UNTITLED STORY
David had a golf tournament at stately Villa Condulmar, near Salzano, so we drove northeast a day before the competition. We were staying at Terra Ferma Rooms&More (their spelling) on Via Alcide De Gasperi, though we never knew what “more” was. The place is new and modern, but facing the street meant keeping the window closed. The breakfast was ample, but quirky. Bread options were low quality … the sweets were fancy cakes and generic, store-bought cookies and Haribo-like candy. Happily, there was plain, full-fat yogurt, nuts, and fresh fruit to eat with my cappuccino.
We weren’t here for sightseeing, and (shhh) the wetlands of the Veneto offer less interesting vistas than the gentle rolling hills of Tuscany and Umbria, the majestic mountains of Trentino-Alto Adige and Valle D’Aosta. We made a brief stop at the local Coop for our traditional supermarket tourism, but we did nothing photo-worthy. But eat, we did.
Lunch found us at JIN SUSHI, on Via Circonvallazione … an all-you-can-eat sushi via tablet eatery. The waitress was very helpful (unlike some staff at these touchscreen places). Sashimi … nigiri … maki … chirashi … temaki; the usual suspects were very good. Not on the Japanese scale of spectacular, but judged on our Italian rating system. Coop — skip … Esselunga — yes to salmon choices, think twice about others … Conad — good.
Come nightfall, we were walking to a restaurant that locals said was “5, al massimo a 10 minute walk.” After 20 minutes … with no businesses, let alone restaurants in sight along this stretch of street … we stopped in front of RISTORANTE PORCA VACCCA!, on Via Roma, to re-evaluate, recalibrate, reconsider. We looked at the menu, and went inside. For the record, we had already walked over a mile.
Shared courses created our very good dinner. Our antipasto was fassona tartar … our favorite beef (sorry/not sorry Chiannina). This breed from Piedmont is always tender and flavorful. David ordered a glass of red wine.
Tenuta Ottella Lugano, a white wine we really enjoy, was our mismatched pairing for the rest of our meal. It’s a wine we learned about and learned to love along the Adriatic coast, and Lugano in general isn’t on many menus.
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The primo of gnocchi with asparagus, mascarpone, and pancetta was terrific … with both white and green spears. NIcely creamy, nicely porky, nicely vegetal. It’s a seasonal combination worth recreating at home.
Our secondo was grilled lamb chops. The four slim cutlets were over-cooked … and The Linda, a lover of al sangue red meats, insisted they be re-done. They were yummy and juicy when properly undercooked.
We shared a tiramisù … a nice version where the layers of this classic can be seen, appreciated, enjoyed.
The next night’s dinner was at a fan favorite … PIZZALUNGO DA PINO, on Via Don G. Bosco (in Mogliano Veneto). We had discovered it several years ago, during the bleak era in our area where there was no real, authentic Napolitano pizza (just the thin/crispy pretender that locals apparently preferred).
We ordered half a meter, which meant two toppings. Both red sauces, one was asparagus and speck … the other, asparagus and fried egg. It was as good as we remembered, with puffy, toothsome crust cradling tasting toppings. We had leftovers for our picnic when we arrived in Venice.
Dessert was Lindt chocolate we bought at the Coop.
MATCHA AFFOGATA
A variation on the classic dessert traditionally made with espresso.
Fiore di latte gelato
Hot matcha
- Place a scoop or 2 of gelato into individual bowls.
- Spoon hot matcha over the gelato.
- Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
