I Have Seen the Light

On our second day here in Ossuccio, we went for lunch at an outside bar/café by the water in Lenno. And I can safely say that it was some of the worst Italian food I have ever eaten.

It was shockingly bad: my doughy, floury pasta with tasteless sauce and Steve’s pizza which was also thick and doughy with a couple slices of ham thrown haphazardly on top.

To say we were shocked was an understatement. This was the Italian food everyone we spoke to was raving about? I had had better Italian food from a frozen Lean Cuisine in the US. Well, we thought, maybe it was just this particular place in a more touristy area. Or maybe since the place we ate at was mostly a bar, it was a lesson that bar food the world over just isn’t very good.

What we needed, we decided, were some recommendations from someone local. As luck would have it, the man who owns the building we are renting in came by yesterday morning to see how we were doing. So we asked him for restaurant suggestions and he gave us a few.

Last night, we decided to try one out. The restaurant we chose was called Osteria de Giuanin, and it is located about ½ mile from where we are staying. Since it was pouring rain and since we didn’t really know where we were going, we drove part of the way, parked in a parking lot and walked down a cobbled alley between the houses until we arrived at a sign pointing us onward to the restaurant. Down some stairs we went, through another small alley between houses and then up some stairs until suddenly, there it was.

The interior was very plain: the walls decorated with framed front pages of old Italian newspapers; an unlit fireplace in one corner with wine bottles on the stone mantelpiece; a small bar in the corner, and a total of 7 or 8 tables. It felt a bit like wandering into someone’s home for a meal.

When we arrived, only two of the other tables were taken, both with Italian groups of friends chatting away. Both the chef and waitress spoke to us in English, which was life-saving, since there was no written menu.

We had an option of three starters (local fish selection; dried and salted fish or cured meats), three pastas (taglioline with mushrooms, gnocci with cheese and walnuts, and risotto with perch) fish (a fried fish or perch in sage and butter) and two different steaks.

We chose to try the fish sampler, the dried and salted fish, and then to share the risotto. Plus a half-liter carafe of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo table wine for 5 euros! There was no bottle, no vintage, no producer even!

The fish selection was very nice: small portions of smoked fish, small whole fish both in olive oil and brine, and thinly-sliced marinated zucchini. The salted and dried fish however, was absolutely delicious. The waitress said it was a local fish called Acone, which I have never heard of.

There were two of these fish (about the size of Kippers) on the plate, served whole, warm, and with two slices of what I think was fried polenta. The flesh of the fish was red in color, and it pulled away from easily from the little bones. The flavor of it was just lovely, salty and rich without being overpowering. Both of us picked it clean; it was so delicious, I was tempted to eat its head, eyeballs and all.

We were very pleased; finally, a good meal. And then, the risotto arrived, and the meal went from being good to being a revelation. Served in a portion for two on an oblong plate, the white risotto was ringed by a pool of light green olive oil and topped with thin slices of lightly fried perch.

My first bite was of the fish only, and it was delicious, delicate white fish surrounded by a lightly crisp coating. Then I ate the risotto, and that first bite elicited an “Oh. My. God.” And I think I said this after every subsequent bite.

This was the most extraordinary risotto I have ever eaten, and yet I am hard-pressed to say exactly why. It wasn’t heavily seasoned, and it didn’t have an overwhelming flavor of fish, or pumpkin, or mushroom the way risottos that I’ve had in The States always do. It wasn’t stringy with cheese, in fact I don’t think there was any in it at all.

But it was glorious: rich and creamy (for those of you who know how much I detest the words cream and creamy, the fact that I so willingly use it here should tell you how inspired I was by this food), with a delicate and simple flavor, which I assume came simply from some kind of stock and wine. And that creaminess, where does it come from? From the rice itself or from actual cream?

Eating the risotto at the same time as the fish brought a whole other level of delight as the two flavors and textures (the rich, chewy risotto with the delicate and crisp fish) combined perfectly to bring out the best in each other.

The best thing about it was how simple it all was. Even our wine, red, (in spite of the fact that we were having fish) was simple and fresh: slightly fizzy, very young and bright with flavors of cherry, black raspberry, and that very Italian earthy-iron finish.

For dessert we shared a small slice of a local cake, which she pronounced “Miasha”, which was made from bread, milk, pears, apples and nuts and was served with a small scoop of vanilla gelato. It was very much like a dry version of bread pudding, and was light and not too sweet. The gelato, of course, was delicious.

After that, we were stuffed. The tables around us, still talking animatedly, also had starters and pastas, but then followed those with plates of fish, dessert and then coffee. They were still sitting there when we left almost two hours after we had arrived.

So now I get it, the wonders of Italian food. It was exactly the kind of experience I was looking for in a meal, because I was able to say that while I have eaten risotto before, I have never eaten a risotto that tasted like That before. For me, experiencing a meal like that is one of the great joys of travel, indeed of life.

I meant to take photos of the meal, but I left the camera in the apartment, but don’t despair, I’m pretty certain we will be eating there again!