One of the most meaningful ways to connect with a culture is through its food. So, during my recent trip to Barcelona, Spain, I set aside a day of sightseeing to attend a hands-on cooking class at the Barcelona Cooking School. Nestled just off Las Ramblas (the famous pedestrian street), and steps from the bustling Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, the school offers a warm, welcoming introduction to Catalan and Spanish cuisine for travelers and food lovers.
I awoke to rain on my first full day in Venice, but it didn’t dampen my enthusiasm. I grabbed an umbrella and made my way to St. Mark’s Square for a tour of the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica—two treasures that are must-see attractions in the city. Wisely I reserved my tour that included a gondola ride in advance.
As a travel writer, I hope my readers trust the destinations, hotels, restaurants, and tours I recommend. I stand by my word, not praising a site when it doesn’t deserve a compliment. Recently, I was headed to Naples and asked a fellow travel writer. Gina Di Meo, for some advice. Gina is a native, a Neapolitan, though she no longer lives there.
Gina recommended the Seafront Pasta Bar for dinner. She even helped me get reservations, which, by the way, are needed. Though the name is nothing special, this is not just any pasta restaurant. It ranks as one of the best meals I have ever had. No wonder the establishment earned a spot on the Michelin Recommended list for the city.
FYI: The MICHELIN Guide provides curated selections of the best dining experiences in a given area, covering more restaurants than only the starred establishments. While inclusion alone is a pretty big deal in demonstrating quality cooking, the guides help steer travellers and locals alike to recommended restaurants that suit their personal tastes, budgets and preferences when exploring a city.
I found the Seafront Pasta Bar located across from Castle Nuovo, near the waterfront harbor, but not exactly overlooking it. Diners mainly sit upstairs, around a sushi-style counter, watching the chefs work directly in front of them. There are also a few tables to the side of the bar without the cooktop view. The eatery uses Di Martino pasta in all forms from appetizers to desserts.
It’s a great place to pick up kitchen techniques. However, the other advantage of sitting by the action is the delicious aromas wafting from their saucepans.
I chose the three-course wine-paired tasting menu, which is really four courses if you count dessert. The price is a reasonable sum of 65 euros. (It’s a bargain for Americans.) Each dish was painstakingly prepared and beautifully plated on carefully chosen dinnerware and a different silver place setting for each course. Of course, each was paired with a wonderful glass of wine.
The meal began with a display of artfully arranged breadsticks and dipping oil, followed by a seafood amuse-bouche. I’m not positive, but I think it was langoustine in a sauce covered by a thin, flaky crisp. The starter wine was Colle Lepre by Porto de Mola.
Linguini with garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and anchovies “colatura” from Cetara arrived next. I later found out that colatura is a sauce made only with anchovies and salt from the nearby town on the Amalfi Coast. While I’m not wild about anchovies, I loved this linguine and ate every bite. Al dente perfection!
The second entrée was hand-broken Ziti Genovese style with ‘ramata’ onion from Montorio (northern Italy) and a prime beef cut. The sauce is prepared by sautéing beef with onions and slowly cooking for two to ten hours. This scrumptious dish definitely had beef flavoring throughout.
La Devozione is spaghetti with tomato sauce –an iconic Neapolitan recipe that dates back to the early 1800s and has been a symbol of Italian cuisine ever since. The old traditional tomato sauce is made with just three ingredients: tomatoes, olive oil, and garlic.
Neopolitan treats were the dessert, but I was so full that I took them home. The famous sfogliatella is beloved as a snack, breakfast, and sometimes even dessert. What is it? In Naples, there are two main variants of sfogliatella: sfogliatella riccia and sfogliatella frolla. Puffy golden pastry shaped like a rounded triangle or clamshell that enfold the custardy cheese filling. It derives its name from una sfogli—a leaf referencing the dozens of tiny pastry leaves (or sheets).
I loved the contrast of crisp pastry and cool, soft filling.
If you visit Naples, I highly recommend a meal at the Seafront Pasta Bar.
