We just came home from a three week stay in Capri (rented a house) and we managed to squeeze in quite a few restaurants along the way, both on Capri and along the Amalfi coast. Don Alfonso was a treat, of course. We had the degustazione menu + wine package. It started off really weak (yes, our expectations were very high) but when they brought us a wonderful fish soup with ricotta cheese we were in heaven and we stayed there. The wines they had chosen were superb, possibly the best combinations I've had for years. We got 8 glasses of wine (our visit to Le Peracciole afterwards was a bit in a haze...) and all but 1 were white wines. However, even though we had a delightful experience at Don Alfonso, it had a certain feeling of tiredness to it. Difficult to explain, but there was a sense of we-have-nothing-left-to-prove. Quite the opposite at L'Olivo, the latest gourmet hotspot in Capri (or Anacapri, to be more specific). They just got their first Michelin star and they are really going for more stars, there's no doubt about that. If you could call a restaurant "hungry", they're it. We didn't really expect it, it was quite a surprise. They gave us our best meal of the whole trip and the menu was very impressive - lots of interesting combinations and new ideas (the desserts!). Definitely recommended! If you like Insalata Caprese (I'm a big fan, but only when I'm on the island), go for restaurant Aurora. Very touristy place in the center of Capri, but they gave me the best one I've ever had. Completely free of any frills, just the best mozzarella and basil mankind can bring forward. I was amazed. We tried many other restaurants, too many to mention here, but let me finish off with a warning. Terrazza Brunella, stay away from it. Looks like a top notch place on the surface, but boy were we disappointed. Yes, there were Hollywood actors there when we visited and yes, it's a tourist trap for Americans with a lot of money. The wines were a complete rip-off, we bought the same wines in the supermarket for 1/10 of the price. And all around us there were groups of very loud New Yorkers in their 50s having french fries with everything and decaf cappuccino at 10 o'clock in the evening. Quite an experience in itself, actually.
