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Dinners in Naples?
This was very useful info, proximity of the eateries to metro - thank you! Metro looks to be a doable option after all. much happier to spend euros on food/wine rather than cab fare!
Naples - bars and pastry shops?
Hello
I’m looking for suggestions for bars and pastry places open in the evenings in Naples.
Because of where are likely to be dropped off for dinner, the most convenient areas would be Vomero, and the Spanish Quarter, although if the walk is safe and a reasonable distance from those areas, or is an especially great place, we could go further afield.
My husband loves Italian bitter liqueurs (Fernet etc), so a pleasant bar well stocked with such would be great, for aperitif or nightcap.
We were also looking for places to get dessert and coffee after dinner - Pasticceria Agrillo (Via Giordano Bruno, 81. (thank you, FI!) is one name we have.
Thank you!
Going to Naples
ok, F.I. it is!
Thank you everyone for your help with this. You have been a great help. I'm posting a new thread question re: bars and pastry in Naples, as it strikes me a different subject.
Coq au vin - Seeking Best recipe
I've run across these two with a marinade-
The Balthazar I made and it was very good:
Balthazar's Coq au Vin
publication date: Nov 5, 2010
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author/source: Keith McNally, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson
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Though currently synonymous with chicken, Coq au Vin was originally made by braising the meat from a sinewy old rooster in cheap red wine for a long period of time.
Serves 4
4 large stewing hen legs
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1cm dice
1 large carrot, cut into 1cm dice
2 celery stalks, cut into medium dice
1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
1 bottle of red wine
1 bouquet garni
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons plain flour
750ml veal stock (for which there is a recipe in the book)
250g pearl onions, peeled
225g smoked streaky bacon in one piece, diced
450g small button mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped
flat-leaf parsley
In a large bowl, combine the legs, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, wine and bouquet garni. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.
Strain the legs and the vegetables from the marinade, reserving the liquid and separating the legs and vegetables. Season the legs with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large casserole. When it begins to smoke, add the legs, in batches if necessary, being sure not to crowd the pan. Brown evenly and deeply on all sides, about 8 minutes per side. Set the finished legs to the side and discard the oil; replenish it between batches.
When finished browning the legs, reduce the heat to medium and add the reserved vegetables to the pot. Cook until they soften and begin to brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes, then add the flour, stirring again for about 2 minutes. Add the reserved wine marinade and, as it bubbles up, use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot and incorporate any flavourful bits into the broth. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 20 to 25 minutes, then add the stock. As it reaches the boil, reduce the heat to low and maintain a slow and gentle simmer for 1 hour, at which point the meat should be meltingly tender.
Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the ingredients: blanch the pearl onions in boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside. Cook the bacon in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until brown, about 10 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon. Add the mushrooms to the pan and the now very hot rendered bacon fat, cook until brown, about 5 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon. Add the blanched pearl onions to the pan, sautéing until they too are brown, about 5 minutes.
Remove the legs from the braising liquid and strain the contents of the pot, reserving the liquid and discarding the vegetables. Bring to a strong simmer and skim the surface of the sauce as it bubbles, removing any visible fat. When the sauce has reduced by half, return the legs to the pot along with the bacon, onions and mushrooms and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Just prior to serving, add the chopped parsley.
From The Balthazar Cookbook by Keith McNally, Riad Nasr & Lee Hanson, published in the UK by Absolute Press, price £25.
and
2.
This is another recipe - sound good, but I've never tried it.:
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Coq-au-Vin-21046725
Going to Naples
should I refer to you as "florenceinsider"?
given my sense of direction, could you give any tips on how to find it in relation to some major nearby landmark?
thank you!
Dinners in Naples?
Thank you everybody for the replies - I did run across one place, La Notizia in the Fuorigrotta neighborhood, but looks to be mostly pizza. The hotel in Agnano Terme makes sense for work reasons, so a taxi will most likely be in order!
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La Notizia
via Caravaggio,94a, Naples, Campania , IT
Dinners in Naples?
Thank you - fueled by renewed hope in the possibilty of Donna Teresa, I found this via timeout naples.I hope it's accurate - it says is closed Sundays.
http://www.timeout.com/naples/restaurants/venue/1%3A24102/osteria-donna-teresa
Osteria Donna Teresa details
Address
Via Kerbaker 58
Area Naples
Transport Funicular Chiaia to Via Cimarosa or Centrale to Piazza Fuga/bus C28, C31, C32, V1
Telephone 081 556 7070
Open 1-3pm, 8-11pm Mon-Sat. Closed 3wks Aug.
PS Thank you for the transport advice too
Average €12.
Thank you!
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Osteria Donna Teresa
Via Kerbaker 58, Naples, Campania 80129, IT
Going to Naples
Hello
Thank you for a great report.
Is Trattoria a Pignata open for dinner and not just lunch? It sounds wonderful.
Thank you
Dinners in Naples?
Hello
I’m looking for suggestions for dinners in Naples, Monday-Friday, early Sept.
I’ve gone through the threads here and a number of places look exactly like what we have in mind –
Donna Teresa,
Nennella,
Hosteria Toledo,
Cantina di Via Sapienza.
Trattoria a Pignata
But are they open only for lunch?
I am looking for suggestions for places along these lines (great food; nice atmosphere; simple and down to earth over chic and fancy, although we would want to have our own table; and ideally under 20 euros/head and less than that a plus) that will definitely be open at dinner time.
We know Naples has great pizza, but for dinner we are looking for meat/fish/poultry type meals. `We are likely to be staying at the Montespina Park Hotel in Agnano Terme, in the western part of Naples, if that helps, but we are happy to use public transport.
Thank you!
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Cantina di Via Sapienza
Via della Sapieza 40-41, Naples, Campania , IT
Nennella
Vico Lungo Teatro Nuovo 103, Naples, Campania , IT
Hosteria Toledo
Vico Giardinetto, 78, Naples, Campania 80132, IT
Casual Dining, 2 Nights in Rome - A Report
Thank you - we didn't want to be "sticks in the mud" and intended to eat elsewhere, but nothing we ran across appealed to us as much as the first place. Thinking about the neighborhood of the bakery, it was near Termini that somebody tried to pull a scam - a "sales rep" for Versace (uh huh) visiting from Paris, he said, waved us over to his car, to ask for directions. He flipped through a looseleaf binder of photos of clothing, and said he had a lot of samples he had to unload, to avoid customs - were we interested. We said uh no (this was a popular scam in England a few years back) and then he zoomed away in his Smart Car. Part of the berry tartlet experience!
Casual Dining, 2 Nights in Rome - A Report
I got a lot of help from Chowhound before we left for Rome –the general reviews, and the responses to my questions - and Chowhounder Meeno’s spreadsheet list of Roman places was a marvel. Thank you!
We landed in the afternoon, and while walking around a bit, wanted a quick pit stop. In Trastevere, we stopped at Enoteca Trastevere (on Meeno’s list!) and had a glass of Barolo and of Nero d’avalo , (Nero a bargain) and a plate of salami. Perfect little place for an afternoon snack. Trastevere at night we found a real restaurant zone - very lively, busy, loud, (almost like London’s Soho, minus the XXX shops, or Boston’s North End, but louder). No one restaurant stood out to us as what were in the mood for (Paris was the place I had an eye out for, but we didn’t end up going there.)
For evening meal, we sought out Trattoria Lilli, and it was exactly what we were looking for (relaxed; casual rather than formal; and good). The help could not have been nicer or more pleasant. Menu is in Italian and English, the staff speaks limited English. The menu is smallish, and good: tripe; veal; zucchini stuffed with ground meat , and several pastas. Real standouts: The ravoli with ricotta - superlative. The zucchini stuffed with meat was our favorite of the meat dishes. The veal Cacciatore was also good – not a tomato based ragout as cacciatore tends to be in much of the USA, but instead pan juices, rosemary, garlic. And a dark chocolate cake, flourless, like a collapsed souffle, dusted with powdered sugar and served with whipped cream was terrific. Not formal, not elaborate, not rarified, not fancy, but genuinely elegant, because they do their thing, and they do it well.
It was a delight all around. The other diners I think were all Italian, and many were clearly regulars. One patron didn’t finish his vegetables (spinach) and the proprietress came out and asked him why, at some length. The chef is married to a woman from New York, and when he heard English, (me Boston USA, husband North of England) he came out to speak to us. (He also teaches cooking at Broken English in Brooklyn New York).
The next night we intended to eat at a different place, didn’t look seem like what we were hoping it would be, and wound up at Trattoria Lilli again - and were delighted to be there. Table wine was good (the red was more unusual than the white, almost a Fernet Branca undertone): and the price points were also very reasonable. A real little gem. Exactly in keeping with the insight Meeno had in his now legendary post on Rome: in terms of enjoyment of dining out in Rome, he found “less is more.”
Directions to Trattoria Lilli: Cross the river at Casel Sant Angelo, walk along the river Lungere tor di Nona towards the Napoleon Museum. On the right side, go down a flight of stairs, Via di Tor di Nona - and Lilli is at the end of that road. (In Sept), dinner opens at 8 pm)
We had lunch at Enoteca Corsi, near the Pantheon, and that was very good too - friendly service, good price, nice hearty food. (braised mixed meat), and even a nice dessert menu. . Good prices, a great bottle of Nero d’Avola, and a stupendously generous serving of Amaro for my husband (he really likes strong herbal Italian digestifs. If you know of any beyond Amaro and Fernet Branca, please let me know!)
For a pastry during the day, we trekked over to Regoli, nearish to the Coliseum, towards Piazza Vittoria. The guidebook said this area (Esquilino?) was seedy, but as a chaser, I actually liked it – workaday city, people on way to work. (Maybe it’s different and night, and possibly the beacon of Pastry In the Offing rendered me oblivious to “seedy” surroundings) ….the berry topped tartlets were especially fine. Double-plus yum, for you Orwell fans. (Not a sit down place.)
On the hoof, we also nabbed a cookie at Innocenti in Trastevere, and that was wonderful- spicy and rich, like something almost medieval, in a good way. And the old-fashioned style of the shop was also great.
A great break, in a wonderful (and walkable) city . (Overall, walking seemed a lot faster and more interesting than a cab would have been. A compact city, in the main areas a tourist is likely to be in, and distances took less time than we thought). Thank you, caio hounders (forgive me)!
High-quality desserts in a fancy atmosphere
I second that! Just be sure it's open when you're there:
Hours: Monday and Wednesday 9 am- 6 pm, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 9 am-9 pm, Closed Tuesday
Rome in September - about wine bars and pastry shops?
thank you! Hazard of arriving mid-afternoon!
Rome in September - about wine bars and pastry shops?
We'll be visiting Rome in Sept.
There are several wine bars that appeal (Trimani, Roscioli etc).
In Rome, in September midweek, do wine bars generally close around 3pm, or do they stay open all day, into evening (for a glass of wine, and plate of cheese, salami kind of thing)?
Should you know of one that does stay open through afternoon, it would be of interest.
Also, any pastry shops in Rome you can recommend that have a sit-down area in the shop for cake and coffee? (can you sit down and eat at Regoli?)
Again, generally, do they close after 3 pm , or stay open into the evening?
Thank you
PS: Late breaking: Trimani emailed with hours: "Moorning lunch 12.30 until 16 dinner 19 until 24 bye."
Rome for Meat Eaters?
My husband and I will be spending three days in Rome, and are looking forward to the food.
We get a lot of seafood where we live, and pasta is great, but we are especially interested in meat dishes - suckling pig, lamb, goat, etc. (we are less likely to venture into liver, brains, tripe etc).
We favor a romantic trattoria type of place over a very fine dining kind of place. (We're staying at the Hilton and I know many here swear by La Pergola - which I'm sure is wonderful, but it's not really our scene.)
Ideas we have so far:
La Campana
Armando al Pantheon
La Taverna da Giavanni (near Castel SantAngelo)
Giarrosto Dal Toscano at Via Germanica 56, near the Vatican Museum.
Comments on these, and any other suggestions, are much appreciated.
also, would you recommend we get reservations for lunch or dinner, midweek in Sept?
Thank you
Best American Spirit, Revisited - pssst Thomas Handy in Boston
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/656465
Thank you to everybody who helped me with this. All great suggestions.
I was leaning towards the Sazerac 18 for the newly minted US citizen - but when I went into Charles St Liquors (the one close to the Charles Street T), they didnt have Sazerac 18 (And they had only one of the Sazerac 6 yr, left, at around $30)....
But -- they did have the Thomas Handy Rye at $70. They got a total of 3 bottles in (said it was hard to get hold of); and I bought one .....so if you in Boston are interested, as of this afternoon, Dec 15, they had 2 left....
review Light Lunch at La Voile Newbury st Boston MA
Stopped at La Voile for a light lunch today – I’d had dinner there once before and knew it was good but was wary that it might be on the (very) pricey side. Not so!
Quiche with a well-prepared crispy crust (even on the bottom), and nice mix of greens dressed with balsamic for $10. Nicely presented on a wooden board with the salad in a little iron dish on the side.
Hefty glass of Syrah for $8.50.
And a terrific trio of desserts for $8 – this featured a reasonable size little cup of choco mousse, AND another of crème brulee, AND a very nice buttery cookie - AND an expresso. Terrific.
It's easily possible to spend a lot more here, but also possibe do well on a more modest budget.
Service was pleasant and efficient. As it was a nice sunny fall day we sat outside. We had heard that Cafeteria had changed its menu and went to look there first, but the prices were very similar on the light lunchy items, and my instinct is that La Voile is more serious about food. I don’t know what is happening with Cafeteria these days but was very happy with La Voile.
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La Voile
261 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116
Best American spirit - rye - bourbon??
There are so many good suggestions here.
I ran across this discussion of Old Potrero:
http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-5632.html
The Azorean, Gloucester MA Dinner review
I had the dinner the other night at the Azorean and I definitely recommend it – well-prepared, unpretentious bistro-style food – only, of course, Portuguese instead of French. Plus an appealing dining room, good prices, and very friendly service.
We spilt a starter of the mussels and splitting was a good idea – for one, it might have been too big a starter. Mild but flavorful, with a nice mix of seasonings, and peppers, onions, tomatoes.
For mains, I had the pork and clams, and my husband had a fixed fish platter.
The Carne de Porco A Alentejana (pork and clams)_ was very good - a very nicely judged sauce, with bay leaves in it. The dish is substantial, and arrives under an avalanche of diced sautéed potatoes. The fisherman’s plate was good – a mix of monkfish , shellfish etc, but we did favour the pork and clams.
Price points: appetizers around $9; mains: pork around $17, seafood $22; wine $8 a glass.
And I seized the opportunity to continue my crème caramel tour of universe; this was smallish, goodish version at $4.
Service was very friendly. And the flan arrived with “The Azorean” spelled out on the side of the dish in caramel – a nice "we have pride in this place" kind of detail. As well they should. Recommended!
http://www.azoreanrestaurant.com/menu.php
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Azorean Restaurant & Bar
133 Washington St, Gloucester, MA 01930
Best American spirit - rye - bourbon??
thank you everybody for the ideas- food - or better yet - drink - for thought!
In Boston (downtown I dont have car but can take T) any particular shop likely to have the best range of these drinks mentioned?
Also settle a bet; what exactly is the difference, relationship , between bourbon, rye, whiskey?
Thank you!
Best American spirit - rye - bourbon??
For a gift for an Englishman who just has gained American citizenship, I'm looking for an especially fine American spirit to demonstrate the USA is the equal (or better!) of UK in spirit terms .
He likes Islay single malts esp Laphroaig, so he can take the strong stuff. but also appreciates smoothness, depth .. 1792 bourbon??...Thomas Handy rye....?
Any ideas appreciated - thank you!
My Visit to Toronto
It was Harbord House - a "gastropub" I think I read somewhere. from the French, for "Pub with better food than you would otherwise expect" right? ;)
My Visit to Toronto
I consulted CH before and during my visit to Toronto, so wantd to share what happened. The top two were places I heard about from CH – thank you!
Le Paradis – solid classic bistro food at a very good price in a reasonably attractive setting. We went for an early dinner twice, on a Tues and a Thurs. Overall service and food slightly better on the Tuesday, when they were less busy. We had the rabbit, and the bavette (cooked rare as requested); and the other night, the pork loin, and the fish stew. All were very good, and tremendous value. For dessert, we tried both Marquis and the crème caramel. The Marquis was good – darkish chocolate full of hazelnut chunks and semi-frozen. My personal favourite was the crème caramel, a large serving, that did not “weep,” and was garnished with a tasty strawberry. 2 mains, 2 desserts, 2 glasses of wine – a bargain at around $70.
Dessert Trends was also a stand-out, for pastry and coffee.
We had the:
Hazelnut truffle (choco-hazelnut mousse pyramid on a chocolate biscuit base) The biscuit stayed crisp even with the fruit coulis decorating the plate – superior baking!
Hazelnut mousse: a round, hazelnut chocolate mousse, slightly ligher choco than the above.
Dark chocolate symphony: layers of light as air chocolate cake with choco mousse in between, wrapped in chocolate, like a parcel.
These were very fine pastries – beautiful to look at, great to eat. Very different from Duffrets - I would say more refined and higher quality. Around $7 a pastry, $4 a coffee. Help was a little bit disorganized but very nice.
Harbord House – there are more upscale places on Harbord St (Loire etc) but I liked the look of the menu and I am always interested in seeing what can happen at a low-mid range price as opposed to the more expensive places. Did not disappoint – the food was varied and thoughtfully prepared – for example, different side dishes done up for each of the mains. The server explained the red wines for us - – and we were having a glass, not a whole bottle. Friendly and very good. An app, 2 mains, 2 glasses of wine, came in at around $80.
Amadeu was also good (Portuguese) – we had the pork and clams, and the server helpfully let us substitute side dishes. 2 mains and a half carafe of wine, 2 coffees and 1 dessert (a good crème caramel...but smaller than Le Paradis!) around $85.
Thank you chowhounders again for your help – (and btw, Toronto is a great used book town.)
(inexpen) dinner - Annex , Bloor-Yorkville, ideas?
I am looking for place for dinner for two, in the Annex, or Bloor-Yorkville, anywhere just north of the University of Toronto.
We very much like Le Paradis (a CH suggestion - thank you) - and are looking for similiar area and price point but maybe a different cuisine (except not sushi or vegetarian).
Any ideas appreciated!! Thank you!
PS All here have so helpful - I will post report when home.
breakfast near the University?
Can you recommend a place to have breakfast (on own) near the University, on weekdays? Hoping for a sausage and egg kind of place (rather than waffles etc). Thank you!
Dessert and Coffee - Dufflet? Dessert Trends? Or -
Also Dessert Trends looks to be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays....
