andiamo agli supermercati!

i love food. that should be pretty obvious, so it follows that one of my favorite parts of traveling is perusing the supermarket, finding similarities and curious products. the best part about roman supermercati is that even large, corp-esque places carry farm-fresh products.

when we first arrived at our apartamento, we went for a short stroll around the block to check out our environs. we needed a fuse because M blew one with his computer by our first evening a roma! it was pretty amazing that we found a lighting/electric shop just around the corner and bought a 10-pack of fuses for .50euro. just across the street from the lighting shop was a small alimentari which i can't seem to remember the name of.

it was around 7 when we went shopping, so they were pretty close to shutting down shop. it was much larger and cavernous than i expected, and we picked up some great items. i decided to make artichoke & ricotta ravioli with a zucchini/tomato/alici (pickled sardines)/olivi/pecorino sauce. not bad. not bad.

as you can see, we also picked up some mirtilli e cereali (blueberry & cereal grains) yogurt, salame, chili flakes, coca liiiiiight, acqua frizzante, and some canned tonno. tuna in italy is the bomb. you can pick up a generic brand like rio mare (equiv to chx of the sea), and it tastes absolutely different in the most amazing way. the fish is brinier, firmer, just amazing. M even emailed the rio mare website after we returned to ask if they distributed to the US, but unfortunately, they DON'T. BAH!!!

standa is a supermarket franchise found all over italy. their website isn't that great (as are most italian sites), but it is convenient for looking up weekly specials and discounts. when i lived in rome, standa was my savior. it was the closest one-stop-shop to my apartment, and an experience all it's own. above standa on viale trastevere is a small clothing store (oviesse) and a profumeria (limoni) which sells cosmetics, perfume, and all sorts of other bath products.

back to the good stuff. a few years ago, birra wasn't as chic in rome. everyone drank wine, especially at home, and only drank beer at english-style pubs and occasionally during lunch on a hot day. now birra is a popular at-home and in-the-streets beverage, so standa stocks more than peroni and moretti. heineken and guinness are quite popular.

now onto the "ethnic foods" aisle. this is hilarious. why doesn't uncle ben just stick to what he knows: rice?!?? salsa? really beezy?

there was actually a whole section of "il tehx-mehx" at standa. tortilla chips were a total shock to me.

we brought back quite a few bags from standa. that package of pachino tomatoes was a real prize. they were perfectly sweet and ripe right out of the store. that's the most annoying thing about buying produce from american supermarkets: you always have to wait a couple days for items to ripen. not in italy. mmm. more tonno, surprise. M got some latte fresco (fresh milk) which is something like 1-2%. they don't really classify their milk by percentage like we do. it's more like fresco, whole (integrale), and cream. there's a little box of latte soia in there, too.

these were winners. little cherry peppers stuffed with tuna, sardines, and giant capers in olive oil. holy crap. we went back a couple days later and they were out. boo.

and my favorite italian beverage, aranciata without added sugars. it's so good and light. mmm. i wish they had it here. the san pellegrino aranciata just isn't the same. it's too sweet and overly-carbonated for my taste.

this item was a curious crap shoot: black olive-flavored tuna paste. it was pretty good on rosemary crackers, but the little bit of grey, separated liquid that squirts out first isn't the most appetizing.

yet another trip to standa....this time we brought home some fizzy grapefruit soda, icky, bland pretzels, bread for breakfast toast, pickled artichoke hearts, fresh burro from campagna, little fresh mozz balls, white chocolate (that was actually quite waxy compared to the cheap, hershey's equivalent galak bar i had the day before), and my obsession, milk/choc-hazelnut spread.

man, there's nothing like fresh, local butter. it was so deliciously creamy and bright. wow. ps, i love butter. M and all of my friends can validate this.

lamberto, the apartment owner's son, in his brief introduction to the neighborhood, told us that just outside the portone (big front door of the building) there was a store full of "strange things for foreigners." he spoke amazing english (his gf's from nyc), but in italian, foreigner = straniero = strange. anyhow, the little store did not disappoint, and in fact, had quite the stock of "strange" items.

aren't these old el paso kits ridiculous? i love it. good ole betty crocker found her mexican way to italy.

who doesn't love patak's? M and i adore their mango pickles with rice and lentils. it's nice to know that if i ever move to italia, i can get my indian fix at home. there are actually quite a few excellent indian and middle eastern/north african restaurants in the city because of the immigrant population. i love that kind of unexpected diversity.

a few french maionese-based sauces. i should have checked the ingredient list on the americaine...i wonder what kind of crap they think we eat.

okay, i'm totally guilty. i thought this blackface packaging for these nougat candies was ridiculous. it's interesting how afro-italians don't feel the same racist-tinglies an american might seeing this.

i think this pretty much sums up that store for foreigners: american nutty. italians never eat peanut butter. you will absolutely not find it in any supermarket because they eat nutella or butter or jam on toast. this ground peanut confection is completely "strange" to them. why is it such an important part of our cultural identity?

muy bonito

while wandering around in the upper medieval town of sperlonga, i turned a corner and saw this amazing sign. unfortunately, m. wasn't in the mood for a hot dog (too hot, sweaty, and humid), but after looking at the pictures, he wished he did.

 

talk about suicide food...this guy looks happy as a(n ivar's) clam catching some rays in his bun. i want his sunglasses. very hot right now.

sperlonga paradiso

shortly after touching down in rome, we hopped a train south about an hour and fifteen minutes to the paradise known as sperlonga. this small beach town is situated about halfway between roma and napoli in what is known as the riviera di ulisse, or riviera of ulysses (homer's odysseus). the emperor tiberius built a summer villa in sperlonga around 20CE with sculptures recounting episodes from homer's odyssey in a seaside grotta.

though we didn't visit the villa or museum (open to the public), we did soak up some more modern flavor in town.

we stopped in a small supermercati, and i saw this pony pop near the cheese case. i just snapped a quick, washed-out pic for my friends at home who have a lovely dog named "pony."

although "supermercati" describes quite a different kind of store than our "super market," i think what distinguishes a supermercati from an alimentari are the extras like shampoo, plastic bags, and cleaning products. anyhow...

this picture and the one below are from an alimentari just down the street form the supermercati. this place had all the goods i wanted. it was super small, and the entrance was so low i had to duck a little bit so i didn't swipe my head on the awning. this place was perfect, though. they had a mini milk carton full of simpson's chocolate cookies that i wanted, but didn't really want. i tried to snap them in this photo, but i missed. i was trying to be discreet since taking pictures of everything seems so invasive.

the cookies in the beige bags are a big brand, mulino bianco (white mill), which is basically like our nabisco. these jammies are good, though, and sans preservatives.

this shady shot is of their tinned fish and jarred items. damn, i miss all this stuff. their cheapo canned tonno is the shit, and basically anything in a glass jar is guaranteed to be delicious and salty. sign me up.

after touring both the supermercati and alimentari, we ended up picking up some goodies from a meat shop with a tavola calda ("hot table" aka hot case). it really wasn't a hot case, but more of a cold case, i suppose. m. guzzled a peach nestea, and we shared some frutti di mare (fruits of the sea, aka seafood salad in lemon and olive oil), a piece of pizza rossa, and a bag of taralli that i picked up at the alimentari.

taralli are one of my favorite italian snacks. they're basically cracker rings made out of flour, white wine, olive oil, salt, and a flavor, if you opt for one. i got the fennel seed because that's my favorite. damn, i miss these. i bought some over at PFI the other day, but they weren't nearly as crisp and fresh tasting. they also only had olive oil or garlic flavors, boo.

i'm going to look up a recipe for taralli so i can know the secret and be inducted into this mystery cult of deliciousness.

we ate insalata di mare (seafood salad) all over roma and sperlonga. this one was tasty. i saved a few leftovers in our minifridge to savor later that day. mmm. i love anything swimming in olive oil. there's nothing like fresh, meaty squid. damn this was good.

Grimaldi's: Brooklyn New York

If this is your first time reading this hella rad blog, then you dont know that I love pizza. So welcome to K&S, I love pizza. That being said, when I was recently in New York I really wanted to try some east coast pizza. Months ago I was watching food network and something came on about Grimaldi's. I remember thinking, if I ever go back to NYC I will try it. Well we did and boy, was it an adventure in time and patience.

My mom and I were staying in Manhattan in the Theatre District and we set out that morning walking towards the Financial District. We had no intention of walking the entire way...but we did and yes, that is about 6 miles. After the long walk past several duane reade stores we decided to take a cab over the bridge to ensure we would be on time for our lunch date at Grimaldi's with a new hip hop supergroup "They Live".

As the cab pulled up we had no idea the line would be that serious. It was down the block.

A few minutes later a man came out and let us know it would be about 30min from where we were standing. It actually took like 45min, but it was cool our hip hop friends were running late anyway. The wait was too long, the heat was too much and the complaining people were getting on my last nerve. But I was doing fine actually because I knew once inside I would be able to eat pizza and sometimes nothing in the world compares to that.

When we got seated I got right in the line for the bathroom. I was surprised how small it was inside but that makes a lot of sense why the wait is so long.

The line for the bathroom is right next to the kitchen. So you are able to catch a full view of the pizza chefs and the historic coal fired brick oven.

While we were still waiting on our friends we ordered some chianti and after the wait outside my mom and I pretty much pounded our first glass. I dont even remember what it tasted like.

First came out the veggie pizza my mom ordered which she asked for mushrooms and onions.
The sauce was bubbling and the smell was amazing. The smokey crust looked so damn amazing. I couldnt wait for it to cool down so we could eat.


They Live asked me to order them a pepperoni pizza with ricotta cheese. It also looked extremely tasty with the scattered basil and chunky tomato sauce.

The four of us killed two large pizzas. I dont think They Live ate anything before meeting us because they stopped talking when the pizza came out. The pizza's were both very good but I did like the pepperoni a bit better because of the salty meat. The mild fresh mozzerella cheese and rich sauce were extremely kick ass. The only thing that didnt hold up was the crust. The ends were perfect but as the crust got to the middle it was a bit too soggy for my favor. I love a thin crust as long as it doesnt turn into mush. Taste wise, I will admit...they have something going here.

Everyone agreed that this pizza was good, but I don't know if anyone thought they would wait and hour to eat it...I think I might. After our late lunch we headed back to the city and all made the trek over the Brooklyn bridge. It was beautiful even though we got caught in the rain but the sun was out and it didn't matter, I just had pizza.

19 Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn NY

exquisitely expensive

a little while back our friends (who actually worked on the space) invited us to dinner at spinasse since they had been there several times, raved about it, and told us we should all go some time. the interior is intimate and warm with a handful of small tables and one long, communal table. i love the old lady lace curtains which lend a homey authenticity to the space. the menu is brief, but well designed.

we asked the server for a wine suggestion, and she recommended a nebbiolo since it would be medium-bodied and drinkable before and during dinner. J and i decided on a Vietti 2006 Nebbiolo. fruity and delicious.

the house started us with some bruschetta. the first was fresh ricotta and olives.

the second was spinach and garlic. both were tasty and crisp, whetting my appetite for pasta. i was really into the ricotta bruscetta because it was also dressed with rich olive oil, my favorite.

since we had a party of 5, we decided to get two orders of antipasto misto della casa. below are the chicory/guinea hen/parmiggiano/balsamic salad and spinach fritatta covered in tiles of black truffle.

the other half of our antipasti course was pure meat, well almost: a cherry tomato stuffed with anchovies and dressed with a parsley pesto, vitello tonnato, prosciutto and grissini, and salame with roasted leeks. i liked the anchovy/pepper deal, but there was only one, and there were five of us. even though we got two orders of antipasti misti, that meant splitting two peppers among five guests. what the hell?!? is it really too much to ask for three peppers per $28 plate? i didnt eat any of the meat, but i was told it was great. M's favorite was the vitello tonnato, which is a traditional dish of tender veal topped with a smooth mixture of tuna, olive oil, and capers.

we also ordered a couple of vegetable sides. the first was a simple ceci con limone e prezzemolo (garbanzos with lemon and parsley). it was simple, tasty, and well-prepared, but J also made this dish a few days later at home, and it was just as good. i know spinasse is a whole experience, but sometimes it makes you question the bang-for-your-buck factor.

the rape saltatti (sauteed turnips) were tender and savory, sauteed in their own greens. also pictured are the ravioli di tapinambur al burro e salvia con pignoli, or jerusalem artichoke ravioli with butter, sage, and pine nuts. they were delicious, fresh, and well-paired with two of my favorite ingredients, sage and pine nuts.

J chose the maltagliatti (wide irregularly cut pasta) with hedgehog mushrooms and butter. i really enjoyed this dish as well. the pasta was perfectly toothy and obviously handmade to order. there is no substitute for fresh pasta.

unfortunately i didn't capture G or M's pasta choices, but they were tajarin al ragu and tajarin al burro con salvia, which are both thin, handcut pastas with a meat sauce and sage butter. the tajarin was also tasty, toothy, and refreshing. however, i don't know if i would return to pay $19 for a small bowl of pasta with butter and sage.

after we had all finished our pasta courses, we completely forgot that G and M ordered the braised goat! it came significantly after the pasta simply because it took that long to cook, but M and G said it was worth the wait. the goat was falling-off-the-bone tender, naturally sticky sweet, and perfectly reflective of fall flavors. we asked the chef how he cooked it, and he said it was only salt, pepper, and garlic on a bed of onion, carrot,and celery. it was really the standout star of the evening.

the overall quality and taste were extremely high, but i don't think i would go there again after G made pasta at home. it was about $400 without tip (i think) including two bottles of wine. despite the taste factor, spinasse is not a good value. $19 for a small bowl of pasta is pretty ridiculous, and c'mon, only one anchovy-stuffed pepper per antipasti plate?!?! no thanks. spinasse is great, just not worth it.



nb: it's super busy at any given time, so if possible, make reservations!

cucina de santis: comfortalian food

the other day A. called me up to see if i could tear myself away from the exciting world of work to accompany him to Cucina de Santis, an italian trattoria (less formal, less expensive than a ristorante) owned and run by a high school friend's family.

apologies in advance for the washed-out photos...the grey skies wreaked havoc on my cam phone.

as soon as you walk in, you're slapped across the face with the fact that the de Santis' are an italian-american family. i loved this neo-classical interpretation of athena bust bookended by a verdant plant and the red strip of an italian flag wrapped around a post. art, dude.

i forgot to capture the portraits on the wall of family in the old country, new york immigrants, sepia wedding photos, and an autographed glossy of rocky marciano:



if the decor weren't so authentic, i would think i were on the hill.

two other amazing features at cucina de santis were the giant wine bottles equipped with dispensing spigots. i've never drunk wine from a gatorade cooler before, but i imagine this is what kids drink from during halftime at their soccer games in italy. instead of orange slices and capri sun, it's cheese and wine.

this place is simple, as in plastic forks and knives in baskets in the middle of rows of adjoined tables and napkins in moretti freebies.

A. and i both got the eggplant parmesan plate (they also serve it as a sandwich on italian bread) which is a huge slab of eggplant cutlets layered with cheese, sauce, and bechamel served with a side of buttered garlic bread. A. got his with meat sauce and i went with the veg, of course. A. said his was good, but could have been saucier.

i enjoyed my eggplant parm. it was well-sauced, moist but not wet, salty, and comforting. the eggplant was sliced very thin and lacked the piney, indescribable chemical taste that sometimes grosses me out about it. the bechamel was smooth and enjoyable as well. my only nit-picly complaint is that i love it hot HOT HOT (temp).

just as we were both finishing our plates, the cook walks over, two giant bowls in hand, and says, "here's a little something just to put you over the edge." then he set down two bowls of penne; one with a vodka cream meat sauce and the other with pesto, fresh parsley, parm cheese, and olive oil. holy crap. i tried to eat responsibly, but i left incredibly full. the above picture features the amount we took home after we picked at the bowl.


Cucina de Santis
1759 1st Ave S
Seattle, WA 98134
(206) 587-4222