Pasta: Trattoria La Torre, Siena

I took a little trip down to Florence and decided to take a sporadic trip to Siena. I've never been there, heard it was beautiful and decided to go. However, I'm not really interested in the architecture, the churches, the leather goods... I'm interested in olive oil, salami, local wines and of course the cuisine.

So in order to prepare for my trip, I googled.

Literally- I typed good places to eat in Siena and got multiple lists that had stars decorating my entire screen... so I had to do some weeding and stumbled upon Trattoria La Torre.

I was a little skeptical... but after 5 stars in a row I figured something had to be special about this place. From what I read... I was told that this place was a hidden gem, a local favorite, reasonably priced for a central location, family-run, has an open kitchen with the freshest pasta and an old man who is the menu.

I also read that this man can be a little pushy about what to order... and that's exactly why I chose this place. If anyone is going to know what's good, it will be the man in charge. So I brushed up on my Italian (since he will only speak in Italian) and prepared myself for a great lunch.

Trattoria La Torre is literally a hop skip and a jump away from the actual Tower in Il Campo. I walked wayy too far and completely missed this place. I had to ask a local woman who was more than happy to guide me in the right direction (I felt so stupid because she's like it's right there, look hahah)!

The door is covered in long dark brown furry curtains which didn't really phase me (unlike the readers on tripadvisor), and the inside is small and cozy. I like the limited availabilty of seats because it made me feel excited to be able to dine there.

We sat in the center of the restaurant, ordered the vino della casa from a young lady. After we placed our drink order, the old man got up from his chair and came over... I took a deep breath (nervousness from all of the tripadvisor reveiws), opened my ears and listened carefully.

He said in a gentle voice, "Pasta. Ravioli, Gnocchi, Pici, etc, etc, etc," while pointing to the table with the fresh pasta. I was so surprised how nice he was- I was expecting the NY Soup Nazi! So I just smiled and replied, "Mi piace che tu piace." And I'm not really sure if I translated correctly but I wanted to say "I like what you like" which made him chuckle and then he suggested the Ravioli and I ordered the Pici spaghetti for my Mommy.

The dishes came out and the sauce was fantastic. The ravioli was stuffed with cheese and spinach topped with a bolongnase meat sauce topped with parmesan. My Mom had pici noodles with the same sauce... and was really impressed with her dish. And when I say impressed, I mean blow away. Let me give you a little background info about my Mom- when she orders a dish she usually gives away 85% of her dish whether you want to try it or not because she's a tiny eater. And well I was counting on her to share today and well she didn't want to switch plates! Not kidding, she was only willing to give me one bite LOL!

After the pasta dish, the old man came over and said, "Carne." He actually started listing things in English which really surprised me and my Mom decided to try their lamb. Since Mom was getting a meat dish I decided to get another pasta dish LOL. I decided on gnocchi even though I wish I could have tried all of them. I'm not a fan of gnocchi but I read good things and I agree that this gnocchi was probably the best I've ever had. It didn't have a strong flavor- it was simply soft and delightful with a simple ragu sauce. My mom's lamb was very intricate- it was like a stuffed braised lamb bursting with flavor. And in addition to the lamb my Mom got a side dish of spinach which was surprisingly delicious.

We were completely full once we finished those dishes... so I said, "Basta cosi." Meaning that's it. So while we waited for the bill, we kept our eyes on all of the other dishes that were coming out of the open kitchen. One woman ordered a beautiful florentine steak, someone else ordered three different pastas with sauce, and half of the restaurant ordered tiramisu. We weren't planning to order coffee or desserts but I really felt the need to try the tiramisu since it was an obvious favorite.

And I really needed to see if it was better than mine... when I put my spoon into the tiramisu I was a little nervous because I really didn't want it to be better than mine...

But to my surprise: even though it has the same name- the two desserts are completely different! My tiramisu is the traditional style- ladyfingers with cream, while La Torre's is very little cookie with tons of cream with chocolate chips... and I think it had liquor because it was very runny. It tasted nice but in my opinion... mine is definitely better ;)

Oh yeah! And when we ordered coffee it was interesting to see the young lady exit the restaurant and come back with the tray of coffee. I think they own the place next door which is a coffee shop...which is why they don't have the machine in the restaurant. I don't know, that's my theory.

Anyway it was really great dining at this authentic, tuscan, family-run restaurant. The food is so good that I would have paid top dollar for their pasta... but luckily I didn't have too. This place doesn't take advantage of the tourist trap and produces quality over quantity... which makes you want to order as much as possible.

Baci e abbracchi <3

Everything: Clementines, Avon

To outsiders, the Jersey Shore (Central Jersey) is known for their beaches, over-sized pizza, guidos, italian ices, and dive bars... but locals know the hidden gems that make Jersey Shore shine. One of those hidden gems is a place called Clementines in Avon.

Clementines is unique because the owner has two passion. Painting and food. He runs a paint company in the morning and then Clementine's opens its doors at 5. You might be questioning the quality of this mans work, but seriously everything is superb.

Clementines is a cajun-style restaurant that makes masterpieces. Everything, and I mean everything is fantastic. And at first you may be overwhelmed by the interior but once you take a bite everything just makes sense. On top of the great food, this place is BYOB! They encourage you to stop by their local liquor store before it closes so you can truly enjoy your meal.

Overall the staff is great, the food is phenomenal... if I had to suggest a dish, I'd go for the shrimp and tasso pasta to get a taste for the cajun style... but you really can't go wrong. And definitely try their specials...

Check them out at: http://www.clementinescafellc.com/
And don't forget to make reservations...

Baci e Abbracci <3

Ravioli: Pasta & Company, Torino

Why go to a supermarket when you can go to "THE MARKET"?

In Italy, each town has their own center. In the center, on specific days, there are Outdoor Markets. In Monza, I discovered their Mercato di Sabato... and a friend of mine introduced me to the "THE" Ravioli Truck.

We walked all the way towards the back of the market, and there it was... ECCOLO- a yellow and white masterpiece that made it all the way from Torino.

Now this isn't just some ordinary ravioli truck. This truck has ravioli with some of the loveliest flavors ever created. For instance, a personal favorite of mine is the proscuitto crudo, fichi (fig) and grana (parmesan cheese) ravioli. Yes, all that comes in one ravioli. But they also have simple cheese raviolis that are rockin'.

The ravioli are fresh and each week is a surprise because you don't know which raviolis will be featured... which is why I visit every Saturday and get a small portion of each and every ravioli that appeals to me :) And don't worry if you're on line and don't know which ones to choose, they'll give you a sample... just say, "Posso asajarlo questa qua" and make sure to point to the one you want.

PS: You can eat the raviolis raw because they're super fresh and uber delicious! Truth be told... sometimes the raviolis don't make it back to my apartment because I end up eating them like a snack on the way home LOL. Bottomline, raw or cooked... you can't go wrong :)

PPS: They make special trips to Monza for the market but you can visit them in Torino or check them out online- http://www.pastaecompany.it/

Baci e abbracci!