andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

  Chef Marco Ambrosino For me, waiting to try a new restaurant can be exciting.   As it was in the case of  Sustanza Restaurant which opened up about a couple of months ago. The restaurant is part of an ambitious project to bring a life back to Galleria Principe located across the street from the very popular Archaeological Museum in downtown Naples. A galleria rich in Neapolitan history   dating back to the late 1800s housing among many things, what is known as a caffè letterario - a literary caffè.   You may remember that I wrote about Scotto Jonno – part 1 of the project on my blog here.   That blog post ended by me making a promise to myself.   A promise that I would return when the restaurant opened on the second floor.   I chose the evening of the 22 nd of June and was greeted by Chef Marco Ambrosino and the dining room staff as I exited the elevator.     I was given a quick tour of the restaurant which included two small dining rooms and an area to relax in- all beautiful

Chef Salvatore Sodano Last week I was in Venice. I decided to treat myself to a foodie vacation and my first stop was the Michelin starred restaurant, Ristorante Local . Was it a coincidence that the chef is a close friend, Salvatore Sodano ? Maybe. I chose Sodano's 9 dish tasting menu which was a journey that blended his Campania roots, techniques that he has learned throughout his career, and flavors and customs of Venetian cuisine. That means that his menu began with a series of 'cicchetti' which are little bites to open up your stomach. I also tried his appetizer of tuna, cucumber and nervetti. Nervetti are the cartilaginous parts found in calves' legs. In Venice you may find them served with onions in a salad and in Campania in a favorite street food called 'o per e 'o muss. Chef Sodano is a staunch protector of the environment and believes deeply in sustainability. That is why it was important to include a blue crab appetizer on his menu.