEE.) It’s a pasta-meat place. I had cappelletti al ragu. Sort of like tortellini, a folded pasta with a filling, cappelletti are usually served in broth. It’s a delicious soup when there’s a chill in the air. I like cappelletti with ragu at…More