The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
October 3 - Eating Our Way Through Tuscany
I could have filled volumes with photos of restaurants in Siena but I will settle for a shot of a coffee bar and a gelateria, both essential food groups in Italy. The photo on the left is, from left to right, Hap Gray, Margene, the Doc and Pat Gray. They have been wonderful traveling companions. We had lunch at a pizzeria on the Campo. Pat must have taken the picture because she is the only one missing. The two new faces are Linda Simmons and Ray Byrne.
For our last meal together, we returned to Osteria al Prato in Castelnuovo Berardenga with the crew. This time we met Ciro, the owner, who was one of those wonderful Italian characters with the effervescent love of life we have come to enjoy so much. In addition to being a wonderful chef, he treated us to some of his homemade Cream of Limoncello, an interesting variation on the classic Italian liqueur. He also gave us some excellent grappa. If you are unfamiliar with this Italian alcoholic abberation, grappa has been described as "an aviation fuel distilled from grapes" and much of it is just that ... but Ciro turned us on to the good stuff -- still fiercely potent but quite palatable. At least I liked it!
© 2008 Restaurant Doctor
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