Wednesday 9/19

After an overnight flight and a change of planes in Stockholm, we arrived in Rome yesterday afternoon.  Our original flight had been cancelled, so we ended up leaving a day earlier and Norwegian compensated by putting us up in a hotel near the airport, providing transportation and dinner and breakfast. The hotel was fine and the restaurant across the road quite decent.  It all worked out very well as we had time to have a good night’s sleep and get back to the airport in the morning to pick up our rental car.

From there it was less than a 2 hour drive through the rugged mountains of central Italy  to our first stop, Sulmona.  Arriving just past noon, we spent about half an hour trying to find the B & B Amores, as we have no GPS and few streets are marked.  Once we finally got there, we settled into a nice large room (with enormous and well-equipped bathroom) and parked in the adjacent piazza.  The location, once you find it, is perfect.  It could not be more central.

After we got settled in the room, we walked around the corner to Ristorante da Gino. Lunch (the only meal they serve) was superb. We started with prosciutto of smoked goose with grilled bread. Both of us had the grilled lamb and shared a generous order of grilled vegetables. A bottle of Cerasuolo rose for 9.50, Cataldi Madonna 2017, was excellent. Tiramisu for dessert and 2 coffees. Total was 67.50. Service was perfect, atmosphere charming. Obviously popular with locals. This is a gem.

After lunch, we strolled around town and checked out 2 restaurant possibilities for dinner.

Piazza Plebiscito in front of da Gino

Piazza Garibaldi seen through the medieval aqueduct:

Clemente is recommended in Michelin, but Tripadvisor reviews are mixed, and looking at the menu did not entice us.

Heading back down Corso Ovidio, we stopped into the church of Santissima Annunziata:

Continuing along the Corso, we came to Don Ciccio, where a look at the menu confirmed that this is the more interesting dinner choice.

Back to the room to begin this post, then off to dinner.

So, we ended up at Clemente after all. Don Ciccio was full when we got there at 8:15. Who would have thought you would need a reservation on a Tuesday in late September in a town that looked dead? My guess is we probably would have had a better meal at Don Ciccio, but Clemente was nonetheless quite pleasant.

The spaghetti alla chitarra with lamb ragu was delicious. My mixed grill was a huge portion and pretty good but not really special. Stanley’s braised beef cheeks, which he liked, I thought were tough. Both came with potatoes, but no vegetables were offered. For dessert we had almond semifreddo with chocolate sauce, and tiramisu. Both were very good, the tiramisu even better than the one we had at lunch today. We again chose a rose for the wine, again a Cerasuolo, Vermiglio 2017 for 12 euros. Total with 2 amaros was 74 euros.

Thursday, 9/20

The breakfast provided by Amores consisted of coffee and a pastry at the coffee bar up the street. Perfectly fine with us.  We got an early start and drove to L’Aquila, which we had not realized suffered major damage from an earthquake in 2009.  Restoration is going on at a feverish pace, but there is still much damage to be repaired.  Eventually it will no doubt be an impressive city again, but for now it was disappointing.  From there, we drove out through gorgeous countryside, on very rough but scenic mountain roads, to Civitella Casanova, where we had lunch at La Bandiera, a Michelin starred restaurant in a beautiful setting, pretty much in the middle of nowhere.  It is a destination that should not be missed by anyone visiting Abruzzo or Southern Marche.

Of course, the food here was wonderful, with very creative takes on regional dishes.  First we were given a generous selection of canapes.  We then started with porchetta, and though we intended to share one plate, they very graciously brought out 2 plates without extra charge.  This was a spectacular dish, which no description I could give would do justice.  Next we shared a pasta, duck tortelloni with an orange and truffle sauce.  For the main course, sweetbreads 2 ways, and chicken 2 ways, brought to the table as 2 separate courses.  There was a dessert amuse-bouche, then bollamisu (a creative take on tiramisu) and a chocolate waffle topped with chocolate mousse and saffron gelato.  With coffees, water and a nice bottle of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (18 euros), the total came to 120 euros, truly amazing for this level of food, atmosphere and service.

Continuing Northward on the A14, we arrived in Senigallia in the early evening.  Stay tuned for my post on our tour of Marche.

We have now been to Bottino twice, and enjoyed it very much both times. The first time was a hot night so we sat inside, but the second was pleasantly cool so we were able to sit in the beautiful garden.

This is another restaurant I was alerted to by Blackboard Eats, and though it was quite a bargain with 30% off, we will definitely return without the discount.

Dishes we’ve tried included an excellent fritto misto, caprese salad, a scrumptious seared tuna with olive tapenade, grilled baby chicken with peppers, and pork chop milanese. Both the chicken and pork were juicy and succulent.  We had some nice beers with these.  The only slight disappointment was dessert.  We tried a tiramisu which was rather ordinary, so on our second visit we skipped dessert.  We were quite well filled from the generous portions anyway.

Service was pleasant and professional.  This is obviously a well-run place.

http://www.bottinonyc.com/index.php

The hotel, at 3rd and Warren, is still a work in progress, scheduled to open in 2019, but the elegant bar/lounge and outdoor terrace are open and serving cocktails, wine and interesting light food.  This venture is from the owners of the Bartlett House in Ghent, a bakery and restaurant that has been very successful.  We stopped in with some friends this past weekend for a drink.  Interesting cocktails, a piano, sofas and chairs, a fireplace.  This is definitely much more upscale than what Hudson has been used to.

https://www.themaker.com/

Now $499,000.  Also offering an additional discount off the asking price for buyers who do not require seller financing.  Please inquire for details.

To view, click on images below and enlarge as needed: Please visit the web page to see the full listing:  https://www.wohlfarth.com/property/540-county-rte-42-shandaken-ny/

Now offering a major discount off the asking price for buyers who do not require seller financing.  Please inquire for details.

To view, click on images below and enlarge as needed: Please visit the web page to see the full listing:  https://www.wohlfarth.com/property/7159-nys-rte-28-shandaken-ny/

Left Bank opened more than five years ago in the West Village, but up to now had escaped my attention.  As often happens, an offer from Blackboard Eats arrived yesterday, just as we were considering where to have dinner.  Looking up user reports, I thought it looked promising, so we gave it a try.  It was definitely worth it, and it is likely we would return even without the discount.

Though the name would seem to imply a Parisian bistro, the food encompasses French, Italian and American, with interesting twists on classic dishes and an emphasis on local ingredients and humanely-raised meats.  We noticed a definite similarity in style to the Red Cat, which is one of our favorites, and a little research provided the explanation.  The owners both previously worked at Red Cat.

I do wish they had a more extensive beer list (the Founders Dirty Bastard ale that was listed on the web is no longer offered), but we made do with Stella Artois.  I started with soft shell crab with fiddleheads and Stanley had octopus with sausage on a bed of chopped salad.  Both were vibrantly flavored and complex.  My main course of roasted brook trout was perfectly done, topped with salsa verde and served with endive and multicolored carrots in an aioli-like sauce.  The chicken was a perfect example of French-style roast chicken, served with shaved asparagus.  For dessert we shared ricotta cheesecake with stewed berries;  a generous portion and nothing really wrong with it, but not something I’d go out of my way for.

On the whole, a delicious meal, attentive service, and a nice atmosphere (not too loud, either).  This is a lovely neighborhood place, but also destination-worthy.

https://www.leftbanknewyork.com/

We have now been to Ha Noi House twice.  The first time was in January, and as there were just the two of us and they don’t take reservations for fewer than six, we put aside our usual requirement of eating at 8:30 and prepared for an early Sunday dinner, arriving at 5 and being first in line for the 5:30 opening.  Note that when we left at 7 they were quoting a 2-hour wait.  So, when we returned this past week, we put together a group of six, and calling three days ahead, managed to get a 7:15 reservation.  It’s a bit of an effort, but worth it.

Interestingly, the owners are American but the kitchen staff is Vietnamese.  The cooking is different from the typical New York Vietnamese style, in that it is North as opposed to South Vietnamese, which to us makes it more interesting.  Our other favorite Vietnamese restaurant is O Mai, and I wouldn’t say one is better or worse than the other.  The one exception I will make in that regard is the pho, which we found richer and more rousing at Ha Noi, definitely the best we’ve had, though we are not experts on this cuisine.  Other dishes we’ve tried are octopus, crispy pig’s ear and papaya salad, and summer rolls for appetizers, and for main courses the grilled shrimp with corn porridge, crispy skate with peanuts and pineapple, and bun cha (grilled pork in broth with crab spring rolls, pork meatballs and rice vermicelli, with lettuce for rolling).  These dishes were all outstanding.

There is a very diverse and interesting beer selection.  Seating is tight, service attentive, noise level is high.  Anyone willing to tolerate some inconvenience will be rewarded with some very tasty food.

https://www.hanoihousenyc.com/

Sold for $995,000

To view, click on images below and enlarge as needed: Please visit the web page to see photos and video:  https://www.wohlfarth.com/listing/RPLU-40362071332/

Century Association – New York

Last Tuesday we found ourselves attending a reception for The Gladstone Library in Hawarden, Wales., which was held at The Century Association.  Invited by our friend Scott, who is the president of the U.S.  Friends of the Gladstone Library,  Stanley had thought he had a prior engagement, but found he had confused dates in his calendar, so we were suddenly available.  Created by the eminent British Prime Minister toward the end of his life, the Gladstone Library  is both a library and residential “hotel” for twenty-four residential scholars and occupies a splendid Victorian gothic building not far from Gladstone’s home at Hawarden Castle.  We’ve gotten as close as Chester, which is just across the Welsh border.  It is the only prime-ministerial library, and was the model for Presidential libraries in the U.S.

Hawarden Castle

Vartan Gregorian, the former president of the New York Public Library, arrived and was recognized for having recently secured a sizeable grant from the Carnegie Foundation to allow the library to begin digitizing its collection.  He brought with him the newly-elected President of Armenia, Armen Sarkisian, whose presence served to affirm how deeply William Gladstone is venerated by Armenians.  The Rev. Peter Francis, Warden of the library, spoke about the modest fund raising effort the library is launching to meet current expansion needs prompted, in part, by the fact that they currently have only one ladies loo.  Among others present, we found ourselves chatting with Hugh Hildesley of Sotheby’s.  At the end of the presentations, Hugh moved to the center of the room and surprised the entire gathering with a most spontaneous and generous fund-raising proposal, the details of which it would not be prudent to make public, but if realized will certainly bring relief to the ladies in the long line for the loo.  A very splendid evening, and a great inspiration to make a visit to the library on our next trip to the U.K.

We recently tried these and liked them both very much.  Though Nicoletta bills its pizzas as Midwestern-style and Oak as Neapolitan, their styles are pretty much the same, not thin-crust but not thick either, with a puffy edge surrounding a pleasingly thin center.

Nicoletta

Pizzas at Nicoletta are quite large, easily shareable by 2 to 4 people, depending on how many other dishes you order.  Stanley and I had fried artichokes and fried calamari for appetizers (very large portions).  The artichokes were right up there with our favorites, Socarrat Paella Bar and Rafele, and the calamari lightly fried and delicious. The pizza was too big for us to finish.  I had the remaining 2 slices for lunch the next day.  We also had a growler (37 ounces) of beer, from their excellent selection.

Oak features a large selection of small plates, which can be ordered individually or as 3 for $21 or 5 for $35.  Four of us shared double orders of octopus salad (spectacular) and prosciutto and a single order of blue cheese from Old Chatham Sheepherding served with toasts.  Then we shared 2 pizzas, which are plate-size and enough for 2 to share if you have appetizers.  There is a great beer selection as well as wines by glass or bottle.

So, we now have 2 new favorites for pizza and small plates, whether we are in the city or the country.

http://nicolettapizza.com/new_york/

http://www.oakpizzanapoletana.com/