Passions with a Passport: The Raw Life: Anthony Bourdain

Saturday, May 1, 2010

The Raw Life: Anthony Bourdain

The Raw Life: Anthony Bourdain
..... um, I hope somone and went to see him... I'm still waiting for Anthony to make an appearance in the Cinque Terre!!!

To answer your question Oscar... Dad,

I would first take him to Il Casello Ristorante/Bar, Monterosso al Mare, because, being in the "old Town" of Monterosso, it is a national land-mark beicause it was the "old" train-station, with the open panoramic view of the Mediterranian Sea, it is only there that one can appreciate the textures, aromas, and freshness of the food from Liguria.

Every plate is complimented by the famouse Cinque Terre D.O.C white wine, or Monterosso's "boutique" wine- Begasti... but there are many wines on the menu for you adventurus winos.

I would serve Anthony Bourdain:

Antipasto- Muscoli e Acciughe ripiene (Stuffed Mussels and Anchovies)
Primo- Trofie al frutto di Mare (Fresh little squilgly pasta with seafood and fresh cherry-tomatos for color)
Primo- Trofie al Pesto (same fresh pasta with pesto- a typical ligurian basil paste home-made by Il Casello's Chef Beppe.)
Secondo- Filetto di Pecse (Fresh Fish Fillet... the chef hand pick and clean all Branzini, or Orata as soon as the local fishman bring them in the afternoon, it is served with seasoned potatos and cherry tomatos.)
Secondo- Fritto Misto (Fried Mix, or Calamarie, Anchovie fried heaven!!!)
Dolce- Home-made tiramisù
cafe e limoncello (a local dessert lemon digestive drink)

Check Please!... Anthony, we're waiting for you, and so is a gorgeous Cinque Terre sunset.

2 comments:

O Trevizo said...: If Anthony Bourdain came to Cinque Terre:
(a) What local dishes would you serve him?
(b) Which restaurants would you recommend to him?; May 8, 2010 at 10:13 AM
O Trevizo said...: I love your answer.
Also, I would not let him go back home without first trying the Risotto al Nero di Seppia! That plate is worth the plane ticket!; May 8, 2010 at 11:30 AM

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A Traveler's History of the Cinque Terre - by: Rick Steves

It's a sunny afternoon a thousand years ago in the Cinque Terre (CHINK-weh TAY-reh), long before it became the Italian Riviera. This string of humble villages, surrounded by terraced vineyards, is a two-day sail from Genoa.

The leathery old farmer, taking a break from tending his grape vines, picks a cactus fruit to quench his thirst. Suddenly howls come from the crude stony tower crowning a bluff that marks his village of Vernazza. Turkish pirates are attacking.

Avoiding powerhouse cities like nearby Genoa and Pisa, pirates delight in the villages. These Cinque Terre towns, famous since Roman times for their white wine, are like snack time for rampaging pirates. Villagers run for cover down corridors buried deep in the clutter of homes that clog Vernazza's ravine.

A thousand years later, another leathery grape-picker is startled by the roar of a smoke-billowing train. Emerging from the newly built tunnel, it flies a red, white and green flag. It's 1870 and the feudal and fragmented land of Italy is finally united. This first Italian train line, an engineering triumph of fledgling Italy, laced together Turin, Genoa, Rome...and, by chance, tiny Vernazza.

Decades later, in the 1930s, an Italian dictator teams up with a German tyrant. The war they started is going badly. In 1943 the German Führer calls on Vernazza's teenage boys to report for duty. The boys, who are assured they'll only work in German farms and factories, know they'll end up as fodder on the front. Rather than dying for Hitler, they become resistance fighters. Running through the night, they climb the ancient terraces like giant stairsteps into the hills high above the village cemetery.

The 1970s bring on a different battle scene. Hippies exercise their right to lay naked on the Cinque Terre's remote Guvano beach. Outraged, an angry armada of villagers — fully clothed and accompanied by a raft of reporters — converge on the ratpack of sunburned big-city hedonists. Conservative little Vernazza makes headlines across Italy.

Next, the age of tourism arrives. In 1978 a college-aged American backpacker, stumbling onto the region, finds the traditions vivid, the wine cheap, and the welcome warm. Inspired by the Cinque Terre and similar places throughout the Continent, he declares the region a "back door" and writes what will become a top-selling guidebook on Europe.

By the 1990s, word of this paradise is out. More and more travelers visit — staying in local apartments rather than in hotels. One day, at the crack of dawn, another invasion comes...this time by land. A platoon of Italian tax inspectors blitz the sleepy town, rousting out the tourists and cornering locals renting unlicensed rooms. B&B income in Vernazza is suddenly no longer tax-free.

Today gnarled old men still tend their grapevines. Now Vernazza's castle — named "Belforte" centuries ago for the screams of its watchmen — protects only glorious views. And the screams ringing out are of delight from children playing on the beach below.

But the local economy has changed. The poor village is now a rich village, living well in its rustic and government-protected shell. Tourism drives the economy as the less-calloused locals feed and house travelers. While the private rooms rented are basic, the cuisine — super-charged by a passion for pasta, pesto, and seafood — is some of Italy's best.