Good eats are worth a little credit-card shock

My friend Leslie Kelly, who now writes about food and restaurants and all things gastronomic for Memphis’ daily newspaper, The Commerical Appeal, says she has been reading my Italy blog. But she says something is missing: specific news about food, etc. So this is for her.

Eating is the great joy of Italy for most visitors. American chefs such as Rocco DiSpirito and Lidia Bastianich have made their fortunes by exploiting the recipes and regional dishes of Italy’s 20 regions. Yet many people continue to associate Italy mostly with pasta and pizza. Too bad, because in Positano, the big draw is seafood, which should come as no surprise since we’re about as far from the sea as it would take to hurl an eggplant. And so I mention just a few of our better dining experiences.

We ate at a spot overlooking the city called Tataglia, in which my wife Mary Pat, her sister Jean and Jean’s husband Steve ate platters of grilled fish (including calimari) and meats (while I, the vegetarian, satisfied myself with grilled peppers and eggplant and zucchini).

Last night we dined at a restaurant called Mediterraneo, and while I had pasta with vegetables, Mary Pat had a pepper steak (al sangue, or so so rare that it actually bled), Jean had veal so tender that I thought I heard it cry out when she bit into it, and Steve had a plate of risotto (with baby shrimp) so big that he could have skied down it had he been so inclined. And today we ate at La Cambusa, a beach-side eatery at which I had one of the most delicate omlettes with mushrooms I’ve ever eaten, my wife had the mixed fish grill (the anchovies still had their heads attached), while Jean had pasta with clams and Steve spinach ravioli in red sauce. No one left the table complaining.

In fact, the only problem that we’ve had so far is price. It’s not unusual to drop 100 euro (about $118) for four every time we sit down. And even if this does include wine, it means that I’ll likely be packing my lunch from home over the next few months to pay off my credit card bills. But, hey, what the hell. As Rocco DiSpirito and my friend Leslie will tell you, Italian food is worth it. E veramente il piu buono cibo in tutto il mondo.