Lunch In Monticchiello

  A week or two ago, we took a drive over to the Val d'Orcia, an area in Tuscany that is a favorite of many travelers to Italy. We head over this way a couple of times each visit, just to soak in the natural beauty, paint, hike, or stop in for lunch somewhere.

  

  This time, we were on a search for Vin Santo, a tasty dessert wine, which is found in Tuscany. We had known of a place near Pienza, Castello di Spedaletto, that sells direct... so that was a first stop.

  If you ever wanted to visit or stay in an old castle in Tuscany, I think this would be a pretty good bet. They also produce some good wines and vin santo. 

  There was just one other couple there, so it was great fun. No english spoken, which always makes for a few good laughs…!

  We were pretty shocked to see it gently snowing as we headed on to our next stop! This was a very new experience, but it wasn't really bad, so we just enjoyed the magic of it.

                               

 I love to stop in Monticchiello, a small hill town near Pienza, famous for it's twisty roads lined with Italian Cypress trees. They also have a small but mighty theatre group, some good restaurants, and the best views of the area possible…..

A photo from a year or two ago.

Another older shot. This year, this visit…too cold and wet for photos!
View of Pienza.

  Because we were there for lunch, and with the weather being so wacky, we didn't do our usual walking trip through the town…we headed straight to La Cantina de La Porta.

The charming entrance.

  When you mention eating in Monticchiello, everyone assumes you will be going to Osteria La Porta, which is owned by the same folks. We have eaten at La Porta several times, and wanted to try this newer version. 

  I love the traditional trattorias, osterias, etc, but it's always interesting to see what a different, maybe younger chef can do with the same basic seasonal ingredients, and there are more and more of these types of kitchens popping up. 

  Again, LOVE the traditional…!  We just can't resist trying out a place with purple walls and super clear plastic furnishings. 

  

  

Where's my lunch?

…we are ready to "mangia."

  We were the first to arrive on this snowy, blustery day, and it was nice to have the sweet server all to ourselves for awhile. She was so helpful with the menu and wine selection. The chef even came out to chat while we made our choices.

  While waiting, we enjoyed the exhibition of B&W photographs by Mauro Guerrini on display. Nice.

  This is also an enoteca, or wine shop, so there is a wonderful range of wines here, both in varieties and prices. I tend to lean towards white wines, especially at lunch. I love the Vernaccia wines from the area around San Gimignano, and they offer a good one here.

  Wine choice-Done.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a favorite wine choice of mine.

  A more "modern" menu often means some interesting vegetarian options, especially in the antipasti course. Since we always share everything, I will order whatever two dishes sound the tastiest. It was an easy choice in this case...

Described as a "Deconstructed Eggplant Parmesan", this dish was excellent.
Simple, and very sophisticated tastes.
I love the presentation.

Artichoke soufflé in a pecorino cream…did not disappoint!
The artichoke flavor was right there, and I so enjoyed the cream sauce.
Not heavy at all

  The two antipasti were a great match. We passed our plates back and forth a bunch of times, really enjoying the roasted flavors of the eggplant and the springtime flavors of the artichoke dish. A very good combo.

  We moved on to our pasta course next. 

  As I know I've mentioned many times in this blog, we almost always order just an antipasti and pasta course. We will sometimes add a contorno, or vegetable side dish…but even when there is a vegetarian option available on the menu in the third course, we just don't eat that much. 

  On this day, we did order two contorni dishes, and it was perfect. We were in no hurry to go, we knew we were here to enjoy a nice, long lunch…and we did.

  

  I choice two pasta dishes that were very different. 

  I was in the mood for a  simple pasta with a tomato based sauce. This area is known for "pici" pasta, which is so basic. Flour (really good flour) and water. That's it. I've made it many times. It's fun, because you just play with the dough like Playdough…Cut small amounts, and roll between your palms to make long "worms"…

  Anyway, here it was served with a slightly spicy sauce...

Pretty.

  The second pasta was ravioli stuffed with ricotta and broccoli rabe, a filling we hadn't seen before. The cream sauce was very delicate, with shaved truffle and ricotta salata on top.

The truffle was really mild, considering the amount here.
This was a beautiful dish.

Yum.

  When we do order two contorni, we sometimes have them served as a third course. It's a nice way to stretch the afternoon out, and this is what the day was all about. Especially with the weather being so crazy. So nice to be inside, warm and just slightly buzzed…good food, nice surroundings.

  We had our always favorite grilled vegetables:

Oooohh…bad shot…sorry!
Nothing groundbreaking, but warm and a bit garlic-y.

  The other thing I ordered was ceci (chickpeas) in a rosemary broth.

  Oh. My. God. 

  This was such a mind blowing bowl of heavenly goodness!

  This simple bowl of ceci had so much going for it. I guess it's the product…the beans themselves, garlic, a gentle touch of herb…Is it the olive oil? 

  Beyond delicate…just amazing in it's simplicity of flavors.

I do not know what or how..but this was one of the best things
we have ever tasted here. So subtle and light..it's a very Zen dish.

  We passed on dessert, but did have espresso… we were brought a few little cookies, just a tiny sweet treat to go alongside our espresso…

  By the time we left, several tables were full of happy customers. The chef came out to thank us…we bowed to him in honor of his artistic vision..gave our server hugs and kisses…and promised to return soon!

  I know we will!

That's a happy and content Artist!
Thanks, Daria!  

  Want a fabulous meal in the Val d'Orcia?
  Here you go:

  Osteria La Porta