mercoledì 4 maggio 2011

Da Fortunato

This past weekend I went to the restaurant Da Fortunato, located right next to the Pantheon!  Ristorante Da Fortunato is a well known and respected restaurant in Rome.  Many famous politicians have even eaten at this restaurant!  My boyfriend and I got the recommendation for this restaurant from one of his family friends who visits it every time he goes to Italy!   The restaurant is picturesquely situated in view of the Pantheon and square.  When you walk inside you are automatically greeted by friendly hosts.  The walls are covered by pictures of customers, and you get the feeling that this place has been around for a while and is well-loved by the community.  Everyone in the restaurant were dressed in very fancy and classy attire, appropriately blending in with the elegant white linen table clothes and flowers.  The classy and welcoming atmosphere was matched in grandeur by the great quality of food!  For an appetizer, me and my boyfriend split the Mozzarella di Bufala.  The Mozzarella di Bufala was the best quality I have had in Rome by far!  The milkiness and rich flavor reminded me of the Mozzarella di Bufala that I tried in the farms in Campania.  For my main meal I got the Spaghetti Aglio e Olio.  Although the toppings on the pasta were plain, just garlic and olive oil, the fresh ingredients in combination with the expertly cooked spaghetti was delicious.  For dessert, I had one of my favorite desserts I've had in Italy!  I had lemon sorbet mixed with Prosecco, Italian sparkling wine.  The combination of the sour lemon sorbet and sweet, sparkling Prosecco was the perfect, light end to the meal.  The prices of the meal were very reasonable considering the quality of food and elegant atmosphere.  I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a special night out! 



Mozzarella di Bufala Appetizer




Ristorante Da Fortunato


Link to Da Fortunato's Website

lunedì 25 aprile 2011

Cooking with Christina!

In my food class we have the pleasure of working with Christina, chef of Glass in Trastevere.  We have three classes with her- one for rice and pasta, one for fish and meat, and one for dessert.  This past week I had the second class, in which we learned how to cook fish and meat.  Going into the lesson I was not concerned at all since I often cook things like salmon and chicken at home.  However, cooking meat and especially fish in Italy is very different than in America!  The dishes she chose were an anchovy sandwich and veal marsala.  I've never worked with veal before, but it was very similar to working with meats like chicken.  My real problem was dealing with the anchovies.  Before we started cooking, we purchased our meat and fish from fresh markets around Campo Dei Fiori.  Little did I know, we would not simply be cooking fillets of fish, but actually taking the heads off and cleaning anchovies in order to make our sandwiches! It was quite a struggle for all of us at first to clean the anchovies!  Christina literally grabbed the fish with her bare hands, ripped the head off, then stuck her finger in the fish and slit it all the way down, taking the intestines and guts out of the fish.  First of all, we all demanded that we get plastic gloves.  Secondly, none of us ripped the heads off ourselves- we all used knives.  Even with these things, the process was very difficult and disgusting to all of us!  Christina was laughing at all of us and said that any Italian would have no problem doing this, as this is how they prepare most fish.  Once we got the hang of cleaning the anchovies after the first few it wasn't so bad!  We fried the anchovies and then put them on fresh bread with large chunks of mozzarella cheese and sundried tomatoes.  We all went into the cooking class with the expectation of hating the salty anchovies, but after trying the sandwich I was very surprised that I really liked it and ate the whole thing!  The veal marsala was also very good.  I'm not usually a big veal eater, but the meat was very tender and the marsala sauce gave it a great flavor.  I will definitely be trying these dishes out at home!

Anchovies

Veal Marsala

mercoledì 20 aprile 2011

CiriPizza Pizzeria!

Another one of my hilights during my Cilento trip was going to CiriPizza Pizzeria.  Going to this pizzeria was a really fun experience because we not only got to try the pizza, but we also got to see how they made all the different types of pizza.  One of the specialities of the restaurant was their vegetable pizza, whose dough was made out of many different vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, onion and garlic. 


 The Ingredients of the Vegetable Pizza

We also got to see their normal pizza dough and whole grain dough.  In the picture below the far left is whole grain, the middle the vegetable dough, and the far right the normal dough.  It was cool to see these different types of dough and the ingredients that go into them, as I am only familiar with the classic pizza dough. 



Next we got to see how the pizza is made.  They make all their pizza in an extremely hot wood-burning oven. We saw them make several pizzas for us to sample and it was amazing how quickly the pizzas would cook!  They literally only stayed in the oven for a minute or two and then came out perfectly done.  The dough was flat, yet soft and doughy rather than crunchy- it was delicious!!  They make a variety of pizzas, including a classic one with mozzarella di bufala and basil (shown below.)  They also made some pizza with smoked mozzarella, which we got to sample.  The smoked mozzarella had a very unique flavor and I really liked it!

 Wood- burning oven

 Mozzarella di Bufala and Basilico Pizza


The last part of the pizzeria tour was the best- actually eating the pizza!!  The pizzeria had numerous types of pizza that all looked delicious, so we got to sample a few different types, and ended the meal with a nutella pizza.  One of my favorite types that I sampled was a calzone style pizza that had smoked mozzarella in it.  The smoked mozzarella was surrounded by two layers of dough and was soo good!! I also actually really enjoyed the vegetable pizza (which they called sunflower.)  When I first heard about the vegetable pizza I automatically assumed that I wouldn't like it as much, but I actually found that it was my favorite!  The dough was light and fresh tasting, and the pizza was topped with cheese, tomato, and basil, for a healthy, yet delicious combination.  The nutella pizza was also amazing!!!  It was so rich, but I still think I could have eaten a whole pizza for myself!  Overall, I really enjoyed this pizzeria experience.  I really enjoyed all the pizzas I sampled and appreciated the thin, yet soft dough as compared to some of the crunchier, thicker pizzas that are available in Rome. 


 Smoked Mozzarella Calzone

 Vegetable Pizza

Nutella Pizza

domenica 17 aprile 2011

Mozzarella Di Bufala!

One of the most famous products I've learned about in my food classes is mozzarella di bufala!  Mozzarella di Bufala is produced mainly in the Campania region in Italy, and is mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk, as the name suggests.  I had heard about mozzarella di bufala and even seen some restaurants in Rome that offered it, but never fully understood what the big deal about this product was until I went on the Cilento field trip with my program.  On this field trip we visited two farms where we saw buffalo.  My favorite part of the trip was our visit to the second farm, where we got to see how mozzarella di bufala is actually made!  The owners of this farm had extreme pride in their buffalo!  The first thing we saw was their "buffalo community."  Compared to the buffalo we saw on the first farm, the buffalo living on this farm were extremely civilized and intelligent.  In this "buffalo community" each buffalo had their own bed, brushed themselves by rubbing up against an automatic brush, and even waited in line to milk themselves with the help of a high-tech machine.  It was actually incredible how well behaved/trained these buffalo were!  We learned that the vast majority of the buffalo were women and only 3 or 4 men were kept alive, as only the women were profitability due to their milk.  The rest of the male buffalo were skinned in order to produce leather.  

 Buffalo!

 Buffalo Community


After seeing where the buffalo lived and how they were milked, we got to see how mozzarella di bufala was actually made!  The texture of the cheese was such that the workers simply had to rip the cheese and shape it into balls with their hands in order to produce the shape.  We also saw a worker make a mozzarella di bufala braid, in which he stretched the cheese into a long, narrow strip and then braided it. They let us sample their mozzarella di bufala and it was absolutely amazing!!  I honestly have never tasted more amazing cheese in my life.  The cheese was extremely fresh, and the milk of the cheese gushed out with every bite.  We learned that the milky the cheese the more fresh and better quality it is!  

Sampling of Mozzarella di Bufala at the Farm

In addition to seeing the importance of mozzarella di bufala to farms in the south, its importance was very evident in the surrounding towns.  Along our drive through Cilento, I saw mozzarella di bufala advertised outside of several restaurants!  It was also on the menu of every restaurant we went to in Cilento!  The first meal we had as a group our appetizer was a gigantic Mozzarella di Bufala ball.  We were all shocked by the size of the mozzarella at first, but many of us actually almost finished the entire thing!  Mozzarella di Bufala was also offered on many menus on pizza.  After the trip to Cilento,  I have a new appreciation and love for this product!  It is not only delicious, but also a very respected and important product to those living in the Campania region.  


Mozzarella di Bufala Appetizer

giovedì 7 aprile 2011

Fresh Markets In Rome

 Fresh Fruit at Campo dei Fiori

Fresh Meat Market in Campo Dei Fiori

One thing that I really love about Rome is the abundance of fresh fruit, fish, and meat markets!  In America, its safe to say that the majority of people shop at large supermarkets.  Most Americans don't go to individual fresh markets, but rather trust these large superstores to give them fresh products.  Living in Rome, I've definitely eaten out a lot, but also done a lot of cooking at my apartment.  For the first couple months, I got all my fish, meat, and fruit from the supermarket doing the street, Simply Market.  However, recently I've become very interested in these specialty fresh markets.  Perhaps one of the most famous fresh markets in Rome is the daily market in Campo Dei Fiori.  Just recently I've started getting fruit and spices from there on the way home from the school.  I can't emphasize enough the difference between the fruit that I've gotten from Campo with that from Simply Market.  Everything is much more fresh, ripe, and just overall of better quality.  My favorite fruit to eat right now is strawberries since they're in season now!  I got strawberries from Campo the other day and ate the whole container on the way home because they were so fresh and sweet!  I also recently visited fresh meat and fish markets with Christina, our cooking teacher.  She is a chef at a very upscale restaurant called Glass, located in Trastevere, and said that her restaurant always goes to fresh fish and meat markets in order to get top quality products.  Just to see if I could taste a difference, I got chicken from one of the fresh meat markets the other day and made it.  It was so much tastier than the chicken that I've gotten at simply!  It was much more tender and had much more flavor!  I've found that these fresh markets located all throughout Rome are integral to many Italian families and restaurants, providing the fresh ingredients that are key to making a delicious meal!

sabato 2 aprile 2011

Hostaria da Tonys!

One of my favorite areas to eat out in Rome is hands down Trastevere!  The food is really good and affordable, and most of the restaurants have a fun, quaint atmosphere.  I've tried out many restaurants in Trastevere, but one of my favorite restaurants I've been to is Hostaria da Tony's!  I've been there twice now and had amazing experiences both times!  From the outside, the restaurant does not look like much.  It appears rather small, has some tables outside with checkered tablecloths, and the inside almost looks like a fish/meat market at first (check out the picture.)  However, once you step inside you realize that the restaurant is actually quite large, with seating in multiple rooms.  One of the best things about Tony's is the atmosphere!  The restaurant looks straight out of an old Italian film with the checkered tablecloths and walls lined with pictures of the "regular customers" and Tony, the owner.  Also, Tony himself makes the experience ten times greater!  He is the nicest, friendliest Italian man and jokes around with all of us every time we're there.  He has one of those really inviting and fun personalities that makes you want to keep returning to the restaurant.  He also often gives tables free focaccia bread or desserts to try out!  However, even beyond the fun service and atmosphere, the food at Tony's is great!  The first time I went, I ordered the tomato bruschetta and rigatoni cacio e pepe.  The bruschetta was really good and unique.  It was unlike any other bruschetta I've had thus far.  The bread was perfectly toasted and topped with tomatoes, olive oil, and finely chopped celery.  The finely chopped celery added an extra crunch to the bruschetta that I loved!  The rigatoni cacio e pepe was also amazing!  It's one of my favorite pasta dishes that I've had in Italy so far.  First of all, the portion is huge!  When I go to restaurants, I usually just order a first plate of pasta, rather than a first and second plate, so I really appreciated the hearty portion.  The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and coated with a creamy, cheesy sauce that had a bit of a kick from the pepper.  The ingredients were simple, but perfectly proportioned and fresh.  For dessert, Tony gave us free lemon sorbet for dessert, which was perfectly sweet and refreshing!  The second time I went to Tony's I decided to try the salmon bruschetta and chicken parmesan.  The salmon bruschetta was  once again really unique and delicious!  The bread was coated with a white, creamy sauce, which seemed to have a cream cheese flavor, and then smoked salmon was on top.  The smoked salmon was so fresh!  I also absolutely loved the chicken parmesan!  Perhaps a reason that Hostaria da Tony's appeals so much to American students is because it is slightly Americanized.  I haven't seen chicken parmesan offered at any other restaurants, and loved the familiar American dish with an Italian spin!  Contrary to American chicken parmesan, the chicken was sliced extremely thin and coated with a fresh tomato sauce and heavily coated with melted cheese.  The restaurant also gives free pitchers of water- which all us Americans love!  Moreover, this is a restaurant that I recommend to anyone in Italy if you're looking for good, affordable food in a fun atmosphere!  Its especially a great place for American students to go in order to get an Italian dining experience with some American comforts. 


 Chicken Parmesan

 Fresh Meat Used

Free Lemon Sorbet Dessert

giovedì 24 marzo 2011

Aperitivo Experience with Our Italian Friends!




As part of my program we have cultural interaction assignments with Italian students from Roma Tre University.  Its been a really cool experience getting the chance to interact with these students!  They help us with our Italian, and more importantly, show us around Rome.  They take us to places that only Italians go and that a lot of tourists miss out on.  One of my favorite excursions we had with them was going to an aperitivo in Gianicolense. Me and my friend Lauren went with our Italian friends Monica and Vanessa.  Going to the aperitivo was a completely foreign experience to me.  When we got there, we first paid at the register.  For 10 euros, we received a drink and were allowed to help ourselves to the buffet of food.  It was actually a really good deal, as I was pretty full after the food and used the aperitivo as a meal (although the Italians explained must only use aperitivo as a snack.)  The buffet included finger sandwiches, hot dogs wrapped in croissants, cous cous, bruschetta, and other little snacks.  Everything was very good and fresh!  Vanessa also suggested a new drink for me called Caiprioska.  This is my favorite vodka drink I've ever had by far!!!  She explained to me that there are many different flavors of Caiprioska such as pineapple, peach, and kiwi, but the most popular is strawberry.  I can almost compare the drink to a strawberry version of a mojito.  Its made with crushed ice, sugar, vodka, strawberries, and lime.  It was absolutely delicious and very aesthetically pleasing!  The large strawberry chunks and sugar, in combination with the crushed ice, really hid the large amounts of vodka in it!  Overall, I loved my aperitivo experience.  It was a great way to relax with friends, and have a drink and good amount of food for a good price!  I'll definitely be going to more aperitivos before I leave Italy!

martedì 15 marzo 2011

The Smartest Way to Eat Well- Student Menus

Now that I've been in Rome for over 2 months, I am starting to feel as most study abroad students feel at this time... broke.  Despite this, I am still determined to eat well.  To save some money I tried staying in a lot and cooking my own meals.  It was fun for a while and I tried some new inventive dishes, but one of my favorite things to do is go to dinner with friends and relax with a nice glass of wine. That's when one of my friends suggested that we start taking advantage of the student menus at local restaurants.  Until now, I haven't paid much attention to the student/tourist menus and usually just ordered exactly what I wanted.  However, I discovered that at many good restaurants you can get an appetizer, pasta, dessert, and glass of wine for only 10 euros!!  Some restaurants close to our apartments in Trastevere that offer student specials are Le Fate and Buchetto!  One of my favorite student special menus is at Le Fate!  Every day of the week they offer a fixed student special menu, which includes a type of bruschetta, type of pasta (some usual choices are penne arrabbiata, rigatoni cacio e pepe, and a pesto pasta), a dessert (the tiramisu and ice cream are both really good), and a glass of their house wine!  Although the menu is set for the day and you are not able to choose exactly what you want to eat, I have never had a bad meal there!  The food has always been amazing and the student menu even forced me to try rigatoni cacio e pepe, which has become one of my favorite types of pasta!  So for any students studying abroad in Rome I would highly suggest these student menus.  What you give up in lack of choice, you definitely get back in the amount of money you save!  For example, bruschetta on the original Le Fate menu was around 4 euros and pasta was around 9 euros, meaning that if you just ordered these two on the normal menu you'd have to pay 13 euros.  Students get both of these plus wine and a dessert for 3 euros less!  Moral of the story- the smartest way to eat well is to take advantage of the student menus in Rome!



Interior of Le Fate


lunedì 7 marzo 2011

Venice carnival cakes!


This past weekend we took a trip to Venice!  We went during the last weekend of Carnival so the city was crazy and soo much fun!  I loved everything about Venice- the masks, the large crowds, the special shows, and, above all, the Carnival cakes!  I've seen some carnival cakes around Rome, but not like in Venice.  They are literally everywhere- on every street corner and in every little shop!  There are lots of different versions of the carnival cakes, but my favorite is the traditional fried dough balls, covered in powdered sugar.  The first time me and my friends went into a store and shared a stick of them, each only getting one.   We immediately went back to get more, each getting our own stick of the fried dough balls this time.  When you eat them, they immediately melt in your mouth.  I am usually a huge chocolate fan and shy away from any dessert that does not contain chocolate, but I would take these carnival cakes over chocolate any day!  The combination of the sweet sticky balls and powdered sugar is amazing!  Its a shame that these carnival cakes are only found in Italy for the month or so surrounding Carnival.  Its cool that I got to witness such a popular and important festival in Italy.  I love how all parties, festivals, holidays, etc.. in Italy are associated with food.  I absolutely love food and revolve my days around what I'm eating.  Thus, I associate food with very strong emotions and memories and love how all Italians do the same by eating certain foods or practicing specific food traditions at holidays and special occasions.  I will now always associate these fried dough balls with the wonderful time I had in Venice at Carnival!

martedì 1 marzo 2011

The Discovery of Kebabs

So today I finally found food an ethnic food here that I like!  I loove the pasta and pizza and suppli here of course, but every once in a while I get a craving for something different.  Perhaps the thing I miss the most is my Mexican food, especially my Chipotle burrito.  In America, I would stop by Chipotle and get a burrito at least once every week or so.  So today I was walking back to our apartment and passed a place that said 'Italian Kebabs' on it.  When I hear the word kebab, I usually think of pieces of gross meat on a stick.  However, I've seen a ton of kebab restaurants in Rome and figured it was about time I try one!  To my surprise, an 'italian kebab' is not a stick with meat on it, but actually very similar to a burrito!  To make it, they shave off fresh meat (I chose chicken) and then add lettuce, tomato, and spicy sauces, wrapping it in a burrito for the final touch.  The only thing I wish that was included was rice, but some places even throw in fries- which I think is a pretty good substitute!  The kebabs I've had are soo good and definitely kick the Mexican craving!  I found a Doner Kebab place conveniently located right around the corner from my apartment!  I will definitely be visiting it again soon!

 Chipotle Burrito

Doner Kebab

lunedì 21 febbraio 2011

Da Michele!


 This past weekend I was in Naples and decided to try out pizza at Da Michele!  I first heard of this pizza place from reading the book Eat, Pray, Love.  In the book, the author dedicates almost 2 whole pages to just describing the pizza and how amazing it is.  When I was reading my mouth was actually watering, and I promised myself I would try this pizza when I was in Italy!  I also saw the movie Eat, Pray, Love, and in the movie Julia Roberts goes to this pizzeria to eat and it looks incredible!!  When I got to the Naples train station it was just a short 10 minute walk to Da Michele!  When I reached the restaurant, I immediately saw a swarm of people waiting outside the door.  I was very confused at first because there was no sort of order to the swarm of people; they clearly weren't waiting in a line to get in.  It took me a few minutes to realize that you have to go into the restaurant to get a number and then have to wait outside until your number is called.  Even though there were a ton of people waiting outside, I decided to take a number and wait it out.  I waited for about 45 minutes to just get in.  By the time I got in I was starving and a little frustrated, however I figured all these people wouldn't be waiting if it wasn't worth it... I was right!!  The pizza was absolutely amazing and the best I've ever had in my life!  You can only choose from 2 types- Margherita or marinara.  I decided to try Margherita.  The reason there are only 2 choices is because its not the topping that make this pizza spectacular, its the dough.  The pizza is made in a wood-burning oven and the dough is unlike anything I've ever had before.  Its extremely thin, yet so doughy and soft that it melts in your mouth.  The crust is the best part by far!  Its puffy and perfectly doughy, a little crisp around the edges, but nowhere near crunchy.  I ate my entire pizza and probably could have had more!  I would love to go back to Naples just to get this pizza again.  It is unlike any pizza you will find in Rome!



Da Michele- Naples, Italy

domenica 13 febbraio 2011

Italian vs. American dining experiences

Since I've been here I've noticed many differences between Italian and American food, and moreover, the dining experiences in general.  One of the first things I noticed about food in Italy is that the large majority of restaurants serve only Italian food.  In America, we have many American restaurants, but we also have just as many other ethnic restaurants.  Mexican, Italian, and Chinese restaurants are everywhere!  We also have Japanese, Spanish, Indian, Thai, and countless other ethnic restaurants.  In Italy there are very few ethnic restaurants.  I have been looking all over for a good sushi or mexican restaurant with no luck!  Another thing that is very different about Italian restaurants is that it is not customary to tip.  In America a 15-20% tip is always expected, and is even included in bills for large parties.  Despite these basic differences, I believe the biggest difference is how dining is viewed/valued in Italy versus America.  In America, we eat to eat.  Service is a lot faster and people get easily frustrated if the food takes too long.  Fast food restaurants are also an American favorite, as they are convenient and fast!  For lunch most Americans will either get fast food such as McDonalds, grab a quick sandwich, or maybe sit down for 20/30 minutes.  On the contrary, Italians take long lunch breaks and eat a large lunch, often consisting of two courses.  Also, for Italians, eating is a very social experience that is highly valued.  They don't eat to eat, but rather eat to socialize with friends and take a break from their day.  That is why the service often appears very slow to Americans, but is normal for Italians; they like to take their time and enjoy themselves.  I really like the Italian mentality on dining and am trying to pick up on this attitude while I am here.

lunedì 7 febbraio 2011

Amazing Food in Florence!!

Melon Rigatoni
Dessert Platter
Blueberry Steak

So this weekend me and all my friends headed to Firenza!  The city was amazingly beautiful, there was great shopping, but above all I had amazing food!!  It is safe to say that I had the best meal of my life at a restaurant called Acqua al Due.  We were recommended to go to this restaurant by many people we met so figured we'd give it a try!  When we got there we were escorted to a cute booth in the basement.  We decided to splurge a little and get a 4 course meal.  We started off by ordering 2 assortment of salads, which each include 3 small portions of various salads of the chef's choice.  One of the salads was finely sliced radishes in an olive oil sauce, one was corn and cherry tomatoes in a really good white wine sauce, and another tomatoes and mozzarella.  I'm not a huge salad fun, but loved having a little bit of each of these unique combinations!  Then we tried the melon rigatoni for a first course.  The dish sounded so weird to us at first, but we decided to give it a try and I'm so glad!  It was the most amazing pasta I've ever had.  The flavor is very hard to describe.  It was not necessarily a melon flavor, but was just a very rich, unique taste unlike anything I've ever had.  For the second course I tried the blueberry steak.  When I first heard this combination I thought it sounded disgusting.  However, numerous people I talked to tried it and absolutely loved it so I figured I had to give it a try.  The steak was perfectly cooked medium done and was soo tender inside.  The best part was the blueberry steak sauce that it was covered in.  The blueberry taste was not overwhelming, but definitely evident in the sauce and was absolutely amazing.  My mouth is watering talking about it.  Everyone at my table scraped all the sauce off their plate it was so good.  To end the meal we tried the assortment of dessert plater, which included small portions of tiramisu, chocolate cake, cheesecake, and a fruit tart.  Each dessert was very good and I'd have to say my favorite was the tiramisu.  Overall, the meal was absolutely amazing and reasonably priced, even coming with a bottle of house wine for only 10 euros.  I definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Florence!

martedì 1 febbraio 2011

My Love for Bruschetta!

During the three weeks that I have been in Italy thus far I have been trying out a variety of Italian food.  I of course love the pasta and pizza and gelato, but I have found a great love for bruschetta.  It is the perfect appetizer for any meal, filling you up just enough to leave room for the main course.  It is also the perfect snack to have with a glass of wine when you want to take a break in your day. I have had bruschetta at least 6 times so far, but had my best experience yet at a restaurant in Trastevere called Le Fate.  The restaurant is very close to our apartment, and has reasonable student specials where you can get an appetizer, pasta, dessert, and glass of wine for only 10 euros!  The menu is fixed, but luckily the appetizer they served today was bruschetta.  The first plus about the bruschetta that was served was that it was not just one small piece, which you find at most restaurants for 3 euros, but two nice size pieces. Also, one had tomatoes and olive oil on it, while the other was smothered in arugula and thick mozzarella cheese. The combination of the two different types of bruschetta was amazing, providing the perfect variety of arugula, tomatoes, and mozzarella.  The tomatoes were perfectly ripe, and the bread was not overly soaked in olive oil, but rather was perfectly moist.  The combination of the sweet arugula and rich mozzarella also was delicious!  I thoroughly enjoyed the bruschetta here and will definitely be heading back to Le Fate soon to try out their other types of bruschetta, which include unique types such as artichoke bruschetta!