Getting to Italy, the Long Way Around
Last night my Irish friend and I headed over to North Beach for musical entertainment–Beach Blanket Babylon– and, of course, some food. As we walked past the windows displaying baked goodies and gelato, olive oil and plates of pasta, I told her I needed to get there more often, as it somehow felt like home.
Before the show, we had a drink at O’Reilly’s, a tip of the hat to her background and after, dinner at Steps of Rome, a nod to mine. Forgive me, readers and drinkers, for my lack of details and my wine pairing. When I saw they had a split bottle of Amarone on the list (believe it was Cesari but can’t recall the vintage), I ordered it at once. Yet we shared a Caesar salad (heavy on the anchovies and quite good); penne with a tomato, cream, vodka sauce; and a pizza with basil pesto, goat cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes. Now, I know that would have been better with a dry white wine. But I wanted the Amarone….
EDIT: As a reader reminded me, I should give a quick explanation of Amarone. Made in the same region (northeastern Veneto) and from the same grapes (including Corvina and Molinara) as Valpolicella, the difference here is that Amarone grapes are dried like raisins, often spread out on wicker mats for several months. Sometimes this leads to the noble rot botrytis and often to higher alcohol. And the extra work/lower yields lead to higher prices. I’ve had several good ones from Bolla, but you can also rely on Bertani and Allegrini.
Consider this my promise to revisit Italy again soon, even if it’s only through food and wine.
Italian food, Italian wine, Italian heritage
February 16th, 2007 at 10:15 am
That sounds quite tasty, but my lack of wine knowledge forced me to have to look up Amarone on google
February 16th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Thanks, Keith, for nudging me to edit and give more info!
November 25th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
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