andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

Chef Domenico Stile sent me a message late May.  That message invited me to Rome for the weekend to present the chef during a cooking presentation.  I decided toextend that invitation and swing by Enoteca La Torre a Villa Laetitia to check out his new menu - and also snap a couple of shots of thir amazing dining room-especially the glass window ( :-D )  It was there, that afternoon in June, that I had the opportunity to try a dish that I can add to my list of SpectacularSummer experiences for 2016. Stile's  gnocco pesto di fagiolini, fondata di provolone del monaco e palamita marinata  or better, his  green bean pesto gnocchi, provolone del monaco fondue, marinated bonito. Nearly three months have passed but I still remember each bite.  Each pillow of flavor designed to savour slowly, without stress, without trying to examine or over analyse this dish by this promising young chef.  Fantastic.

The Gran Cru'...Do by Chef Nino Di Costanzo .  Yes, I've written about it before ( here ), but you know how it is.  All it takes is just a couple of likes on social media to remind you about that spectacular summer lunch even though it was a few months back. And that's exactly what happened today.  This snapshot of Chef Nino Di Costanzo's Gran Cru'...Do, Raw Seafood Platter stirred up memories, emotions, and the desire to purchase a ferry ticket to Ischia to relive the experience one more time before Di Costanzo closes up his Dani' Maison for the winter. Glancing at the photographs of this amazing appetizer, I was instantly transported back to my seat in the kitchen - a highly prized spot at Di Costanzo's chef's table. I remember the light coming through the left side  window - how it danced/shone/played with the colors of the Murano glass dishes -inches thick.  I remember my server placing each dish down - patiently piece by piece. De

Summer is nearly over....but that's okay.  I've got some summer memories of dishes that I tasted in 2016 to last me through the change in seasons. Dishes like this one that I tried about a month ago by Michelin starred chef Michele Deleo of Rossellinis Ristorante in the beautiful town of Ravello, high above the Amalfi Coast. My server , Francesco Pignatiello,  proudly set this plate down in front of me, waited just the right amout of time, you know, for me to absorb the colors and the aromas, and then began to describe the dish for me. Scorfano in peperonata... Scorpionfish in bell peppers.   A dish, that reminded Pignatiello of a famous sculpture located in Naples's centro storico - Il Cristo Velato/The Veiled Christ.  The marble sculpture by Neapolitan artist Giuseppe Sanmartino in the 1700 on display at Museo Capello Sansevero. Maybe. Maybe. Both pieces of art spark curiosity, wonder, and a desire to dig in and discover what is under that veil.

I've got a new dish that I'd like you to try , Chef Marcello Corrado told me as he accompanied this appetizer to my comfy cozy table for one during a recent lunch at Casa Del Nonno 13 . The chef waited briefly after the plate was set down in front of me before he began to explain his appetizer. Scallops- scallop ceviche to be exact. Thinly sliced scallop ceviche in the form a a nearly transparent blanket protecting late summer goodies underneath. Vegetables fresh from the garden such as zucchini, peas and carrots... A sprinkling of slightly salted toasted almonds on top... Fresh herbs... Amazing!