andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

  What makes a dish memorable?  Well, one that you remember a long time after you have tasted it.  One that, just by looking at a photograph, brings back the aromas, the textures, and the flavors of a dish fantasticaaa.   That is the case for this particular appetizer that I had nearly 1 month ago at Josè Restaurant in Torre del Greco.  It was not my first time at this Michelin starred restaurant, but it was the first time for my son, David.  In fact, I often watched his reaction too the whole ' Iavarone experience'.   Like when  Chef Domenico Iavarone' s codfish appetizer arrived.   David and I paused a bit before digging in. One...two...three bites of baccalà .  Three bites of  cod, charred spring onion, candied lemon and olives . Three bites of goodness...that maybe ended too soon.  But then, what is an appetizer?   A n  appetizer   is a small serving of food — just a few bites — meant to be eaten before an entree, and often shared by several people. You can also call a

    I first met Chef Giuseppe Molaro back in March 2019.  The chef had recently returned from Tokyo where he was the executive chef at Sensi, by Heinz Beck in Japan, where he earned the restaurant a Michelin star in 2017 - two days after his 31st birthday.  I met Molaro at an event ( here )  where he prepared an amazing shitake mushroom risotto which I still remember.  What else do I still remember? The look in his eye, his determination, and his creativity .  All attributes that contributed to a dream to finally open up a restaurant of his own in late 2019.  Contaminazioni Restaurant .  A restaurant that is part of a ambitious project in his hometown of Somma Vesuviana in the Naples Province.  A restaurant where he could express his style of gourmet cooking backed up by years of international experience. Then Covid hit the world causing Italy to shut down totally in March causing the project to grind to a halt...or maybe a hiccup.  June 2020 - restaurants opened up again facing many

  Though many in Campania enjoy going out to a pizzeria in the evening, I have always preferred a pizza for pranzo .  A pizza for lunch. I mean, I need to go when and where the pizza is good, where I feel relaxed, where I feel at home.  And though there are numerous guide books, lists and classifications on where to find the best pizzeria, I tend to ignore those.  Pizza is personal. I refer to ask a friend or two their opinion, and then check it out for myself.  That is how I found Maestri Pizzaioli . Maestri Pizzaioli is a pizzeria nestled in a one way street  in Secondigliano (Na).  It has been serving pizzas to the neighborhood (and beyond) since 1955.  On my first visit - I've been several times in the last few months - I had a little difficulty parking.  Then I got up the nerve, and parked Neapolitan style.  Maybe you get the picture.   The moment I entered I felt a casa .  I quickly glanced around. checking out the dining room.  Absorbing everything.  The photos on the walls,