We stopped to reflect for a moment on the mysterious nature of things as the light of this rather fabulous hotel’s canalside entrance faded off into the distance over this narrow waterway, quite near Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo.
Images
Quiet Calle, Backstreet Beauty: Venice at Dusk
Standing on a bridge at night in a quiet corner of Venice is almost indescribable. It’s all-consuming for every sense you have.
Back To Work!
After a week of cooking classes, meetings, discussions, adventures, forging new relationships, and strengthening existing ones, it’s good to be back home to blog about what we learned. We discovered some great additions for our Veneto tours (new wine and cooking classes, lagoon excursions to exclusive areas of the Venetian waterways, etc) that aren’t found elsewhere, and it was a very productive trip. Lots more to be posted in the coming days!
Valentine’s Nebbiolo
Making the wife some penne pomodoro, and since it’s a lovely Valentine’s evening, we splurged on some Nebbiolo.
Paitin’s DOCG Nebbiolo is cherry-garnet in the glass, with an understated nose but a pleasant mouthfeel. Tarrish, tobacco flavors up front as you’d expect, not a whole lot of fruit.
Short finish but really, really nice. Try it!
Valter’s Osteria
Was in Salt Lake City for business this week, and stayed in a cute boutique hotel in downtown called the Peery Hotel. Across the street is Valter’s Osteria, run by Valter himself. Valter’s a cordial, warm, and convivial host who makes you feel like an old friend immediately, and the atmosphere he creates coupled with the food makes for just the experience a weary traveler needs. Valters’s from a town near Firenze (Monte San Sevino) and thus his cuisine is rustic Umbrian and Tuscan, but elegantly prepared and presented with fantastic service and table side delivery. Pastas are made in house fresh, a great wine list with more than decent nero d’avola and chianti by the glass, and an authentic family-run feel that I’ve not experienced anywhere west of the Mississippi.
Two glasses of wine, dessert (lovely pistachio gelato), a hot chocolate with biscotti, grappa, bread with bagna cauda, and dinner were $75–not cheap by any stretch, for but for table side service by professionals, home made pastas, and flavors hard to find anywhere this side of the Atlantic? A good deal indeed.
Dinner was fresh gnocchi boscaiola–a lovely gravy of porcini and other assorted mushrooms served as a sampler with some handmade ravioli. One version was squash with sage butter, the other spinach with ricotta and lemon zest. My server Paul also gave me a taste of a gnocchi with white truffle sauce that was rich without being oppressively creamy–light and flavorful that left you just needing to “fare alla scarpetta” (sop up the sauce with bread).
Dessert was gelato, biscotti, authentic Italian style hot chocolate, and grappa. Lovely!
If you’re in the SLC area, make the trip to see Valter. You’ll not regret it. Dinner hours only.
Aglianico!
Very much enjoyed this with our shallot butter tomato soup with homemade garlic bread this evening. While I’m partial to anything Italian and red, aglianico isn’t always at the top of my list for some reason; this one however immediately won me over and only got stronger with 10-20 mins out of the bottle. Corky, woody tannins that aren’t overdone and a fantastic mouthfeel–it’s just wonderful to sip.
My local wine store had it on sale for a price so low I’m embarrassed to say, but they claimed it was ordinarily $14. I got it for $8, and enjoyed it more than bottles I’ve spent three times as much on. Buy it if you see it.
The Latest Pet Portrait Masterpiece from Sassi Drawing
Rialto Moon
Clients captured this pensive view of Doug taking in the Rialto at night.
Blue and Orange and Green
Nuff said.
Things to be Thankful For
This turkey day, we’re thankful for places like Burano, a magical place that captivates us and inspires us to travel and break out of our comfort zone to see the world for what it is–a place that should be valued, experienced, and enjoyed in every possible way. We’re thankful for the opportunity to experience other cultures and translate that experiential education into a broader understanding of the world around us.
While we’re at it, we’re thankful for the chance to imagine having our dinner with family in a place like that altana (balcony) on the upper right. Prosecco goes well with stuffing and mashed taters, no?
Sassi Italy Tours 