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Pizza du jour
La Maison DouceWet, windy and gloomy weather returned to Sorrento throughout this past weekend, leaving us confined indoors much of the time. We finally got a break yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, when the rain stayed away for awhile. So we decided to have lunch at La Maison Douce. We had not dined here since we departed Sorrento for our interlude on the French Riviera two weeks ago, so we wanted to pay our respects to Nello, our favorite head waiter and consummate schmoozer.
As we've mentioned in previous blog posts, Nello is quite adept at schmoozing his guests. In fact, he's refined his technique to such a degree that he full well deserves the sobriquet of ‘Romancer of the Stone’! He now greets Dee with kisses on her cheek, and me with hugs, while cheerfully catering to our every whim while we are there.
Of course, we suffer no illusions when it comes to his underlying motivation,
viz., to work the crowd for tips (above and beyond the standard 15 per cent service charge that is included in restaurant tabs in much of Europe). Still, we've found his irrepressible charm and outgoing demeanor to be quite enchanting during our stay.
We
shared a rather novel kind of pizza today, one that came with large blobs of mozzarella, sausage and potatoes as toppings, along with a mixed salad and a custard dessert. Neither of us were overly impressed with the toppings on the pizza, although the crust was very good.
Today we were not optimistic about the weather, since we arose to overcast skies. But by late in the morning, conditions started to improve, with the clouds giving way to some sunshine by the time we walked up the street to the butcher shop. Dee wanted to buy a pork tenderloin to serve our visiting German friends, who arrive in two days.
We were also curious whether the friendly lady cashier we've encountered in the past was working because we had not seen her since our return from Saint-Jean, and were afraid she no longer worked there. She speaks some English, always greets us warmly when we enter the shop, and has a very pleasant personality. Happily, she was on-duty today, and had simply taken a few days off. So I took advantage of the opportunity to take her photograph with Dee while we were shopping.
After depositing our
haul from the butcher shop back in the apartment, we walked to the Corso Italia for a quick bite. During our stay in Sorrento (and in Saint-Jean, for that matter) we have often eaten a heavy meal for lunch, the end result being we become stuffed to the gills. So much so that neither of us feel in the mood for dinner later, and usually end up munching on crackers or bread with some salami, cheese and olives.
We took a different approach for lunch today, deciding to try the french fries sold at a place called Queen's Chips, a fast-food chain based in Amsterdam that opened an outlet here on the Corso Italia in Sorrento. Before ordering the french fries, I walked a few doors down the street to a Gelateria for a vanilla milk shake for myself and a bottle of iced tea for Dee. Our plan was to have a picnic lunch on one of the benches beside the cathedral.
I went a little overboard with the fries, however, because the large size I ordered could have fed a small army. When I handed Dee the large paper cone in which they were served, slathered
with ketchup and mayonnaise, she swore it felt like 2 pounds worth of potatoes! But the fries were crispy and very tasty, reminiscent of the Belgian fries we had enjoyed in Bruges a few years ago.
Shortly after we had finished munching the fries (about half of them), we relaxed on the bench to do some people watching, which soon turned into some X-rated pigeon watching as well. As you might suspect, pigeons thrive in this tourist mecca, and they make a very good living scrounging for tidbits on the streets and restaurant terraces all over Sorrento.
The area next to the cathedral, on the Corso Italia, has quite a few benches where weary tourists can take a breather. The pigeons have learned from experience that this spot is a rich feeding ground, because sloppy tourists inevitably drop scraps and crumbs onto the ground. We have become accustomed to them strutting around near these benches, hunting and pecking all the while, with little fear of human interaction. So when two of them began strutting around in front of us, we thought nothing much of it. But soon they began pecking each other, then inserting their sharp beaks into
Shot of limoncello
Compliments of the house, La Maison Douce the mouth of the other one.
At first we thought that some kind of territorial dispute had arisen, and that a pigeon fight was in the offing. But that was not the case, for all of a sudden one bird jumped onto the back of the other one. After some very brief (5 seconds at most) flapping of wings, the bird on top flew away toward the cathedral.
It was at this point we realized that we had witnessed an elaborate (albeit brief) mating ritual. After the male bird's "Slam bam, thank you ma'm" performance, he no doubt flew toward the cathedral to seek repentance, while the poor, bewildered female was left to wander around in circles, wondering all the while "WTF just happened?"
Dee's Comments: Once we returned to Sorrento, it felt like coming home. Our neighbors next door greeted us from their terrace, the pretty lady at the butcher shop was happy to see us, as were the gang at the English Inn.
The 52-days since we started our odyssey have flown by, and everything has been wonderful...if only mother nature had been more cooperative! The sometimes torrential rains and chilly temperatures we've
Try walking on this crap!
Typical stone tiles found in sidewalks, streets, passages and alleyways in Sorrento. experienced in Sorrento have not seemed much like springtime. But then again, we're not looking forward to the heat and humidity we'll face back in Florida upon our return. :-(
We are anticipating the arrival on Wednesday of our German friends, Peter and Rosita; then in just a few days after their visit we'll be off to Paris! Thankfully, my knee has been better the past few days, with the walking not as difficult. It's really not my age that bothers me so much, it's the side effects! Ciao...
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Jeni
non-member comment
I was hoping you were done with the rain. Keep doing limoncello shots to keep you warm. The pizza looks really good, but potatoes don’t really belong on a pizza. Love seeing all the wonderful people you have encountered around Sorrento.