I wanted to return to the story of Stefano, Miriam and a lovely evening spent in Chiavari, just half an hour's drive from Genova.
We actually drove through evening sleet to arrive in this small town on the Italian Riviera, in the region of Liguria. It was dark but I saw enough to make me want to return one day.
Our first port of call was Paola’s beautiful clothing boutique, C’è chi c’ha, and after picking her up we wandered on to meet up with other friends of Stefano and Miriam’s.
Our destination was Ristorante Da Felice, the beginning point for my journey into the cuisine of the Ligurian Sea. One that, unbeknown to me, would be continuing in Lerici in the days ahead.
Whenever I eat with Stefano, I always leave it to him to advise me on the menu, as no one knows more than a local. The proof would be in the fact that I have never had a bad meal with him. And that evening was no exception.
I began with this delightful shrimp dish before moving on to the mighty Palamite nell’ Arbanella ... and I may or may not have that correctly written but it was a startling dish. The fish is a Palamita and is a predator, like tuna, as you can see in the youtube I hunted down.
The photograph gives you an idea of the unusual presentation - Stefano persevered, in low light and with his cellphone camera, wanting to capture this dish that was unusual even to them. The fish was served up in a small glass preserving jar, seasoned with a little lemon and herb ... it tasted delightful.
Dessert was a small selection of deliciousness, as the waiter and Stefano plotted a serving that worked around my problems with fresh fruit.
It was a lovely evening with good people and delicious food in a beautiful place. Grazie to the very kind people from Genova, who included me in an evening I won’t forget.