May
6 - Fondi. We asked Nicola about a place to eat, and he took us to his friend
Massimiliano Sepi's ristorante Casa Catullo for what turned out to be one of the
most amazing meals we have ever had. We were a little early, and had the place
to ourselves for a good while, so the chef/owner and waiter were able to give
us a lot of attention. First they brought out several antipasti, all on the house:
local olives, bread; olive oil (Valle d'Itri;) a homemade salame with coriander
and pepper; grilled vegetables sott'olio; a salmon carpaccio marinated in oranges;
a puff pastry filled with warm bufala mozarella and prosciutto; and finally something
that didn't seem to have a name but was a local specialty, a sort of cornbread
with lots of pepper and raisins, both hot and sweet at the same time. For dinner
Kris and Philip had sassolini (tiny gnocchi) con vongole e funghi porcini; Kes
had gnocchi with asparagus and shrimp; and I had sassolini alla Sorrentina (with
smoked eggplant, tomatoes, parsley and cheese.) They also brought us a condiment
called botarga, which is dried and salted fish eggs (I declined, but according
to the others a little went a long way.) Kris and Philip split a turbot which
was cooked in a white wine sauce, and I had salad for a secondo. We followed our
hosts' recommendation about wine, and had a Moscato di Terracina, which was not
at all like the Moscato we'd had in the north. It was a golden color, and had
a fragrance of honeysuckle flowers, but only a hint of sweetness. It was remarkable.
Dessert was a wonderful creme brulee and lots of fresh fruit. After dinner they
served us grappa - one made from Gewurtztraminer and one called Amarone, made
from the skins of dried grapes. If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Fondi,
you must eat here! It's located at Via Catullo, 39, 04022 Fondi (LT); Phone: 0771.532945
- 320.7092441, Email: casacatullo@cheapnet.it. Closed on Tuesdays.
