Italophilia, a fellow blogger recently said,
“Today is just one of those days when I am terribly terribly missing Italy. Troppo ?
You might think and say, “when do you not”?? Well…okay.. you could be almost right there but today is not that daily “I wish I were in Italy sipping a glass of vino in my favorite piazza” feeling that is lost in the humdrum of life and its drama. So yes this one is different.
I just want to be there right now, to listen to the sounds of the Italian language, to gorge on the delicious food (not just pizza and pasta), to enjoy the warmth of its people, to savour the varieties of wine…. Its such an ache, a longing to be amongst the familiar yet unknown territories.”
That’s just how I was feeling this day…. well I actually feel like this many days throughout the year, but this day I was particularly feeling it. Hubby and I were running a massive amount of errands and we stopped by a fellow amici’s home who recommended we visit Enzo’s Caffe Italiano. And we are so glad we did. Thanks Kerry-Lynne!
It was one of those “let out a deep breath, you are loved, and being taken care of” experiences. Enzo greeted us at the door of his quaint restaurant with a huge smile and enthusiasm, as if we were long lost relatives who stopped in for Sunday dinner. We immediately felt comfortable and “as if” we were in a local hangout in a small Italian village.
We started with a glass of wine, of course. I’d like to show you a picture of the full basket of beautiful homemade bread, but it was devoured before I could get the camera out. Literally!
We were thrilled Enzo had Primitivo wine. Last year we picked those grapes in a vineyard in Mandura so it was very special to be drinking these grapes today. Just think, this bottle of wine could be made with grapes we picked!
Our appetizer/salad was Adriatica Burrata. It was beautifully displayed and the flavors of the vegetables married nicely (celery, red onion, tomato, sweet peppers, burrata, and organic arugula).
Sugo Barese With Meat was the dish Dick chose for lunch. It was served with a traditional red sauce from Bari made with chunks of goat, beef, and pork, slowly cooked and served on top of rigatoni. I was offered a bite and I took it! Delicious!
I forgot the name of the lunch dish I chose. Ugh! It was a special of the day and sounded so good, I just went for it. Ingredients were broccoli rabe, fettuccini, and prochetta (I think). The portion was a generous size and enough for two meals for me.
A little more wine, visiting with people in neighboring tables, discussing dessert choices with Enzo, and throwing back a sip of Enzo’s homemade limoncello, made two hours fly by.
Well we didn’t make it to Italy in September as planned, but we did spend a delightful afternoon eating Italian food, drinking Italian wine and enjoying each other’s company.