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?

This week’s post was very nostalgico. So I want to explore words that have to do with emotions or sentimeni. But first lets start with the catalyst for the post.

Spumoni is Spumoni obviously!

Memories — Ricordi (re-kor-dee)

Grandpa — Nonno (noh-noh)

To Miss (Long For) — Sentire La Mancanza (cen-tear-eh lah mahn-khan-tsah)

This week we are talking about a variety of summer outdoor activities.
Here are some Italian words that go with this theme:

Nuotare (new-oh-tah-reh) — To Swim

Andare en Barca (ahn-dar-reh een bahr-kah)– To Go Boating

And some more Free Words:

Kayak is Kayak

Snorkeling is Snorkeling

Scuba is Scuba

So for this week, since we are talking about going out for a martini, I figured now would be a good time to explain that many words associated with going out for a drink in Italian are the same as their English counterparts. It is also relevant to explain that the word
un bar in Italian is the combination of a coffee bar and what we think of as a bar in English, except that they are combined – so think of it as a Starbucks that serves alcoholic drinks as well! So if you are looking for an espresso, you are going to un bar, the same place you are going if you want one of these:

un bitter – a bitter (like campari)

un martini

un cocktail

alcohol

Cin Cin!

We have already learned the words for hotel, youth hostel, vacancy, and no vacancy and we have learned how to make a reservation for a hotel. Now let’s learn how to say the key words for what is inside a hotel room.
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Ho sete (oh sehteh)– I’m Thirsty
Vorrei ordinare due biccheri di vino
(vor-eh-ee or-dee-nah-reh doo-eh bik-e-air-reh dee ve-noh) —
I would like to order 2 glasses of wine.

Vorrei ordinare un dolce (vor-eh-ee or-dee-nah-reh oon dohl-chee) — I would like to order a dessert

Now, in case you felt like learning Italian faster than the words and phrases I provide you with here each week, you may want to invest in learning materials. I have tried several different kinds – written, oral, audio, etc. To me I like a combination. The most important thing about learning a language is to learn it organically. When you were a child, you didn’t know how to conjugate verbs, did you? But you could speak and communicate and refine your word choices along the way. So when you are learning a new foreign language I believe that you should learn with these same principles. So this week, I am featuring as the product of the week and encourage all of you who have ever wanted to learn to speak Italian, really speak Italian, to take the plunge!

Buona Fortuna!

Now if you wanted to order this in Italian, what would you say?

Vorrei una birra (vor-reh-ee oo-na bee-ra) – I would like a beer

How about this?

Vorrei pesce con patate fritte (vor-reh-ee peh-sheh con pah-tah-teh free-teh ) – I would like fish and chips!

Now if they had British Pubs in Italy, you’d be all set! But you will probably need this if you go to the coast and are going to have some nice fried fish there! Buon Appetito!

When you go on Vacanze (vah-cahn-tsah) – Vacation if you are going to be there for more than a day, you will need somewhere to stay. Perhaps you will stay in:
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This week’s big event was the fantastic Middle Eastern Hafla we attended in Ocala, Florida. Therefore, it is only appropriate this week that the Italian Word(s) of the Week are also Bellydance related:

La Danza (lah dahn-tsa) – The Dance

Il Ballo (eel bah-low) – The Dance

La Danza del Ventre (lah dahn-tsa del Ven-treh) – Belly Dancing

Il Velo (eel veh-low) – The Veil

Danzare (dahn-tsa-reh) – To Dance

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