A Mare/A Tavola! Ristorante Ida, Barano, Ischia (Na)

And what if I get off at the wrong stop?  I wrote...
Impossible, responded Ivan (Maresca).  Maronti is the last stop!

I was seated on a window seat on the air conditioned Linea 5 bus heading from Ischia Porto towards Maronti.  And during that 20 minute or so bus ride, I found myself shooting off a few Whatsapp© messages to Ivan Maresca. He along with Angelo Pesce were expecting me at Ristorante Ida, the tavola to Bagno Ida's mare.

A simple  bus ride , but that didn't seem to calm down the butterflies that were accompanying me on the  way.  Though I haven't been to Ida before, I felt as if I had already hung out with the team since I am a faithful follower of Pesce and Marsca's Instagram Stories© and Facebook© live posts.  Check the latest out here.

 The bus stopped at the small piazzetta of Maronti and I along with everyone else got off and headed towards the beach. Maresca's instructions included to make a left and they'd be the third restaurant on the beach.
Arrivata!  I headed straight to the tiny kitchen to say hello, chat a bit, then check out the catch of the day.  Today codfish in the house!

I'd hook up with it later...at lunch time.

I had a couple of hours or so to check out the beach.

A Mare! The Pesce family has been running this slice on the sand  since 1959 which not only includes the ristorante, but a bar and private beach as well.  It didn't take long for me to feel at home, and those butterflies?  Well, they flew away a long time ago.

1:15 pm, lunchtime. I headed into the restaurant, but before sitting down in the dining room featuring that cool sea breeze and floor fans, I decided to head back into the kitchen.  Nearly 100 degrees F, but that didn't matter.

 Chef Angelo Pesce

Ivan Maresca

Chef Angelo Pesce was preparing spaghetti with fresh shrimp and he didn't mind taking the time to share a couple of tips and suggestions on how to replicate the dish at home.

At this point I was more than hungry.  A Tavola!
A small pitcher (or two) of white wine and peaches added that touch of home.

Beginning with the appetizer of the house - and since we were a mare...

Marinated anchovies, green sauce and Campari orange gealatin;
Lemon marinated castagna fish (from the sea bream family), bonito (marinated three times) and wild salmon on marinated red onion and lemon;
Silver scabbard fish parmigiana  with olive oil powder;

Pistachio shrimp on buffalo ricotta cheese;
Tuna tataki with burnt eggplant sauce;
 Stuffed anchovies with provola with citronette dressing;
Salmon fried in airbag flour on orange sauce


This was just the beginning.  It seems as though the world knows about my love for spaghetti, so Pesce sent out a hearty serving of the house specialty.  Spaghetti alla Ida.

This dish has been a popular menu item for quite some time and I could easily see why.  Clams, cuttlefish, toasted pine nuts, breadcrumbs, and lemon make this dish one of my favorite pasta dishes of all time.

A piece of bread or two to soak up the flavors that remained on the plate.

Remember that cod fish that I met in the kitchen earlier?  Well, it arrived next.  This time filleted, breaded and lightly fried.

It shared space on a beautiful sea green ceramic dish (made by Maresca's mom - Anna Barone) with seasonal vegetables such as green peppers/frigitelli, zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes.

As I was eating, I noticed the environment around me.  Diners like me who were sitting down to full lunches, or those who preferred tomato salads, bruschettone, or  the popular zingara sandwich.

Dessert? I was asked?
How about some fruit? I suggested as I eyed the peaches that had been soaking in the house wine for at least a couple of hours.

Fantasticaaa!

Clockwise from the top - Andrea Di Iorio, Pesce, Me, Carlo Di Scala and Maresca

Grazie Ivan for the 'end of service selfie!!!