Back to Civilization

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After doing nothing but sitting relaxed in hammocks all day, doing laundry, making lunch, I felt a tiny bit more relaxed. David and I have had some good conversations; I let myself cry a little and felt some relief from my sadness.

At 7 I left to walk up to Bee to speak with Adolfo, the owner of Chi Ghinn and the chef of the awesome restaurant. My Italian is not so great and it makes me feel a bit like a fool when I think how hard my friends must have to work to understand me. But Adolfo said after two months of solid Italian it won’t be a problem; and how will I encounter such an opportunity? Well assuming I can get all my paperwork finish as soon as humanly possible I can begin working for him in March. This is also contingent on the fact that he’ll observe me in September for a couple of days. Well, the conversations we had about food were exciting. He’s got this unimaginable knowledge of everything he uses and is apparently capable of teaching it to those who have the talent to understand (cross your fingers for me). We discussed it and I’m willing to commit a year. I’ve got nothing else to do, perche no?
In any case David met me at the restaurant after our meeting to have a celebratory dinner with me. He ordered a bottle of Sforzato- a red wine with a clear almost orange hint to it, my initial thought was the wine was made from raisins! Not far off from it, the grapes are harvested when ripe and left to dry and sweeten on racks in the sun. In the glass the taste shifted from mild and sweet to more complex and caramel. We had a tasting of tartar made of fresh fish from the lake. Fresh and brief. I ordered ravioli with ricotta and arugula in lemon butter, the pasta green from nettle, black from ink, orange from carrot. It was colorful, tasty experience for every sense, contrasted by the white square and angular plate. David had a pasta called strangled priest with fava beans and proscuitto. By the third glass of wine I could taste only the alcohol so I put it off until dessert. Dinner came and I had a beautiful, clean, fresh piece of lake trout sitting above a basil and oil puree, served with lightly fried zucchini flowers and a tiny wedge of tomato that completed the presentation This dish needs no explanation because it was straightforward, pure and respectful of its ingredients. David ordered the cream of gamberi (shrimp) which caught me off guard. Presented in a large rimmed bowl with a 3 ounce portion of a slightly rose colored whipped perfection tasting of salty shrimp and sweet cream. Like the best shrimp butter ever, but better, is was soft, light in texture but had a powerful impressionable taste. Full and happy, my stomach satiated beyond its physical limits we still ordered dessert, and coffee, and chocolates! I couldn’t help but taste the lemon rosemary heaven in my mouth so I ordered it. David had an outrageous dessert of rhubarb, poppy gelato, and a baton of pasta sfoglia coated with candied poppy seeds. I love this restaurant.

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