Tuesday, October 4, 2016

BAROLO

Is Barolo still Italy’s greatest wine? It’s a question I’ve been mulling over for some time. And like some of life’s bigger questions (Is there a God? And what really constitutes a 100-point wine?), it’s not one whose answer is readily known.
Barolo, after all, has been called “the King of Wines” for centuries—never mind that it took a Frenchman to bring this about (more on that later). But what was a certainty some 200 years ago may not necessarily be true in 2007. After all, the Barolos of only two decades ago bear little resemblance to the wines of today.
This is a consequence of what have been dramatically titled the “Barolo Wars,” with French oak and rotary fermenters and maybe a few Cabernet grapes as the weapons of choice. These are the armaments of so-called Modernists, producers whose mission has been to make Barolo a more contemporary and, as they might say, better wine.
To Traditionalists, a.k.a. Classicists, this is nothing short of heresy. (In this way, the Barolo Wars seem a bit like the Crusades.) To Classicists, Barolo has always been, and should always be, made the same way: produced from the native Nebbiolo grape (a thin-skinned, rather acidic and tannic red), then generally aged in big Slovenian casks called botti in a particular (and very lengthy) way.
This was more or less the model created by the Frenchman Louis Oudart back in the mid-19th century. When Oudart arrived in Piedmont, Barolo had been a simple, rustic, even sweet wine. Oudart been hired by the Marchesa of Barolo, who wanted something more noble to be created from her native red and believed a French wine consultant could do the job (a belief that the French have encouraged in various other parts of the wine world up through the present day). Oudart made such an impressive wine that other Piedmontese producers followed suit and a new style of Barolo was born, winning quite a few fans in the process—some of them even royals, like Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of unified Italy (though probably best known today as a boulevard; I’ve yet to visit an Italian town that doesn’t have its own CorsoVittorio Emanuele).
The style of wine Oudart created is the one that Traditionalists are still making today: wonderfully fragrant, with notes of bitter cherry, truffles, earth and even roses and tar; rather light-colored, quite high in acidity and very tannic, needing several years’ aging in barrel and bottle. In fact, by law Barolo must age a minimum of three years (at least two in barrel), though some producers age their wines longer. And even after Barolo is bottled, it requires many more years’ aging time. As famed Barolo producer Aldo Conterno once said, he made his wine to be “undrinkable” when it was first put into bottle.
Modernists found this style off-putting, not to mention commercially challenging (how to explain to consumers that they could buy a wine but not drink it for a decade or two?) and sometimes even flawed (a wine might take so long to come around that the fruit was gone before the tannins ever softened). And so in the ‘80s, winemakers like Luciano Sandrone and Paolo Scavino, among many others, adopted some techniques employed by winemakers in other parts of the world, like a shorter maceration of the grapes (resulting in softer, less tannic wines, as tannins are extracted during the maceration process), rotary fermenters (another means of softening wine) and the use of smaller French barrels over big Slovenian casks.
The result was a wine that was fruitier and easier to enjoy in its youth (sometimes even upon release), but one that Traditionalists argued lacked much of what made Barolo distinctive: its classic structure, powerful tannins and distinctive aromas. The modern wines were more like a lot of others and smelled mostly like French oak. They were also more pleasurable and less “intellectual”—the one word that Barolo Traditionalists invoke a lot. “Barolo is an intellectual’s wine” was the line I heard most often from sommeliers, wine merchants and collectors when I asked their thoughts on the wine. Barolo collectors, by the way, are almost always men. Why, I don’t know. Maybe wines with firm tannins are a measure of masculinity.
Second only to the suggestion of Barolo’s “intellectuality” is the assertion of its resemblance to Burgundy: “Barolo is the Burgundy of Italy.” This can mean any number of things, though I’ve narrowed it down to three: First, Nebbiolo is a lot like Pinot Noir, the great red grape of Burgundy, in that it is also thin-skinned, difficult to grow and possessed of beguiling aromas. Second, Barolo, like Burgundy, requires its followers to memorize many names—not only dozens of producers (traditional and otherwise) but also names of communes and vineyards. And finally, like Burgundy, Barolo can be quite inconsistent. The highs are high and the lows, very low. And it doesn’t come cheap. More on this a bit later.
I’m not sure how much nebbiolo and pinot Noir ultimately do have in common (for example, few seem to be planting Nebbiolo in any other part of the world, nor is there a movie like Sideways extolling its charms). But in terms of geographic complexity, the Burgundy comparison seems to hold true. Barolo, like Burgundy, comes from a specific set of communes, of which there are eleven in Piedmont’s Langhe hills, although only five truly matter. And Barolo lovers describe the characteristics of these communes in as much detail as Burgophiles do vineyards of the Côte d’ Or.
A few generalizations: The commune of Barolo produces wines famed for their concentration, while the wines from the neighboring La Morra commune are more “feminine.” The three other communes, Serralunga d’ Alba, Castig-lione Falletto and Monforte d’ Alba, are all located on Barolo’s eastern side, and they generally tend to produce wines that are bigger, more structured and slower to mature than those from the communes in the west.
Within these five communes are hundreds of vineyards or crus, whose names may or may not appear on the bottle, and they too have different characteristics and varying degrees of fame. Some of the most famous include Brunate, Cannubi, Cannubi Boschis, Bussia and Fiasc—but, as with Burgundy, a single vineyard name isn’t necessarily a guarantee of greatness. A further complication that not even Burgundy can match is the fact that some of the best producers don’t make single-vineyard wines but blends. (Imagine a great Burgundy producer deciding to put a little Musigny into his Chambertin.) This was the general practice among most Barolo producers until Ceretto and others decided to bottle single-vineyard wines.
 
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With so many variables of producers, communes, vineyards and blends, not to mention variation of vintages (though Barolo has thankfully had quite good ones in recent years), I decided to tackle the question of greatness by simply tasting wines from as many producers and vintages as possible. So I called up various Barolo importers and asked them to send along a few bottles, preferably both new and old. The latter was a bit of a challenge, since older Barolos, like older Burgundies, can be hard to find and quite expensive. (Unlike Burgundy, however, it’s still possible to find good 10-year-old Barolos for under $100 a bottle.)
The latest Barolo vintage is 2003, and the wines were released fairly recently. That was the year of the great summer heat wave in Europe, and I expected the wines to be a little more accessible than traditional Barolo—lighter both in body and color, though still quite tannic and hard. These were the wines I was planning to taste when my friend Kate called to invite me to her dinner party.
“ Barolo? Isn’t that a great Italian wine?” Kate said excitedly when I described my project to her. “Why don’t you bring some along?” I didn’t have time to explain that greatness was exactly the quality I was hoping to determine. To Kate, and to most people I know, “great” was just another word for expensive.
I brought along five bottles of Barolo, all of them from the 2003 vintage, produced by both Modernists and Traditionalists. The Ca’ Rome’ Vigna Cerretta, a Modernist wine, proved the most popular, probably because it was the easiest to drink, with lots of sweet, ripe fruit. Second was the Cascina Bongiovanni, also made in a Modernist, fruit-forward style. The Michele Chiarlo Cerequio, a compromise between Modernist and Traditionalist techniques, pleased the crowd with its depth, richness and high price (almost $100 a bottle) but was denounced for its lack of color (the guests didn’t realize that, with a few notable exceptions, Barolo is almost never a very dark wine).
As for the also-ran wines, the Vietti Lazzarito Castiglione Falletto and the Marcarini, made by two excellent Traditionalist producers, were more difficult for the crowd to appreciate, mostly on account of their firm, tannic structure; both were fairly austere.
“ You can’t drink those wines right now; they’re too young,” I explained to one of the guests as he looked longingly at Kate’s bottle of the 2005 Jim Barry The Cover Drive Australian Cabernet. “Well, when can you drink them?” he replied, though clearly what he meant was, “Then why did you bring them?”
Barolo may or may not be an intellectual’s wine, but this much is certain: It’s definitely not a wine for drinking with a crowd. I decided to taste the rest of the young Barolos myself.
My solo experience, however, was inconclusive. The E. Pira & Figli and the Luigi Einaudi Cannubi, two Modernist wines from the great 2001 vintage, proved surprisingly lush and ripe, full of sweet fruit and soft tannins. But other 2001 Barolos were more difficult to assess at such a young age, like the impressively structured Domenico Clerico Ciabot Mentin Ginestra (Modernist) and the Vietti Brunate (Traditionalist), while some seemed to be mostly tannins and acid (the Modernist Prunotto). Perhaps the challenge wasn’t so much determining Barolo’s greatness but figuring out exactly what Barolo was. Could a Barolo that was enjoyable to drink at a relatively young age (six years or so) still be considered a great wine? Or even a Barolo at all? After all, one of the chief tenets of Traditionalist producers is that Barolo should not be ready to drink without 10 or 15 years of aging—and it should still have the capacity to develop for decades after that, too. Many of the wines I tasted were delicious and well made, but none seemed to have the structure of a wine that was potentially great except the Vietti Brunate and the Clerico—and yet they were made by two different types of producers, one Traditionalist, the other Modernist.
Maybe what I needed was to taste wines from a vintage that Barolo makers themselves acknowledged was ready to drink. According to Luciano Sandrone, one of the most acclaimed of all Modernists, that vintage was 1996. I’d met Sandrone when he was in Manhattan to promote his 2003 wines—big, rich, intense Barolos that were still incredibly youthful.
“ What about 1997?” I’d asked him. My friend Scott Manlin, a wine collector from Chicago, had mentioned he’d opened a bottle of 1997 Sandrone Cannubi Boschis—Sandrone’s most famous wine, which costs hundreds of dollars a bottle—a few weeks ago. “My friend Scott said the wine was terrific.” (Scott had actually said “Great juice,” but I wasn’t sure Sandrone would understand this as a compliment.) “That wine isn’t ready yet,” Sandrone replied.
 
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SUNDAY SAUCE
 
by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Celebrate Saint Josephs Day Sicilian Style



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St Joseph
aka
San Giuseppe




The March 19 is the Feast of St. Joseph , the day when, in Italy , we also celebrate all the dads and is the festival that opens the door to the Spring . The festivities in honor of the Patriarch St. Joseph are widespread in many cities and towns of the Sicilia . the figure of St. Joseph , foster father of Jesus and husband of Maria , is deeply felt and venerated, also demonstrated by the many Sicilians who bear his name. in the memories of most Sicilians is the memory of the picture, the statue or printing of St. Joseph in her arms the Child Jesus , in plain sight in the homes of our grandparents . the Holy Patriarch is loved even today, as a symbol of ' honesty , of' humility , of ' love and family , and sacred values absolutely be protected. in Trapani , in many municipalities belonging to the Diocese ofMazara del Vallo , as Campobello di Mazara , Castelvetrano , Santa Ninfa , Salemi , are set up altars to honor the patriarch St. Joseph . in almost all the countries of the Diocese is celebrated rite of the " Dinner of the Saints ": the Saints knock on the door asking for hospitality; twice they are not accepted. The third opens wide the door and the Saints enter the house, where you will eat dinner. A Salemi you start with dinner on March 19th when we celebrate the religious rite of the " Dinners San Giuseppe ", last a week, with exhibitions and exhibitions food and wine ; are set up altars decorated with lemons , twigs d ' laurel , orangesand the typical " bread " manufactured by local women into veritable works of art. The " bread" in the shape of the symbols of Pentecost , like the fish , the three nails, scale, or make reference to nature; devotees who organize dinner must prepare a meal with 101 dishes , made from vegetables , grains , fish , fruit and sweets of every variety. After dinner there is the rite of the blessing of the " bread " which are then distributed to the children, who represent the Holy Family and the many visitors who came to attend the " Eaten there for Saints ." In Sicily , each holiday has a flat or a traditional sweet and the list would be so vast to enumerate them all to risk of forgetting is always someone. At the Feast of St. Joseph , on the



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Sfinci San Giuseppe

St Josephs Day Pastry


tables there was a menu special kind: according tradition imbandire you had a board with various kinds of foods, especially with the bread (symbol of fertility and prosperity) to give refreshment to pilgrims and fugitives; this custom recalls the escape of Mary, Joseph and Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod's order to kill all the firstborn males. We start from the first course, as the famous pasta with sardines and wild fennel , or the virdi soup of San Giuseppi (legumes and vegetables with leftover pasta of various types) from Palermo, or even the " ministredda of"Augusta (whose ingredients must be nineteen). the " maccu ", known throughout the region but especially in the Syracuse area, composed of dried beans , lentils , spinach , onions ,dried chestnuts , oil and ... more; He was present in every home and you had to send a sign of hope, family, friends, neighbors and even the poor of the neighborhood. And then the beccaficu sardines , broccoli and " sparaceddi " and many other dishes, not meat, because we are in the period of Lent . Finally the cake, with the preparation of Sfinci of St. Joseph . It is afried sweet typical of Sicily , widespread especially in western areas of the island, originally produced in Palermo , is part of the cultural and traditional heritage of the region.

SFINCI

The origins of sfincia are very old, seem to date back to the Persians, and there are traces both in the Bible and in the Qur'an , although under different names. As for the ' origin of the name , there are several schools of thought: according to some, the name derives from the Latin " spongia " (sponge), while others derive from the Arabic " isfanǧ " (sponge), a name that was given to the special soft pancakes, irregularly shaped, and, precisely spongy, that Arabs ate covered honey or sugar . the transformation of the Arab sweet fried sfincia we know is due to the Poor Clares of theMonastery of the Stigmata of St. Francis (the monastery was demolished in 1875, stood on the site where today we admire the Teatro Massimo ), who dedicated the sweet to the Holy of the Meek , St. Joseph . later, the skill of confectioners Palermo turned the humble sweet delicacy in enriched withricotta cheese and candied fruit that, in recent times, you can enjoy all year round.



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Saint Joseph's Day Pasta

RECIPE in GRANDMA BELLINO'S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN GRANDMOTHER



by Daniel Bellino Z




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GREAT SICILIAN HOME-COOKED RECIPES


FROM SCILIAN GRANDMOTHER GIUSEPPINA SALEMI BELLINO



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Saturday, June 25, 2016

Italian Bakeris in New York

 
ITALIAN NEW YORK BAKERIES Past & Present
ITALIAN BREAD & PASTRIES
Cappuccino Espresso Cookies Cakes & More
"Mangia Bene" !!!
VESUVIO
 

VESUVIO BREAD BAKERS PRINCE STREET ... Soho / GREENWICH VILLAGE New York Note: Vesuvio's Bakery has closed, however the Beautiful Piece of Italian New York History remains in its Landmark Status Storefront.

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Rocco's Pastry Shop, Bleecker Street
GRENWICH VILLAGE





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PARISI BAKERS
    
PARISI BAKERY, Little Italy, New York
Bread Bakers 
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COURT STREET PASTRY SHOP
Carroll gardesn Brooklyn

"THAT'S ITALIAN"  !!!!!




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MONTELEONE'S BAKERY & CAFE
Brooklyn  ... NEW YORK
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CAPUTO BAKERS CARROL GARDENS, BROOKLYN

Caputos Bake Shop, Carrol Gardens, BROOKLYN
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Thursday, June 23, 2016

Goodfellas Prison Sunday Gravy

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Excerpt From SUNDAY SAUCE  by Daniel Bellino

  Big Paulie: “Don’t put too many onions in the Sauce Vinny!” Vinny: “I didn’t Paul. I put 3 small onions, that’s all. Johnny Dio: “3 Onions? How many cans of tomatoes did you use?” Vinny:  “Two.” Johnny Dio: “That’s too many onions!” .    After the scene in The Godfather with Clemenza showing Michael how to make “Sauce,” and the construction of the Timballo in Big Night, the prison dinner scene in Goodfellas is one of the most famous of all. Johhny Dio is cooking up Steaks, as Big Paulie slices garlic razor thin and lectures Vinny on how many onions go in the “Sauce.”    Myself, I like to use a good amount of onions just like Vinny, who is played by Goodfellas director Martin Scorsese’s father Charlie. When it comes to “Gravy” aka Sunday Sauce, a.k.a., or simply “Sauce,” there are almost as many different recipes and versions as there are cooks who make them. You can make yours according to your own taste and family tradition and put more or less onions and garlic, with Pork Ribs like mine, or not, with Sausage, Meatballs, and Braciole (the most popular), or just with Sausage & Meatballs like Clemenza’s Godfather Mob War Sauce. Just make it good. Use one of the recipes in this book, as a starting point and alter it to your own taste if you like. “Basta e Mangia Bene!”   .     21336-sundaysauce-small-new-cvr   .

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Big Dogs of Italian WIne New York

   
ITALIAN WINE CULTURE NEW YORK

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Marchese Lamberto Frescobaldi 

with Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke and Marchese Leonardo Frescobaldi
in
NEW YORK


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SASSICAIA Winemaker SEBASTIANO ROSA

with Friends Daniel Bellino-Zwicke 

and GIOVANNI FOLNARI of NOZZOLE

in
NEW YORK


Marchese Piero Antinori with Writer Daniel Bellino-Zwicke in NEW YORK


Marchese Piero Antinor 

with New York Writer Daniel Bellino-Zwicke



Ferdinando Frescobaldi and Daniel Bellino Zwicke in NEW YORK



MARCHESE FERDINANDO FRESCOBALDI 

Meets With Friend DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE at BRUNELLO EVENT 

in 
NEW YORK




Daniel Bellino-Zwicke & Calvalieri Luigi Cappellini at DeGrezia Restorante NEW YORK

 
LUIGI CAPPELLINI  (L) the Proprietor of CASTELO VERRAZZANO in GREVE in CHIANTI

Meets with Friend and Wine Director of DeGrezia Restorante DANIEL BELLINO ZWIKCE 








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Count Francesco Muroni Cinzano (R) Propietor of Col D'ORCIA


Meets with DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE






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Gianpaoulo Motta and Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke


at Bottega del Vino, Verona Italy




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Antonio Rallo of Donnafugata

with Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke


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Big Dogs of Italian WIne New York

   
ITALIAN WINE CULTURE NEW YORK

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Marchese Lamberto Frescobaldi with Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke and Marchese Leonardo Frescobaldi
in
NEW YORK


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Screen Shot 2014-06-13 at 1.33.15 PM

SASSICAIA Winemaker SEBASTIANO ROSA
with Friends Daniel Bellino-Zwicke and GIOVANNI FOLNARI of NOZZOLE
in
NEW YORK


Marchese Piero Antinori with Writer Daniel Bellino-Zwicke in NEW YORK


Marchese Piero Antinor with New York Writer Daniel Bellino-Zwicke



Ferdinando Frescobaldi and Daniel Bellino Zwicke in NEW YORK



MARCHESE FERDINANDO FRESCOBALDI Meets With Friend DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE at BRUNELLO EVENT 
in 
NEW YORK




Daniel Bellino-Zwicke & Calvalieri Luigi Cappellini at DeGrezia Restorante NEW YORK

 
LUIGI CAPPELLINI  (L) the Propritor of CASTELO VERRAZZANO in GREVE in CHIANTI
Meets with Friend and Wine Director of DeGrezia Restorante DANIEL BELLINO ZWIKCE 
at DeGrezia in NEW YORK




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Count Francesco Muroni Cinzano (R) Propietor of Col D'ORCIA
Meets with DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE






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Gianpaoulo Motta & Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke
at Bottega del Vino, Verona Italy




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Antonio Rallo of Donnafugata
with Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke


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Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Worlds Best Spaghetti Vongole

 
Da MARINO

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INSALATA FRUTTA di MARE




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WORLD'S BEST SPAGHETTI VONGOLE





PIZZA con SOPRESSETA


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THIS PIZZA Was AWESOME !!! As Good as Any in NAPOLI ..
Da Marino is a wonderful Restorante Pizzeria that serves Awesome Neapolitan Food and Great Pizza as well ... It's not as famous as Pizzeria Da Michele where Julia Roberts ate Pizza in  "Eat Pray Love"
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At Da Marino with My PIZZA




I stumbled upon Da Marino one day when I was walking around Napoli looking for a good place to eat  .. I popped my head into Da Marino to see how it looked .. The place looked promising so I decide to give it a go (good move). The hostess / cashier greetedd me and told me to take a seat anywhere I liked .. I picked out a good table against the wall by the Jersey of Diego Marradonna and other players of Team Napoli Futbol Team .. A waiter came and brought me a menu. I looked over the menu of many great Neapolitan Classics and settled on he Insalata Frutta di Mare (Sefood Salad) and Spaghetti Vongole (Spaghetti with Clam Sauce). I also ordered a small carafe of Falhangina (local White Wine).
The waiter brought me me wine and I was a happy camper. I took a sip and it was absolutely marvelous, and would make a great complement to myseafood meal to come. I sat and relaxed, sipping the Falhangina and watched the the large  family Neapolitan family across from me enoying the fine Sunday Meal. The waiters kept bring them platters of food, one after the other, and I must admit I was getting a bit jealous that I wasn't a part of their great feast. They seemedto be having such a wonderful time and I just sat there sipping my wine and enjoying seeing this large Italian family having such a good time.
The waiter brought me my Frutta di Mare, and it looked absoutely spectacular. The salad was filled with Octopus (Pulpo) Calamarri, Mussels (Cozze), Shrimp, and Clams and it looked just perfect. And yes I was write from the looks of it, this Insalta Frutta di Mare was absolute perfection. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
I finished the Frutta di Mare, the my waiter brought me a plate of Spaghetti Vongole, the likes I had seen not too many times. This Vongole was like the Frutta di Mare that proceeded it "Absolute Perfection" all the clams perfecty cooked with a little Pepperoncino, Garlic, Olive Oil, parsley, and a few Cherry Tomatoes from the local soils of Mt Vesuvius. Now this was Heaven, I was in a wonderful little restorante in Naploli near The Bay of Naples eating a delicious plate of Spaghetti Vongole while drinking some tasty Falhangina.
Well I finished and made my way tho the bathroom. As I was heading there, I approached the Pizza oven and Pizzaiolo making Pizza. Dam those Pizzas looked good! I came out of the WC and was chatting with the Pizzaiolo.. We had a nice little chat and the Pizza looked so good that I couldn't resist. I wasn't planning on Pizza, and my Antipasto and Pasta were just perfect. But the Pizza looked so good, I just hadd to get one. I ordered a pizza with Sopressata. And yes, it was fantastic, and I was still in 7th Heaven in Da Marino Restroant / Pizzeria (Npales, Italy)
June 2015
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