Summer...Spumante...L'Estate...

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Summer's halfway over.  And for some of us, that  can only mean one thing...
Time for AIS Napoli's annual summer get together starring spumante and champagne.   This year the organizers wanted to do something big...something huge. So last Monday evening we all headed to Nabilah, a beautiful lido in Bacoli (Na) just in time for a spectacular sunset.  A cool breeze from the sea greeted me as I greeted friends, many who I haven't seen in ages. We talked about the past year, plans for the summer and beyond.  




Spumante?  Plenty of it and we were not disappointed.  And what better way to celebrate summer than by sipping your favorite bubbly  on the beach?





And what better what to celebrate summer than by tasting dishes prepared right in front of you by some of Southern Italy's top chefs?


pasta and beans with mussels - chef marianna vitale - SUD ristorante, quarto (na)

lamb tartar sandwich with mayonnaise - chef mirko balzano - villa assunta, mirabella eclano (av) 

raw shrimp and calamari with toasted almonds on a bed of kataifi pasta - chef antonio molfetta - nabilah, bacoli(na)

cod and potato tartar with tomatoes and a wheat wafer - chef frank rizzuti -frankrizzuti cucina del sud, potenza (pz)

fried red mullet - chef nicola fossaceca - ristorante il metro, san salvo (ch) 

white chocolate mousse, blue goat cheese,  centrifuged green beans and fried capers - chef marianna vitale

macaron with anchovy butter - chef frank rizzuti
And if that wasn't enough, sandwiches prepared by Michele Grande of La Bifora in Bacoli, fried pizza from  Salvatore Salvo of Pizzeria -Salvo da Tre Generazioni in San Giorgio a Cremano (Na), pizza by Stefano Pagliuca of Enopanetteria I Sapori della Tradizione in Melito (Na), and mozzarella from the Consorzio Mozzarella di Bufala.


Live music...on the beach.  DJs...on the beach...


And after all that, way better way to celebrate   that extra something special that I had been working hard for the past two years...I received my sommelier diploma...




Grazie amici, 


Grazie AIS,


Buon Estate!

Italian version

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