This is Part I...You can access Part II on my profile...
I realize many people inaccurately and smugly state that pizza is an American innovation from Chicago. The other inaccurate food myth I hear often is fried rice is an American innovation, originating in NY or SFO. Fried rice as a dish dates back to the Siu dynasty (581 - 617 AD).
Pizza, as a flatbread with toppings, has been around since ancient Greek and Etruscan times and the person(s) responsible is as obscured in history as the inventor of the wheel. There is a much-repeated story about Raffaele Esposito, who in 1889 created a tomato, mozzarella and basil pizza (red, white and green to represent the Italian flag) for the Italian queen, Margherita, who liked it so much that it was named after her.
My date and I entered the narrow and dim lit space of Via Tribunali (Queen Anne on Galer Str) and were greeted immediately - surprisingly and oddly enough - by my former GM at 67, where I use to manage. He shook my hand, welcomed and seated us in the very tightly assembled space where the other patrons where seated about one feet from us. I will note that if you cannot manage to get comfortable in tight spaces then you will not enjoy Tribunali.
The interior is warm with the wood frame type work found in many places of this genre. Wine bottles dominate the walls decor, brick oven in the center, complimenting small wine bar, low lighting, smallish tables for two that can be pushed together for larger tables, bench seating against the walls. It is a versatile room in this respect. The mood is pleasant with the music of Naples in the background - loud enough to enjoy without intrusion.
Tonight was a mix of couples and families with children.
There really is not room for intimate conversation though the space seems to invite intimacy and fun, you will often lean in if you want intimacy, otherwise stick to polite speech. Once finding comfort, we proceeded to peruse a menu made difficult because everything is in Italian (clever). Luckily I can make out enough Italian to be comfortable with the list of offerings - but if not I would be a bit intimidated. I would recommend you visit their website (http://www.viatribunali.com) and get a quick reference before you go.
When I go to an "authentic Italian" restaurant, I pay attention to the music, being a student of Classical and Spanish guitar. The most well known part of Neapolitan music is the Canzone Napoletana style, a repertoire of folklore songs, many can be traced back to the 1200s. The earliest six-string guitar was created by a Neapolitan named Gaetano Vinaccia in 1779, and this family had also developed the mandolin instrument. Along with the Spanish, Neapolitans became one of the forerunners of classical guitar music with Ferdinando Carulli and Mauro Giuliani, considered two of the greatest guitar players and composers of the 19th century.
The reason I go into detail with the music was that it helped transition me in the tight space to find a comfort level, being a musician who has played many of the pieces by the noted composures above. The majority of the music was Italian guitar, mandolin, and Italian arias, interrupted by the occasional cheesy Sinatra re-inventions.
I started with a bottle of Italian Sparkling water, and followed that with wine. We decided to go with glasses rather than a bottle, though the bottle offering was strong and priced from reasonable to "very proud". It is hard to get a grasp on quality with Italian wines because there are over 1,500 varietals of grape available, and most you have not heard of and cannot reference in that sense. But wine is about breaking out of your typical hedonistic tendency of reaching for what you are accustomed to - but I must say the "authentic" Italian experience stops short on the wine list. The majority of the varietals available are of the usual suspect red grapes (Cab, Syrah, Merlot, Sangiovese), so in this sense I really did not have much of a chance to break my rule of retreating from the hedonistic.
I decided to go with and repeated the Fuedi "Rubrato" ($8), while she had and repeated with the Chianti Colli ($6). Our wines were served in what looked like four ounce pours, though the unconventional glasses may have played an illusion, but to me it "felt and consumed" much too quickly to be a six ounce pour (which I have come to expect as a standard pour). The glass looked puny without a stem, and this was trying to be clever I suppose.
I started with Insalate Prosciutto e Mozzarella (Prosciutto Di Parma, E Mozzarella Di Bufala at $13) and she with the Insalata della Casa (Lattuga, Mozzarella Fresca, Pomodoro, Olive, Prosciutto Cotto/Tonno $8 / $9). Considering the prices, we decided to share a pizza - a Prosciutto e Funghi (Pomodoro, Mozzarella Fresca, Prosciutto Cotto, Funghi at $15).
Read Part II on my profile.. read more