Sunday, October 9, 2016

Eating light

 

October 9, 2016— 

LUNCH SEASIDE today, having left Genoa for the drive on toward La Spezia. The six of us sat on a terrace with a fine view out over the Mediterranean, the sun generally warming us as we watched lowering rain clouds far out to sea. 


I had trofie al pesto, twisted dense little forms of pasta cleverly engineered to old the deep green sauce, and a delicious if commercial tiramisu, the genoise-style cake merging effortlessly with the pastry cream. Another perfectly ordinary, completely rewarding light meal.


Vermentino, Da Castello "Cambara" (Sardegna), vintage? 

(DNA analysis tells us that Ligurian Pigato, Piemontese Favorita, and universal Vermentino are all the same grape — but it responds readily and differently to specific terroir, which I'm told is now considered overhyped. This was cool, refreshing, light.

New Chandra Bar-Restaurant, Passegiata Anita Garibaldi 26r, Nervi

 

DINNER: AFTER strolling La Spezia's main street in search of that rare thing, a restaurant open in Italy on Sunday night, and resting with a Negroni in a little bar across the street, we settled in at a big pizzeria, almost nine o'clock. There's no bread, the waitress apologized, then brought delicious pizza-dough flatbreads hot from the oven. I had scallopini Milanese; my companion had tortellini in brodo, and we were content.

White wine in carafe

Ristorante Pizzeria da Sandro, Via del Prione 268, La Spezia


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