Il Buco (Sorrento)

[carlo from san jose]

Matthew,

thank you for the very interesting review. Another place on my "to try" list for my next Neapolitan visit. The list is getting quite long though, I'm almost starting to think I should move back 

How did you come across this restaurant? Through the Michelin guide? I had seldom seen it mentioned in the Italian or even local Neapolitan papers.

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It came form both the concerierge and the receptionist at our hotel. The receptionist was very enthusisatic about food and according to her the best restaurant was Il Buco followed by Caruso. Apparently there were only 4 restauranst in town worth eating at and Il Buco and Caruso were way ahead of the other two.

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ahhh Caruso's....frankly we thought they had it all over il Buco's..we spent 5 days there last June, we ate at Tasso's our first night, it was, well, good.

Next night, we stopped to book at Il Buco's earlier in the day and they were full, Ship was in, when we asked for an alternative, they suggested Caruso’s.....and thank god, we ate there 3 nights out of 5, we did get to Il Buco's but imho, and our friends as well, Caruso’s food was; tastier, the presentation was spectacular

( god how I wanted one of their monogrammed plates, which the always placed very careful with the seal facing you), the osso buco was, well, the glaze was sweet and had a hint of raisin, which surprised me, new taste, but was excellent, not cloying either like some glazes can be.

My wife had the salmon in champagne, which I just had to have the next night..anyway,the service was impeccable, the décor is fantastic as well, great photos of Caruso (naturally), they also turned away person in shorts and tee shirts which I liked, (I don’t think I am snobby, just like to dress for dinner)…the desserts , if I could post a pic. I took some shots…....( I had 2 desserts, what can I say)……when we had paid our bill the 3rd night, the matre ‘d insisted on buying us several, actually many, sambuca’s, ( which was a class act considering they might not ever see us again, which they will anyway) we must have sat for another 45 minutes, which in a high end rest. is rare, allowing you to just doodle and on their dime and their drinks..….we finally forced ourselves to leave….its our fist stop next trip. One our top culinary treats all time……..

Oh, and I won't get clinical,but they also had the, cleanest, best appointed restroom in Italy...private too....

After reading the posts here, we will give Il Buco another shot next trip...maybe they had an off night...it happens...

Edited March 19, 2006 by carlo from san jose (log)

[Kropotkin]

Before leaving the UK, I wrote to Il Buco asking for a reservation - but only if they were prepared to accommodate a sleeping baby in a pram at dinner. In truth, I expected a polite refusal – not the warm response that the bambino was more than welcome. Indeed, when we arrived they had a choice of two tables reserved for us (inside and out), and in every way, they couldn’t have been more accommodating.

It was a little chilly, so we elected to eat indoors. The main room is the erstwhile undercroft of a monastery - but doesn’t feel at all claustrophobic or gloomy, despite lacking any windows. A complimentary glass of champagne and a deep-fried mozzarella bite immediately earned good will before the menus arrived. We ordered the ‘traditional’ taster option featuring local produce – with a particular highlight being the starter of skewered mountain cheeses, mortadella and salamis. In my day job I’m lucky enough to enjoy an annual trip to this region to assess the continuing development of social and rural sustainability in the Campanian mountains. While there, we’re always plied with this kind of traditional food from an upland area where agricultural production was never industrialised (and therefore, a sub-region where the regional agricultural development quango can now capitalise on this ‘untouched’, ‘typical’ agricultural produce as a marketing strategy). The excellent offerings here were redolent of the mountain produce I sample each year on the smallholdings – and were complemented very well by tempura vegetables.

Thereafter, a good vegetable soup preceded a very satisfying dish of Gragnano pasta parcels stuffed with pork and tomatoes. This was followed by a lamb ribs dish with potato, cabbage and white beans. While a well-composed dish visually, this was less impressive in terms of the flavours and tastes – it wasn’t a poor dish, but as the main meat course, I was expecting something to match or surpass the standards we'd seen earlier.

That said, a excellent lemon and orange mousse and a rustic Casserta rescued things swiftly - the Casserta providing a richly textured combination of raisins, pine kernels and ricotta dressed with an apple sauce. All of this was accompanied by some a very fine (and very reasonable) Bianco di Avellino, and a local red that I can’t recall.

All in all, this was a very solid meal with very good service and a wine list with an impressive regional-focus. It’s also very reasonable at €75 for the menu we had, and €302 with wine and extra drinks or three. And while we might not prioritise this place over some of the more illustrious places within 30 minutes drive, when on the Sorrentine plateau we’d return without hesitation.

For those of you who are wondering (and / or horrified at the prospect), our little boy was enthralled by the scents and colours of the first two courses, then slept without a murmer for the rest of the dinner. In retrospect, I realised (with a start) that we wouldn’t have pushed our luck in this manner in the UK, but Il Buco’s generous reply to my tentative enquiry made it seem the most natural thing in the world to wheel a five-month-old baby into a Michelin-rated eatery at 8pm sharp. If nothing else, this is testimony to what a welcoming place this is.