Travel
El Compadre – Atascadero, California. Very good Halibut fish Tacos. Get the mango chutney version. Homemade chips as well.
Luna Red – SLO has the best gourmet tacos. We liked the pork belly, but all were good (except the eggplant). Order in two batches.
Lido at Dolphin Bay – 50% off wine on Mondays.
Blue Moon over Avila – lamb dish was very good and the Chilean Sea Bass was very tasty
We started at the Milan airport where picked up the rental car (Kajar) from Hertz. It was a warm and sunny day with beautiful scenery. It took 4 hours to get to Bolzano, we headed to Verona and then proceeded north. The views on the road from Verona to Bolzano were only a hint of what we would experience in the Dolomites. We arrived in Bolzano and to my surprise it was crowded and much more touristy than I was expecting. The hotel was a bit of a pit with a crappy bed and hard pillows. We came to Bolzano specifically to go to the Archeological Museum and to eat at In Viaggio which was jut issue its first Michelin Star this year.
In Viaggio was amazing. It was one of our top 5 meals of all time (Le Bra, Willows INN #1, Exobi and Arzak in San Sebastian). We had the 5 course meal which was really 12 courses with all the surprise courses that appeared at the table. As good as the food was the Chef was even more impressive. The restaurant is in a 17C palazzo and Chef Claudio Melis takes guests on an enjoyable gastronomic journey visiting places with a connection to the chef’s past. The dishes are skillfully prepared, but the chef is there to serve everyone and explain the significance of the food. He really seems to love what he is doing. There were 5 tables and only 12 places are served every night.
That was Saturday night, the next day was Sunday and we woke to church bells and and an antique car show outside our hotel. It was fun to see all the finally crafted Italian cars. Then we went to the Archeological Museum to see Otzi the 5,000 year old man. The museum was well done and the story of Otzi is told in a cptivating way. The actual body of Otzi is kept in a special freezer and everyone has a opportunity to take a look at the body. Very impressive museum.
From Bolzano we made our way to The Miramonti Hotel outside of Merano. The views fro the hotel were amazing. The hotel has an expansive view of the mountains and is in a fairly isolated part of the Dolomites. The rooms and the service were truly first class. The grounds had hiking trails, pools, a picturesque church and Halflinger horses. According to Wikipedia – The Haflinger, is a breed of horse developed in Austria and northern Italy during the late 19th century. Haflinger horses are relatively small, are always chestnut with flaxen mane and tail, have distinctive gaits described as energetic but smooth, and elegant.
We ate our meal ate the hotel and sat after dinner with an amaro at the fire pit. The next day we went to Lana and took the chair lift, which took a tranquil 15 minutes to get to the top of the mountain. This was the Vigiljoch /San Vigilio chair lift. At the top we were able to walk a good disytance to an old church on a hill top and there were more Haflinger horses to look at. We returned to the cable car and had a rustic lunch before heading back to the Miramont. Had New Zealand steak called Blue Ocean for dinner along with a bottle of Elena Walch’s red blend.
The next day (October 1), we left the Miramonti and headed for Ortisei in the Val Gardena. Our first stop was about 45 minutes away at Orchid museum, which was more like orchid nursery. We strolled and saw some interesting plants and then had lunch there. We left and continued the climd to Ortisei. The elevation was getting steeper and the there was a lot more signage in German. We decided to make a stop at the Alpe di Siusi funivia (cable car). It was a little cloudy and we were not sure of the vistas and we also did not know what type of weather we would have over the next few days. The funivia system is used for skiing and when we arrived at the landing after a 15 minute ride, we had many options for hiking. Joanne’s knee was giving her some trouble, she we did a small walk with the weather remained cloudy with an occasional sun break. It was a good introduction to the area, but we wished it was clearer to appreciate the vistas. After that, we drove to Ortisei and had trouble find the Adler Spa which would be home for the next 3 days. When we finally arrived we were very impressed with the hotel, which had an underground connect to a second Adler property in Ortisei. It was true Spa with everyone walking in terry robes on their way to the pool or spa treatments. We ate at the hotel every night and we were very impressed with he food and the level of the service. We actually ate 3 meals there every day. The food was excellent, with a little regional flair.
The next day, Oct 2, was cloudy and a little rainy. It turned into our Spa day and that was very relaxing. The following day (Oct. 3) was a glorious sunny day. There was not a cloud in the sky. We took the Seiser Alm cable car which in the center of Ortisei to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately, Joanne’s knee was still giving her problems. She ended up resting at the Adler hotel on the mountain. I walked on my own and took a number of pictures. The vistas were stunning. The beauty on the Dolomites is you feel very close to the mountain peaks without having to climb in elevation to get the best vistas. I hope to get back to that exact spot some day. After lunch we took the funicular Alpe Resciesa, which was at the back end of Ortisei. The ride climbs to 2,200 meters through woods and meadows with some spectacular views. We were not as impressed with the walking trails. There were a number of trails that required some hiking polls and looked like a steep climb. We headed for a flatter path and had some nice views, but I felt the morning hike was much more impressive. We also did the funicular at the end of the time and were time constrained.
We arrived in Milan on Sept. 23 and immediately went to The Plum Guide apartment in the centro. It was a short walk to the Duomo and the location was just what I was hoping for except it apartment was at the intersection of 3 tram lines. It was very noisy and waking up at 5:15 with the sensation a tram is in the living room is not what you want on your vacation. We were luckily able to find a great hotel called Room Mates, and it mad such a big difference for us. It was a fairly new hotel and they emphasized being green as part of its mission statement. We we look for other Room Mate hotels when we travel.
Our second day in Milan started with a visit to the Starbucks Coffee Roastery. It was the firs Starbucks in Italy and it was built like a museum to coffee. The Italians hated the concept of Starbucks coming to Italy, but after they saw the final product they said -“hey that’s not too bad”. Anyway we overpaid for an Americano and Cappuccino, but it was pretty tasty. We then meet the Context tour guide – Elena for our city tour. I thought she did a good job of giving us an overview of the city and she started with the Duomo. The Duomo is a Gothic style church which is stunning from the outside and a little disappointing on the inside. It was dark due to the stained window and busy with tourists. It was hard to find a peaceful spot. We went into the sub level with Elena and she laid out the history of the church and how it was built on the grounds of other churches. After the Duomo we did a quick stop at Santa Maria presso San Satiro church a stones throw from the Duomo, the tiny church of is the place where the architect Donato Bramante could unveil his talent for perspective. The architect was challenged by the narrow space squeezed between other buildings right in the centre of Milan. He resolved the problem with an amazing optical illusion transforming the small space of the presbytery, about 3 feet of space (97 centimeters), into an apse many meters deep.
You have to see it with your own eyes.
After the church we toured the grounds of the Sforzesco Castello. We just walked the grounds with Elena and finished our tour and she guided us to a restaurant in the Brera for lunch.
Giacomo Arengario http://www.giacomoarengario.com/ – Located across the piazza from the Duomo, with incredible views. We had happy hour there 3 time during our trip because we were staring right at the Duomo. The brought a lot of appetizers to go with an 18 Euro spritz! The dinner we had was decent, but not worth a return trip. It was at the end of Fashion week and the restaurant was crowded with large business groups. We split an antipasto of asparagus, flat beans and anchovies. We also split the Spaghetto with tomatoes and basil and the secondo was nice combination of beef cheeks and scallops.
Antica Trattoria della Pesa http://www.anticatrattoriadellapesa.com/ – the oldest trattoria in Milan. We had a great lunch there after we searched a bit to find the restaurant. It was an Elizabeth Minchilli recommendation. We split the Cotoletta. It was large thin piece (plenty to share), slightly breaded with no sauce. It the traditional Milanese dish and it was delicious.
Rigolo https://www.ristoranterigolo.it/en-gb/home – This is not a Milanese but a Tuscan restaurant in the middle of the Brera district. This is a classic old school restaurant with very good service. We shared a porcini flan to start, and then shared a grilled Branzino. The fish was done with simple herbs and lemon, and was very tasty.
Cantina della Vetra http://www.cantinadellavetra.it/en/ – The restaurant is about a 15 minute walk from the Duomo near the Porta Ticinese (gate to Ticino, a river in the Po Valley). We were able to eat outside and were treated to one of our best meals in Milan. We tried the Gnocchi Fritto with their fresh burrata cheese and local cold cuts. We then shared the Ossobuco with risotto. It was delicious, the risotto was not too heavy and one portion did the trick for both of us. The service was very attentive and the half bottle of Brunello was the perfect wine.
Alla Collina Pistoiese https://www.allacollinapistoiese.it/ – The restaurant is located near the Porta Ticinese and has been open since 1928 serving Tuscan style dishes. We shared the Tortelloni Meneghina which are large ravioli originating from the Maremma in Tuscany. The main course was Branzino with a side of spinacci with garlic. The service here was slow and the staff was not very attentive, and the food was just okay. There were a number of locals who brought their dogs.
Nabucco https://nabucco.it/en/ – Popular Milan restaurant in the Brera. We had a delicious meal, though the service was a little slow. It was a busy night. We shared the Fiore di Zuca (stuffed with ricotta and anchovy), followed by the Pappardelle with sausage ragu (yum), and then the Ossobuco with risotto. The ossobuco & risotto is another classic Milanese dish. The food was superb and I would highly recommend the restaurant.
Ristorante Osaka https://www.milanoosaka.com/ – We had lunch here. It was near the Sforzesco Castello. I was a nice find we were both nursing small cols and they had a number of broth options.
Officina 12 http://www.officina12.it/officina12-en.html – This restaurant is located in the Navigli canal district. The restaurant is located on the Navigli Grande and has pleasant outdoor seating and and an interesting menu. It also a bar that specializes in Gin and has at least 50 or so bottles on display. We had a nice linch consisting of caprese salad and maltagliati pasta wit pomodori and formaggio.
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Lisbon
Alma – The best restaurant of the entire 2017 trip. This a Michelin one star restaurant and the service, food and experience were all first rate. They did an interesting thing, for a small cover charge they bring you 4 small bites which were unusual and very artistic, it was well worth the small charge. As an appetizer I had squid, chickpeas, tomato confit, baby chard, in squid broth to start. Joanne had sardine, eggplant, roast peppers, bread crisps, smoked paprika mayonnaise as her starter. The main courses were grilled Iberian pork presa, banana chutney, passionfruit and onion pickle, spiced molasses jus and confit suckling piglet, sweet potato purée, pak choi, orange jus.
Montemar – Large seafood restaurant near the covered market. The meal was good but the restaurant was invaded by a bus load of 50 English tourists.
Cafe Lisboa – is one of seven other restaurant owned by the Chef at Alma. We were there on an off night, only a few diners and the food seemed like it could have been very good, but there was nothing memorable about this meal.
Porto
Abadia – Very traditional Portuguese restaurant. We went there on our first night with Jorge. Pork and veal dishes seemed to dominate the menu.
Valentim Matosinhos – This was Jorge’s favorite seafood restaurant. It is located steps away for the fish market in Porto. We had a whole sea bass and it was delicious.
Douro Valley
Quinta da Pacheca – This is a wine estate that has rooms as well as a restaurant. The drive into the gate of this quinta at night gives you a wow effect. The property is elegant and so is the restaurant. We ate dinner with Jorge at the restaurant. Dinner was a very affordable 3 course meal and each course was paired with a wine form the estate.
Quinto do Portal– This is also a wine estate and a restaurant. We toured the winery with Jorge (the winery had a very interesting cork siding on the exterior). Lunch was probably our best meal in the Douro valley.
Parma
Ristorante Cocchi – This was an Elizabeth Minchilli recommendation. The restaurant is in a hotel about 10 minutes outside the centro. This could of been a great dining experience but the restaurant was too hot. As I recall the we shared a ravioli dish with 3 different types and I had the sliced bee for the second course , which was good, but I rushed to get some fresh air.
La Degusteria Parma – This is the restaurant of the venerable La Prosciuteria, which is one of the most well know places for proscuito in Parma. The offer verticals of proscuito and parmigiano. We had 2 lunches there and both were very good.
Trattoria Del Tribunale -This was another Elizabeth Minchilli recommendation. Unfortunately were outside and there were people smoking near us which definitely impacted the taste of the food. However, Joanne had the Nodino di vitello, which is a veal chop and she enjoyed it. I had the guanciale and I have had better.
Angiol D’Or – This was our favorite restaurant in Parma. It is located right outside the Baptistry. We ate a lunch and dinner there. The food and service were great. We had melanzane parmigiana and maltagliati (typical Parma pasta where the dough is rolled and then cut into thin strips, producing noodles). We had a very nice dinner, we started with hamburger di gamberi and the gnocchetti. The secondo was a thick lamb chop and filetto di maiale.
Modena
Franceschetta 58 – sister restaurant of Osteria Francescana. We ate the smart lunch and it was delicious. I had the Emilia Burger by Massimo Bottura which was a slider that came in a typical McDonald’s type box, but it was no McDonald’s burger. The second courses were pork belly with balsamic vinegar sauce, carrot and ginger purée and sautéed spinach, and roasted octopus, cauliflowers and octopus emulsion. Yum! We returned here in 2019 and I once again started with burger and then had fussili with clams. Joanne had 2 types of zucchini with a cheese sauce for a starter and then a delicate breast of guinea fowl. This is one of our favorite places.
Locanda del Feudo – I must thank our neighbor Carolyn for suggesting the restaurant. We also stayed at the Inn before our flight to Portugal from the Bologna airport. It was one of our best meals in Italy. The service was so attentive and the chef prepares artistic food. We had gnocchi di ricotta to share, rolle di coniglio (rabbit cooked in the oven with peppers and onions), and a black pork cutlet Bologna style with pureed vegetables.
Bologna
Osteria Broccaindosso – We had 2 dinners here during our stay in Bologna in 2019 because it was that good. This is an authentic osteria in every sense. It was filled to the brim with local patrons having a great time. The menu is not that extensive, but all the pastas we tried were delicious. However, if you go, this is the place for Cotoletta. It was the best of all the Bologna restaurants. The cutlet is topped with a slice of prosciutto and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Broth and butter are then added to the pan and the dish is covered until the cheese melts. It was delicious. The cotoletta Milanese is thin, lightly breaded and they do not add the prosciutto or the cheese. The other thing we were very impressed with at the restaurant was the lasagna with bechamel sauce. It was just right, not too heavy and very tasty.
Al Sangiovese – We ate here on the 2012 trip and were lucky to stumble upon it again in 2019. The restaurant is run by a husband and wife team that immediately make you feel welcomed. The service is very attentive and the food is even better. We shared the zucchini flan, and then had the pasta (gremagn0)with sausage in a white sauce and then the Cotoletta. It was delicious.
Osteria Bartolini – This is a seafood restaurant that the guide from our walking tour highly recommended. We had 2 meals here on the 2019 trip. A dinner and Sunday lunch. At the lunch we shared delicious plate of spaghetti con vongole and then the branzino with vegetables. At the dinner we shared a whole fish, which was delicately prepared lemon and herbs and started with mix of 2 types of fried calamari.
La Capriata – terrible sevice.
Nostrano – Hands down the best restaurant in Pesaro. One star Michelin and it was evident from the service and the extras that it was worthy of the Michelin star. Modern simple interior with plenty of space for the guests. I had a delicious suckling pig and Joanne had the amberjack.
’59 Restaurant – Restaurant located in the Excelsior Hotel in Pesaro. It was surprisingly good. There were families with children in the restaurant that night, but that just added some entertainment. The food was delicious and definitely worth a second visit.
Ristorantino Primasecca – In Fano. Special seafood restaurant south of Fano and on the beach. We had a whole branzino which was delicious, but way too much food because we split a pasta as a starter. Delightful walk on the beach after lunch. Very memorable.
Alta Marea Ristorante – Our first day in Pesaro in 2017. Nice restaurant down the street for the Excelsior. We ate outside and had a large mixed fried seafood platter and a plate of the house ravioli, which really hit the spot after a day of traveling.
Andreina – In Loreto (near Recanati). Another Michilin star restaurant and we were not disappointed. The service was exceptional and the food was delicious. I started with the capriolo, which is deer meat that was very tender and continued to cook via a heated plate. Joanne had a starer called -The shrimp runs after the hare, which was a shrimp and rabbit dish artfully prepared. Main courses were Rombo (white fish) and Guinea Fowl.
La Cantina Di Ale – Hotel Palazzo Bello in Recanati – Wonderful pizza bianca and aperitif before dinner at Andreina.
La Ginestra – In Recanati – small local restaurant and the only piatto memorable was the roasted peppers!
Osteria La Guercia – In Pesaro, local cuisine, but nothing memorable other then tight seating and a lackluster menu.
Il Bacio – in Gradara right outside the castle. We had a tranquil lovely lunch in an outdoor courtyard. The food was simple, but good.
In 2026, after our Rhine River Cruise, we spent six days in Amsterdam. Joanne, recovering from a fall in Lyon, was using a cane but still managed to enjoy our time together. The city was bustling with construction projects, reinforcing bridges and areas near the canals. We toured again with Marten, learning about Amsterdam’s history during World War II. Our first au pair, Sabine, spent a day with us, bringing her son Jacob for the first time. We took the Pulitzer boat canal tour and had a delightful meal at Sebastian’s. We last saw Sabine in 2015. We also visited the Riks Museum and took a train to Rotterdam to meet Joanne’s cousin Linda and her husband, Johann. We explored Vondelpark and discovered several new restaurants. We also returned for meals at Bussia and Jansz.
In 2024, we returned to Amsterdam after our trip to Rome. We stayed at the Pulitzer, enjoying its comfort and convenient location. We dined at Bussia, trying the Asian rice table -Long Pura (one and done) and the cozy traditional Dutch restaurant, The Pantry, which offered delicious food and a charming neighborhood filled with restaurants. We made it a point to eat apple cake every day, our favorites being Winkel and New Dutch Amsterdam. We toured with Marten from With Locals, taking a wonderful walk around town and learning about Amsterdam’s rich history. We also visited the Van Gogh Museum to see an exhibit on the Impressionists.
Restaurant Bussia – Our favorite restaurant in 2015. Near hotel in the 9 block corridor. The restaurant served Italian food with a French influence. This is accompanied by an impressive choice of fine Italian wines. The food was well prepared with great service. We missed this restaurant in 2017, but made it back in 2019. We had a very personable Italian waiter who carried on a conversation with us in Italian. The meal was delicious; they are starting to get a little more upscale, there were several waiters serving the dinners, and a few starters magically appear at your table which are artistically created. We had a burrata, tomato and beet salad to start, I had the gnocchi with black truffles; Joanne had beef ravioli. We each had different shared entrees, one beef and one fish. All were paired with Italian wines. This is still our favorite place in Amsterdam. We returned in 2026 and were not disappointed. We cauliflower salad, lamb ravioli and veal loin. The owner was very nice and gave us limoncello to finish the meal.
Lucius – Seafood restaurant. We ate there our first night in 2017. It was good seafood, but we can get better seafood in Seattle.
La Oliva Pintxos y Vinos – Ate there with Sabine and her 2 daughters. Very nice restaurant and atmosphere. Great selection of pintxos and some tasty dishes are served as well.
Nooch – Nice Asian restaurant near hotel that delicately fuses modern Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian and Thai kitchens. There were a nice variety of dishes with different spice levels. In 2017 we visited Nooch 3 times. We had two lunches there and dinner with Joanne’s cousin Linda and Johan. In 2019 we found the popularity of this restaurant is growing. We had a nice meal here, but the place was packed.
Jun – Ate dinner here our first night back in Amsterdam in 2017. It is an Indonesian rice table restaurant. The food was very good. I started with delicious chicken soup and then they brought small portions of food paired with rice. Nice experience.
da Silveren Spiegel This restaurant was recommended by the concierge at the Pulitzer. It was on the edge of the red light district in a historic canal house. The meal was good and worth going back but they seemed to try too hard to create unique dishes such as the starters which were; mushroom pastry puff, chicken liver w/chocolate, and onion bob bon. The main meal was 4 course – Dutch trout, vegetable flan, partridge (Joanne), aged steak (Rob), and stewed pear for dessert. The setting was great, and the food was worth another try.
De Belhamel – Ate there for the first time in 2026. Located in the Jordaan between two of Amsterdam’s most beautiful canals, the Brouwersgracht (“Brewers’ canal”) and the Herengracht (“Gentlemen’s canal”). It is one of the city’s prettiest spots, and only a 10 minute walk from the hotel. We ate gnocchi with morels and sirloin steak with mashed potatoes. It was very good.
Roux – Ate there in 2026 for the first time. It was suggested by the Pulitzer concierge. The service was warm and attentive and the food was creative, and high-quality with a bit of a flair. I enjoyed it thoroughly but Joanne thought it was a little too fancy.
Black and Blue – Ate there for the first time in 2026. It is very close to the hotel. We enjoyed a pleasant meal with good service. They are known for steak which I had and Joanne had the guinea fowl.
Sebastian – Ate there twice in 2026. It is very close to the hotel. We had a pizza and salad lunch and later we had diner there with Sabine and Jacob. We had nice service and surprisingly good carbonara.
Van Puffelen – Down the block for the hotel. A great option for lunch.
Jansz – This is the restaurant at the Pulitzer and it is very good. Very nice setting and certainly convenient. We ate here in 2017, 2019, and 2026.
Blue – this is a sleek, glass-fronted cafe & bar at the top of a modern shopping complex, for panoramic city views which cannot be beat. We had a nice lunch here in 2019 and got to watch a rain storm rollin and move out. A must stop on our next trip (found on Pinterest).
Buffet van Odette – We had a lovely lunch outside in 2019. We were on our way to a museum and the concierge recommended this restaurant.
Look into: Toscanini, L’invite, Carsten’s, Foodism, Gerb Hartering, Cafe De Klepel, Kaagman & Kortekaas (Lunch)
Spello
La Cantina – In 2015 ate there twice. Very authentic food, great service and affordable wine list. We saw some of the best dressed people in Italy in the restaurant. We ventured back in 2017 and had another delicious meal. Joanne had Farro salad followed by Agnello Scottadito. I had Parmigianna di Melanzana and Tagliata di Manzo. 🙂 We ate there twice in 2018. The first time we shared the parmigiana flan and the piccione pate(excellent). I had the guanciale cheeks for dinner and Joanne had the lamb. Same waiter from last year. The second time we split three courses: -eggplant parmigiana, Ravioli with zucchini pesto, and the lamb dish Joanne had a few nights earlier, cubed lamb with tomatoes and olives. Very good. Think it is our 5th time there.
Ristorante Il Pinturicchio Had dinner and Sunday lunch in 2016. It was fun people watching on Sunday. Sunday lunch is a big thing in Spello. We returned with Judy in 2018. Joanne and I shared an eggplant flan, I had the sliced steak (a little tough), and Joanne had a huge lamb dish which she enjoyed..
Enoteca Properzio Roberto is the proprietor and he served a small multi course meal to be paired with his wines on our first visit in 2015. He is able to get unique wines and his shipping prices are reasonable. We returned in 2017 and were treated royally. We started with bruschetta with the olive oil pressing and then the wines poured freely. Roberto is the exclusive distributor for Tili and they make incredible wines. We tried at least six wines and were treated to pasta with black truffles. I was drunk enough to bring home 3 cases of wine! We returned in 2018 for 5 days and stayed at one of Roberto’s apartments. It was an incredible time. He was very generous with us. Dinner the first night was at Enoteca Properzi. Bruscheta, pasta with white truffles, eggplant parmigiana and manzo polpette. Yes way too much food. We tried the Pinot Nero fro Fendi and the Sleeping Beauty from Arnaldo Caprai. Roberto also set us up with a tour at Caprai, where we met Elinora who lived in Seattle for 10 years.
Ristorant Locanda del Postiglione – It was on Via Roma in the main piazza at the base of the town. We ate there in 2018 based on Roberto’s recommendation. Great service, we split a pasta with truffles and herbs, and we had a grilled rolled maiale. The food was good and we could not believe that it took us 3 years to eat there. Obviously a popular place with the locals.
Ristorante Porta Venere – Our first dinner in Spello in 2017. To be fair it was a light dinner we had eaten at Enoteca Properzio. Worth another visit from what we ate. Roberto does not like this place!!!!!
Ristorante il Molino – Grilled meats over charcoal. 2015 first night in Spello. The waiter was nice but needed a shower.
Gubbio – Ristorante Picchio Verde – after our tour of Gubbio with we had a lovely lunch here.
Spoleto – Trattoria Del Festival – Really nice lunch during our walking tour of Spoleto. The brought us a so-called “souvenir” after we had already ordered which was a complete pasta starter, then we had the pasta started we ordered to share and then a secondo. It was a lot of food but all good. We returned in 2018 with our guide Marco. We had an antipasto plate of local Umbrian goods. We ate gnocchi with local tomato sauce, it was full of herbs. They also brought us some delicious beans in chicken broth on the house. The portions are large and something always appears on the table out of the blue such as the beans and cookies for desert.
Assissi –Nuova Osteria La Piazzetta – Best lunch of 2015.Via S. Gabriele dell’Addolorata, 15, Assisi. Phone:+39 075 815352
Bevagna – Osteria Antiche Sere – We had a nice lunch here. Joanne had the rabbit. Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi, 10, Bevagna +39 0742 361938. In 2018 we had porchetta from the famous truck ousside the gates. Non vale la pena.
Todi – La Mulinella -In 2018 on our wat from Orvieto to Spello we stopped outside of Todi and ate at La Mulinella. Rustic, stone farm-house decor and incredible food. Homemade cheese bread to start and we shared the Umbreccilli di Casa which was a rich tomato sauce. We also shared the rolled cinghiali with porcini, it was ridiculously good. Great find!
Montefalco – Coccorone – Very enjoyable lunch in 2018. We share the eggplant with zucchini flowers, and then the lasagna with white sauce and more eggplant. We then went to tou the Arnaldo Caprai winery.
Orvieto
I Sette Consoli – Returned in 2018 for the deconstructed eggplant parmigiana, it was different but still good. We followed with another appetizer of ricotta and chicory balls in a tomato sauce. It worked. Joanne had a slow cooked veal dish that was very tasty, I had the deboned quail stuffed with fois gras. It was very good. The restaurant was not as vibrant as previous years.
Altarocca Wine Resort wine tour and lunch at Altarocca in 2018. Lunch was very good – multi-course meal that started with ravioli with rabbit, pasta with sugo di anatra, and rack of lamb. Light white was the best white, and the 100% Merlot the best red. Wine is still not top notch.
Trattoria La Palomba -This restaurant is the best of Orvieto lists. It is a small family operation, I had umbrecelli pasta with truffles, and the filetto with truffles. Joanne had the cinghiale stew, which seemed good. It is small, crowded and very local. I remember it being too hot to enjoy my meal (2018).
Il Cocco – Dinner started slow, but ended fine. I shared the Umbrecelli all’amatriciana with Joanne and had the Osso Bucco, which was tender and tasty. Joanne had the cinghiale with prunes. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano for the wine. Linda Owen recommendation. They treated us well, even though the service was slow.
ALBA
Dulcis Vita -Fantastic Truffle Dinner – great chef. Second trip in 2014. with David and Katherine was a lot of dun. Known for their truffle dishes. Luxurious, white jacket service.
La Bottega Del Vocoletto -Via Bertero, 6, +39 0173 363196. Small rest with great food and service (and big tables). Very attentive service. First night of the 2014 trip.
OsteriaDell Arco – Restaurant committed to slow cooking. The food was good, but the service was a little stuffy.
Eno Club – shares entrance with Caffe Umberto. REstaurant is downstairs in a restored building, and cave like setting. Very good truffle dinner.
Trattoria Pane e Vino – in Cherasco about 45 minutes from the Contratto Champagne Cellar. Very nice Osteria. .
Osteria Scaccipensieri in Canelli and five minute walk from the Contratto Champagne Cellar. Owner/chef very personal. Ate lunch there in 2014 -with D&K. DAvid said it was the best truffle meal of the trip.
Barolo
Osteria La Cantinella di Cravero Nella -Had Lunch there with David and Katherine in 2014.
Ovada
Ristorante Archivolto Osteria – Ate here twice – known for their Chianina beef. Could be the best in Italy. Piazza Garibaldi 25-26
Ristorante Grotta Di Ravera Marco – Good place for lunch. Via S. Sebastiano 15, 15076 Ovada, Italy
Il Campanile Ristorante, Ovada, in Piazza Garibaldi, 29. Branzino whole fish for lunch.
Paris
La Cordonnerrie – Our favorite restaurant. It’s near the Hotel Regina.Simple family style cooking but the chef is personable and attentive. We sat in the Kitchen and had the chefs attention all night long.Have eaten there twice.
Drouant by Antione Westermann – Love this place – near the Hotel Regina for a special night out restaurant. Expensive, fancy and excellent food and service. They have the 4 selections plates for apps and desert. We have been there twice.
Aux Lyonnais -Alain Ducasse restaurant dedicated to the authenticity of the Lyonnaise. Friendly and helpful staff, French comfort food and a reasonable wine list. Also not a “touristy” place, everyone at the restaurant appeared to be locals.
Restaurant LE CHARDENOUX DES PRES -This is the bistro version of Cyril Lignac’s starred restaurant. I had the croque-monsieur to start. The food was good, but they rushing to get us out and I assume turn the table over, which is so unlike Paris.
Il Forno Di Napoli – Best pizza in Paris, maybe even Italy.
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