What makes good Italian food and a great Italian restaurant? This just what I think.
Italy has a wonderful tradition of fine food. Italian food’s importance to Italian culture cannot be overstated. It is on the list of central elements, and why shouldn’t it be? Think about Italy’s geography for a second:
It runs mile after mile from north to south. Therefore, is an efficient 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 through sea but also connected to the cost Eurasian land mass. There is an abundance of fresh seafood and foreign ingredients from neighboring lands.
It sits between Europe and Africa in the Mediterranean and beyond. All Mediterranean cultures have excellent food traditions from North Africa to Lebanon and Israel, France, Greece, Spain and, of course, Toscana.
When you consider noodles and pasta, you probably think of Italy, but those wonderful inventions located Italy from China thanks to Marco Polo. It notifies you a lot about Italian food culture that something so basic became associated with Italy even though it did not originate there.
Anyway, food is often a key element of Italian culture. Therefore, the food is the most important part of the restaurant. Of course, a great Italian restaurant will possess a great wine list, a clean and chic decor, and wonderful service, but a reliable Italian restaurant can have by on great food alone, even when they have a crummy wine list, poor service, including a dingy decoration option.
By the way, if you leave an “Italian” restaurant hungry, it’s rarely authentic. A white tablecloth and high bill do rather than a great bistro make. Frankly, I can’t stand those fancy Italian restaurants in Manhattan that impose $400 for a morsel that makes you want to stop for a slice of pizza on the way home. A great Italian ristorante will leave you full, not stuffed, but full.
The second aspect of 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, true should be nearly invisible. Run — don’t walk — from any Italian restaurant where the waitperson address the table like this:
“How all of you doin’ today?” when ladies are seated while dining. This is most un-Italian of such. An Italian would never call girls “guy.” Along with 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 you’ll be able to ones, need. It is all about the meal and the comfort.
The third aspect in regards to a great Italian restaurant will be the ambiance. I am not sure what it is, but Italians appear to be able to build a wonderful atmosphere anywhere. I’ve eaten at places in strip malls in the suburbs of Denver — as un-romantic an environment as considerably more — that come close to great. A completely outstanding Italian restaurant will just have a certain feeling from the instant you walk in the door, a warmth and maybe a glow that can’t really be described.
So the priorities are food first, service second, and a ambiance final. If all three are met, you say that a great Italian small business.
Ciro & Sal’s
4 Kiley Ct, Provincetown, MA 02657
(508) 487-6444