Ciao Italia! Week 1

I  recently spent about 3 weeks in Liguria (specifically Albisola Superiore) with my good friend Barbie.  We had some great food and some not so great.  I will be showing you all the good stuff that I had during my stay. 

After 4 flights, I arrived in Nice, France, but my bag was lost by the airline.  What a great start to the trip!  I then had 2 train rides before getting into Albiosola by nightfall.  Luckily, I was not too tired to go out to eat!

NIGHT 1, 04.06.12: La Bussola (http://www.pizzeriabussola.it/)

We started with Insalata Caprese or tomatoes with mozzarella.  The tomatoes and cheese were both fresh and delicious.  I was advised to get Trofie Pesto, but since that wasn't available, Barbie suggested the Gnocchi al castelmagno e tartufo, AKA Gnocchi with truffles and castelmagno cheese.  It was rich with that cheese, but the gnocchi were nice and fluffy and the flavor of the truffles made it taste even better.  Barbie opted for Muscoli alla marinara or Mussels with tomato sauce - probably one of the best bowls of mussels I've ever had. 

    

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NIGHT 2, 04.07.12:  La Meridiana (http://www.lameridianaristocatering.it/)

I was craving a pizza and decided to get a plain mushroom.  I was surprised to see that they use canned mushrooms, but Barbie said it's always like this.  The crust was thin, but a bit chewy and crispy and cooked perfectly.  A nice little pizza - I ate the whole thing.   Barbie had the Trofie al Pesto which  has potatoes and green beans in it.  The pesto here is amazing.  Not like any other I have had anywhere.  Needless to say, I had pesto many times during my visit. 

For dessert,  I decided to try Semifreddo al Croccantino or Crunchy Nougat Glaced Cream and Barbie had the Panna Cotta with berry sauce.  Both were great - the semifreddo was pretty rich while the panna cotta was lighter. 

DAY 6, 04.11.12:  Genova  -  Locanda Spinola (http://www.locandaspinola.it/)

Genova is huge!  I could have spent several days there.  We headed over to the Aquarium this afternoon but made sure to have a nice lunch.  After walking around a bit, we stumbled upon  this place.  Our first course was a light pesto with fusilli pasta.  Next, we had carrots with butter sauce.  The carrots were super fresh, sweet and tender with little bite to it.  They were seasoned perfectly, and I wanted more!  How could something so simple be so good?  I then had a nice pan fried fish with tomatoes (not sure what type of fish this was), but it was nicely cooked with a light wine sauce.  I ended the meal with a pine nut cake (don't remember the name).  It was a little dry but tasted pretty good. 

NIGHT 6, 04.11.12:   Alibssola Marina -  Ristorante La Caravella

We decided to head over to the marina for dinner that evening and came across this nice restaurant.  I had the Trofie al Pesto which was delicious.  The combination of ingredients is nothing like the pesto you get here in the states.  It's not too heavy, but is rich in flavor and slightly creamy.   Barbie had a creamy gnocchi dish (the name escapes me), which was also delicious.  We then had plates of grilled vegetables, which  I really didn't need after the amazing pasta dish. 

 

 

 DAY 7, 04.12.12:  Portofino -  Da U Mariu Di Denaro

We headed out early with dogs in tow for the train ride to Santa Margherita and bus ride up to Portofino.  It was a lovely day and this place is beautiful.  After some exploring around the city, we decided to have lunch at one of the places right at the water meets the town.   We had a great view of the water and relaxed in the bright sun.  We started with a Caprese Salad and I opted for Spaghetti di Mare.  Our food for good but rather overpriced - you are paying for the surroundings and location in addition to the meal itself!



DAY 8, 04.13.12:  Savona - Ceci Fries!

Barbie took me to a small place in Savona this afternoon where they have fries made our of garbanzo beans (ceci in Italian).  Unfortunately, I did not get the name of the place.  I had them inside a bun with ketchup.  My goodness - they are amazing.  They are light and crispy, topped with a touch of salt.  They are not like any other I have ever had, and I need to figure out how to make these myself! 

NIGHT 8, 04.13.12:  Dinner - La Bussola

Another visit to La Bussola on the 6th night.  We had Caprese Insalata again (presented a bit differently).  I finally got the famous Trofie al Pesto that Barbie told me about.  It was as good as she said.  The combination of rich pesto, along with green beans and potatoes is not something I ever would have experienced had I not visited this region.  I could eat this at least a couple times a week if I could!   Barbie had a mushroom pizza, and we shared an order of profiteroles - 3 cream puffs topped with a rich chocolate pudding/mouse and topped with chocolate sauce.  Rich but a delicious way to end the meal. 

       

        

    

 

 



Stay tuned for more Italian culinary adventures!