Story and photography by Barbara Penny Angelakis
 

I waxed eloquent (I hope) about the joys of Naples (see Naples in Destinations), while mentioning only briefly my discovery of the excellence of Neapolitan cuisine. Although I was not on a gastronomic journey, I found the food quality, preparation, presentation and creative combining of ingredients, as impressive as in the well-known culinary capitals of Piedmont and Tuscany.  Due to the purpose of my visit - to take a new look at the city of Naples – time did not allow for long, leisurely meals at the well known haut cuisine restaurants, but was mainly taken in hotel restaurants as we wandered about the city. Imagine my surprise to find that the food, without exception, was imaginative and toothsome beyond compare.

One of our most romantic dinners was held on the Grand Hotel Parker’s rooftop terrace. The weather was perfect for dining al fresco and the table was set facing the spectacular curved Bay of Naples, while off to the side were elite suburban communities with villas cascading down the hill to the water. Chef Vincenzo Bacio Terracino, affectionately referred to as Chef Bacio T, laid out a spread for our group that began with an amuse bush of tuna tartar with balsamic wine reduction spiked with dried black olives. This starter was just a hint of the meal to come and Chef Bacio T, hit his stride with the hugely eye appealing and taste pleasing appetizer of toasted egg-white meringue, layered over a hard boiled egg yoke with whipped mozzarella cream and a walnut garnish. Next came red potatoes gnocchi, color enhanced with beet juice, and served with sweet baby mussels and spinach leaves. A fresh cherry tomato accent completed the dish. For the first three courses, Falanghina Villa Matilde was served. It is a warm, golden nectar, with enough body and flavor to hold its own with such savory dishes but still light enough not to overwhelm the food. Turbot fillet accented with roasted beets and mushrooms, and dressed with aglianico sauce was the entrée, complimented by Vigna Caracci Villa Matilde, a slightly bolder wine for the rich fish dish. The sweet to conclude the meal was a soft cottage cheese and peaches parfait over vanilla sponge cake and decoratively topped with a crystallized sugar detail. It was served with a dessert wine Passito Eleusi Villa Matilde. www.grandhotelparkers.it

Another stunning meal was held at the Royal Continental Hotel, a Bay front hotel with a spectacular location and views of Mount Vesuvius. The warm, clear night, enhanced by the full moon, made the picture perfect location even more striking… and the meal more delectable. A tuna trio began the meal accompanied by Albente Feudi di San Gregorio wine. This was followed by a cortecce (style of pasta) with large chunks of succulent lobster and fresh tomatoes. Moving on to Privilegio Feudi di San Gregorio wine to accompany a stunning dish of bream fillets layered with slices of mozzarella cheese and fresh tomato, over a green bean reduction, with a sumptuous side of grilled zucchini wedge dredged in parmesan cheese. The crisp dessert of carpaccio of ripe pineapple with silky smooth vanilla ice cream was accompanied by Prosecco Villa Frattina. www.royalgroup.it

Just 2 km west of the Bay of Naples is the fascinating area of the Phlegrean – or burning –Fields. Named for the volcanic activity as evidenced by its crater lakes, hot springs and shooting geysers, it offers a natural therapeutic region of thermal spas, beauty farms and nature reserves. After a visit to Agnano Thermae Hotel Spa & Resort, Chef Domenico Guarracino, a master of culinary art, presented us with a creation of d.o.p. mozzarella and smoked cheese with tomato from Sorrento. The beautiful preparation was exceeded only by its flavor. The pasta dish was black macaroni colored with cuttlefish ink, not my favorite taste, but the grilled sea bream in papillote drizzled with oil and spice was another winning dish. The dessert of individually baked baba with cream and strawberry and topped with a chocolate design detail was another treat for eye and palate. A local Falanghina doc iovino Cami Flegrei, was served throughout the meal and was perfectly paired to compliment each dish.  www.hoteltermeagnano.it

A late dinner was enjoyed al fresco at Villa Luisa Hotel and Beauty Farm, at their Restaurant il Gabbiano, located on a broad trellised terrace overlooking the Isle of Capri and the Gulf of Pozzuoli. The appetizer consisted of a fruit from the sea grouping with a stunning carpaccio of octopus in aspic, followed by a large cheesy coquille Saint-Jacques, a seafood pasta dish and then deep fried fruits from the sea. were followed by a delightful dessert. www.villaluisaresort.it

Surely the most curious meal was at the Holiday Inn, where we stopped on returning from a morning visit to the Pompeii Archaeological site. Hot and overwhelmed by the significance of the site, I was not expecting such a lavish meal. But General Manager Bruno De Caria presented a tour de force that made me forget all about the difficult journey to the past that Pompeii represents. To cool down in the hotel lobby, Prosecco was passed all around along with paper cones of fried tidbits of whitebait, zucchini slivers, cheese balls, etc., after which we adjourned to the restaurant. First course was large meaty shrimp and crunchy fennel in a spiral of parmesan cheese covered with poppy seeds. Fiano Cantine Mastroberardino wine was served with the first course. We switched to Spumante Carpene Malvolti cantine Malvolti for the dramatic presentation of scialatielli pasta with angler fish on a crispy parmesan free-form waffle, and again we switched wine to Passito di Pantelleria cantine Terre dei Sesi for the very unusual baby octopus stewed whole with tomatoes and black olives, and served nested in a basket of deep fried potato crisps. It looked and tasted wonderful but I must admit it was a bit off-putting to try to pop the entire cephalopod into my mouth. The desert was a master chocolate lovers grouping of goodies all brought to us by Chef Mimmo Cascone.www.holidayinn.it/naplesitaly

I am listing most of the wines served because on the whole they were wonderful and all products of the local wine growing areas around Naples. My favorite was Falanghina, a light, food friendly wine, and I was fortunate to taste the product from several producers. As I mentioned in my Naples article last month, fish and seafood – and of course pasta - along with fresh local produce are the basics of the Neapolitan kitchen and it never ceased to amaze me how many creative ways these talented chefs managed to present the same fish.

Having said that, my favorite dish was a traditional Neapolitan meat dish “Braciola al Sugo” - see the Cooks Corner segment of this issue for the recipe. We had spent this beautiful Sunday morning visiting the Royal Palace and on the way to the San Gennaro Catacombs we stopped for lunch at the chic, ultra modern, H2C Hotel. Chef Andrea Cirino put together a simple but delicious traditional Neapolitan Sunday dinner menu beginning with a meze of Italian appetizers such as Buffalo mozzarella cheese balls over tomatoes in their own small shot glass, yummy fried zucchini slices like my Greek Mother-in-law used to make, crisp grilled baby artichokes in olive oil, marinated herbed cheese cubes, etc. Next came home-made large flat pasta stuffed with meat and tomato sauce. Chef Andrea called it Ragu, a Sunday must-do, and every household has its own secret recipe. The entrée was beef roulade stuffed with pine nuts, raisins, and bacon and covered with a delectable tomato sauce, one of my all time favorite dishes. Aglianico rosso Cantina del Taburno was the wine served; a full bodied red to balance the richness of the meal. Dessert was proudly presented to our group - and rightly so - as a handsome and mouth-watering freshly made baba surrounded by chunked fruits.www.h2chotel.it

Our final roof garden dinner was held at Terrazza Angió at the top of Renaissance Naples Hotel Mediterraneo. Here again my favorite Neapolitan wine Falanghina was served. This time by producer Feudi di San Gregorio, which was slightly dryer to my palate then the Villa Matilde, but still a lovely, easily drinkable, food friendly local wine and very parable with the appetizer of paper thin swirled smoked swordfish over valerian leaf and tomato salad. The second plate was risotto with citrus fruits, shrimp and zucchini flowers and the entrée was a fish fillet covered with almonds on a bed of chopped carrots, string beans and zucchini and served with the bolder Rubrato Feudi di San Gregorio. A palate cleaner of fresh fruits displayed to advantage the produce available in Naples and then came the dessert of baba cake with a side of chopped almonds and raspberry couli.
www.renaissancehotels.com/napbr

The beautiful evening was a fitting farewell to the culinary excellence of la bella Napoli and whetted my taste for a quick return visit.

 

 

 

© September 2011 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.

 

Issue:
January
2012