Pietrasanta, Italy is one of the hot spots in the world. It’s got an artsy — rather than shopping — vibe, though there are galleries and indie boutiques. On a sort of insider’s secret side-street is Trattoria Il Marzocco. If you get to eat outside, you’ll be sitting in one of the most coveted seats in the region. People will glance at you and you will see le chic du monde promenading by, looking for a bite to eat or to snap up an interesting piece of art. Sitting outside, you’ll be amongst the pots of fresh herbs used in their cooking. I was very glad to be hosted to experience it!
I started out with a “Spritz,” which is a classic Austrian cocktail — but according to the New York Times this very week — has one of the hottest cocktail ingredients today, Aperol. Aperol is a colorful, herby aperitif, much like Campari. It typically has apple, Cinzano, Aperol, white wine and ice. That’s appropriate, because the restaurant describes themselves like this: “Memory and scents of Sicily, the rigor and internationality of Zurich, the subjective creativity, passion for flowers and for research.”
The rest of my dinner was this:
A salad with mango, hint of ginger, large and tender prawns, mixed greens, red bell pepper and hearts of palm. It would make a great lunch salad or even a light dinner salad.
Cotoletta vitello alla palermitana con verdure di stagione – a Sicilian favorite recipe, breaded and Parmesan cheesed veal scallopini. Their version is actually a thicker cut on the bone, very juicy and well marbled. If I weren’t in polite company, I could have entertained myself gnawing the bone!
Crema mascarpone con frutti di bosco – marscapone cream with berries. It was a rich, yet seasonal for summer way to close the meal.
