A little Italian right around the corner

Before I came to the UK the first time, I had really low expectations on the food.  I'm glad to say that there is the same caliber of food preparation that you would expect from a leading world city.  I'm also glad to say that we found the most magical little Italian restaurant just around the corner from our flat.  You know the kind.  The maitre d knows you by name.  The wine list is extensive, but just enough to be accommodating and not overwhelming (they have my Bellavista on the menu).  The type of place where they just start bringing meats, and breads to your table before you even order.  Behold! Osteria dell'Arancio!!

Below is a sampling of the items we enjoyed.  The standouts were the octopus salad, which the waiter said was the most "chef-y" item on the menu (which, of course, sold us on the item) and the spicy pappardelle dish I had as my main.  Oh, and, yes, that is bacon wrapped around those lamb chops!

I'm excited because we are headed back for dinner on Jan 29 for a Barolo tasting.  We are going to bring some friends and try some free top of the line wines.  Can you think of a better reason??

Duck Soup Soho

Our first noteworthy outing in London was to the über chic soho restaurant, Duck Soup.  This establishment is one of those "in the know" kind of places.  While sitting outside in the freezing cold waiting on our table to be ready.... because the 5 of us waiting on a table crowded all of the waiting room..... people kept walking by questioning what place this was. "what is duck soup?" "look how packed it is, let's go somewhere else" All I can say is that I feel bad for those people because they totally missed out.  If you like a good mystery cocktail and classic rock tunes played on vinyl, this is the kind of place for you.

Outside Duck Soup

Specials board in the front window

Our nice little table

The hubbub of Friday night.... this was taken about the same time "Sweet Home Alabama" came on the turntable

Samples of the daily handwritten menus.  Their daily menus are posted on their tumblr.

Salame Toscano

Scallops, Hazelnuts, & Lardo -- I'm a fool for lardo, but this takes my obsession to another level.

Mozzarella Cavolo Nero - these bitter leaves were amazing

Lardo Crescentine - this was lardo over a dense, fried bread, great combo

Lamb with Pomegranate and Feta

Vacherin, Pink Fir Potatoes, Cornichons - This fondue type dish was mind blowing. I've never had such pillowy soft, fresh cheese like this.  You could eat the cheese off a spoon or dip the potatoes.  Fantastic!

"In Duck We Trust" the Duck Soup signature cocktail. It was a great last drink. It tasted like a late harvest wine blended with a brandy type liquor.  You can see their wine list on the Duck Soup wine tumbler.

Duck Soup is definitely going to be a place I bring foodie houseguest who come to London for a visit.

Tuscany on Valentine's Day

During our Tuscan road trip, we were in the hill town of Montepulciano, Italy, on Valentine's Day.  We didn't make any restaurant plans ahead of time (good going E!), so we relied on TripAdvisor.com for recommendations.  After a quick search, we found Borgobuio.  The dinner was a blast!  The owners are a married couple, Piers and Elda.  Elda is the chef and Piers runs the front of the house.  While waiting for the wine to breathe, Piers brought over a leather bound book which showed Borgobuio ranked in the top 100 restaurants in Tuscany and had me read the entry aloud for all the guests -- he was VERY proud!  Piers gave us the best wine service either of us have ever received.

The atmosphere is intimate and comfortable.  The food was arguably the best meal I have ever had.  I loved dining in a former cellar.  The architecture was so interesting.  Also interesting was the flat screen TVs playing concert DVDs during the meal.  That element prompted some bad reviews on TripAdvisor.  I feel like seeing "Cool and the Gang" in concert was just the quirky touch that really revealed Piers sense of humor.  As soon as we walked in the front door, we knew this was going to be a special night!

We had a very special Valentine's Day together.  What is your favorite romantic evening?  I'd love to hear about your special night stories!

Destination: Montepulciano, Italy

One of my favorite stops during our Tuscan road trip was Montepulciano, Italy.  This medieval hilltop town completely stole my heart!  The streets are so narrow that I was nervous riding in our Fiat Panda through the small corridors.  We had the most incredible views of the countryside from our hotel room.  We arrived right at sunset and had the opportunity to see the most magical sunset!  After sundown, we wandered through wine cellars and cheese cellars.  We bought cheese and cured meats for road snacks for the next day.  Montepulciano has the most beautiful ceramics and copper wares.  Of course, how could you not mention the wine?!  Montepulciano is home to Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, d'Abrezzo Montepulciano, and the young, yet incredibly tasty, Rosso. (I have even recently added a Rose from the region into my summer wine rotation!)

One of the more exciting finds in this town was when we realized that New Moon was set in Voltaire, Italy, but filmed in Montepulciano.  Then, we discovered that RPatz and KStew not only stayed in our hotel, but in our exact room!  The small hotel was within feet of the center of the town and a perfect location for them to post up before and after shooting.

View from our hotel room.

View of the valley from the edge of the town.

Agritourismos in the distance!

I love the warm colors of the sky set against the cool colors of the hills below

Duomo - The pope wouldn't allow a lot of the hill towns to finish the construction of their duomos since the structures represented allegiance to the town and not to the church as a whole

Palazzo Tarugi

Palazzo Comunale - This should definitely remind you of New Moon!

Cantina Contucci - We did a quick tasting here and bought some bottles of wine.

Wine barrels in the cellars

The winding roads at night

We found the cutest mechanic sweeping out his shop.  Eric thought his dad would love to see these pics.  We had a very strained conversation in Italian.  He wanted to know so much about Eric's family's Harley Davidsons.  I should have spent more time with my Rosetta Stone!!

He was so sweet and welcoming.  I was surprised to see an Oklahoma plate.  He loved finding out that I was from there!!

Steep and narrow streets in Montepulciano

Pictures of the New Moon mania in and around our hotel

RPatz leaving the front door of our hotel!

Inside the Duomo

Just down the hill is The Sanctuary of San Biagio

View of Montepulciano from the bottom of the hill

Inside The Sanctuary of San Biagio

We had the best time in Montepulciano!  I don't think I'll ever see another town quite like it.  In my next post, I'll share our very special Valentine's Day dinner with you and talk about the importance of Slow Food to Italians.