Bradford's Profile
Decent chow in Civitavecchia
Yes, please let me know if you find anything decent in the city itself. I have an old dog-eared copy of Osterie e Locanda d'Italia from several years ago and for CV, it lists only La Bomboniera and the 2006 Gambero Rosso Ristoranti d'Italia just lists La Scalatta where we at lunch in 1998.
Decent chow in Civitavecchia
I need recommendations for lunches and dinners in Civitavecchia. Because of wife's severe mobility problems, Rome is not doable, though we've had many enjoyable visits there in the past.
I've read that the restaurant in the San Giorgio Hotel is quite good. Any comments? Or is there better chow elsewhere in the town?
Pullman Washington- Swilly's restaurant- Overwhelmingly mediocre
Thanks for the warning about Swifty's. Not only is $23 for a pasta in small-town America outrageous, but the thought of combining gorgonzola with prawns is revolting. The combination of shellfish with cheese in pasta is rarely done in Italy -- and for good reason.
Whats with the beef @ Fred Meyer???
Most steaks at our local Fred Meyer are select grade which can be quite tough.
Octopus in Seattle
Sometimes cooking octopus for 45 minutes is not long enough. According to Mario Batali, a wine cork in the cooking water will help tenderize the octopus.
Lewiston, ID
Clarkston's Sycamore Grill is truly a gem in what otherwise is pretty much a culinary wasteland. A bit pricey for the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, but Italian-inspired grub beats anything else we have eaten in the area. For breakfasts, the restaurant at the Quality Inn in Clarkston is among the best in the valley. A beer-only pub and brewery near the Quality Inn produces brews as good as any we've had in Portland or Bend.
crab meat in SEA
Check out Costco. Fresh Dugeness crabmeat sells for about $20 for a 1-pound container. To me, this is a far better deal -- and far less work -- than buying whole crabs at $5 to $7 a pound.
Good Family Italian Puget Sound?
My goodness, what do you have against pesto, the basil sauce commonly served on pasta in Italy? If antipasti is what you mean, most Italian restaurants in the Seattle area serve that. For family-style Italian restaurants, Filiberto's in Burien just might be what you are looking for.
What Area of Italy for Foodie Holiday?
I like good chow, so I guess I am a foodie, but I like good wine, so, that must make me a drinkie. For food, I think it is a tossup among three regions: Lombardia, Emilia Romagna and Piemonte, with Piemonte head of the class on wine. Most memorable meals have been in the Po Valley, both in Emilia Romagna and Lombardia.
Best Italian in PDX?
Another thumbs up for Alba Osteria, perhaps the best Piemontese restaurant on the West Coast. It's worth the trip if only for the agnolotti dal plin.
Best steak in Buenos Aires?
My wife and I are serious carnivores, but we must be about the only people in the universe who are not enamored of Argentine beef. We spent five weeks in the spring in Argentina and Paraguay, with more than a week in Buenos Aires. We had a few good steaks, yes, but most were tough, gristly and vastly overcooked, even though we ordered them rare. A major part of the problem was a countrywide farmers' strike that cut off the flow of beef to the cities. It We often ended up ordering seafood, the best of which was at a small restaurant south of Mendoza in Tupungato at the base of the Andes.
Honeymoon in Buenos Aires and Iguazu
I just returned from visiting the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls WITHOUT a visa. A Paraguayan friend simply drove me across the bridge from Este. Later, I showed my passport at the falls park and at a nearby hotel where we spent the night. No one batted and eye that there was no visa with the passport. I probably was extremely lucky, so this is not a recommendation to go to the Brazil side without a visa.
El Ranchito, Zillah
Has anyone eaten lately at El Ranchito in Zillah? On our last visit about four months ago, the bakery was closed for lack of a baker and most shelves were bare. We fear that this Yakima Valley institution might be on the skids.
What are you drinking right now?
Most impressive list, but how was the 1996 Sassicaia? If it was anything like some of the earlier vintages, it should be drinking beautifully. In fact, we have had two 1977s in the past couple of years. They still were wonderful.
Trader Joe's alert: $19 Brunello di Montalcino
I haven't tried the TJ Brunello, but the $12 Amarone was bad. I didn't think to ask for a refund.
