La Locanda del Testardo, Bacoli (Na) - A Midsummer Night's Dinner

La Locanda del Testardo - the name alone puts a smile on my face.  Locanda in Italian means inn- so we're talking about a comfortable casual place where you can feel at home away from home.  In this case, describing a restaurant, not a hotel.

Testardo in Italian means stubborn.  A word that is not necessarily negative.  Synonyms like persistent, steadfast, unshakeable come to mind.  A name that, in my opinion, describes Chef patron Luca Esposito's philipsophy for the type of cuisine that he shares with his diners at his locanda a stone throws away from the Bacoli port in Campi Flegrei.  A persistent, steadfast, unshakeable commitment to those who want to feel at home away from home.

So let's get back to my smile.  A smile that naturally appeared as I saw Chef Esposito by the door of the restaurant and pointed me down to the parking lot just about 50 meters down to the right.  A smile that continued as Esposito gave me a quick tour that Thursday evening before Maitre Sommelier Giuseppe Di Ruocco  showed me to my seat.  I was handed a menu and a glass of sparkling mind to help me decide my journey.

Esposito's menu is primarly seafood, and I was excited and overwhelmed with the choices.  They're known for for their raw seafood platter on ice appetizers as well as a selection of antipasti based on the catch of the day.

Creamed codfish, tomato water and tarallo

Raw swordfish and pumpkin

Cuttlefish tagliatella cooked at a low temperature, and cous cous with cuttlefish ink 

Mackerel tartare

Seafood platter with sea truffle, scampo and two seafood treats found only in the area - sfera di mare and limone di mare

Smoked white shrimp burger with celery sauce and puffed rice with paprika

Goat milk ricotta cheese 'in the garden' with mackerel in olive oil

Toasted bread, butter and anchovies

Octopus tempura with fava bean and chickory sauces

Assorted fried tiny fish

When it came down to decide on a first course, well that was easy.  I asked Esposito for spaghetti, so he sent me his version of the famous Spaghetti alla Nerano which features zucchini.  Esposito adds steamed mussels and Provolone del Monaco cheese.

For the second course, the chef prepared grouper in an amazing teriyaki sauce.

Dessert?  I decided to go with fresh summer fruit.

Overall, an experience fantasticaaa!  By the time I had finished dinner, the place was packed - I didn't even pop into the kitchen since the chef and his brigade were very busy.  What did I have to drink?  Besides a bottle of sparkling water, Maitre Di Ruocco served me some glasses of great wines as well as an interesting rose' beer - it's all in the video below.  What you don't see is my smile - that was on my face when I left, and returns everytime I think about my misdummer night's dinner.



Note - beginning the 10th of September until the 6th of October, La Locanda del Testardo will not serve seafood - just meat.  This is due to the break in the fishing season in the Tyrhennian Sea to give time for marine life to reproduce.  And since Esposito is a testardo - stubborn, steadfast, persisitent - it is only natural that he strongly feels this need to serve his customers the best fresh seafood in season.

Fantasticaaa!