Welcome back.  Hope you all had a wonderful Easter celebration with your family and friends.

Easter in our family is, like in my last post on Easter in Sicily, one  of celebration starting with church and then it is all about the food.  For us, since our nucleus family is scattered and Mom and Dad are no longer with us, it is a mix of old traditions to honor our family, and new ones.  Jenn, Roberto and I have a strong sense of maintaining long held traditions but we are also all about trying new things for our little family, too. 

As promised this post will provide the recipes from our research and our dinner.

So while part of our menu still looks like that of old, we reinvented some old recipes with a new twist that fits into our whole new pattern of healthy eating and have added some entirely different foods based on the Sicilian heritage research.

The DiPiazza-Campus Easter Menu
♥ ♥

Avocado-Tomato-Anchovy Crostoni*
“Crostoni con Avocado, Alici e Pomodiro”
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Spring Pea Risotto
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Lemon Lamb*
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Easter Bread
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Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake Roll
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Spiced Italian Coffee*

*Avocado, Tomato and Anchovy Crostoni
From The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana
Ingredients:
1 baguette
2 avocados
juice of I lemon  (We used only Meyer lemons from their lemon tree )
2 medium beefsteak tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 marinated anchovies, split into 2 filets each
2 tablespoons snipped chives

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut the bread diagonally into 12 thick slices. Place the slices of bread in a single layer on an 11”x17” baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, or until browned and crisp.

2.  Peel the avocados, cut them in half and scoop out the stone.  Slice each avocado in half into 6 wedges; arrange on a latter and sprinkle with the lemon juice to bring out the flavor.  This also helps prevent the avocado from turning black. Cut each tomato into 6 wedges and place ona plate, and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.

3.  Assemble the crostoni by placing a tomato wedge, an avocado wedge and a piece of the anchovy on top of each slice of bread. Garnish with the chives.  Serve immediately while the bread is crisp.
Serves 6.

Spring Pea Risotto – a Leftover Queen Original
Nothing ushers in this season like fresh spring peas. In this dish we decided to pair peas with a risotto to make a nice bed for the lamb.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ½ cups rice – mix of Arborio and Brown
1 pint chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup white wine
salt and pepper
Parmesean cheese
lemon slices of ½ lemon
Saute rice kernels in olive oil over medium heat until rice is browned – about 5-7 minutes.  Add peas and mix together and begin adding chicken stock ¼ cup at a time and let the rice soak up the liquid each time before adding more.  When stock is gone add butter and start with the wine, then start adding water , ¼ cup at a time until rice is cooked through.  Season with salt and pepper and serve with a nice grating of Parmesan cheese and lemon slices.
*Lemon Lamb
Often in Italy goat is on the menu at Easter.  But also popular and more readily available, in the states at least, is lamb.  While this dish was shown in The Magazine of la Cucina Italiana  with asparagus made into pancakes, we opted to go with the risotto.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.
12 ounces lamb
1 onion, minced
juice and zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup dry white wine
salt and pepper freshly ground

 In a skillet over high heat, warm the olive oil.  Dd the lamb and onion and saute for 5 minutes. Deglaze with lemon juice and wine; season with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes.  To serve place the pea risotto on a platter and arrange the lamb on top. Garnish with the lemon jest and spoon any cooking juices on top.  Serves 4.

Bread Recipe

Modified from this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/A-Number-One-Egg-Bread/Detail.aspx
Ingredients:
2 TBS buttermilk
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45
degrees C)
6 egg yolks
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 pinch salt
extra flour for dusting, and as needed during kneading
chocolate chips
confectioner’s sugar
milk
Directions:
Pre-Soak: Place whole wheat and all purpose flour in a large bowl. Mix with yogurt and 2/3 cup of water. Mix and let soak over night.
1.The next day, in a medium bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/8 cup of water. Stir in the yolks, 3 eggs, oil, sugar, and salt. Add about 3 -1/2 cups of flour to make a sticky dough.
2.Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead with remaining flour until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn to oil the entire surface of the dough. Cover with a damp cloth. Place in a warm place until double in size, about 1-1/2 hours.
3.Punch down the dough, and divide into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 12 inches long. Braid the three strands together, and seal the ends. Place the bread on a greased cookie sheet. Beat the remaining 1 egg with a pinch of salt; brush onto bread. Let the bread rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
To make Bunny shaped breads, tear off a golf ball sized piece of dough, and roll between hands to make a rope. Then tie in a knot. Even out the 2 long ends, to create ears, and the knots are the face. Place the chocolate chip eyes in place before the rise.
4.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
5.Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a wire rack. To decorate bunnies, make a simple icing out of confectioners sugar and milk. Paint on ears and nose. You can use red food coloring to make a pink nose.
 ***This recipe can be formed into other shapes as you wish- a braid, rolls, etc.  We like forming them into bunnies.  For small rolls or bunnies, omit the egg wash, decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees and the baking time to 15 minutes or until the bottoms look brown.

Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake Roll**  (For recipe click here)

*Spiced Italian Coffee

2 ounces chopped milk chocolate – from your Easter egg - in a bowl.  Pour 4 servings hot espresso over, stirring until melted.  Add 1 tablespoon rum, stir well.  Pour in cups and garnish with whipped cream and coca powder.  Serves 4.
Hope you enjoyed our little Easter dinner.  From our home to yours- enjoy!!

I just updated my other blog LeftoverQueen.com with a post about our visit to Venice, Italy !!!

I have been wanting to try The Tasting Room for ages. I have heard a lot of really good things about it and nothing bad. I knew that it is partnered with Opus 39 another high quality restaurant that I am dying to try, so with all of these pros, I thought there was no time like the present to enjoy some fine dining in Saint Augustine.

We have been trying to work our way around some of the local restaurants, and I am sad to say that it has been a while since we had a truly inspired meal. I do have my favorites here in the Oldest City, but I wanted to get more well rounded and try some other places, before getting stuck in a routine. But each time we tried a new place, we were starting to feel like we just wasted some money on a mediocre meal. So I figured that we needed to have a meal to really get us excited about dining out again, and really get our money’s worth, not only in the food, but the ambiance and the staff. All of these needs were met at The Tasting Room.

The Tasting Room is a small restaurant with a small outdoor eating area. But I suggest that if you really want to experience the ambiance, eat inside. The day we went ( weeknight) it was not crowded at all, so we were able to enjoy a nice table in the back with a tall back sofa to sit in. It was the perfect location for a romantic dinner.

Immediately we felt excited about the prospects. As we began to peruse their extensive wine list, our very informed server, Ryan, was willing to offer suggestions. Roberto has been into beer lately so he went for the one Spanish beer they had on the list – Estrella (although there is a lot of beers from all over the world to chose from). It had a nice hoppy flavor to it. I had never tried a Spanish Rioja before, and I had always wanted to, so I asked Ryan to suggest one to me from their list. So I ordered a Vina Salceda Reserva 2001. It was a dark rich color, kind of like a Merlot, and in the first sip I noticed a lot of complexity – it was dryer than reds I usually imbibe, but in a nice way, there was a nice punch of fruit at the end as well – maybe blackberries. At The Tasting Room you can order wine in 3 different sizes and you can also order a suggested paired wine (3 oz size) with each Tapas you order.

Ah, yes, Tapas…that is what we came for, right? They have a nice selection of hot and cold Tapas as well as Spanish meat platter and then also a nice list of entrees including Paella. We will certainly have to go back and try that sometime.

First we ordered the daily trio this is the chef’s daily choice called a Tasting Flight.

This is a single platter featuring three different Chef Daily Design Tapas and Pinchos . The day we went it was a chilled seafood salad chock full of shrimp and bay scallops in a nice light dressing. Next to that was a mustard encrusted pork tenderloin with a roasted red pepper sauce. Finally there was a panko encrusted piece of Mahi Mahi. Each small dish was packed with intense delicious flavor. We both loved each and every bite.

Then we ordered a few a la carte tapas:

Marinated Manchego with Dried Cherries

Basque Fries with sea salt, anchovies, and rosemary with a Romesco Sauce

Sauteed Calamari with Olives in a White Wine Sauce

Again, we loved each plate. All was a perfect symphony of complimentary flavors. We savored each bite and relished the quality of the food we were eating!

When Ryan asked us if we wanted dessert, we couldn’t say no. Everything had been outstanding so far, we didn’t want to miss out on anything.

We took his recommendation again – Chocolate Truffle Cake with Ancho-Cinnamon Ice Cream. It was certainly not to be missed. For Roberto there was the rich chocolate cake and for me, the amazing chili infused ice cream. It was the perfect size and a wonderful end to our amazing dinner.

I thought that The Tasting Room was going to be a really expensive night out. But when I looked at the quality of food and drink, the experience and the knowledge it was worth every penny. Not only that, it honestly was not much more than other meals we have eaten out – that were certainly not worth the price. Plus to sweeten the deal we had cut out a coupon from one of those mailers, so one of our Tapas was free!

On Fridays and Saturday night The Tasting Room also offers entertainment – there is usually a band – Latin jazz or Spanish music as well as a magician. So The Tasting Room would also be a nice place for an evening drink and a snack while enjoying the show.

Here is an article I wrote for my other blog, LeftoverQueen.com, however, I feel it is relevant material for this blog as well, since it features many local St. Augustine vendors. Hope you enjoy!

I am talking about this post of course. It could be taken the other way too. We are not “old” but we are not kids anymore either, so I guess you can take it however you like it!

However, the point is that we are in our second month of marriage (celebrating 2 months on Thursday) and I am just now getting around to posting about the wedding. It took us a while to get our photos, due to technical difficulties and then there was so much catching up to do when we returned. So sorry it’s late, but here it is! I already gave you a look at the honeymoon, but now it is time to write the story of our wedding day and all the wonderful vendors that helped us to make the day even more special. Plus, I know you are all dying to hear about the food and the cake.

I know everyone says this, but we had the best wedding ever. It was small and nearly everyone that we are close to was there to spend the weekend with us – Roberto’s mom, all of my parents, Roberto’s daughters, Gwen and Rachel, my best friend Jen and her family, and several other relatives and close friends. Just having all the people we love surrounding us, made it an amazing day.

We were married early in the day, so we opted to have a Brunch for our reception. I have always loved brunch – there is something just so classic about it, not to mention very budget friendly.

Since we had a small guest list, we were able to procure a beautiful Spanish style restaurant to host it. Saint Augustine, FL is well known for its Spanish history. Although it was held by the British as well, before the Americans, it is the Spanish who will forever be associated with the place. You can see this influence reflected in the architecture all over town, as well as the street names. It is such a beautiful place. When you are coming over the bridge from the beach into downtown, if it weren’t for the American flag, you would think you were in Spain.

For this reason, we really wanted to show our out of town guests what Saint Augustine is all about – get into the spirit of things, since many of them were going to spend some time in the city either before or after the wedding and many of them had never been here before. Therefore, we opted to have our brunch at La Cocina Restaurant located inside the Spanish inspired Castillo Real Hotel . Early on in the wedding planning game, we went to La Cocina to have lunch. We were very impressed by the artistic plating they did. Although the restaurant is very wallet friendly, dining there, you feel like you are in a swanky place. The staff is very professional, helpful and makes really delicious food.

This was our HUGE menu on the big day:

Fresh Fruit Display with Kahlua Yogurt Sauce
Green Salad with Corn, White Beans, Tomato, Avocado, Roasted Peppers, in a Cilantro-Cumin Dressing
Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Salad
Eggs Benedict
Penne Pasta with Shrimp
Alaskan Salmon with Peppercorn Cream Sauce
Sautéed Chicken Breasts with a Mushroom Demi-Glaze
Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
Sautéed Garlic Veggies
Garlic Bread
Coffee and Tea

*We also had Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. Our “champagne toast” was done with Moscato D’Asti. *

Everything was delicious. I especially loved the Tomato and Mozzarella salad which had a fantastic balsamic dressing on the side, and the Eggs Benedict, which were cooked to perfection. Also big hits were the salmon, the potatoes and the fabulous garlic bread! I had a bite of everything and I was not disappointed. If you ever are planning a wedding in Saint Augustine, look into having your reception at La Cocina, and be sure to ask for Norberto. Or if you are just coming here for a visit, be sure to check it out for lunch or dinner – it is rated one of the best restaurants in town.

Moving on to the cake. We had several cake tastings before we found the right bakers. As soon as we walked into
DeFores Cake Design and met with Kerry and Sandi, we knew. They had a cute table set up, with a tablecloth, flowers and two dishes with 3 different types of cake on it, accompanied by bottles of water. I had mentioned in one of my inquiry emails that we were looking for a Zuppe Inglese, an Italian layer cake with custard, chocolate and fruit. It is like a glorified trifle and a lot of people refer to it as Italian Wedding Cake (not to be confused with Cassata, a Sicilian cake that is also sometimes referred to as Wedding Cake). Most of the bakers we talked to, especially “wedding cake bakers” said it was impossible. But the amazing thing was, when we stepped into DeFores and asked what kinds of cakes we were sampling, they told us one was Zuppe Inglese. Kerry had baked it just for us, so we could try it. Not only that, but she had never made one before! Now that was amazing. Once we took a bite we were sold. The cake was tender, soft and delicious and the layers were creamy and full of flavor. One of the other samples was a chocolate cake with dark fudge filling. That was heavenly too, so we decided to make each of our tiers a different flavor.

The biggest layer was the Zuppe Inglese. Second layer was the chocolate cake with dark fudge filling and third layer – traditional for the 1 year anniversary, was rum cake with a custard filling! A nod to our Jamaican honeymoon. The cake had a simple, yet beautiful design – exactly what we wanted. No icky fondant here. Buttercream icing with a wave motif, and Sandi (the decorator in the pair) even painted seashells for the top. It was an exceptional cake. I am soo ecstatic that there is still some in the freezer awaiting us! I highly recommend DeFores Cake Design.

All of these gorgeous photos were taken by my friend and photographer, Keri Duesing. I met Keri when we were still living in Ocala. She is an animal and sports photographer who had assisted with many weddings. However, she is expanding her portfolio to include weddings, so we decided it was a perfect idea for her to do ours. She did a wonderful job and I can’t thank her enough. She is updating her website, and I will get a link here as soon as I can.

We have walked past La Pentola (which is Italian for The Cooking Pan) many times on our evening walks and it always looks so romantic and inviting with their tiled courtyard filled with greenery. So a few weeks ago when I was looking for a place we could take my mom to Mother’s Day Brunch, I decided to check out La Pentola. We wanted to take her somewhere special, to thank her for all the help she has given us over the past year and especially during the time of the wedding. So we wanted it to be a place that would show our appreciation. La Pentola had gotten a lot of good reviews on Trip Advisor with special regard to their brunch. Plus it is known as a restaurant using a lot of Mediterranean flavors. So we decided to stop by the restaurant one night, to find out what their brunch menu for Mother’s Day would be. We were told by one of the hosts that there was no set menu, that it really depended on the mood of the chef that day and what he would decide to prepare. I always find these kinds of chef’s to be rather creative, so we took the gamble and made reservations.

We got there a few minutes early, but they showed us to our table straightaway. It was a really hot day that day, so we were happy to see that our table was under the roof. We were still able to enjoy the courtyard without burning to a crisp.

Brunch at La Pentola is a la carte. They had a lot of interesting breakfast options as well as more lunch type fare. I found their menu to be more Latin infused than the Mediterranean cuisine they are known for, but we all like Latin flavors, so we were still happy. We ordered coffee and browsed the offerings. As always, I looked for the dish with the most interesting combination of flavors. I found it in their fried egg selection which was served over corn tortillas with roasted red peppers, peas and a tomatillo sauce. I am a big fan of Huevos Rancheros, so I decided to give it a go. Mom chose the omelette with chorizo and cheddar cheese with a side of grits and Roberto went for the roasted pork shoulder. The coffee arrived with a very cute touch. We each got our own mini pot of French press coffee accompanied by a little stick with rock sugar on it to stir into the coffee. Nice attention to detail there. Our server was very polite, and nice, but seemed really frazzled. In fact, it seemed that they were short staffed for a Mother’s Day brunch. There were about 10-15 tables outside and at least as many as 20 inside – and the servers were individually working tables both in and out.

Soon the meals came. My eggs were cooked to perfection and the tomatillo sauce was delicious. I liked the addition of red peppers, although they seemed to be from out of a jar, rather than roasted at the restaurant. Also the tortillas had been fried and they were very hard to cut through. But all in all, I really liked my meal – it was a large portion and served with a side of tasty home fries, very filling and had that unique flavor combination I was craving. Mom enjoyed her omelette as well. It was packed with chorizo and cheese – although it looked to me like the cheese was not totally melted in the omelette. The grits she said, we “just grits”.

Roberto’s pork was really tasty, it was like a Ropa Vieja and came with a delicious and fresh salad with gorgonzola dressing which was outstanding. Although the pork was tasty, it was not a very large portion. For $17 he thought he’d be saving half to take for lunch on Monday, but he said that if it weren’t for the bread basket he consumed alone, along with it, he would have left the restaurant still hungry.

My assessment is that La Pentola is the kind of place you go to enjoy the small plates, appetizers and salads which are all reasonably priced, and inventive, but avoid the entrees which are pricey and small of portion.

Where did you take your Moms to brunch?

If you have followed this blog for any length of time you know that Roberto loves his pizza. Being from Rome, Italy, although not THE capital of pizza that Naples is, he still knows a thing or two about what pizza should really be like (if you would like to see what we think makes a pizza great, check out this article ). So as always, when we change living locations we are always on the quest for the best pizza around (if you want to see where the best pizza in the US is that we have found so far, check out this article ).

If you live in Saint Augustine, Florida or have ever spent time here, you know there are tons of pizza joints. One night we were in the mood for a slice so we decided to check out Pizza Time’s Brooklyn style pizza on St. George’s Street. Now as you know, generally we are not big fans of New York style pizza. The crust is much more floppy than the classical Italian version and so it never quite meets up to our crunch standards. But Pizza Time displays many of their pie choices in the window and they looked really good. Plus I loved the sign in the window saying: “I’m Italian, I don’t need a recipe!”

I got a white slice with spinach and mushrooms and Roberto got two slices – a Mediterranean with olives, artichokes, onions, spinach and fresh tomatoes and and a slice with eggplant. They were all pretty good – but the best was the Mediterranean, it is hard to go wrong with all those wonderful toppings. The slices we so big that we had trouble finishing them, but as we feared the crusts were floppy. But we expected as much – at least Pizza Time wasn’t trying to fool anyone, they were up front about their Brooklyn roots! The biggest complaint I had was that the TVs were on and they were showing a medical show – which is not the most appetizing thing to have on while you are eating. But luckily Roberto and I avoid televisions while we are in restaurants, so we didn’t really pay much attention.

So the verdict? I would go back to Pizza Time and try some more of their pizza, but I think I would check out some other places first. Any locals have a good suggestion?

For another pizza review, click here.

This restaurant which is often touted as a place for tourists is in fact, great for tourists because it has a fantastic view of Matanzas Bay and The Bridge of Lions. You can see seagulls, fish and even dolphins playing in the water below you. But it is also a fun place for locals when you need to get your fix of watching crazy seagulls and attempt to feed them without getting your fingers bitten off! Kids will love it, too, as this place is more than food, it is also entertainment.

We had a great experience at The Santa Maria when my Dad and Stepmom were visiting a few weeks ago. We were going to take them to the A1A Alehouse, so they could get a nice view of the water and city, grab a pint of beer and enjoy the food, but they were closed for renovations. So A1A missed out!By this time we were so starving we didn’t know what to do. The belly was taking over the mind, so we ended up at The Santa Maria. I am really glad we did because I am sure this is exactly the kind of place I would have overlooked since it is right on the water and I have a theory that a good view does not always equate to good food. But I was happy that The Santa Maria proved me wrong.

The service was great from the get go. It was prompt, friendly and not overbearing. To start we all ordered a pint of Black Dog on tap – The Santa Maria has a nice selection of beers on tap, once you get through the Buds and the Millers. We decided we could all use a quick nosh, so we ordered the smoked seafood dip and my dad got the Minorcan calm chowder. What is Minorcan clam chowder, you ask? Firstly it is a chowder unique to St. Augustine, FL. It is like a Manhattan chowder as it is tomato based, but it has a special ingredient, the datil pepper, also unique to the St. Augustine area. A datil pepper is hotter than a jalapeño, but not as spicy as a habanero or scotch bonnet as they are sometimes known. The Minorcans themselves, from the island of Minorca or Menorca, who were a group of mostly Spanish, but also some Italian and Greek who came to Florida in the mid 1700’s to become servants indentured to a Dr. Andrew Turnbull in New Symrna, who treated his servants as slaves. Some escaped to St. Augustine and under the protection of the governor of St. Augustine settled here and were the cornerstone of the population in St. Augustine where many of their descendants still live. Pretty cool history for a chowder, don’t you think?

That isn’t all the history The Santa Maria has to offer either. It was built back in 1763 as a landing for cargo ships. It became a restaurant in 1954 by Louis and Marguerite Connell and the restaurant is run by their son, today.

And what about the smoked seafood dip? It was really really good. I could make a meal of that, perhaps on a summer night, with a nice glass of pinot grigio. But that day, I enjoyed it with Black Dog, when it was freezing outside!

We were all in the mood for fish sandwiches. On the day we were there, our choice of fresh fish was either grouper or mahi and you could have the fish grilled, blackened or broiled. The sandwiches came with some really good fries and all the condiments. My dad even remarked that he would eat fish more often if it tasted as good as what was on his sandwich. That is saying a lot from someone who lives in Annapolis, MD.

While we were eating we were able to enjoy the entertainment of the seagulls. There were literally hundreds of them vying for a spot on the railings or the restaurant. This is because they know there are little trap doors that allow customers to throw bread to them through. I honestly have never seen seagulls that close before. Mainly because they run away from you when you see them on the beach. But we were all surprised how different they looked from one another. Some had speckles of either brown on gray, others were completely white except for a few gray feathers near their wings. Some had yellow beaks, while others, more orange. Sitting there having a meal, you began to recognize them and it was really quite fun! When someone took their turn to feed them, it was a frenzy! But nonetheless an experience to remember. Apparently in the summer there are just as many fish gathered around the pier where the restaurant literally sits. So I am going to have to go back to check that out too!

I would say whether you are a tourist or a local, go check out the Santa Maria! It is a lot of fun and the food is quite good.

135 Avenida Menendez
Saint Augustine, FL
904-829-6578

They should really call it Italian Restaurant Row. The North End of Boston is full of Italian restaurants, specialty food shops, café’s and apartments. It is a section of town devoted to all things Italian and most of the residents, shop keepers and restaurateurs are also Italian keeping the authenticity alive. You rarely see something like this is America anymore. As I discussed here growing up, when I went to visit my grandparents in Western PA, it was a little like this, although most of the ethnic groups were kind of mixed together even though each had their cultural Mecca’s. But here in Boston’s Little Italy, it is all Italian all the time. You actually hear Italian being spoken in the streets and everywhere you go. The TVs in the cafés have Italian stations playing soccer matches, in Italian. You can really get the flavor of Italy here just walking through the streets, but when you go into the restaurants and sit at the table to eat, it gets even better.

As many of you who have kept up with this blog and my other blog The Leftover Queen,
you know that Roberto and I have been on a quest for the perfect Italian pizza. We have tried making it at home and have gotten close several times. We have also spent endless trips all over town trying each pizza joint, hoping to find a bit of pizza gold! But to no avail…yet. Until we found Pizza Regina in Boston’s Little Italy. We should have expected something good when we saw the line coming out the door and onto the sidewalk. When we got in, the place was packed and full of the hustle of a great pizza place: lots of yelling back and forth between servers and cooks, pizza dough flying in the air as a backdrop and smells of melting cheese and tomato sauce. Roberto and I shared a Napoletana – a huge pie with anchovies, capers and olives. Rachel and Gwen, Roberto’s daughters shared a half mushroom, half meatball.

As soon as Roberto picked up his slice and it held up, with no drooping he was feeling inspired, when he flipped the slice over to reveal the tell- tell sign of flour on the bottom of the crust, he got more excited, and when he took that first bite, enjoying all the flavors of a pizza cooked to perfection, he was in heaven and declared that his search for real Italian pizza in the US was over! Big accolades for Regina’s!

After eating we decided to go for a walk and check out some of the shops. We were on a search for some real Parmigiano-Reggiano and Italian Salami. We checked out the Salumeria Italiana a specialty food shop full of Italian cheeses, meats and non-perishables. There was also a table full of fresh baked bread. We picked up some Parmigiano and some assorted olives for snacking.

We then moved on to Café Graffiti where I enjoyed a deliciously bitter macchiato.

Roberto had a childhood favorite, Crodino – a bright red bitter (that matched his shirt that day!), which to Rachel, Gwen and I tasted like cough syrup (same color too)
and the girls each enjoyed a fruit nectar. Here is Racehl enjoying hers.

Refreshed we spent the next few hours walking around and enjoying the sights sounds and smells.

We stopped by the Old North Church, where on April 18, 1775 the church sexton, Robert Newman, climbed the steeple and held high two lanterns as a signal from Paul Revere that the British were marching to Lexington and Concord by sea and not by land. This fateful event ignited the American Revolution.

As well as St. Leonard’s Church, the first Roman Catholic church in new England built by Italian immigrants. All of these sights can be found in the North End.

Before leaving we had to make one more stop – we had to get Gelato, of course. I have been to The North End before and have always loved the nocciola gelato at Café Vittoria, a historical North End Café, and was dying to have it once more. Much to my dismay, they were out of Nocciola, so I settled for Coffee. Roberto had his obligatory Pistachio, Rachel went for Chocolate Chip,

and Gwen not knowing what to get opted for Spumoni after I told her my Grandfather used to get that for me when I was her age! We all enjoyed it AND our trip to little Italy!

*NOTE*: Some of these photographs were taken by Rachel Campus, Roberto’s daughter, who is a budding photographer. I guess she took after her dad on that one!

I had been hearing about Bella Luna for a while. I heard that is was independently owned, that it had a beautiful ambience and inventive upscale Italian cuisine but what really got me to go and check it out was that I heard they had a beautiful gargantuan Cassata – Sicilian wedding cake – with layers of sweetened ricotta cheese, white cake and candied fruits . I love a good Cassata and it was a night on one of these rare occasions that I was craving some pasta (mostly I am a really bad Italian, as I do not like eating lots of pasta) and in celebration of our pending nuptials that we decided to check out Bella Luna, celebrate a bit with my mom and see for ourselves!

From the outside there are clues to its nice ambience with statuary and fountains reminiscent of Italy tucked in among the shrubbery. We were greeted at the door by their specials board and immediately my eye caught one of the salads – Radicchio Involtini stuffed with goat cheese and walnuts, served warm. All of these foods paired up together in a warm salad, you just cannot go wrong. I knew with the creativity of this dish, we were in for a treat. As we walked through the doors, there looming in the foreground was the afore mentioned cake – the huge dome shaped Cassata staring me down. It was fluffy with whipped cream and dotted with the candied fruits Sicilians so adore in their sweets. I knew at that moment we’d be having a showdown at the end of the meal.

We were greeted by our waitress, whose Mother is from Naples and much to our delight spoke Italian. She was very friendly and helpful pointing out that since we were there before 6 PM their house wines were on special, buy one, get one free. So mom and I opted for the Chablis , while Roberto went for a Peroni – a top shelf version that he never saw in Italy – so apparently not only do the Italians export the best Pamiggiano-Regianno but they also export the better Peroni.

Perusing the menu we saw a lot of choices from poultry, to seafood and meats as well as pastas. However, the daily specials were again taking our attention. I decided to go for the salad which was as I had hoped warm, delicious and beautiful.

Roberto had the Sicilian Eggplant Timballo served with pasta. It was hearty and delicious, however he would have liked a little sweeter of a sauce.

Mom went for the Shrimp Portofino which had a delicious, light seafood sauce. Its simplicity was it’s winning point – there was no reason to make it more complex as it was just wonderfully flavorful!

At last it was time to taste the Cassata. We all decided to share a piece based on its height. It came to us with a beautiful raspberry sauce and a nice vanilla custard swirl. It was light and delicious and turned out to be a Zuppe Anglese – which is essentially an Italian Trifle. I really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to my next trip to Bella Luna.

Isn’t it amazing how a taste of something can bring you back to the past? One minute you are sitting enjoying a sweet treat at the end of a pizza and pasta dinner wondering what your angle should be for yet another Italian restaurant review and in the next moment you are an eight year old child sitting in the Italian hall enjoying the same sweet treat with your Pap-Pap. Sometimes, it has been so long since you had that particular taste that you forgot that it even existed. In that same moment that you are tasting this long-forgotten delight, moments in your life you had also forgotten come flooding back – now full of emotion because they had been forgotten for so long you did not realize how much you missed those simple, wonderful moments that you had no idea you would miss so much later at the original time you experienced them.

When I was young, visiting my grandparents in Western Pennsylvania, on those occasions that we went out to eat it was usually either to Santoni’s or the Italian hall. My grandparents lived in a very small town in the hills so there really wasn’t a lot of choice when it came to dining out. However, dining options were ethnically diverse – the towns were full of immigrant families from all over Europe. Of course, there were lots of Italians. But there were also Poles, French, Greeks and Germans -it was kind of like a much scaled down version of New York City – all different ethnic groups living in their own neighborhoods, close to one another, sharing the foods of their home countries.
Each of these immigrant groups had their “halls” – little gathering places where they served the foods of the various Mother countries, where people came to eat, relax and socialize. Whenever we went to the Italian hall or Santoni’s, one of the mom and pop Italian restaurants in town, my Pap would always order me Spumoni for dessert.

Spumoni is an Italian Ice cream treat that originates in Naples. However as I have learned, most Italian immigrants to America have been from the South of Italy. Therefore, most of what we think of as “Italian food” in America is mostly Southern Italian cuisine that has been adapted to the American kitchen. Then these dishes are served in all the Italian restaurants with perhaps some regional favorites from the owner’s family. Spumoni is no different – it is Napoletan however, it can be found in many Italian restaurants throughout North America. It usually is comprised of three different ice cream flavors – Pistachio, Chocolate and Strawberry that is swirled with maraschino cherries and pistachios and laced with rum. Many times it has layers of whipped cream as well. It is sweet and delicious – a symphony of flavors in the mouth. It was not recently, having had it as an adult again that I realized what that characteristic flavor was – the rum!

Now, let’s get back to the present day. We are still on our search for the perfect Italian style pizza in Ocala. This has taken us to many Italian restaurants, but we have yet to find the perfect pie. Sometimes the crust is good – nice and flaky, but then there are too many toppings and it drags down the crust, but more often than not, the toppings – cheese and sauce are great, but the crust is all too New York style – big and floppy.

So we asked around and heard a lot of good things about Lorenzo’s Pizza and Pasta at Quail Meadow. The restaurant is owned by Sicilians from Sicily which is a good start. It is a laid back, informal, mom and pop kind of restaurant, which is another good point – reminding me a lot of being back at the Italian hall and on the night we went, it was packed. So clearly, it has quite a following. This night we decided to try their Napoletana Pizza – being this is a famous pizza choice in Italy and since pizza originated in Naples, it is the oldest type of pizza in the world. The pizza was described on the menu as round, thin and hand-tossed which sounded perfect! We also ordered a Clams Marinara – to compare to the one we had at Sammy’s Italian Restaurant a few months back.

Immediately when the pizza was brought out, we could see that it had the famous New York style crust. However, the cheese and sauce were delicious. So all in all, it was a good choice.

The Clams Marinara was also good – I prefer a chunkier sauce with clams but the flavor was good and rich and the pasta al dente. So after dinner we are feeling like something sweet. I check out the menu and notice that they have Spumoni, a dessert I hadn’t thought about in years and since I am already feeling like I am at the Italian hall, I figure we should go all the way! It was incredible. The presentation was beautiful – the three layers lay out on the plate, big cherries poking out of it, sprinkled with powdered sugar! The taste was even better, during the first bite, everything about being at the Italian hall came back to me all these years later. Immediately I was brought back to that childhood feeling of being safe, secure, full belly, no worries too big to handle and I was again fascinated at how a taste can really bring you back. I am a professional foodie so I understand how a taste or smell can take you back to a place you associate with that sensory perception, but it had been a long time since I had thought about Santoni’s or the Italian hall, and in that moment, it was all there like yesterday – the sights, the sounds, the smells, my grandparents, everything. So I know just where to go when I am missing the good old days – right out to Highway 27 and Lorenzo’s and I am really looking forward to unlocking other sensory triggers that I know are buried in there somewhere.