Light Lunch in Monticchiello

  Last weekend, we took a drive over to Tuscany…. to Bagno Vignoni actually, to check out what was happening at the contemporary art venue 'Art House' that is there.

  It was a beautiful day, though cold, and we always enjoy that drive. Art House, unfortunately, had just  taken down the show we thought we would see, and won't reopen until later in April…oh, well…We enjoyed a glass of proseco in the enoteca and decided to head back to Monticchiello for lunch at La Cantina del la Porta….which was closed, of course.

  Sometimes…..things don't go the way you want. I hadn't called to see if they were open yet, and so there you have it. It's still early in the season.

  What we did find open was a newer addition to this tiny village, La Guardiola. I think it's been here for two or three years, but we'd never eaten here.

  Back in the day, this was the location of the local bar, and we would stop for a glass of proseco or wine every time we came to town. Things change, and now it's become a more modern and upscale establishment. All well and good, I suppose….but I sort of liked the old local bar scene from years gone by….

  Anyway, we just wanted something light, and after checking out the menu posted, we went for it.

    Johnny loves a nice cheese plate, so we started with that, accompanied by a half litre of the house white…..

Three stages of pecorino, as well as three goat cheeses.
 The local honey and marmalades were nice.

  I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would… the cheeses really had nice differences in flavor, and I especially liked the goat cheese.

A nice way to begin a light meal on a cold day.

  We thought we might just share a salad and soup, and what a great idea. The salad, which included radicchio, apples, and small cubes of pecorino was fresh, crispy and tasty.

  It was also huge…perfect to share!

  I had a tough time choosing between the ribollita, a wonderful winter soup with beans, veggies including Tuscan kale and bread…. or papa al pomodoro, a tomato based soup also made with bread.

  These are classic Italian soups of the 'cucina povera', or poor kitchen. Back then, the bread was used to stretch the soup for a few days. 

  They are both yummy on a cold day.

  I went for the tomato, even though tomatoes are out of season…I hoped that the base was from a passata made earlier in the summer….Whatever it was made from, I loved it. It had that summer tomato flavor, with the silkiness of the cooked and softened bread which basically melts into the soup..

Oh, yes.

  We passed our dishes back and forth several times, each feeling totally satisfied by the end of our meal.

  

I'd like to see what's on the menu later in the season. The service was great, super nice young people running the place…the views are to die for, and the food was done right. 

  We'll see…in this bitty little village, they have some mighty competition….I hope the best for them, and most likely we will return.

 La Guardiola is located just outside the main porto in Monticchiello.