Did I Mention the Food?

In Sorrento, we were treated to daily to a fabulous breakfast buffet. My favorite item was the tomatoes with basil, which were incredibly sweet and flavorful. Jess was never without the fingerling potatoes, which were in the same pan as the European style bacon and absorbed some of those flavors. Overall, the flavors were simple but good, an approach that seems to be consistent in Italy.

Thus far, Jess has opted for caprese salads (tomato, basil, mozzarella) whenever possible and has become a connoisseur of the dish. Her favorite thus far was in Sorrento has was a half tomato that had been cut such that it held together at the base but opened like a flower. Diced mozzarella and basil had been sprinkled across the top and then lightly drizzles with olive oil. It was fantastic. In fact, as a rule, the tomatoes here are always tremendous. Once or twice the caprese has fallen flat, but she usually rectifies the situation by adding salt and pepper and then drizzling the plate with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Today she went for the caprese panini on focaccia, which was another winner.

In order to keep trip costs down, we've stopped by markets and bought our own supply of smoked mozzarella, salami, crostini, and other snacks. Most importantly, we also discovered the Charles Shaw of Italy, a wine in a carton and have kept that stocked as well (photo below) It's not good, but it's not bad either. It is refreshing, though, after walking the city.

No trip to Italy would be complete without Gelato. We've been three times thus far and sampled flavors such as toasted banana, raspberry, lime, ginger, and orange creme. All were very good. We did visit one gelato shop in Florence listed as the best ice creme in the world according to one of our guidebooks. It seemed a sizable claim to make, but they may have earned the distinction. We'll be going back (hopefully daily) while here.

Jess has had a worse luck than I when it comes to ordering food. Both a spaghetti with meatballs and a fettucini alfredo dish came with a lack of flavor. The Sorrento dishes generally were lightly sauced and had a minimum dose of salt, both crimes deserving of death sentences in Jessica's book. Even though I prefer lightly salted dishes, I still agreed that the spaghetti in particular tasted like a college student's first try using canned tomato sauce and nothing else to season the pasta. With the spaghetti, the waiter did ask in a typical Italian accent, "You no like my spaghetti?" Jess feigned being full and left still somewhat content given the perfect caprese starter.

On the other hand, I've made out well on the food front. My first meal, spaghetti and clams from the hotel restaurant, was very good and had more clams than I knew what to do with. A few days later I followed the theme with linguini ai frutti di mare and was again rewarded with a flavorful dish well stocked with the sea's finest delicacies. With the second dish, we were sitting outside in a cute alleyway that belongs on a postcard, and the meal would have been perfect save for the spaghetti fiasco. Luckily we were rewarded for our continued efforts in Florence (photo of Osteria del Porrellino below) with a series of solid dishes in a wonderful atmosphere that made us feel like we had finally found the Italy everyone talks about.

Ciao, and here's to gastronomical exploration!