HungryChris

When we spotted this handy little item today while walking around after lunch in Rapallo, Italy, I just knew I would try to breathe new life into this thread. You just have to wonder if they have sold any. HC

Great toasted paninis for lunch today. I had prosciutto, brie, arugula, tomato and truffle oil on mine and Deb had prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, tomato and olive oil on hers. HC

Dinner at Trattoria Da Mario in Rapallo, Italy. We split an order of mussels that were very good. These were with wine, garlic and olive oil and just a bit of parsley. Not with the heavy hand of herbs we are usually presented with (and that I make) at home and the broth was pleasant with a bit of bread. Deb chose a vegetable and herb stuffed pasta in a creamy walnut sauce. We both loved it. I have never had or attempted to make a walnut sauce, but that will change! I had spaghetti with whole shrimp and zucchini that was also quite good. HC

This Aldi is about 20 minutes away, but it's 20 minutes of rural driving and close to other stores I visit almost every day, so it is just a matter of should I stop in or not. I know that since it opened, I always have quarters in my pocket and a cooler in the car when I go out and pretty much what @kayb said, above. HC

I could not agree more! In fact, there are times that I wish my kitchen at home was like that. HC

The first time we went to Italy, I spent months reading up on the ups and downs, do's and don'ts, common signs and so on. The charge for bread and sometimes just plain service was an item I was made aware of and was quite regularly applied. I have not seen it in the last few years, but at a recent lunch at Uscio E Bottega, We were tentatively approached with a bag of bread, and the server had a question mark at the end of her sentence, as if we could have refused it. Sure enough, there was a Coperto charge of e2.50 X 2 on the bill, which I have not seen in quite a while. HC

Today, we had lunch at Alberto's Home Restaurant in Montefioralle, just up the hill from where we are staying in Greve, in Chianti. We found this place on Trip Advisor. Alberto runs this 5 table restaurant in his home, in a large ancient stone complex with breathtaking views. This is the view of the entrance from just inside. One of the tables is on a tree stump, with padded log stools. Here is the table we reserved for a lunch that started at 1:PM. There is no menu, you eat what Alberto cooks. We started with some local Chianti Classico, some acqua frizzante and some vegetables with a vinaigrette dip. Tiny pepper and cheese breads and a little bag of sliced Tuscan bread were delivered too. This was followed by a cold kind of bread salad, with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, olive oil and salt and pepper that was small, but refreshing on this warm day. Then came some very good pumpkin soup with croutons. The Italians have a way of making the simplest rustic things seem elegant and the next dish of seasoned beans and sausages was a perfect example. I wiped the bowl clean with slice after slice of great Tuscan bread! Now it was time for a platter of melon from Alberto's garden, prosciutto, Tuscan salamis, bruschetta, two local cheeses and a mildly sweet hot sauce made from his own peppers. And finally, biscotti with vin Santo. For best effect, Alberto told us to dip the biscotti into the vin Santo and leave it there for about 10 seconds. All in all, we were pretty happy with the meal. Not the best we have ever had, but quite a bit of fun. They are very friendly and fun people. Alberto and his fiancé in the tiny kitchen where it all happens: HC

We can get aged pecorino at home, just not fresh. We do buy fresh pecorino as well as brie. The cheeses are all good and quite reasonably priced here. Brie is a favorite stand alone cheese for both of us, fresh pecorino needs company, in our opinion and after a big day of food exploring, sometimes simple is better. HC

We happened upon a little place called Uscio E Bottega next to an ancient looking church on a tiny little road in Castellina a few days ago. For some reason, neither of us took a picture from the outside, but there is a good one in this review I found, after the fact. We ate outside under the awning to the left of the church. It seemed to be filled with locals and some large families. We felt pretty much right at home there. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g194720-d2271869-Reviews-Uscio_e_Bottega-Castellina_In_Chianti_Tuscany.html We split an app and a main. The app was a plate that included some prosciutto and salamis, and a tomato and a chicken liver bruschetta. The chicken liver was served hot, which was a surprise to me. Deb would not touch it, but I made it disappear pretty quickly. The highlight, of this Sunday lunch, however was the ravioli stuffed with fresh Pecorino cheese, served in a pear sauce topped with "pink pepper". If the deer have left us any pears at home, this is something I will try and reproduce. Fresh Pecorino is nowhere to be found at home, but a mildly seasoned ricotta mixture should do fine. It is the pear sauce that will be the challenge. HC

I like to think of it more as a small, unauthorized quality control effort, but yes, they were very good! HC

I daresay that kimchi aficionados can be roughly divided into two camps: Those who, given the chance, would balk at that prospect of buying a container of kimchi big enough to require a handle, and those who would not. I crossed into the kimchi promised land of 'handle people' some years ago. HC

One thing I learned today, is that well drained, sandy soil, dried cows blood and lime are all miracle workers when it comes to grapes. As a side note, I have a rose bush that I planted for my ex. I showered it with all manor of sure fire rose food, but it wasn't until 3 weeks after she moved out, that I saw my first rose (and hundreds more). Don't give up! HC

Today we took a vineyard tour that included a wine tasting meal at Castillo Di Verrazano, not far from where we are staying in Greve, in Chianti, Italy. It was kind of an exciting day as it was the first day of the 2018 harvest, which consisted of the lowest elevation grapes, which are white grapes, used for Vin Santo wine. OK, it's time for a small confession. I put a small pair of scissors in the car and pulled over on the way back up the hill to our apartment, while Deb, my accomplice, did a bit of early harvest, herself. These Sangiovese grapes were not destined for wine, but rather a bit of dessert after what I knew would be a small meal tonight. We were both still not hungry enough for a big meal. Bruschetta, olives, and a bit of brie cheese (followed by grapes....shhhhh). HC

And you would be correct, madam! HC

Not a great picture, but a fun dinner on the patio last night. Leftover slices of steak, a few slices of two local salamis, bruschetta al pomodoro, sliced brie, and some fresh bread with a little pot of hot ragu sauce, that Deb made along with a favorite local red, Casalgallo. Interestingly enough, it is more expensive to buy this wine at the vineyard, than it is to get it at the local grocerie store, around the corner from the vineyard, in Quercegrossa.

I have not used them in a while, but in the past, have had great success with Pop's Wine delivered to my front door. If getting around is an issue, you might give them a try. https://www.popswine.com/ HC

We paid another visit to La Castellana today. We had reservations and scored another outdoor table with a killer view. Even the bread and olive oil they deliver to your table for a starter are both extraordinary. For apps, Deb chose an artichoke plate. We probably should have shared it. You have to admit it is a work of kitchen art, with marinated artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, roasted and marinated cipollini onions and assorted olives. I had a hard time letting go of the Bruschetta al pomodoro, but reluctantly decided to expand my experience and chose a bruschetta with lardo and truffles. If I could have waved a wand over this dish, it would have reappeared with less lardo and more truffles, and perhaps, a splash of house made truffle oil, but when they took the plate away, there was nothing left on it but the lettuce. For her main, Deb chose paparadelle with a sauce of stewed wild bore (chinghiale). It is not unusual, early in the morning, to hear barking hunting dogs among the hills and grapes where we are staying, with an occasional gunshot. These creatures are a pest in the vineyards, but a delicious one. Mr. porcini and truffle (yours truly) chose ravioli with a cheese, truffle and porcini stuffing and a truffle sauce. This dish, while short lived on the plate, will stay with me for a good long time, I think. If only we could have access to good porcini mushrooms and truffles near us!! Here is the view from our outdoor table today. As we headed back to Greve, for our second day at the Chianti wine festival, we both agreed, that while we do love La Castellana, it is time to go exploring once again. HC

Back in 2016, Deb and I visited a recently opened place in Florence, Italy and split a great sandwich for lunch. It was called All'antico Vinaio, and I commented, then, on what a great idea, well carried out and well received concept it was. Two years later we found it again, not by the address, but rather by following a stream of people eating one of their sandwich's in the streets, and when we got there, we discovered that it has become such great success, that it has expanded three store fronts down and across the street. We got a sandwich called the Inferno. It was hot, but good and we enjoyed it. We had a hard time finding a place where we could put down the water and share the sandwich. The concept has become so popular, in fact, that there are copycat places in several nearby store fronts. We discovered, shortly after leaving Florence, that a new ordinance has since gone into effect, fining people over $500 for eating on the street, on curbs or on store front ledges. It almost sounds like it was aimed directly at this place, but we can understand how local business and sit down eateries must feel. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. HC

Breakfast is not usually something we do together, but on vacation, it's a different story. Simple, but good, followed by a walk out by the pool. HC

That was one of the first dishes we had in Florence, a day or two earlier and I'll get back to that. HC

Thanks, @kayb, I can only take credit for the camera work, such as it is. We both feel blessed to be here. The Chianti Wine Festival starts on Thursday and we are both looking foreward to attending that event on Friday, at least, and bringing home the commemorative wine tasting glasses, which have suffered major breakage losses in the past few attempts (3 times, which in a perfect world would mean 6 glasses, yet only 1 glass has survived the trip home). I have a mission to bring back two survivors this year! In addition to the wine, there is olive oil, sausage and other charcuterie to be tasted and we enjoy it immensely. HC

Our 9 hour flight from JFK to Rome was delayed more the 2 1\2 hours, for a number of reasons, which caused us to miss the high speed train to Florence, we had planned, which in turn caused us to wait for 3 more hours for the next 2 1/2 hour train ride. To say we were tired is an understatement. After a good nights sleep we spent 2 days in Florence, rented a car and drove out to where we are now staying in Greve, in Chianti. I will fill some of that in later, but we had lunch today at what is perhaps our favorite restaurant on earth, La Castellana. It made all that travel hardship vanish completely. La Castellana is where I developed my absolute passion for bruschetta al pomodoro. It seems that if you just order one to split, the chef does a great job, but if you order one for each of you, the chef is greatly inspired by your enthusiasm for the dish, and goes out of the way to blow your mind. Today was no exception. This has become the standard up to which to which I hold my own efforts and those of others, as well. La Castellana is a modest looking place on the outside, but on the few occasions we have eaten inside, it is quite charming. On nice days, like today, we prefer the outside dining across the tiny little winding hillside road. Here is the view from our table today. We had a bottle of local Chianti and Deb chose tortelli stuffed with ricotta cheese and lemon with gorgonzola and walnuts. She loved it! I had tagliatelle in a kind of carbonera sauce loaded down with fresh truffles sliced wispy thin, just extraordinary! We have another reservation for lunch on Saturday and cannot wait. HC

Burger night fit the program for my no leftovers meal plan last night. HC

Suffice it to say that Hughies was a renowned local restaurant, opened in the seventies by a retired local boxing legend, Hugh Devlin. It was a mecca for garlic lovers. The boxing glove shaped menus had a note at the bottom of the first page: "All our dishes contain garlic, unless requested otherwise". Hughies was famous for it's Love Salad, a pretty simple salad that consisted of cubed iceberg lettuce dressed in a heavily garlic laden Italian dressing with chunks of tomato, strips of cooked salami, provolone cheese, topped with a copious amount of grated parmesan cheese and served in a wooden bowl. One of the favorite dinners there for a garlic lover would be a Love Salad with garlic bread and shrimp scampi. Countless local articles in newspapers raved about the Hughie's Love Salad. Sadly, a controversial eminent domain land dispute closed and tore down the restaurant for an enterprise that was never fully realized. The recent movie, 'The Little Pink House' documents that dispute with the true story of a nearby homeowner who was struggling to put her life back together after a divorce, and refused to give up. HC

Not really my first choice, but what I needed to do in my current empty the fridge mode. Still, not a complete sacrifice, as it was pretty good! HC