Aroma Cucina

Le Logge Ristorante, Citta di Castello

La Logge is tucked away in the atrium building off the main piazza in Citta di Castello, and they have quietly been developing a fine restaurant. We’ve gone a number of times now and have impressed with their creative menu, execution, presentation and obvious love of what they do. 

The three young proprietors have created a chic, modern and inviting space housed inside a gracious vaulted ceiling dining room. Now that the cold weather is upon us, a very warm crackling fire welcomes the hungry diner.   The wine list is a careful selection of Umrian wines and a few choice regional Italian wines. And by choice, I don’t just mean expensive, I mean they are good choices.

Recently the fall menu included a number of white tartufo selections, and even though this is not a good truffle year in Umbria, their truffles were pungent and delicious. Memories of their steak covered in white truffles will sustain me through a long truffle-less winter in New York. And just for the record, a salad with truffles isn't bad either!

Last Saturday night was the one year anniversary party for Le Logge and we were happy to be there as the good food, good wine and good cheer flowed. Photos of everyone gnawing away at  fabulous bistecca will be kept private!

So, to Arlind, Natascia and Michele: Auguri!! Complimenti! E ci vediamo nella primavera!

Le Logge Ristorante

Piazza Matteotti (Logge Bufalini)

Citta di Castello, PG

Tel: 075-864-2304

info@ristorantelelogge.com

Goings on in the Upper Tiber Valley: Montone, Umbertide, Sagrantino

It’s time for a local news update:

Weather report: still cool. We’ve actually had a good, steady rain, which is a blessing because everything was tinderbox dry. It was looking more like an African savannah than the green heart of Italy.  I’m crossing my fingers that this rain will bring porcini mushrooms; it’s been 2 or 3 years since we’ve had the right combination of rain, followed by the warm weather that is necessary to get these ‘shrooms to sprout.

Vendammia (grape harvest) is under way and this weekend is the big Sagrantino release and festival. Montefalco, here we come!

The Montone piazza is still ripped up! Originally we thought it was to fix the water problems, but no, it seems some of the stones in front of the tabaccheria and the hairdressing shop need to be replaced. The Aries bar has no outdoor seating except the front porch, the old guy’s eternal card game has had to move indoors and town just feels unsettled.

There is huge screen set up right down the middle of the piazza, and for over 10 days now, Martina and the tabaccheria are behind the screen, along with very noisy stonecutting machines. We’re thinking this may not have improved her usual good mood.  Stone cutting begins promptly at 7:00 am. This was supposed to be a quick fix project, but no one is taking bets on when it will be finished.

Umbertide had their Ottocento festa over the weekend and it was a rousing good time. Forgoing the whole medieval theme, Fratta (the original name of Umbertide) has embraced the roaring 1800’s. It is a festival in every sense of the word: lavish tavernas done up as genteel parlor rooms, can can girls, dance performances, jugglers, ragazzi running in the streets with bayoneted rifles, spectacularly bad wine, incredibly good home digestivi. We sampled basil, erbe and Indian fig, and all were outstanding. Oh, yes, and did I mention the ring toss around the salami game? There was a large, erect salami, and if you got the ring around it, you took the salami home. Fun for the whole family! We went home tired, with sore feet, and big smiles. I love this festa!

Figs are in season and I have eaten too many of them. There are still good peaches to be had. Tomatoes are winding down.

Getting a pizza on a Monday night was even harder than usual. It took four tries before we found a pizza last night! Franco is always closed on Monday, Nestors is on ferie, Old Café was closed…we finally wound up at Habanera’s in Umbertide. Pizza Guru was beside himself as he led us on this pizza pilgrimage. Habanera’s deserves to be fourth on the list, but we still managed to have a good time.

And that’s the news.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Classic: Locanda al Gambero Rosso

New is not always better. Sometimes there is a very good reason for a classic dish to be classic. Sometimes trendy doesn’t satisfy and sometimes you can simply be blown away by a combination of good service, good wine and outstanding food.

We went to Locanda al Gambero Rosso a few years ago and had a sublime evening and for no particular reason, we haven’t been back since. Just over the border, in Emilia Romagna, it’s about a 40 minute drive from Montone, and it is beyond a doubt worth the drive.

There is nothing pretentious, stuffy or trendy to be found here, even though it could be. It isn’t even expensive, although they could charge more. Maybe the décor could use a little update, maybe its absolutely perfect the way it is.  Who can find fault with local dishes served with utmost respect and top notch ingredients?

We arrived early (by Italian standards), but it’s a Saturday night, and we don’t have reservations, so we’re a little worried. But, the smiling Guiliana congratulates us on getting the last available table and our worries disappear.  We’re scruffy from a day of adventures, but Guiliana welcomed us and made us comfortable right away.

A treat arrives within moments: a chilled panzanella salad with some exquisite shreds of house made pickled zucchini.

As we lick that plate clean and settle in with a spectacular and very reasonably priced bottle of wine: La Terrazze, a Rosso Conero; another treat arrives.  This time it’s a small bowl of ‘fricassee’, or stewed tomatoes, onions and eggs. Jeff declares he would like it served in a baby bottle and he would be quite content to just take sips all day long. I suppose that is what you would call nurturing food.

The dark, nearly black, wine is soft and fruity and works so very well with the carpaccio covered in summer truffles. Carpaccio and truffles being one of the world’s great, underused combinations.

Once again, we made the Pasta Pact and we share two entirely different pastas: a creamy, decadent truffled lasagna and strongoprezzi with ‘erbe’. “Erbe” is sort of a catch all word for stewed bitter greens. We’re still debating which was better, and I doubt there will be a clear winner.

No Pact was made for secondi, and I was happy because I didn’t really want to share my stuffed rabbit. Jeff was equally content to just give me a nibble of his roasted pigeon. Each dish came with about four different vegetable bits that could have been a star in their own right.

We actually even opted for desert, something we almost never do. I tried the local dish “lattiolo’, which is a dense, eggy custard and Jeff had a simple crema catalana. Even dessert came with a little treat: a small pot of yogurt mixed with homemade berry marmellata.

We could not have been a happier, more satisfied couple and we are completely mystified why we haven’t been back sooner. We are already plotting our return. 

My apologies for the lousy photos, they don’t do the food justice, but I don’t like whipping out my big camera in an intimate dining setting, so I guess you’ll just have to go and eat there yourself.

Locanda al Gambero Rosso - via G. Verdi, 5 - 47021 Bagno di Romagna loc. S. Piero (FC) - tel e fax +39 0543 903405

 

 

Inspiration: Osteria Piazzetta Dell’Erba

Getting out of Dodge over the weekend was inspiring. It refreshes me to walk out of the kitchen and do something totally unrelated to food, things like look at an ironworkers competition or ride a bike.  It also forces us to eat out, something we don’t get around to doing that much.

After Sunday’s very beautiful and satisfying lunch at Osteria Piazzetta Dell’Erba in Assisi, I’m thinking about pasta sauces in a different way. The Osteria is a chic little restaurant, slightly off the main tourist streets, where they take the classics and put a nice little spin on them. Situated in a tiny piazzetta, with large sun umbrellas and a view down a quaint and quiet street, its a little gem.

The antipasto was a quartet of intriguing flavors: a delicious melted tomino cheese, prosciutto served with small, crisp bits of watermelon, precisely cut rings of mozzarella sandwiched bits of sun dried tomatoes, and a bresola with a thin yogurt like sauce and peaches. The only off note was the too firm peaches, but the prosciutto and watermelon worked like a charm playing the sweet and crunchy fruit off of the soft and salty proscuitto.

Jeff and I made our pasta pact: we share halfway.  The pasta pact rules include: you must agree to the split prior to it being served to you, no matter what, you split down the middle and share, no backsies.  We shared a red, radicchio stuffed ravioli with pancetta and asparagus, and a tagliarini with a unique pesto sauce. Unique because it was deconstructed; rather than mush up all the ingredients, it seemed as if only the basil and oil had been combined, but the nuts, cheese and fresh tomato had obviously been tossed in at the last moment. It was delicious, with the different tastes and textures of each ingredient being very distinct. They had a deconstructed amatriciana (pancetta and tomato based sauce) on the menu, but I couldn’t talk Pact Man into trying it. Oh well. The idea of tossing fresh tomatoes and crispy pancetta in with oil softened onions sounds pretty good to me, so I guess I’ll have to deconstruct on my own. 

The red tinged ravioli, stuffed with radiccio and ricotta was lovely, and I haven't seen or tasted any asparagus in months, so that was a treat, but it was as inspiring as the pesto.

Another intriguing pasta combination was zucchini and summer truffles; not something I would instinctively put together, but the scent coming from the table next to us makes me think this is also something to try.

The only disappointment was the wine list, which we both felt was over-priced, but I suppose that is to be expected in such a tourist rich town.

Assisi is full of ‘menu touristico’ type restaurants and trattorias so it was refreshing to find a restaurant that is clearly a cut above the usuals.

Osteria Piazzetta dell’Erba

Via S. Gabriele dell’Addolorata

06081 Assisi (PG)

Tel: 075/815352           

Thumbs Up from the Pizza Guru

We were nervous. Our reputation was on the line. But, the intrepid Pizza Guru needed to taste the pizza at Triangolo, so we met him at a designated parking lot and set out on our venture to find a truly good pizza.

Set deep in the Carpini valley, the mysterious town of Pietralunga seems an inauspicious place for a pizza worthy of consideration.  The omens were not looking good when we arrived. No table outside, so we awkwardly camped around an indoor table facing the TV screen, when lo and behold a table outside became available. Pizza Guru has a six sense about these things and he was ON that table before we knew what happened.

The table was reset and we explored different uses for the little paper bag that is used to hold the napkin and silverware. This is a weird phenomenon that happens around here, your silverware gets put into a totally useless little bag.  Does this happen anywhere else, or is there a powerful silverware paper bag cartel operating in Umbria?

As our mixed antipasto plate was put in front of us, the next bad omen occurred. Pizza Guru’s fork was so flimsy it bent at the touch of salami. While I wondered about Pizza Guru’s strange powers, he was waxing on about a pizza place near Lago Trasimeno that has the most perfect pizza knife; it has a serrated angled tip that just slices right through crust.

 

And now for the moment of truth.  His pizza arrived and I tried not to look, or be too anxious. But after a few bites, Pizza Guru set down his fork, looked around and pronounced, “This is a fine pizza.”  Whew. It’s a serious business, this eternal search for goodness. We must respect the pizza.

 

Renegade Paul threw all caution to the winds and ordered the “Doppio” pizza… behold its awesomeness, covered in anchovy and caper cream. It just blows a purist's mind. 

And as for the gelato place next door? I had a fig and walnut gelato that truly rocked. Mitch, are you paying attention? Fig and walnut. The walnuts were in syrup, the figs were fresh. It sent shivers to my core.

N.B. Confidentiality agreement prevents us from posting any actual photos of the Pizza Guru.