wendy

I would love to know where you have truly enjoyed an exceptional olive-oil, bakery,wine, meal etc... <BR> <BR>Was it because of the town? Ambiance? Regional produce? Chef? <BR> <BR>Did you follow guide book suggestions or follow your stomach and loved it? Curious to what guide book suggestions did/didn't make the cut. <BR> <BR>Looking forward to your replies. <BR> <BR>Grazia infinita! <BR>Wendy <BR>

Joe

There have been many. One especially comes to mind. We were in Orvieto and had taken a tour and tasting at a very fine local winery. The tour for my wife and me was provided by the daughter of the owner because "they didn't give tours", but that is another story. By the end of the tour we had established a pretty good relationship and we asked her to reccomend a good restaurant for that evening. She gave us two that she frequented and we took our leave returning to Orvieto. We found each of the two restaurants, but it was Monday and you know what I am going to say. "They were closed". We were in a quandry. Then we spotted a gentleman we had met the day before. He was talking to the owner of a shoe store on one of the main shopping arteries in Orvieto. He beckoned us to come over and we were introduced to the shop owner. We told them of our predicament and they began to ruminate, "what could we do on a Monday"? They quickly sorted through the options and came up with a suggestion. The shop owner went inside to call the restaurant they had in mind and get us a reservation. Success! Back to our Hotel for a quick clean up and off we went for our little adventure. The restaurant was called Ristorante il Consorti; a small, but elegantly decorated dinning room that spoke of Old Italy. We were greeted and seated by the owner and after some conversation, he provided complimentary aperitifs. We decide on the five course tasting menu with paired wines. What a treat. We started with a raddichio and arugala salad with chopped tomatoes, 3 quails eggs on top and a warm proscuitto dressing. This was followed by a timbale of pureed beans and vegetables with a garnish of fresh tomatoe and basil and lightly dressed with seasoned olive oil. The next course was a grilled loin lamb chop with a homemade aioli based sauce accompanied by braised chard and polenta. We then chose from several local cheeses and, finally, each chose a different dessert so we could share in the selections. One was a custard in a puff pastry drizzeled with a chocolate sauce. The other was a chocolate mousse drizzeled with a custard sauce. Each of these courses was served with an appropriate local wine including a dessert wine. The atmosphere, the conviviality of the owner, the exceptional food and wine and the manner by which we came by the restaurant made for one of the most memorable of our European Adventures. If this restaurant is still there, try it. You won't regret it.

wendy

Grazie! I am on my way! Printed and taking this with me... <BR>Wendy

sally

Hi Wendy (again): Our favorite book is Plotkin's Italy for the Gourmet Traveler. It lists his favorite wineries, bakeries, etc as well as restaurants. We tried several of his recommendations. Three places we had great food follow and at least one is from his book. The first was a small little atmospheric trattoria in Spello called Il Trombone; it has outdoor patio w/ terrific view, and, at night, there is live music. We had delicious crostini to start with good wine, then various dishes such as tagliatelle (sp) w/ wild mushrooms or a good soup. Sorry cannot remember exact items, but do remember it was all quite tasty. The next delight was dinner in Spoleto, where we dined right next to the Duomo in Plotkin's only Spoleto choice. The owner speaks good English and we enjoyed his history of his times in the restaurant business. At one point, we were the only 4 in the place (it was early), so we were treated as royalty. My husband and brother had WONDERFUL guinea hen, while the ladies had pasta dishes. The owner apparently liked us alot, so he made a fuss over us, and he treated us to a favored 1995 dessert wine, a dessert sampler plate AND roasted chestnuts. WE enjoyed lingering and talking as the restaurant began to fill up--a really enjoyable evening. Lastly, my husband and I had a romantic lunch in Orvieto at a little place called trattoria La Grotta, which is off a side street to the left of the Duomo if you are facing it. The highlights of the experience were being the only English speakers in the place and a bottle of incredible Orvieto Classico!! I ate a salad and a bowl of soup, my husband had pasta; these were quite good, but the wine was divine!! These meals were all wonderful for a combination of reasons, but my main thought is: I've NEVER had a bad meal in Italy from the simplest soup to the most gourmet entree. I hope you enjoy your trip; I know you'll enjoy the food!! Regards, Sally OOOOPS, the Spoleto restaurant is called Tric Trac.

wendy

GREAT! I'll let Fred know you use his book like I do...seeing that meals enjoyed are included in his book speaks volumes. I'm letting him know what works and doesn't .... <BR>Thank you!

Joanna

In a ancient, small restaurant just off the square in Perugia (near the fountain) had scrumptious steak in truffle sauce, accompanied by a local wine. Dessert was a yummy white chocolate concoction.

wendy

MMmmmmm!

xxxxxxxx

Any updates to this useful post, now that we're deep into the summer season?

RC

Good thread. I'll be in Umbria late October with Assisi as base. Any recommendation in Assisi?

Leslie

The wonderful luncheon prepared by and served in the home of our Assisi tourguide, Anne Robichaud. It was our favorite meal in Italy! Her tour was great too. (See www.annesitaly.com)

jean

In Assisi the Restaurant LaFortezza was excellent in Oct. '99. Wonderful food with many local dishes and great service. Reservations recommended as it was filled at book lunch and dinner. They also have a few rooms available for about $45/night. Clean, comfortable and decent size. Enjoy! <BR>Jean

duh

Ignore that posting by Leslie. It's an attempt at a free ad! Those people never give up!

Nick

We had lunch at Tric Trac next to the Duomo in Spoleto. We too were the only 3 people in the dining area and we might be early (12:40 pm) but I didn't see a lot of people even outside. The food was OK but not great. I think the turn off here was the cover charge which was L5000/person. Usually in most Umbrian restaurants the average charge is only L3000. Nevertheless, like most of Italy, you could never go wrong with restaurants in Umbria.

Joan

Try La Rocchicciola, near Assisi, in the small and beautiful village of Rocca Saint Angelo. It was the recommendation of the owner of the villa we were staying at and gave us one of the best meals of our trip and all for 93000 francs. Pietro and his wife Irene ( she is originally from Aberdeen, Scotland) make wonderful hosts: she is out front in the charming dark and cool room covered in a mix of her own art and some clever Scottish military artifacts from her own father's military career and he does the cooking, everything chnges daily based on availability. Petro makes the best straccietelli au gratin ever, the salads were superb and their wine is local and excellent. We were charmed even before my husband discovered that out back, in his garage, Pietro has one of the best collections of vintage Italian motorbikes going (over 100). Two great passions satisfied in one evening! We came back twice and bought a painting that Irene did, now on the wall in front of me to remind us of that special time.

Diane

Another wonderful spot in Orvieto: Giglio d`Oro <BR>The chef suggests a menu each day -- do yourself a favor and choose that! Each course was magnificent, starting with an eggplant mousse, dressed with truffle and roasted red peppers. mmmmmmmm. <BR>Stepping into the reception area from the Duomo Square is like walking through a time warp of many centuries. The decor is very modern, sophisticated and sleek, yet it all fits together beautifully. The service is as professional and impressive as the food is delicious and the menu well put-together. This was one of our best meals over the three weeks we spent in Italy. <BR>Location: Facing Orvieto`s exquisite Duomo, it is to your left. <BR>We are forever grateful to the front desk folks at Aquila Bianca (also a great place to stay) for recommending this restaurant and for making our reservation! <BR>

Lee

Caffe di Perugia (in central Perugia, 10 via Mazzini) is a particular favourite of ours because of its diversity. We have had a couple of lovely lunches there in the 'mezzanine'area immediately above the cafe (where you can get superb pastries to go). But the highlight was a dinner upstairs in La Sala dello Zodiaco, a tribute to Perugian artist Scotti, amazingly beautiful in design with superb (albeit pricey) food. On various ocassions I have had the variation on risotto made with 'spelt' that is a speciality of the area, wild boar in Chianti and a pasta pesto with almonds instead of pine-nuts that was incredible. Also, the single best salad I have ever eaten- just baby artichokes,shaved aged parmesan and flavoured olive oil, but s-o-o amazingly presented... I have to go and eat now!

Leslie

I resent the anonymous poster who claimed I'm advertising for Anne Robichaud. I don't get to travel much but had a memorable two week trip to Italy with my family in April and all four of us agreed she served us the best meal of our trip! I have no other relationship to her, no ongoing contact with her. Just a satisfied customer.

dale

Have meant to post for a couple of days, but have left my notes at home. That's where the name of the place is. At any rate, we had a wonderful meal at a restaurant in the little town of Pigge, a "suburb" of Trevi. As I recall, it had the word Psecatore in it. It is across the highway from Pigge and fronts a stream. My secondo consisted only of grilled porcini. Memorable. (It may be listed in Fred Plotkin's book.)

Lea

Any more?

kazzawary

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