andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

  What do you know about sustainable fishing ?  I must admit that I do not know much. So when I watched that controversial Netflix documentary a few months ago ( Seaspiracy) I was pretty shocked.  Then I saw a blog post by Armatore – a fishing company in the sleepy fisherman’s port of Cetara on the Amalfi Coast.  They have been been around for four generations had something to say about the documentary in a blog post on their web site.  In their post, in Italian here , they invited Netflix to come on board with them .   Here is how the blog post begins: It was hard to watch it, we don't deny it. However, it had to be done. It was right to put a spotlight on industrial fishing and shed light on the consequences of uncontrolled fishing. But it is not right to ignore those who work every day to change the future of the planet by respecting the environment, the sea and people. An investigation by Seaspiracy which completely ignores artisanal fishing, fo...

  Chi tene 'o mar..e 'o sape ca è fesso e cuntento Who has the sea knows that he is foolish and content …… those are the lyrics to the late  Neapolitan musician Pino Daniele 's song Chi Tene 'O Mar. . . Those word are pretty much how I felt last weekend.  Foolish and content .  Here in Campania, where, when I want I have the sea. And now that the weather seems like would like to reward us with warm and sunny weekends, it seemed the perfect opportunity to head out to the sea.  To Salerno, to be exact, to visit restaurant Il Pacchero, located just a quick 5 minute walk from the city’s  seafront.  A 5 minute walk to a small   side street, to a small table   with a crispy clean white tablecloth, I arrived to ‘o mar.   The sea presented in the dishes prepared by Chef Claudio Russo – who tene o mar /has the sea in his head and in his heart.   So let’s take a look how Russo made me foolishly content last weekend. We started wi...

  Last week I wrote about my fantastic first at Contaminazioni Restaurant .  Today I’d like to rewind to the beginning of my meal.  I’d like to step back to those first few bites served to me by Chef Giuseppe Molaro.   The first few bites of the Nami tasting menu which boasts 11 dishes. A menu which was served almost immediately after I was led to the table by Yuky Mitsiushi Molaro , the chef's wife and the perfect hostess. Here’s how Molaro rolled out the welcome wagon…. Hibuscus cocktail -which is a cocktail made with a hibiscus flower vinegar that the chef makes made with alcohol, h2o, hibiscus flowers and brown sugar.  He told me that he lets it oxygenate with the aquarium oxygenator for 1 week then lets it rest for 1 month.  To vinegar he adds   chilli oil, green tea   kombucha and bitters.   This welcome caught my eye – not only for its look and flavor, but also for the story behind it as well. I asked Molaro about it and he...

Last Saturday. Lunch.  Contaminazioni Restaurant in Somma Vesuviana in the Naples province.  I was about 1/3 of the way into Chef Giuseppe Molaro 's Nami tasting menu when it arrived.  A plate of spaghetti.  Spaghetto freddo alle alghe ,  I was told.  Cold spaghetti with seaweed. I know what you may be thinking.  But don't .  This is not leftover spaghetti that the chef had just taken out of the blast freezer.  This spaghetti was cooked to order, then 'cooled down' bain-marie style but over ice.  The result is a perfectly cooked al dente pasta.  When Molaro stepped into the dining room,I asked him about the dish.  He described techniques and procedures that I would not be likely to reproduce at home. As he spoke about ingredients such asginger, tomato vinegar (made by the chef), iko wakame in chardonnay vinegar, parsley cream, nori seaweed, ...  I must confess I went into a little trance.   As I swirled my spa...

I’m going out , I said.  After weeks of the zona rossa , the Campania region made it back to yellow.  Which for some in the restaurant industry is a little bit of fresh air.  Literally.  Bars, restaurants, and pizzerias could finally accept diners in their establishments – but only if they could be seated outdoors. So…I told my son, I’m going out.   And if you need me, I’ll be on the first floor…. Primo Piano in Portici (Na). (A burger place reccomeded to me by the simpatico Francesco Colantonio , who is a close friend and menu consultant for Primo Piano.) The guys from the first floor - Andrea Valletta, Antonio Improta, Emanuele Raniello, and Pasquale Formisano I arrived around 6 pm. A little early, but I wanted to have time for an aperitif and a quick chit chat with Emanuele Raniello .   It was during this chat that I learned quite a bit about this burger restaurant, which was founded by Raniello and his partner Antonio Improta about 6 years ago. ...

Chef Carmine Amarante Last September, I was scrolling social media and I found these words written by a friend, chef Carmine Amarante : It is with great pleasure and honour that I announce my new adventure with Armani Ristorante Japan . I am so thrilled to be part of this new challenge and team, to continue giving my best in providing memorable experiences to our guests and giving my passion to my team. The launch of my new menu at Armani Ristorante Ginza and Omotesando will be on September 24th and I cannot wait to receive you all very soon! Fantasticaaa!   I remember thinking.   I can’t wait to virtually take that adventure with him as the now 30-year-old chef, originally from Campania, continues to enrich his culinary style of merging Italian fine dining cuisine for his Japanese clients using local ingredients. In his role as Executive Chef, Amarante is responsible for all things Armani in terms of cuisine which include the Armani Ristorante, Armani Wine Lounge, and...