What makes good Italian food and a great Italian restaurant? This precisely what I think.
Italy has a wonderful tradition of fine food. Italian food’s importance to Italian culture shouldn’t be overstated. It is among the central elements, and why shouldn’t it be? Think about Italy’s geography for a second:
It runs a long shot from north to south. Therefore, it possesses a great wide array of growing seasons and soil types. This means a rich diversity of ingredients for food.
It is a peninsula, meaning it is nearly surrounded with sea but also connected to fantastic Eurasian land size. There is an abundance of fresh seafood and foreign ingredients from neighboring lands.
It sits between Europe and Africa in the Med. All Mediterranean cultures have excellent food traditions from North Africa to Lebanon and Israel, France, Greece, Spain and, of course, Toscana.
When you think of noodles and pasta, you probably think about Italy, but those wonderful inventions located Italy from China thanks to Marco Polo. It reveals a lot about Italian food culture that something so basic became together with Italy even though it did not originate there.
Anyway, food is often a key element of Italian culture. Therefore, the food is regarded as important part within the restaurant. Of course, a great Italian restaurant will have a great wine list, a clean and chic decor, and wonderful service, but a positive Italian restaurant maybe by on great food alone, even when they have a crummy wine list, poor service, including a dingy decoration schemes.
By the way, if you leave an “Italian” restaurant hungry, it’s not always authentic. A white tablecloth and high bill do attain a great great bistro ensure. Frankly, I can’t stand those fancy Italian restaurants in Manhattan that impose $400 for a morsel that forces you to want to stop for a slice of pizza en route home. A great Italian ristorante will leave you full, not stuffed, but full.
The second involving a great Italian restaurant is each month. The service will be warm and professional, but is not overly friendly. Wedding ceremony orders are taken and the meal gets rolling, there isn’t a should be nearly invisible. Run — don’t walk — from any Italian restaurant where the waitperson address the table like this:
“How you guys doin’ today?” when ladies are seated at the table. This is most un-Italian with them. An Italian would never call a woman “guy.” There is spaghetti-and-meatballs-type places, the waiter might say, “How is everyone at some point?” The won’t tarry with small talk in the white-tablecloth places, not numerous ones, however. It is all about the meal and the comfort.
The third aspect of one great Italian restaurant will be the ambiance. I don’t know what it is, but Italians appear like able carryout a wonderful atmosphere anywhere. I have eaten at places in strip malls in suburbia of Denver — as un-romantic a setting as considerably more — arrive close to great. An actually outstanding Italian restaurant will just possess a certain feeling from the minute you walk in the door, a warmth and too a glow that can’t sometimes be described.
So the priorities are food first, service second, and a ambiance 3. If all three are met, you have found a great Italian dining.
Ciro & Sal’s
4 Kiley Ct, Provincetown, MA 02657
(508) 487-6444