Ever on the lookout for ethnic food being available locally we were pleased to find a shop in Pesaro, managed by a Japanese couple, which apart from stocking spices etc for indian and oriental food also stocks English stables such as porridge and even Marmite.
Then we were told that a local supermarket (A&O) were stocking some Scottish ethnic food including Walkers shortbread and Scottish jams and marmelades. Reasons for going home get even less.
Being somewhat fickle in relation to drinks we have dropped Barneys Brew as our favourite cocktail and moved our affections to the Mauna Lani Mule. The mule is a cocktail created in the 1940s and was made from vodka, lime and ginger ale. The hotel here has come up with its own version:
1.5 fl oz of vodka
1 fl oz of lime juice
1 fl oz of sugar water
1 teaspoon of ginger puree
soda according to taste.
Shake, strain and pour over ice. Garnish with lime. Delicious.
In a cafe for lunch Bill happened to see a non-alcholic cocktail called the Roy Rogers. It was a mixture of Coca Cola and Cherryade. It was awful. If he had asked for it with Sprite instead of Coke then it would have been a Shirley Temple.
In the evening we returned, as promised, to the Taberna Mexican restaurant where Bryan the barman made me the basil based cocktail. It was, as he had said, delicious and he very kindly gave us the recipe:
Take 6 large, torn basil leaves and in a pestle and mortar “muddle” them i.e. grind. Add them to a cocktail shaker and add 2.5 fluid oz of gin, 1 fluid oz of simple syrup (see below) and 2 fluid oz of fresh grapefruit juice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with basil leave.
(sugar water: equal quantities of sugar and water. Boil the water and add to the sugar. Stir until dissolved. Cool and keep in fridge until needed)
The Giometti multiplex cinema in Fano has been taken over by UCI (United Cinemas International). This forms part of the Odeon/United Cinemas Internation group. The films remain the same but a few changes have been noted. They appear to have stopped selling coffee in the foyer. The last time few times we went they have introduced the trolley being brought into the cinemas during the interval. As all films in Italy come with an interval this is an ideal selling opportunity but most italians still prefer to go out for a fag and buy something in the foyer.
Last Wednesday we went to see the film Contagion and noticed that the foyer shop was not particularly well stocked - certainly looked as if the old stock was being run down. However, there was a large pallet with boxes of sweets waiting to be put on the shelves. Among the boxes were Maltesers. I have looked for these before but haven’t seen them, not even in supermarkets. I want them so I can make a very simple but very delicious dessert - malteser ice cream cake. A dessert first given to us by Bill’s niece Sam. We were very impressed until she told us the recipe - allow some vanilla ice cream to soften, add crushed maltesers, refreeze. Now I can make this anytime and all it will take is a visit to the cinema.
Last week three of us (Bill, Michael and I) went to a new restaurant in Fossombrone. It’s called the Osteria dell Vipera and is found at the far end of the main street in Fossombrone. The entrance is a small bar area which leads into the main room which is bright and welcoming. (There is, apparently, another room upstairs and so there should be no problem getting a table). We had a plate of “antipasti della vipera” to start. It was meant for 2 people but was sufficient for 3. There was a good mix of cold meats, grilled vegetables and cheeses. For the main course I had a Ravioli stuffed with asparagus, Bill had a green pepper steak and Michael had a tagliata. All three were good. We passed on dessert although the lemon and almond tart looked very appetising. We had been going to order a bottle of house red but the owner recommended, for a couple of extra euros, a bottle from a local vineyard near Stacciola which turned out to be very good. Coffee to finish and a bill for 26 euros a head. Certainly a place I would go back to.
Osteria della Vipera
61034 Fossombrone
0721 714181
Closed on Mondays
After the visit to Monte Petrano we decided to go to Cantiano for lunch. It’s only a few kilometres from Cagli and in the Blue Guide to the Marche the restaurant “Tenetra” was mentioned. When we arrived the Tenetra was fully booked and a rather unhelpful waiter let us know that there was a small place nearby called “Locanda del Brolio”. It was only about a hundred yards fron the Tenetra. The inside was simple, clean and bright. We all had pasta. Bill and I had Ravioli Zar which was ravioli with walnuts and radicchio and it was excellent. Anne and Nick had Carbonara and gave it the thumbs up. The two ladies serving seemed rather harassed as the place got quite busy and so service was a bit slow but much friendlier than the waiter at the Tenetra. It’s certainly a place I would go back to if in the area.
During the lunch there was a great clap of thunder and when we left the rain was pouring down. So never discovered what Cantiano is really like as the group decision was to head back home for a cup of tea and a cake.
Locanda del Brolio
Via Mazzini 8/10
Cantiano
tel: 0721783068
Most mid price restaurants in the Marche offer the same basic menu. So when you go for a meal you already know the menu - passatelli with mushrooms, tagliatelle with ragu, mixed grill, fillet steak etc. Menus seldom change, they don’t offer a dish of the day reflecting what is in season and living here you sometimes for something different.
One place that does have a changing menu is the Osteria del Teatro in Senigallia. The core menu remains the same but every week there are 2 different pastas and a different main course. On Saturday night the main course on offer was Chili con Carne. This was the first time I had ever seen chili con carne on offer in this region. Marco, the owner told us that a customer had said he would like them to serve some spicy food and so the chef decided to prepare spaghetti with a dash of chili, chili con carne as a main course and a dessert with a chocolate and chili ice cream. Not sure how many Italian customers opted for the chili but all four of us did and it was excellent.
On Friday evening Roberta and Federica took us to dinner at Casa Londei. We usually meet every Friday at 5.00 to have an hour of English conversation. (We are currently reading Agathe Christie’s Murder at the Vicarage and it is a rather slow process as we spend more time talking and laughing than we do reading and so after some months we have struggled to chapter 8. On current progress we should discover who did the murder by December.)
However, this week we met at 6.00, managed to read a complete chapter and arrived at the restaurant at 8.15. Robert’s and Federica’s respective partners Francesco and Roberto joined us and so we had a table for 6. The restaurant is just outside San Ippolito and opened about 18 months ago. As it was cold and dark when we arrived I have no idea what the surrounding countryside looks like but the place does have a large car park and the restaurnt itself is a large wooden extension built onto an old house but the decor is very welcoming aiming at a “rustic atmosphere”. It is a set price meal and there is no menu. You arrive, sit down and wait for the food to arrive. When we arrived bread and wine were already on the table. We then had a plate of vegetable soup, followed by a plate of salami and vegetables, followed by two pastas (gnocchi and pappardelle), followed by a mixed grill and finished off with squares of chocolate cake and jam tart. We all enjoyed the food and the atmosphere as the staff are very friendly and keen to ensure everyone enjoyed the occasion. Roberta, Federica, Francesco and Roberto insisted on paying the bill and so I don’t know how much it costs. However, some reviews on the web from last year say it is 20 euros a head and this includes wine. It is only open Friday and Saturday for dinner and on Sunday for lunch.
I hadn’t brought the camera to record the event but thought it would be OK as the restaurant has a website and I could download a few pictures. Unfortunately the site is still under construction and so all I can show you is the card.
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We went up past Predappio Alta and couldn’t see anything and decided to ask an old man walking up the road if there were any restaurans nearby. He told us to return back to Predappio Alta (3rd curve down), and near the small piazza there was a restaurant which served good food, at good prices and and which was also in an interesting building. We discovered that the man was correct in all 3 assertions.
We parked in the small Piazza Cavour and there was the ”Vecia Cantena d’la Pre” Going through the door we entered a small bar area but going down a few steps took us into a large eating area which on a Monday lunch time came complete with groups of workmen finishing off their meals. The waitress brought the menus and told us the dish of the day was “stinco di maiale” (pork knuckle). We opted to share a couple of antipastis of local meats, cheeses etc followed by pork knuckle and roast potatoes for all. The food was really good. For dessert there was a choice of homemade cakes and I opted for apple strudel. All this with water, wine and coffee came to less than 20 euros a head. Before we left the waitress told us that it was possible to visit the old cellars of the restaurants. In fact under the dining room floor there were two further levels of basement which contained machinery for wine making and barrels for the wine of local families. Walking up and down the steps in the cellars followed by a walk around the town helped get rid of some of the calories from the splendid meal.