There's No Place Like ... Home - Piccola Osteria Alternativa, Bacoli (Na)

 

"Click your heels together three times and say 'There's no place like home' and you'll be there." Words spoken to Dorothy by Glinda the Good Witch in the film The Wizard of Oz. 

I thought about those words as I headed out to Bacoli last Saturday for lunch.  I did not have ruby slippers as Dorothy did in the film, but I did have on my favorite pair of black high top sneakers.  Will that work? I laughed to myself as my son and I pulled into the parking lot off a narrow street in a cozy little neighborhood.  Right across the street from Home- Piccola Osteria Alternative, the Chef Tommaso Di Meo’s newest adventure which he opened up at the end of June.

It was our first time home, and we were greeted by the following phrase un our way up the stairs…..

what you have never seen, you'll find  where you have never been

...and our very hospitable server, Felice Esposito.  Esposito led us across the attractive dining room to a table by the large sliding glass window.  A window that allowed a pleasant breeze that helped to beat the heat that hit the Campania region of the last couple of weeks. A few minutes pass, just a few, and we were joined by Chef Di Meo.  We looked over the menu together- a menu which features Di Meo’s home cooking. 

Another few minutes and our lunch at home began starting with an aperitif and a glass of wine.

Empanadas stuffed with smoked burrata and spinach with an aglianico pork fillet

                            Torrefumo Campi Flegrei Falanghina DOP 2018 Cantine del Mare

Fantasie dello Chef Mare e Terra;  an amazing appetizer featuring items from land and sea.

Tuna tartare with nectarine

Potato salad with  marinated mussels 

Arancino with  burrata cheese and prawns and a green tomato compote

Eggplant parmigiana with cacio cheese sauce

Sandwich with porchetta and yogurt sauce

Beef carpaccio with figs

(I loved the potato salad-my son the tartar)

Moving along, for the first course I chose spaghettone (Mancini) with seafood, basil and lemon.

While my son went for mezzi paccheri pasta with octopus ragout and cruschi pepper powder.

Luckily Di Meo’s homemade bread and breadstick basket was nearby so that we were able to soak up the sauce left behind on the vibrant colorful ceramic dishes.

Second course…

I stayed on the mare and terra path with fried cuttlefish and eggplant…

While my son chose lauticauda lamb roulade with marinated zucchini, which he had been thinking about since we sat down.

 Sadly we skipped dessert, but from what we noticed from the other diners, our next visit would definitely include Di Meo’s homemade desserts.

 

Yes, we would definitely be coming back.  It’s nice to go out and find a place that makes you feel at home.

From left to right- Valentina Simeoli, Chef Tommaso Di Meo, Felice Esposito and Roberta Testa

All we need to do is just "Click your heels together three times and say 'There's no place like home' and you'll be there."