Ten Etiquette Mistakes (Not) to Make at an Italian Meal

1. Expecting breakfast. Unless your hotel provides it, don't expect your first meal of the day to be anything like back home

2. Ordering coffee before or with a meal

3. Having any coffee but a caffè normale (espresso) after noon.

4. Asking for olive oil, or olive oil and vinegar, to dip your bread into.

5. ...Eating said bread before the meal. (This one is forgivable)

6. Requesting parmesan for your pizza.

7. In fact, putting parmesan on anything with which it isn't explicitly offered.

8. Ordering acqua del rubinetto( tap water) at anything but a bar.

9. Eating on the go. Italians look down on anyone chowing down on bus, metro, or on foot.

10. Getting annoyed that your bill hasn't yet come. In short: You must ask for it. Unlike in the States, it's seen as rude for a waiter to bring your bill and whisk away your plates as soon as you've finished your food.

Recipe of the Month

Bucatini con sarde

Ingredients (6 servings):

400 gr. Bucatini (or spaghetti)

500 gr. Sardines

3 large onions (sliced very thinly)

100 gr. fennel leaves

100 gr. pine nuts

100 gr. plump raisins

Saffron

2 tablespoons tomato concentrate

200 gr. slightly toasted breadcrumbs

Fry the sardines in olive oil so that the meat separates from the bones.

Let cool, and clean the sardines.

In a large and heavy skillet, sweat the onions with olive oil, S & P.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, boil the fennel  WITHOUT salt, for about 20 minutes. Take out, and chop. Keep the water with which you cooked the fennel.

When the onions are done, add tomato concentrate and stir. Add the sardines and the fennel leaves, and continue cooking at very low temperature with a lid. Add pine nuts, raisins.

Add some water left over from the fennel pot, and the saffron.

Add salt to the fennel pot, bring to a boil and cook the pasta. Be sure to undercook it. Take out the undercooked pasta, transfer it to the skillet, mix well, and transfer the whole thing in a baking pan/dish. Make sure that it’s not too dry.

Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 300 F for about 20 minutes. Serve warm (not too hot), and sprinkle more bread crumbs on top.

Torneo Burraco & Cena!!

Torneo di Burraco + Cena 20 Euro p.p. Venerdi', 20 gen. Ore 20,00. Prenota con Gaetano 338.991.7475 Cena x amici e parenti non giocatori 15 Euro p.p.

Serata della Cucina e Musica Francese

Sabato, 14 gennaio - ore 20, 45                €32 p.p. (bevande escluse)

Menù

    Overture 

·     Quiche Lorraine

·     Gran Bignè au creme de champignon

·     Croutons au patè Tapenede

·     Petto d’oca

·     Brie

Zuppa

·       Vellutata di cipolle – Soupe à l’oignon

Secondo

·       Escalope au chatou-rouge et champignon

Dessert

·       Panna cotta con liquore di pistacchio

Spettacolo : “ PARIS !   MON AMOUR ”

Canzoni e musiche dal vivo:

-         Omaggio ad Edith Piaf

-         Medley grandi interpreti

-         Medley grandi compositori musiche da film

-         Femme Amorouse

Coreografie :

-         La vie en rose

-         Bolero di Ravel

-         Comme un garcon

-         Moulin Rouge  (Tango di Roxanne)

-         Can can

New Menu Coming Soon.....!!!

Happy New Year to everyone!!! Buon Anno a tutti!!!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for New Year's Eve dinner. We hope you enjoyed the food and our company! Please stay in touch!!

Grazie,

Vincenzo