Had a great lunch at this busy and fun restaurant right by the main cathedral in the old town…read more
They have three inside rooms and a large patio. Some of the tables are two or four tops, and they also have long tables that seat approximately 10 and you might be seated next to another party that has an odd number of people or you might just be seated right next to other folks, so be prepared for that. They have very interesting decor. Roughhewn, unfinished wood tables, decorative chandeliers, made out of old bottles that look like they have been melted and strung together with wire, a bicycle above the front door, etc. They use plastic plates, but they are very cute with different patterns and add vibrancy to the feel of the spot. They sell olive oil, and I believe wine as well in full bottles to go.
When you walk in from the front of the restaurant, there is a long counter with glass separating you from the food preparation areas. In the front they make the salads and the salumi boards, in the middle, they have the espresso machine and the drink station, further back are the sandwiches and in the next room, but still connected along that long strip, is the hot food kitchen. The bathrooms are in the back, and there is a common sink for men and women to use, although the women's toilet has its own sink.
We started with the double zero salad which is the perfect amount for two especially if you're a bit hungry and are going to be having other dishes. It had some iceberg, some tiny, radicchio, arugula, chicory, walnuts, shaved, grown-up, Padano, slices of a very tasty bresaola and a very mild balsamic emulsion.
We also tried the veal meatballs, which were moist and tender with a tasty marinara that was not lacking salt - for me, the perfect amount of flavor. It came with two pieces of bread and there were eight meatballs for €8. We also had the paccheri with a mushroom cream sauce. We had ordered the pacheri with guanciale but the server entered the wrong one into the system and we didn't bother to mention it because we wanted to try either one.
We saw lots of interesting dishes going by, and made a reservation for two nights from now so we could try some more of the local delights. We checked out the dessert case, and they had three tarts - one was topped with chocolate Stasio's, another one with pinenuts, and a third one looks like something that they call casata or perhaps it looks like cannoli cream with chocolate chips.
