For our fifth dinner at Torre del Saracino (and another eating places on this space) we made a little bit of a detour, as a result of the first vacation spot of our trip is Sardinia. We had been seated on the desk within the nook that you could see within the picture, with an amazing view of the Gulf of Naples and the Vesuvio volcano.
Subsequent to à la carte there are tasting menus of 6 programs for 165 euros, 8 programs for 185 euros, or 12 programs for 235 euros. Since I at all times prefer to strive as many dishes as attainable, it’s my customized to at all times order the menu with the best variety of dishes. And so I ordered the 12 programs with out fascinated about it. As we had eaten at Gennaro Esposito’s restaurant 4 occasions earlier than, I mustn’t have made this rookie mistake. Since you get a LOT of meals at Torre del Saracino, with a number of appetizers and friandises along with the programs of the menu, in addition to a bonus dish. So 6 or most 8 programs is greater than sufficient as it’s. For wine pairing there’s a selection of 100 or 180 euros and we opted for the latter.
The primary appetizer was bruschetta with tomato and anchovies, served on a chunk of fishing web. The appetizers had been served with a complimentary glass of fantastic Roederer champagne.
The second was a mousse of hen livers with juice of inexperienced beans and crimson onions, with a pleasant distinction between the acidity of the beans and the unctuous liver.
The third appetizer was a cappuccino of tomato and ricotta.
The subsequent appetizer was a crispy and fluffy rice cake with tuna tartare and mango, completely scrumptious.
The ultimate appetizer was crispy rye bread with smoked fish and sourcream.
There was additionally wonderful bread (of which you need to eat little or no if you wish to make it to the tip of the tasting menu).
The primary wine was a really crisp and minerally Greco di Tufo.
By itself the wine appeared a bit closed, however with the dish it actually opened up. The primary antipasto was celery with oysters and veal sausage. The oysters had been current as tartare and as a cream, which was an amazing mixture with the celery.
The second wine was a white Rioja in a mineral slightly than oaky type.
This was one other wine of which the dish introduced out its complexity. The second antipasto was mashed new potatoes with a granseola crab salad…
…and cappuccino of that very same crab. The dish was garnished with some Beluga caviar.
The third wine was an Etna Bianco produced from Catarratto grapes. Fantastic stability and complexity.
It was an amazing pairing with the third antipasto: ‘canelloni’ produced from vignarola (often a vegetable stew, however the chef turned it into ‘pasta sheets’ for this dish) with grilled cuttlefish and orange sauce.
The next wine was an oaked white from Umbria that is known as “Cuvée Secrète” as a result of the winemaker doesn’t disclose the varieties used. This was a full-bodied white with hefty however very properly built-in oak.
The hefty wine was a wonderful pairing for the fourth and last antipasto: crimson mullet with a Livornese sauce and a ‘rock’ of inexperienced fluffy bread. Very robust flavors on this dish that additionally appeared nice.
The subsequent wine was a single winery Sancerre from silex (flint) terroir of the vineyard Henri Bourgeois that we all know very effectively. It had good minerality in addition to freshness, and was a very good pairing for the primary primo:
Risotto with basil, fermented prune juice, and beltfish grilled over charcoal, with a sauce produced from the leftover bits of the fish (known as the fifth quarter in Italian, a time period often used for lesser cuts of meat). The fish and tart prune juice had been very nice. The rice was very al dente and the basil didn’t stand out as a lot because the inexperienced colour steered.
The subsequent wine was a Riesling from Mosel in Germany, an sudden pairing that labored properly with the bonus dish.
The bonus dish was a traditional of the chef: blended kinds of pasta in a fish soup. This isn’t as strongly flavored as an identical dish by the chef fabricated from scampi and shrimp, with a inventory produced from the shells.
The next wine was a Verdicchio from grapes that had been harvested late, producing a full bodied wine.
The dish (the third primo, counting the bonus dish) was an anusual model of a Caprese ravioli. As ordinary there was mozzarella, tomato, and basil, however used otherwise.
The wine for the fourth and last primo was a Gruner Veltliner from Alto Adige.
It was a very good pairing for the spaghetti with ricci di mare (uni) and inexperienced asparagus. The inexperienced asparagus had been included as crunchy brunoise in addition to a juice. The bizarre mixture of ricci with asparagus labored effectively.
The subsequent pairing was a Marsala from a solera system (the place wines are blended and aged perpetually with older vintages), with a pleasant stability between sweetness and acidity.
It was a wonderful pairing with the vegetable secondo: cipolotto (a sort of spring onion) with numerous kinds of peppers.
The wine for the secondo di pesce was a pleasant Meursault in a mineral slightly than creamy type.
It labored effectively with the catch of the day that was served with olives.
The wine for the secondo di carne was a 2004 Brunello di Montalcino: properly aged with velvety tannins, however retaining its freshness.
The third and last secondo was three components of lamb (backstrap, braised shoulder, and stomach with crispy pores and skin) with pear, wild greens, and black truffle.
The stomach had been cooked sous vide at a low temperature and had a pleasant crispy pores and skin, however was fairly fatty after a lot meals.
After the palate cleanser it was time for dessert, dessert wines, and friandises. I’m simply going to share the photographs with you with out additional remark.
This was an excessive amount of meals, however it was my very own mistake to have ordered 12 programs. This additionally meant that the dishes had been served in speedy succession to have the ability to serve all of them earlier than closing time. We requested for a pause a couple of occasions, which confused the service a bit as they initially skipped the spaghetti.
All of the meals was scrumptious as ordinary, and maybe a bit extra inventive than at earlier visits. The wines and wine pairings had been all fantastic. The sommelier served modest quantities of wine in order that we made it by way of 13 glasses of wine with out getting too drunk — and he was at all times prepared to pour some extra if we had desired. The service was very pleasant as ordinary.
This was one other nice dinner at one in every of our favourite eating places on this planet. Subsequent time we’ll restrict ourselves to six or 8 programs!
