Fantastic Firsts, Chef Lorenzo Cuomo, Re Mauri' (Sa)

Chef Lorenzo Cuomo

And there I was...the first weekend of spring.  Destination Amalfi Coast.  Excited about the sunny Saturday, but even more about lunch.  I was returning to Re Mauri', the Michelin starred restaurant located in Vietri sul Mare.  Radio blasting I almost did not hear my phone ringing. I pulled over to answer it.   It was Chef Lorenzo Cuomo checking in.  Cuomo wantd to make sure everything was okay.  That I remembered the way (It had ben over a year since my last visit).  I assured him that tutto was appost'...fine.

Twenty minutes later I was sitting at my table looking over the menu.  It wasn't easy to  choose, especially since I hadn't been in over a year - but after speaking with the chef, I decided on the tasting menu, with the addition of a second pasta.  So, after a vodka martini, an aperitif, and amazing appetizer (soon on the blog), the fantastic firsts arrived.

Cuomo's pasta and beans arrived first.

This is the chef's twist on a classic Campania pasta and beans dish.  A poor man's dish that the chef made regal.  Pasta and beans is usually made with pasta mista - mixd pasta formats.  Cuomo, instead, opted for seven different varieties of beans.

Different sizes, different colors, each cooked seperately.  For the pasta, he chose a type of tagliatelle produced by Gerardo di Nola.  He broke the pasta by hand.  Instead of mussels, the chef choose goose neck barnacles and chantarelle mushrooms.


Next a dish that I picked out from the a la carte menu.

Minestra di Mare or Seafood minestrone.

This is also a play on a classic Campania dish - Minestra Maritata  or wedding soup. A dish dear to the chef that he crated alongside his maestro Chef Oliver Glowig.

Instead of chicken and beef, Cuomo uses the treasures from the sea.  Tesori such as redfish, mullet, cuttlefish, octopus, sea truffles and cod tripe..  Vegetables include escarole, toasted fennel, and red algae.

Note to self - don't wait a year to head back to Re Mauri!



Fantastic!