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

Julia Roberts at Da Michele in Eat, Pray, Love


Clip of Julia Roberts "Having a relationship with her pizza" at Da Michele

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.

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!

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!