We are going in late June so tagging for my own selfish purposes . Please be sure to report back!!!

yes no probs, a bringing my laptop so will probably be posting over there...

now surely someone has had an amzing puglian meal........

You've seen this, right?

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/puglia-restaurant-list-comments.cfm

From my own experience, I think I'd have to put Antichi Sapori on the "don't miss" list. There are at least two places with the same name; the one I mean is the one outside Andria. Keep in mind that the cuisine is not elaborate in the least. Simple meat and vegetable dishes, with the finest raw materials you can imagine. Not at all dressy.


http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/puglia-and-matera-from-pane-di-altamura-to-peperoni-di-senise.cfm




PLEASE give us up-to-the-minute reports!

hey ekscrunchy,

thanks for your message

that is one of the two places i have contacted (antichi sapori). Well after booking the wrong one up in palma!! but have emailed the other one now near trani near andria so fingers crossed they will come back

i think i have read part of that post before but months ago so definitely will be useful to refresh my memory!!

oh dont worry we are much more into simple authentic food rather than fancy stuff so sure we will love it too

thanks again

Bookmarking for this summer.

oh and yes, we dont have a TV or anything in the villa, so will have loads of time to post updates as much as possible

ooh and not sure how i posted this as a review?!?! apologies, we haven't even left yet!

Will look forward to your reports. Enjoy your trip.

Here's the other report I wrote; see if there is any helpful restaurant info there.. I can't wait to hear about your trip!!

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/from-pettole-to-pasticiottia-week-in-southern-puglia.cfm

thanks so much ekscrunchy ..will go check it out.

Am feeling quite pleased have managed to book up 5 places already!

When in Lecce we ate at Alle Due Corti, and thought it one of our favorite meals in all of Puglia. It's not often we run into a dish we've honestly never even seen or heard of before - I forget the name, but they have a homemade pasta dish in which half your serving is boiled as usual, but the other half is pan fried, giving the dish a really unique bite. My husband was also a huge fan of their fava & chicory, a very traditional Pugliese peasant dish, which we make at home now. Enjoy!

Hi Maria,

this was one of the ones we were looking into so thanks for the tip it sounds yummy

so excited, we have banned outselves from having any pasta or risotto until we are in Italy (hard for us we have 2-3 times a week normally) so we appreciate it even more!

thanks yestravel too, hoping it will be a foodie feast

HG, we were referred to a local restaurant in the historic center of Locorotondo by a local wine merchant. It smelled so..o..oo good, but it was Friday night and alas, all the local people go out on Friday night.

When we tried to make a reservation, we were "sign-languaged" that they had no room, although it was still early. Still don't know if it was because they were full, or because they regarded us as nonsensical English speaking people, but we are going back in October to try again.

And this time, I am going to practice up my Italian before we leave!
I don't know the name of the restaurant, but apparently there are two good ones in the pedestrianized historical center.

We did end up eating at a little country restaurant on the waya to Cisternino, where the proprietor gave us a free piece of pizza although we had ordered pasta dishes. We noticed too late all the pizza boxes and the steady stream of people coming in for it.
That was Really Good Pizza!

Maria: That dish in Lecce may have been Ciceri e Trie...

I found the name of our Locorotondo restaurant on Tripadvisor, it's La Taverna del Duca.

HI,
I prefer (as apulian):
- Terranima (Bari)
- Antichi Sapori (Andria, a little bit far away your journey)
- Masseria Barbera (Minervino Murge, far away...)
- Le Zie (Lecce)
- Il poeta contadino (Alberobello)
- Perricci (Monopoli)
- Il Cortiletto (Fasano)

As often wrote in different posts, it's very easy to have delicious meals in Puglia

Vito

Vito thanks! I will be near Fasano on my next trip to Puglia and will try Il Cortiletto.

Ciceri e triA:


http://www.simpleitaly.com/ciceri-e-tria


http://ilblogdiroro.blogspot.com/search?q=ciceri+e+tria

Yes! Ciceri e tria - thanks for the recipes, we'll be trying this at home soon...

hey all, thanks for all your help...trying to get the locorotondo one booked by my villa owner so fingers crossed..thank you for tips vito80 and sundriedpachano

eks...also trying to get il cortiletto booked too, waiting for response

We are trying to book the Anticho Sapori but no response to my email does anyone know if they speak much english...i might try calling!

ok for those planning a trip here i my booked up (mostly for lunch) places that we will hopefully manage to find and report back on! (They answered emails within a 1-3 days, some instantly). We are staying between fasano and monopoli. There will be quite a lot of driving but the main focus of trip is for food!! We are there for two weeks....

TRANI : osteria ferro e fuoco: http://www.osteriaferroefuoco.it/ristorante_osteria_trani_ferro_fuoco.asp

FASANO: Anticalama
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1411756-d2302451-Reviews-Anticalama-Pezze_di_Greco_Province_of_Brindisi_Puglia.html

CISTERCINO: Osteria Santa Anna
http://www.osteriasantanna.it/home.asp

MATERA: Trattoria del Caveoso
http://www.trattoriadelcaveoso.it/

(NEAR) FASANO: Masseria Marzalossa
http://www.masseriamarzalossa.com/

SANTA MARIA AL BAGNO: RISTORANTE ART NOUVEAU
http://www.ristoranteartnouveau.com/

MARTINA FRANCA: Coco Pazzo
http://www.cocopazzo.it/

OTRANTO: Peccato di Vino
http://www.peccatodivino.com/peccatodivinoENG.htm

POGLIANO A MARE: Ristorante Antichemura
http://www.ristoranteantichemura.it/

OSTUNI: Masseria Frantoio
http://www.masseriailfrantoio.it/

(Near) MONOPOLI; Masseria Aspina
http://www.masseriaspina.com/docroot/index.php?l=e&p=masseria

ALBEROBELLA: La Locanda di don Antonio
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g580227-d1167003-Reviews-La_locanda_di_don_antonio-Alberobello_Province_of_Bari_Puglia.html

oh and i read your report eks, thanks for this, really enjoyed it

HG: Wow, that looks like a lot of good eating! I will be watching for your report.

Vito, thanks for the Apulian input. My son-in-law, a lanky young man, can hardly wait to fill up his hollow leg when we get there. I like your outlook, it's hard to have a bad meal in Puglia.

I cannot wait to hear about your feasts!!! We have picked out several of the same places so fingers crossed you love them!!!

I'm very interested in your take on Art Nouveau, since I have it picked out for my next trip and that is in an area that I am unfamiliar with....so be sure to take notes and report back!!

You can give Antichi Sapori a call but they do book up many weeks ahead; there should be someone there who speaks English.

Above all, have a wonderful trip!! It's been fun "chatting" with you during the planning phase.

OK. I have to ask.

What is a Miss Puglia restaurant? How does one become a restaurant endorsed by Miss Puglia? Is there an annual contest to find the next Miss Puglia? Has the former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi discovered her?

Sorry, I had some extra time on my this morning.

HG001London,
If you want, I can book in your name at Antichi Sapori, but usually is always full... they need 4/5 week ahead reservations.

Let me know when you want to go there (also via email vitofalco[at]gmail.com)

Vito

(quite bit off-topic, but a good reading )
http://www.italian-food-lovers.com/2011/05/the-10-most-common-errors-in-italian-tradition-which-people-around-the-world-think-are-the-true-italian-style

thanks vito...off to read straight after this post. Also thanks so much for the booking offer- that is really kind. Fortunately i got an email from them this morning so all confirmed (went for mid week so guess they had a few places

Huggy, hmm yeah i dont know i was wondering what it meant too!

Eks, no problem will post on Sunday evening how it was sounds yummy and looks like has a nice setting in front of water

Jami/sundried, will be posting lots hopefully providing internet ok, which i really hope it is!!

Ok so i will probably post a new threat but for those wanting to check in to that one, here is the final few places i have booked up

Near FASANO: Masseria Salamina http://www.masseriasalamina.it/

MONTEGROSSO: Antichi Sipori http://www.antichisapori.biz/ristorante/ristorante.htm

ANDRIA: Cefacchio Coutry House: http://www.cefalicchio.it/en/

OSTUNI: Masseria Salinola: http://www.masseriasalinola.it/it/home/

again all came back by email, although took a few days sometimes so glad i started early

@HG - did u book Antichi Sapori online? Do you know what days they are closed. I think we will be in that area on a Sunday and Monday.
@vito - Is the 4-5 week timeframe for booking also true for mid-September?

Yes, you need to book Antichi Sapori many weeks in advance, even in September. They are closed for Saturday dinner and all day Sunday, according to my notes.

There are at least two other restaurants within a 10 minute drive of that one that are worth a look: Masseria Barbera, and La Tradizione, both in Minervino Murge and both SlowFood picks.
I've eaten only at the former and highly recommend. But I've heard good things about the latter, too.

Thanks, eks. I haven't really figured out where to eat yet, but I keep getting pulled into these threads that mention so many fabulous sounding places to eat!

hi yestravel, i booked originally for the Friday but then changed to Wednesday and they had room for us for both so that was great, but they did take about 4-5 days to come back to us. However we did book for lunch rather than dinner so maybe dinner is more busy......

Eks, thanks for extra choices, ohh so many places i want to try!!!

HG001London:

I meant no criticism, just a bit of fun.

Thanks for not being offended.

H

Hi Huggy,

it would take a while to explain this properly but i thought yours was a genuine question about something i had noticed somewhere else, so my response was actually genuine as i thought you were querying that same thing that confused me and that "Miss Piggy" had been mentioned elsewhere in relation to it but i had missed that term..(sorry long day!!)

its only now i realise you were talking about my threat title!! haha.

So in summary no absolutely no critism was taken (i was too stupid to even notice what you really meant and now i do get it, the comment actually made me smile

huggy, hmm i must be really am tired!! have no idea why i wrote "miss piggy"!! and not "miss puglia", wow what is wrong with me tonight!!

apologies, i need to get some sleepy!

Thanks, too few laughs these days.

Have a good sleep. And dream about Puglia restaurants.

hey all, will start a new post for reports but we have arrived after a long day!! apparently this place

http://www.charmingitaly.com/seafood-urchins-savelletri-puglia/

is absolutely not to be missed in Puglia if you are a seafood fan (near monopoli), our villa owner tells us its the best seafood in Italy!!

Hmm excited already!!

Yay have a fabulous time...can't wait to hear all about it!!

HG: Forcatella should be great! If for any reason you cannot go there, remember that there are others like it along that stretch of coastline in the area of Torre Canne; another popular one is La Cambusa Vitti.


http://www.ristoranteforcatella.it/

Has anyone been to Pasha in conversano?

We here it is excellent but expensive and wondering how expensive roughly and if its worth the extra price?

many thanks

Helen

"hear" even

Pasha doesn't worth.
In Conversano there is Caffè Mediterraneo (close to the indoor-stadium) and in the nearby Masseria MontePaolo (also B&B).

Vito

If you're in Conversano don't miss Rutigliano! Is a small town with very nice handmade production of "fischietti" (whistles)*.
There is also a very good agriturismo in the nearby (Masseria Lama S.Giorgio).

Vito