Day 66 - Saturday Party Party

It was out standing Saturday party and chef came to the house early to pick us all up. We decided then that we would officially move out on Sunday morning. However later in the afternoon, we would be going over to see the new place and meet the landlord. I was the one heading with chef to the market today and helping with the pasta demo afterward. This had been our largest group yet, with 38 attendees. So the market was fun, even with it being very cold outside. As always, chef purchased way more items than we needed; eggplant, zucchini, artichokes, Sicilian oranges, sun dried tomatoes, lentils, apples, and wild lettuce. It was a lot, considering we already had plenty of the produce in house.

Either way, the demo was fun. I made the Arrabiata (angry) sauce, while chef worked the dough for pasta. It was roughly a 30 minute demo, and some of the people were able to help with cutting the pasta. I think this group really enjoyed themselves. Then it was time to plate the lunch. Nothing out of the normal, just wanting to make sure we had enough of the pasta for all of the attendees. Since I helped with the demo, I was sort of out of the loop when I headed back into the kitchen, so I did the cleaning up and ground some cheese and made a few a la carte desserts. It was quite a busy Saturday.

The best part of the day was meeting a woman in the group. She was from just outside Chicago and loved food and cooking it. It turns out she has a food blog too. She reviews cookbooks that are published and actually cooks recipes from them to test them. Unlike most cookbook reviews where they talk about the pictures and the writing. She tests the actual recipes and talks about them from a home chef perspective. We chatted for most of the trip to the market and even a bit after their meal. We exchanged blog addresses and I could not wait to see her work.

Please check out the blog: www.katecooksthebooks.com Kate is a very talented writer and it was great to see what she cooked up and her plating. She is rather talented. Follow her if you are into the food cooking thing. I can’t wait to see what she reviews next.

Ciao Amici!

Day 65 - Friday - Packing Completed

It was determined that we would be moving either Saturday during siesta or on Sunday. My guess was Sunday, just because we had had a busy Saturday ahead of us. But with it being Friday, Tyler had the day off, so we finished prep for our standing Saturday party. We made ricotta mousse and worked on some red pesto too. During siesta, I finished all of my packing, except my bedding and the clothes I had laid out for the next two days. I have way too much stuff! But I will definately be doing some cleaning out before leaving, some items, just won’t be making it back to the states. Speaking of which, I still am working out a plan of attack on when I will be back. It’s fuzzy now, so I will keep you posted when I figure it all out.

I talked with Melaine, we were able to get her flight plan set for her visit. I am so excited to see her face! We will be spending a few days in southern Italy to start our trip and they we will be joining up with my mom in Rome. It should be a rather lovely time. Wild that she will be here in roughly 4 weeks. Where has the time gone?

Do you all get bored of reading the boring stuff? If you do, sorry, but thus is life in Italy. However, now that I will be living atop Orvieto, I promise to have a much more happening social life after work. I also am in need of suggestions for a trip for my next day off. Only a few more days off, and I need a little assistance in deciding the best places to go. Thoughts? Send them my way please!!!

Day 64 - SugarBomb Italy

With it being Frankies day off, it was time to do some prep and make cupcakes that the boys had been asking for. So, I obliged, and made the Oreo Cookie Monster cupcakes with Mint oreo frosting. The boys went mad for them. Tyler had made the request before leaving for some, so it was nice to cook some cuppiecakes after a 3 month hiatus. It was then determined that I needed to continue making them every week. Dana, people go mad for cupcakes, even here in Italy. I think it is because they do not have any kind of treat similar to that here. A few of the Italian Zeppelin workers were a little weary of them, but once they took a bite, it was all over. I sent some home with Carlo and with Vito to give to his gal Bonnie. Late Bonnie posted that whatever I sent home with Vito should be illegal because they were so good. What a compliment!

The evening was slow, as we had no customers come in, but that is ok, I have been getting more and more into my book, ‘Everything I want to do is Illegal’. I headed home that evening, because I needed to pack all of my stuff up. It was official, we were headed to a new place up on top of the mountain, just a block away from the Durmo. So exciting! I was able to pack all of my clothes and some essential items. The rest would be saved for Friday’s siesta. With me coming home so early from Milan and not sleeping so very well the night before, I was pulled into sleepdome earlier than usual, which was nice. Not sure when the move would be happening, but sometime this weekend for sure.

The main question from the boys was, what flavor will you be cooking and when? Pretty funny!

Buone Notte!

With it being Frankies day off, it was time to do some prep and make cupcakes that the boys had been asking for. So, I obliged, and made the Oreo Cookie Monster cupcakes with Mint oreo frosting. The boys went mad for them. Tyler had made the request before leaving for some, so it was nice to cook some cuppiecakes after a 3 month hiatus. It was then determined that I needed to continue making them every week. Dana, people go mad for cupcakes, even here in Italy. I think it is because they do not have any kind of treat similar to that here. A few of the Italian Zeppelin workers were a little weary of them, but once they took a bite, it was all over. I sent some home with Carlo and with Vito to give to his gal Bonnie. Late Bonnie posted that whatever I sent home with Vito should be illegal because they were so good. What a compliment!

The evening was slow, as we had no customers come in, but that is ok, I have been getting more and more into my book, ‘Everything I want to do is Illegal’. I headed home that evening, because I needed to pack all of my stuff up. It was official, we were headed to a new place up on top of the mountain, just a block away from the Durmo. So exciting! I was able to pack all of my clothes and some essential items. The rest would be saved for Friday’s siesta. With me coming home so early from Milan and not sleeping so very well the night before, I was pulled into sleepdome earlier than usual, which was nice. Not sure when the move would be happening, but sometime this weekend for sure.

The main question from the boys was, what flavor will you be cooking and when? Pretty funny!

Buone Notte!

Day 63 - Milan & Fashion Week

The night train was pretty easy, for being a 6 hour train ride. Once I took the short tripp to Orte, I caught the Espresso line 19 to Milan. Once boarded, the super attractive and cute conductor lead me to my sleeper cabin. Unfortunately, the assigned cabin was a bit sketchy, two super-sketch guys who smelled really, really, really bad. I climbed up to the top bunk, held on to my belongings tightly and finished reading about the shopping in Milan. 10 Minutes later, the cute conductor came back in and asked me if I wanted to switch cabins, a resounding SI came from my mouth. A few doors down, an empty sleeper cabin awaited. It was a very peaceful ride to Milan. Waking at 4am to see where we were stopped for a few moments, and then back to bedish. Just before Milan, the cute, Antonie Conductor, popped in to make sure I was awake and ready for my trip to Milano. MMMMM, he was a real cute one.

Off the train at 7 am, and the station was bustling. There is a mall attached to the station, and I found the place to store my backpack while in Milan. From here, it was off to the Metro to catch the yellow line to the Durmo. Up the stairs of the metro. and onto the Piazza Durmo. It was strikingly beautiful and quiet and empty. The square just had a few folks there. The fashion tent was set up and a buzz, even early in the morning. It was chilly, but the sun was still abound, so off to the Durmo in my high heels I went. It is a beautiful church inside. Very Rococco feeling and grandios. Ornate and beautiful, there were quick 10 minute prayer sessions with the priests and monks chanting, quite calming. After lighting a candle for Papa Olst and resting in a pew for a bit, it was off to explore some of the local shops and then climb the tower. The tower was 169 steps to the top. In high heel boots, it was still a pretty easy trip up. Once on top, the views were breathtaking!!! Literally, you can walk around half the side of the roof. Another 30 steps up to the top of the roof. And you can stand right on top of the building. Views all the way to Switzerland on a clear day. Gorgeous!!!

It was just about time for the first fashion show of Milan fashion week in the Durmo tent to begin. The RococcoBarocco show was about to begin, and I was trying my darndest to get in. After as much waiting as possible, I was able to get in for the last few looks of the event and then out to the Durmo I went. It was amazing to see a show of this nature live and in person. The models and designer all tromped out onto the Piazza floor afterwards and the pictures attached are from that. So amazing!!! It was off to the Gucci show, to see if I could finagle my way in.

The security seemed less at the Gucci event, but me getting in was not happening without an invite. So I settled for people watching at all the beautiful tall and well dressed folks heading into the event. The vibe during fashion week was electric, I want to come back, one day is just not going to be enough. Back on the metro to the Durmo, and headed into the Galleria, apparently the first mall in Italy! Set up there was a L’Oreal hair and makeup booth, and a stage where designers were showcasing for the public, sans invite. I stayed and watched the Franco Shapiro show. Lots of bold colors and paisleys, so gorgeous. From here, I walked and walked and walked. I did a bit of shopping and window shopping. A new sweater at H&M to keep me warm and a pair of ballet flats and leg warmers from the gap to help my feet feel better, 10 hours of traipsing around Milan in high heels was not the brightest idea I have ever had, ha!

The Dolce & Gabbana store was doing a pre-show event where they had 6 fashion bloggers come in and dress a window with live models. It was a very cool event to watch from the outside, as the models sat in the windows and acted about. More window shopping and it was time to grab some food. I had passed by this pastry shop a few times and had resisted its temptation, but I could no longer ignore the Brioche with Ricotta filling, in I went for that and a warm cappuccino, very tasty! Then off to find a little place for dinner, just something easy and not too overwhelming. Well, La Riscante, which is a major Italian department store is situated right next to the Durmo, and on the 7th floor, they have a number of restaurants that overlook the church. I walked all about, bought some chocolates, and then decided upon BE Steak. Mainly because I could get a decent mix of Italian and ‘American’ food. I started with Beef Carpaccio topped with arugula, olives, tomatoes, and fresh pecarino. How delish! They had 3 types of fancy mustard available too, so I tried them, and the extra strong one paired really well with the beef. Then a club sandwich with an egg and fries on the side. I know, the server looked at me funny too when I ordered a double entree, but I was really hungry :) Both items were filling and very good. The ‘cafe’ area also had a sushi restaurant, a panini place, and two sit down Italian fusion places. And some specialty groceries too. As it was pushing 8 pm, and my train was not set until 11, I decided to see a movie. A warm, dark place to get a little rest and warmth in. Considering I had walked all around the city, I was ready for a little rest. Gullivers travels with Jack Black was fine to see in Italian, mainly because it was a cheesy movie to begin with so in Italian, it was not too bad.

Off to the train, and my 2 stops. Not a good trip home. All the trains were really cold and I had to make two train changes, but I was home and in bed by 7am just in time to get a 2 hour nap in before work.

Milan has been my 2nd most favorite place to be in Italy of all the places that I have visited. Everyone should get here at some point!

Day 62 - Family Meal Resurrected!

Tuesday was the 2nd day of the buffet at the Hotel. With it being Drews day off, I was headed with Vitopaolo to the hotel and Frankie came too. We had plenty of food and plenty of time to set it all up. With prep completed in the morning, we returned from the buffet and just had a little clean up to do before we headed home for siesta. It was nice to have a few hours to nap. I booked my ticket to Milan, and would be headed out this very evening for a 7 hour trip to Milan.

We came into dinner service and Carlo was ready to cook family meal. With having him gone for a week, we all were in dire need of a solid family meal. Decidedly, it was pork chops, cooked to perfection, and tasty french fries. It was such a perfect meal, it made me so happy!!! We had a party of 12 come in for a plated dinner and it was a nice quick service. Although, I was rushed a bit to get home and shower quick, but it was still nice to get in a quick shower and finish up some packing before heading to the train. One quick leg of my trip then onto the 5.5 hour train ride in a sleeper car to Milan, more on this in the next section.

What a day to come!

Day 61 - Monday...Carlo’s Return!

Even with Carlo back, Monday morning was crazy, with getting ready for the hotel gig and working on normal prep and chef had pizza class in the afternoon. It was definitely chaotic prior to Tyler and Frankie leaving for the hotel. But once they were gone with all the stuff, Carlo, Drew, and I just prepped, and it was nice and quiet and consistent. We finsihed most of the prep for the next 2 days of hotel and a party for Tuesday night. We made more pasta, some sauces, and a few porchettas.

Home for siesta, my traditional nap, and then I began to research my next trip for this week for my day off. With Fashion Week in Milan, I was hoping my day off would fall on an event day there. After doing the research, it was time to head back up the hill. We were slow, so I started to read my book, ‘Everything I want to do is Illegal - Wageing the war on the farm’ by Joel Saltain. I am a few chapters in and already it is amazing to see how the government works when it comes to the way food is processed, prepared, and sold to the general public, and why most small farmers are pushed out of business because they can not afford to keep up with all the industrial standards. If you can not read the book, you should at least attempt reading the ‘Omnivores Dillema’ by Micheal Pollin or watch Food Inc. This movie is amazing!!!

We had no customers for dinner, and we were out fairly early. My mom and I chatted and she booked her ticket, so ready to see a friendly lovely face!!! In to Rome and out of Barcelona, we are for sure in for an adventure! Don’t worry blog readers, this trip will be put down for the record too. Also confirmed was my day off on Wednesday, so I am in the process of booking my expensive but hopefully worth it, trip to Milano.

Ciao Bello!

Day 60 - Only Thirty days left

Sunday!!! We were set for two parties to come in today. One being the principal at Chef’s little boy’s school. Both parties went fairly smoothly, but after working a crazy full week, chef was a bit stressed and wanted to go home I think. We also prepped quite a bit for the next 3 days because we had an offsite catering event at a nearby hotel. We were to provide lunches for them. Our Sunday halfday turned into me getting home at 6pm.

We interns had been invited to miguel & Jasmina’s house for carbonara that night. Even though I was way exhausted, we walked there in the rain and chill. But the food was tasty! We had some crostini and salumi cheese to start. Then between 8 of us we killed a kilo of pasta carbonara. It was really really good. Then some sausages and a pork roast and some salad. MMMmmmmm!!! Luckily we were driven home, so no more walking in the rain, which was a nice change.

I Skyped with my mom and we were able to talk about here trip to Italy and Europe! I am so very excited. Looks like we will be hitting up Italy, France, and Spain!!! So much fun! Melaine is working on her ticket too, so that is going to be too much fun, and I can hardly wait.

We are all looking forward to Carlo’s return tomorrow. There has also been some hinting that we interns will all be moving up to the top of Orvieto. AWESOME!!! If this pans out, it would be outstanding. I could really use my last month here in Italy to be very fun and less walking down the dang mountain late at night in the dark.

Happy Sunday all!!!

Language Lesson

Come Va? = How’s it going?

Come se Dici = How do you say...?

Vouray = I will...

Day 59 - Patso Sabado!

Crazy Saturday! Another Saturday with a tour group in the morning. Chef takes them to the market and then does a cooking demo and then they sit down for a 5 course meal. One of us interns helps chef, while the others get the restaurant ready for the daily happenings. With Carlo and Tyler both off this day, it was up to Drew, Franchesco and Me to make it happen. Frankie with chef to the market and demo. Drew and I worked the party and bit of prep. We started the party with chef serving. However, we also had a la cart customers as well, which was a bit intense, since chef tends to plate every single thing out of the kitchen different every time he is on the line. It is a bit of a frustration to work around all of that and the party too. Even though we switched roles, I jumped on line because the other boys were doing something in the other kitchen. I would say it was rather frustrating.

However, even working with chef and all the adjustments needing to be made, I did alright on the line. However, I could hardly wait to get on siesta. I like a consistent kitchen producing consistent plates, but it is a bit hairy when chef is on the line here. It was decided, by me, that we would really make the switch of roles at the dinner service. Ideally, chef would stay out of the kitchen for the evening, mainly because we did not have any further parties coming in. We did however, need to finish a bit of prep for 2 parties for Sunday.

After my siesta, it was back to the restaurant to jump into making some wild boar ragu and getting ready for dinner service. Overall, Saturday night was a pretty busy day with over 30 customers and the party. One half day left and then Sunday night off and Carlo back on Monday!!!

Home and in bed and ready for the sandman to come!

Day 58 - Day Off!!!

After 10 painstaking days of straight work, I finally had a day off!!! So exciting! However, I did not go anywhere major, just up and around Orvieto a bit more. I took some down time and worked on blogs and resume items. After a nice sleeo in, it was time to explore Snorvieto a little bit. I headed up, intending to visit the well and bell tower, each having 250 stairs, but both were closed, bummer, next time. I headed for Gelato and passed the masses of people on this Friday night. Then I headed to the Alimentari for some groceries. I purchased some tasty cheeses and a few liters of milk and a few cookies. Then, it was off to see another Italian dubbed movie. I went and saw ‘Amore & Altri Rimedi‘ Love and other drugs with Jake Gylenhall and Anne Hathaway. I think the movie was probably better in Italian because it was just a lot of nakedness. If you are looking for some naked booty shots, this is the movie for you.

After the movie, it was time for dinner, and I was headed to the burger joint for a tasty treat, but it was closed for a private party. Bummer! I snagged a piadina and then headed on the last tram down to the house. I really was such a homebody today. sSo lame, but a necessary rest for me. I finished my Bacon book. Really great! It sounds like there are some really great places in Minnesota and Arizona that offer pig centric bacon treats.

Also, thanks to late night non-sleeping, ITunes has had some great downloads. Check out the .69 cent songs right now! I went a little crazy and bought some really great and groovy tunes. Also, in the TV section, they have a bunch of free downloads from tv shows from the 80’s. I am currently watching the pilot from the Gary Shandling show. Loved it then, and love it now! Check em’ out!

Ciao Amici! Missing you all!

Day 57 - MMMM Beef Side

Today, we had a half a side of beef come in. Not nose to tail, but pretty close. We fabricated the loin, rib bones, and the ‘t-bone’ steaks from said bones. Chef came in and divided out the pieces, and then we just went for it. It was pretty fun actually. No pictures of the beef, but I did include pictures of a side of lamb that we had come in earlier in the week. The lamb was such a little guy, but we needed to fabricate it for the Valentines dinner. I would have to guess, that in less than 15 minutes, Carlo had this lamb fabricated; shops, steaks, bones. Wild!!! I need to practice, practice, practice!

We only had a few customers during lunch and even less during dinner, but I was able to jump on the hotline by myself for dinner, as the boys were spending their time shmoozing with some girls down front. No biggie, I was happy to oblige. Orvieto has also started a recycling program! A pretty intense one in fact, so on Thursday night, we started to implement the changes necessary. Basically, there are separate garbage bags for certain products: Plastic, Cardboard/paper, Organic, and Non Recyclable. Each with their own colored bag and each having a different pick up day. Chef was not so pleased with these changes in the system, but we are trying to make it an efficient change over. It is definitely going to be an interesting ride.

It was a good day, and Friday was my day off!!! So I was excited to spend some time not sleeping on Thursday night.

I have also included a picture of the pellet bullet I found in my Wild Boar steak from a week ago.

Ciao!

Day 56 - Wednesday, may I have another...Nap?

It was a tough night of sleep the night before, so Wednesday was a bit tough in the morning, but progressed into a better day. We worked on prep for a special birthday lunch for Sunday. It is for 20 people and we made lamb ragu, potato flan, and pulled some chocolate cake for future decorating.

Siesta again, naptime! We were home for a little less time than normal, but it was alright because I still had enough time to take a little nap. We came back into work and joined the few guys from pizza class in making Suppli. It is like a rice roll that is breaded and deep fried. We made roughly 100 of them, and took us well into service time. Drew had the day off, so he made a late family meal.

Francesco has been wooing a gal from AZ, so he spent most of his evening chatting her up. It was time for me to catch up on a few pages from my Bacon book, almost done, so close.

We closed work and went with chef to Vin Cafe for a glass of wine after work. It has been a cold and rainy day, so it was nice to get out of chef clothes and have a break from it all over a nice glass of wine. We talked with chef and he is planning a 20 day trip to the states in March. This is coming up very quickly and we also have 2 new inters coming too. The time is starting to go by a bit faster here and before I know it, both Melaine and my mom will be here for a visit! How exciting!

Ciao!

Language Lesson

Questo? - This?

Cuanto? - How much?

Ti amo - I love you

Day 55 - Tuesday, Can I get a Nap please?

After such a long day the day before, Tuesday was hopefully going to be a bit slow. We all came in and started prepping some items for some future parties that we had on the books. Chef came in and we worked on bagging some biscotti for hotel gifts. We discussed that it has been roughly 3 weeks since our last change of stations, so since Tyler only has 2 weeks left, he is back on hit line with Drew, Frankie on Salad and Dolci and me back on dish pit. But that being said, it was sort of a free for all. We had only a few customers during lunch, but we prepped quite a bit.

Siesta came along and so did a lovely nap!!! I think I love napping during siesta, lying down during siesta is one of my favorite parts of the day. I think we should try this siesta thing out in the States. It would be lovely to have this option during the work day. Especially for my friends who work in offices, since the computer can strain eyes and the work can be annoying.

Back for dinner and chef was going to close for the evening, but Vitopaolo advised to stay open and chef stay home. So we three were in four were in ‘charge’. We worked on a few customer orders and then cleaned up for the day. Not too shabby of a day. It was nice to have the chef entrust with the place on our own. Then it was time for bed, and unfortunately, I was up for a very long time, looking into some potential jobs after this internship. So not fun!

Mid week and looking forward to my next day off on Friday!

Miss you all!

Day 54 - San Valentino Celebration

This was such a chaotic and crazy and love filled day. Valentines day seems to be a fairly big deal her in Italy, but that is probably because Italians in general are very affectionate and caring people. We had been planning the special set menu dinner for just about a week now, so when Monday came, it was time to finish some of the last minute items and get set for the folks coming in. We had prepped for 40 and heard that between KSU and AofU there would be roughly 30 confirmed. With Sous Chef Carlo gone, we were working with all four of us and Chef Lorenzo. The menu consisted of the following:

Antipasto - Vegetable Terrine with Paprika Emulsion (Nikki)

Zuppa - Cauliflower and Beet soup with Guanciale (Chef)

Pasta - Linguine with Sun Dried Tomato cream sauce and beef medallion (Drew)

Entree - Fried Lamb with Fried Carrots and Spinach Flan (Tyler)

Dolci - Cheesecake with Berry Coulis and Pink Limoncillo (Francesco)

After building the terrines on Sunday, it was time to check them out early on Monday and see how they were holding together. My vision was to serve them cold, but chef wanted to heat them. It was a pull and push and a little frustration filled afternoon, but moments before the meal started, we had a final plan for the antipasto dish. It ended up being sliced, heated, and then served with the paprika emulsion cream sauce. Overall, all 40 folks that came to dinner that night, enjoyed the said meal. At the end of the meal we all were thanked by the customers.

It was a very, very long day and all the customers were very very intoxicated afterwards. I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines day! Happy Birthday Bro!

Day 53 - Sunday, NoFunday

Nursing a hangover is awful! I am way too old for this! Luckily, we were a bit slow at lunch on Sunday. I spent the morning prep time forming my vegetable terrine for the San Valentino dinner. Layers of thin zucchini, eggplant, herbed ricotta, and spicy tomato sauce. It was a beautiful site to see them all built and formed. Then it was off to make some desserts for guests and wrap up for the day.

All I could think about was a shower, nap, and some Kraft mac and cheese. So thank you to Carlo for dropping me off and thank you to Mama Olst for the shipment of mac & cheese, and thank you to my hot water heater for such a delightful shower. After a longer than expected nap, I awoke to a house full of people. All the boys and Anna, Tylers gal from KSU were all over. We had planned a special Sunday night dinner for us all. TACOS!!! It was so deliscious. I know it seems silly, but it was nice to have a change of pace for food. We had made our own taco seasoning mix from spices at the restaurant added a bit of garlic and went forward making the 1 kilo of meat. We even found tortilla chips and piadina wrappers that were similar to soft shells. It was so tasty. It was the perfect food to round out my hangover and get me feeling better.

Ciao Amici!

Taco Seasoning Mix

In varying amounts, dependent on how spicy or sweet you like your mix:

Ground Cumin

Salt

Black Pepper

Spicy Paprika

Curry Powder

Cayenne Pepper

Parsley

Oregano

Crushed Red Peppers

Day 52 - Saturday nights alright for cooking

Started the day off with the touring party and it was less chaotic than the week before, which was nice. We bumped out the party pretty quickly and then awaited a larger lunch reservation a la carte. With Francesco, Carlo, and I on the hot line, we did pretty well with getting dishes out efficiently.

After a nice siesta it was back for dinner, where we were busy!!! So nice! We worked out all the orders and then moved on to desserts and then waited and waited and waited until the diners left so that we could take out the trash and head home.

With Vito as head server today, we started in on a shift drink of red wine. We all headed out to go home and of course were sidetracked by the nearest bar that just re-opened, Bar Duomo. Being the good kid I am, I abstained from imbibing because I wanted to catch the last bus home. However, Bonnie, Vito’s wonderful fiance invited me to stay at their home if I want to indulge a bit. So the gin & lemon soda’s started to flowing. We heard this hilarious and sort of awful song called ‘Barbara Streisand by DJ Duc’ just listen to it, pretty hilarious.

Thank you to Vito Palo and Bonnie for their hospitality and the water in the morning!

Day 51 - 5280 week approaching!

Yes, I know that I am not in Denver, but half of you readers are! 5280 week is fast approaching and it is an annual event not to miss out on, so make a reservation. I always try to hit up 2 or 3 places during this week, so I went through and made a list of the not misses, at least in my food-snob opinion. If you do get out to any tasty restaurants, let me know, I want to live vicariously through you all!

5280 Week - 2011

1515 Restaurant

1876 Restaurant

Assignments Restaurant (At the AI culinary campus, go sticky toffee pudding!)

Arugula (Boulder)

Barolo Grill

Black Cat (Boulder, menu pending, but the normal menu looks insane)

Chon Lon Bistro (5280 Best new restaurant)

Colt & Gray

Del Friscos

Euclid Hall (Mainly because you get all 4 courses and tons of options)

Highland Gardens Cafe

Jaipoix (4 courses and have heard decent reviews)

Lou’s Bar (Skip the 5280 menu and order the fried chicken instead)

Mt.Vernon Country Club (Golden. And a Beautiful view, 4 courses, wine too)

Olivea

Salt (Boulder)

Simms Steakhouse (Golden)

Terroir (Longmont. Seems like a really good menu)

Undici (Englewood)

Venue

Wingin’ It (Centennial. Outrageous, large amounts of fried food, seems like a good idea)

http://www.denver.org/denverrestaurant/

Yes, it is a long list of places, but I really think that these could be the best bets amongst all the others, their menus look pretty well rounded and it gives you an opportunity to check out a few new places.

This post is not related to Italy in anyway, so forgive me for this, but for once in this blogsphere world, I want to flip roles, and live vicariously though all of you!

Miss ya! Happy Dinning!

Day 50 - Prep this!

Wow, yet another slow day. It is not always bad to have a bit of time to reflect and have quiet time, but in the restaurant industry, this does not usually mean good times abound. We finished prepping for a party scheduled for Friday afternoon. I made pasta! I made 2 batches of umbrichello. This lis much like a thicker version of spaghetti. I was no my game today, I don’t say that very often, but I busted my but in prep and cooking today and it felt good to have Carlo recognize this.

Dinner was slow as well, I finished this amazing book earlier in the week, thank you Melaine for the gift! The book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (The Poisonwood Bible) was amazing! The fiction writer took a stab at writing a non-fiction retelling of a year in her and her families life on the farm. The jist: They moved from Arizona to their family farm in Virginia and began a year of eating local if not grown right on their farm. It was a really great book with lots of information on our food sources and how to find alternate options to the mass produced and out of season items we eat on a regular basis.

I really hold this thought of Farm to Table near and dear to my heart, it struck a cord over the last 2 years and is something that I am really interested in doing. If I could only get Colleen to teach me patience in growing so no more cacti have to lose their lives. This book is a really fun and easy read filled with tasty recipes and sheds light on how you too can become a localvore.

I am almost finished with my Bacon: A Love Story book too. Thank you Lindsay for this little treat, I can’t wait to start curing my own bacon and meats! This little book is all about bacon, duh title, but it is pretty fun to read. On slow nights, I am able to get a few chapters in, so the next book is by my favorite farmer, can’t wait!

Happy Reading!

Nikki’s Italian Reading LIst

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver

Bacon: A Love Story

Everything I want to do is Illegal; War Stories from the Local Food Front - Joel Salatin

Day 49 - Bite the Bullet

Another slowish day, just a few customers in for lunch. Chef Lorenzo is gone until Friday, so we have just been prepping for a la carte, for the group on Saturday, and for San Valentino menu. I made carbonara for lunch today, it was so tasty, but needed a bit more salt in the pasta water. Other than that, it was nice to have such a delicious lunch treat. Carbonara lunches are funny at the restaurant because it seems to be the most popular item, so we always make extra, and then we plow through our first bowl in order to get in line for seconds, very funny! But I made all portions fairly equal, so this was nice not to have to rush, but to savor because there were no leftovers.

After another lazy siesta, it was time to work dinner. Carlo prepared wild boar chops for dinner. Cooked on the flattop and served with some potatoes and salad, with oil on the meat. Olive Oil goes on top of almost everything in the restaurant. Even more than we used at Fuel, hahaha. But it is like a condiment here, it is also really tasty. So halfway through my bone in chop, I discovered something very interesting, a pellet from the gun that killed the boar, in my chop. Luckily, I did not eat it, but I did keep it, pretty interesting to have this find. Nothing wrong in knowing your meat is fresh and truly wild!

Just a few customers for dinner, nothing to difficult, 6 people I think. Carlo drove me home as the boys went out, I am just so not into going out all the time and walking home, so I was planning on reserving this time for the weekend.

A shout out to FUEL Cafe! Their February menu looks absolutly divine! All Colorado folk should make a reservation for next weekend. There are some dishes that remind me of what I am eating here in Italy. The mushrooms with stinky cheese, the green gnocchi, and the Meyer lemon semi-freddo all seem so divine. Although, the Duck breast paired with parsnip chips would be right up my ally followed by the carrot cake. Check it out, www.fuelcafedenver.com

Ciao!

Day 48 - Tuesday Snoozeday!

So after a very early train ride back to Orvieto, where yes, I almost missed my stop, it was off to work. A slow lunch and then a nice little nap at siesta was all I needed for a quiet evening of work.

Chef has us all working on a special Prix Fix Valentines Day menu. So we were working on that and I am in charge of Antipasto, the first course. Thinking that I will do a version of the raw vegetable terrine from Charlie Trotter, we made this in Art Culinaire in school, and it was rather tasty. I worked on the ingredient list and then how to alter it since some of the items are not readily available here in Italy.

The boys spent the evening talking with some students from Arizona, which meant that I was able to work on the line solo! Pretty great actually, only a few customers, but it was enough to keep me busy and cooking all by my self, Carlo just let me go with it. It was great!

Spent the evening after work eating a gelato ice cream bar and watching an interesting movie, Catfish. If you have not seen it, check it out, it is a documentary of sorts about Facebook and a relationship that happens, very interesting.

Missin ya’ll!

Language Lesson

grigio - gray

freddo - cold

caldo - hot

verde - green

arancina - orange

nero - black

bianca - white

Day 47 - Bologna Day 2 - Shop Attack

So after waking up late and lazy, I mustered my way out of the hotel room and onto the number 19 bus to go to the center of town. I was determined to scope out the University, climb the Donkey Tower, and buy boots. Walking Bologna felt very similar to Chicago; bustling, lots of people, great shops and food. It felt nice to walk around in the sunshine and be in quiet pensive thought. It made me think about getting a job, blah, anyway, less serious more fun!

The University was pretty sprawling, upper east corner of the city. Then, it was time to tackle the 498 step donkey tower, with a 1.3 meter lean. Up I went, halfway and the view was already beautiful. Finally to the top, heart beating, felt like being back in Denver high altitude again with the breath shortness. It was a lovely, lovely view once up there and totally worth the stairs. After taking the narrow stairs back down, it was time to hit up a few shops, then look at some churches, then traditional Bolognese.

New Boots!!! I found a pair of flat, kneehigh, gray/green boots on sale! Then at Le Sabot, I found a pair of purple suedesque loafers. Perfect for $20 Euro. After finding a few more clothing buys on sale, it was off to a meal. I found it at the Hotel Roma Ristorante. A meet plate with Mortadella and some other tasty snacks. Then traditional Bolognese with Tagliatelle pasta. I finished with some fried dough bots of powdered sugar. It was rather tasty. I finished the evening by popping into a few lovely churches and lighting candles at each one.

Shocking enough, I did not sleep that evening, but was trying to make sure that I did not miss my 5:15 am train back to Orvieto. After a brief nap and a quick taxi ride, the train station awaited. I slept all the way to Orvieto, almost missing my stop, but made it home safely. It was a pleasant trip and a brief vacation that was much deserved.

MIssing you all!

Ciao

Day 46 - Bologna!!! Mmmm, not your typical Oscar Meyer

Two whole days off in a row! Unreal. I took off Sunday for Bologna, roughly a 2.5 hour train ride, so not too bad. Checked into my hotel and rested a bit. The Suite Elite Hotel, although the claim to be a 10 minute walk to the center of town, it was more like a 10 minute bus ride. No problem though, the bus picked up right across the street. I headed into the town just as Siesta had ended and when I pulled in to the Piazza Maggiore, it was full of people and street performers and life. I walked to the two towers that stand at the end of the main street. The taller one is the Arsenelli Tower (Donkey Tower). Both have a lean, however the smaller tower leans by 3.2 meters, so it is closed for tourists. I headed into the nearby Basilica and of course, as you could have guessed, lit a candle for Papa Olst. Quite large and beautiful inside. I walked around for a bit and watched some of the street performers as well.

I found all the great shopping districts that my guidebook talked about, I was scouting for boots of course!!! Tyler, my roommate was heading into Bologna later in the evening as a stopping point before heading to Verona for 2 days. So I had hoped to meet him in the center of town, but his train was delayed and he got a bit lost, so as I wandered the streets peeking in stores, I decided that I needed to grub down on something. I found a gelateria, yes, I had Gelato for my first course, caramel with sea salt. Rather tasty!!!

I will confess the following to you, fully expecting ridicule and disapproval. On this late Sunday evening, I had McDonalds for dinner. I know, I know!!! It has been over a year since ingesting this devil food, but I was a very hungry lady, and many places were closed. This was due to my poor planning, so I apologize to the food God and my fellow foodies! The burger, fries, shake, and coke really was ok, but my tummy was a grumbly grump later that evening, so I guess I paid for it in the long run.

After the atrocious dinner I had, off to the closest bar to drink (t beer) my sorrows away. The Celtic Druid, the local Irish pub was on happy hour, so it was perfect. Matty, there was even a Bushmills dispenser on the wall, how perfect is this bar? Awesome.

Headed back to my hotel and working out on FaceBook, how to get Tyler there too, the directionally challenged Tyler made it to the hotel. It was late, so we flipped on the only station showing the SuperBowl, it was all announced in German. No commercials, but we did get to watch the game ‘live’, man that halftime show was gross, and not in a good way. Asleep just after 3 am, missed the end, but bummed the Steelers couldn’t pull it out. Either way, a full day in Bologna tomorrow, wish me shopping luck!