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Tuscany Trip Report – Daily Breakfast at the Hotel Puccini

July27

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We wandered down to Hotel Puccini’s dining room with a number of other travelers that we suspected were on the same Gate One package as us. Not a particularly chummy group, we all nodded hellos but pretty much stuck to ourselves. We picked a particular table and then had breakfast at the same one all week long.

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Having travelled to Italy previously, we knew that “breakfast” was more like a Canadian “brunch” with a wide selection of pastries, cheeses, meats, egg dishes and dessert! Omelets were sliced into pinwheels as illustrated above. There were always hard boiled eggs to enjoy as well.

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We were partial to the Italian cheeses and fresh tomatoes.

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Although untested, the coffee cakes and fruit galettes looked tasty and plentiful.

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On most days I repeated my favourites-a café au lait, cheeses, meats and the crustiest brown bread ever. Fresh fruit was not plentiful but juices and preserved fruit was. On our final day, the delightful server who took care of us all week, made a “real” café au lait from the machine in the bar rather than the automatic dispenser in the dining room. It was a little gesture but an indication of how willing the Italians were to share their hospitality and make us feel very special.

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This was how the hotel management persuaded you from lugging your key with you when you were sight-seeing. We left ours at the front desk and provided a daily opportunity to chat with the warm front desk staff.

Kath’s quote: “Amor non conosce travaglio – Love never tires”. -Unknown

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Love never fails.

 

La Cantina del Toscano DOC

July26

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Before we headed to Tuscany, I did some research and had seen that a local recommended a couple of his favourite restaurants in the town of Montecatini where we were staying. La Cantina del Toscano DOC was one of the two. We then found out from Patrizia the owner of Hotel Puccini that La Cantina was within walking distance of our hotel. Little did we know at that time that we would fall instantly in love with the food and our server Francesco and that we would return almost every evening of our stay.

Dinner that evening started with a bread basket and plenty of good quality olive oil for dipping.

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I was over the moon with my selection of pasta with seafood, tomatoes and fresh basil.

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D was delighted with his choice of noodles with clams and mint.

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I am not sure why it struck us to also order pizzas to go, but we did. Mine was this gorgeous creation with thinly sliced eggplant and cheese.

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D’s was even tastier topped with sausage, ham, oregano and stracchino cheese. There was a fridge in our room so we repackaged them and placed them in there.

Kath’s quotes: “Five tender apricots in a blue bowl, a brief and exact promise of things to come.” ― Frances Mayes, In Tuscany    

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Love never fails.

Stellas Sherbrooke

July15

Stella’s has become an institution in Winnipeg, thanks to its well executed authentic fare and cheerful service. I haven’t managed to get to Stella’s multiple locations. I am content to stick to the locale that I know the best. Unfortunately, the Sherbrooke St. had to be rebuilt after a fire but the newly opened location is even nicer than the former with light flooding into a south bank of windows.

I was meeting a foodie friend from Toronto who was in town for the recent Dietician conference. I wanted to take her to a place unique to Winnipeg. Her eyes immediately fell upon the Mexican breakfast and I know many people including my own daughter-in-law who think that it is one of the best breakfasts in town.

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The tasty meal is certainly great value with a perfectly prepared sunny side up egg resting on top of soft corn tortillas and topped with tomato, green onion and grated cheddar cheese. Huge scoops of salsa and guacamole share the plate with premise made hashbrowns and a sparkling cilantro sauce.

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I immediately knew that I wanted one of Stella’s famous cinnamon buns, intending to share it with my guest.

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As a result I chose a lighter breakfast of scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese with rice, refried beans and salsa. The dish was jammed with flavour and very satisfying. Turned out that my guest was chock full and couldn’t finish her breakfast. As a result, it was my responsibility to eat that cinnamon bun all by myself. Luckily, I had more than enough room for the decadent treat: iced, buttered and grilled! Gooey and “cinamonny”, Stella’s cinnamon buns are amongst the cities’ best. Where do you buy your favourite?

Kath’s quote:“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.” –Mae West

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Love never fails.

 

 

 

 

 

Nicolino’s Cucina Italiano

July6

We have a large extended family and without exception, we love to eat and dine out. The family is always a great resource for suggestions of places to try. A niece and I have been trying to find an available date to dine together at one of her favourite spots- Nicolino’s Cucina Italiana. She knows that I love well prepared Italian food. Recently, an opportunity came up for me to visit with a friend. I couldn’t resist and my niece was absolutely correct-I wish I had discovered Nicolino’s decades ago!

Chef Fabrizio Rossi originally hails from Rome and the family who own and operate the restaurant originate from Muro Lucano (making up the arch of the boot of Italy nestled between Campania, Puglia and Calabria). I cannot say that I have visited their hometown but have definitely been in the vicinity on a couple of occasions and I love the food from Rome and further south.

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On this day, my friend and I were going to share our plates. She loves all Nicolino’s salads and decided upon the Feta. I looked over the extensive pizza selection but wanted to test a pasta.

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Our helpful server suggested the spaghetti and meatballs and although I was willing to go with something more adventurous, my friend and I were blown away! The veal meatballs were a lovely consistency, tender and juicy. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce…oohh, the sauce! I could taste the rich tomatoes, garlic, basil and love in the sauce.

The Feta Salad was unique in that the feta had either been very finely crumbled or grated so that there was plenty clinging to each and every romaine leaf. Chopped tomatoes, purple onion and pitted black olives also dotted the salad.

We had plenty of just baked bread sticks to mop up our plates and then took to eating the rest of the basket with little specks of butter on each segment.

I cannot wait to return to Nicolino’s and hope to join my niece for that elusive dinner. Hopefully the construction in front of the building will be complete so that I will not drive past it as I did recently.

Nicolino's Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Kath’s quote: “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.”-Sophia Loren

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Love never fails.

Dancing Noodle

June20

Flour and water-something amazing happens with these two ingredients come together. We are the happy owners of an electric pasta maker and as long as we have these two ingredients on hand, we can throw them into a broth, sauté them with herbs and garlic or pour a sauce on them and always have a meal at the ready. The hand stretching of noodles is Chinese fine art and now there is a Winnipeg restaurant where you can enjoy lamian noodles.

The Dancing Noodle is an inauspicious little spot that I actually drove by twice before checking the address.  There are only a few tables and our strategy of visiting after the lunch rush was misguided. The place was packed with students from the nearby high school who knew the people lucky enough to have a table, so it was hard to determine the first come, first serve order. I negotiated with another couple to share the next four-top that became available but in the end we joined a long communal table when two chairs finally came available.

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The menu is succinct and embellished by a couple of specials on a white board. We immediately ordered both the specials and then had more time to get caught up and peruse the menu. First up was a tasty and unusual two layered crepe. We tried to determine the ingredients but were left dumb-founded even though my palette is typically discerning and I was lunching with a home economist.

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The ingredients of the second special of a cucumber salad were more obvious and equally delicious.

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We chose a bowl of beef noodle soup to share. This was no ordinary soup. The thinly sliced beef which floated on the surface was delectable on its own and incredible when slurped up with the savoury broth and swarms of noodles. The latter had the most unusual texture, almost as though they had been soaked but not boiled. I understand that is achieved when the noodles are hand twisted, stretched and folded into strands. We oohed and aahed with every scrumptious spoonful.

Dancing Noodle Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Kath’s quote: “Ramen is a dish that’s very high in calories and sodium. One way to make it slightly healthier is to leave the soup and just eat the noodles”. -Masaharu Morimoto

TSR Watermark - 5364

Love never fails.

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