Michelin Lunch

So leaving Silvi Marina on the Adriatic coast for a day trip into the mountains.

What started as a blue day and only a few clouds in the sky's

 Past many a cute little hill top village with autumn in full swing

 

To a find this door posted with many Michelin sticker ... so we know its a good place for lunch. 

 

 

Oh how the day in the mountains has changed from the blue sky's over the ocean below.
Now we are in a beige central palazzo

  

with a plain looking church façade off to the other corner.

 We came up through an ancient calla entrance

  

from a typical domestic street on a now very grey day,

past a cute stairway

 

with a cute pot of herbies ( steeling that idea for home )

 

 

Inside to be greeted by our wine waiter in what was so quintessential an Italian restaurant in the mountains in the food region of Abruzzo in the tiny mountains village of Sulmona about 60km up from the ocean. 

 

The front of the menus shows the entrance to the calla,

 looks cuter on the menu than in real life!

 

Lunch was such a local treat

Bruschetta of pork, served warm so the ever so thin slices just melted into the toast with a side of pickled garlic flowers. 

The 1st pasta was with a soft tomato sauce.

This pasta was made from 00 flour and water only so a strong meaty chew! served al-dente

The 2nd pasta a lamb ragu with an egg pasta, we are boarding the north and the south here in Abruzzo, the north with egg pasta and the south without egg. It was so interesting to try the two pastas in the same meal.

a chilly plate to make your ragu as hot as you would like.

 

 A main of mutton stew, the flavour was a food memory from when I was a kid on my grandfather farm, the taste of the meat ... strong and so full of flavour with a rosemary jus. 

This dish was so un-Italian as they served the vege on the same plate as the meat. Gratin of mushrooms and onion and a olive oil roasted potato.

Pure comfort food and now on a cold wet day ... delightful.

Teamed with a 2012 local red and well it was just all Bellismo

 

I have learnt a bit over our travels and that is to look for local wines (always) but not always the ones recommended by the house. These are normally younger and the reds, while good with pizza's are not always the best choice to go with the restaurants main menu.

Look for the reserva selection which are aged, all still very local, but are normally from one grape variety and year. So many of the grape varieties I have never heard of so its always a bit of a taste gamble, a gamble I love.

We are asking for big strong wines, non dolce (sweet) and finding some real gems.

This wine selection is not always bought out to the tourist as the restaurant "assumes" that as you are a tourist ... well ... lets just leave that opinion as that!

Its a bit hard to hide that "I'm a tourist" in a small village with that Aussie hat, but I'm sure that's not the only tell tail give away!!!.

The wine makers have nowhere to hide with these wines and these wines to date have been just exceptional.