Almost everyone likes sweets and Sandra and her dad have made their pastry bar, L’Angolo Dolce (The Sweet Corner), as sweet as it gets! This is one of the best pastry bars in Lucca and I think that it might be one of the best in Italy. There is something for everybody and if you don’t like the sweet side of things, their savories are amazing too.

This is also one of the most creative pastry bars I have ever seen. The long glass vitrine which houses all the home-baked goods was designed by the innovative Costa Group and you could spend your time just going up and down the aisles deciding what you want to taste first.

Sandra learned her trade traveling throughout Italy, working in various restaurants as well as frequenting some of the top cooking schools.  She has perfected everything she has learned using her friends as her focus group!

She loves to invite people to taste as many pastries as they can. How can we blame her? She should be proud of what she has added to the community. Sometimes you cannot get in the door as there are so many customers waiting to try one of her mouthwatering cakes; what indecision! But it is worth the wait and once in the door, the point is to take your sweet time and enjoy!

L’Angolo Dolce
Via Borgo Giannotti, 391
Lucca
Tel.+39.0583.342.462

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This is not some dark secluded place; everybody knows everybody else’s face at Ristorante Filippo in Pietrasanta! But it is off the tourist track and mostly locals hang out with their friend and chef because the mantra of this man is true conviviality.

Filipppo just renovated his small but welcoming locale and the design is just another  component of his desire to make something traditional,  that reminds him of his grandfather Ilio, evolve with the modern touch of his amazing staff.

To begin with, all the ingredients Filippo uses in his kitchen come from the local area and you can taste the difference.

I had a radicchio salad with shaved parmesan cheese and balsamic dressing which was unlike most of the salads I have had with these same ingredients.

Radicchio Salad

The crunchiness of the radicchio was superb and the balsamic dressing was just one step above heaven!

I always ask for Filippo’s mini veal meatballs with lemon zest but they were not on the menu that day so I chose the spaghetti with shrimp and tomatoes.This dish truly gives meaning to the expression “chilometro zero” or “just around the corner” because this is where both the tomatoes and the scampi come from.

Spaghetti with Shrimp & Tomatoes

You could taste the freshness in every bite and all those shrimp seemed to be a topping for some birthday cake!

If you are still hungry, you do not need to even refer to the menu; have their unbelievable Roastbeef di Chianina. Chianina beef is the most famous in Italy and Filippo does it justice by serving it thinly in its own juices so you get the full flavor of the beef.

Have this dish with Filippo’s Vermentino, a dry and slightly fruity wine from the area; it’s such a complement to his food.

I am not a lover of the famous “cantucci” (originally made in Prato in 1779 by Amadio Baldanzi) but you cannot leave Filippo’s without trying their cantucci; a great finish to a memorable meal.

Visit Ristorante Filippo and tell them Request Italy referred you!

Ristorante Filippo
Via Stagio Stagi,22
Pietrasanta, Italy

Tel.+39.0584.70010

www.ristorantefilippo.com

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Italy has been my home for over 30 years and, being my home, I want to share what I have learned about this amazing country and what I am still learning every day.

The people are exuberant, warm, sarcastic but always living life to the fullest– carpe diem!
I will be taking you along my travels and introducing you to my favorite restaurants, hotels, and tours and the people behind the scenes who make it all possible – who make the tours and we plan for our clients such
a success.

Everybody loves Italian wine. Finding Giovanni and Giuseppina in an out of the way enoteca outside the walls of Lucca, was extraordinarily lucky. Giovanni was in the paper business all his life. When he “retired” he decided to follow his passion for wine. He is truly a great sommelier! Giuseppina, his “better half” as he calls her, is the chef at the enoteca and her cooking complements any wine which Giovanni selects for his “guests”.

Giuseppina’s spaghetti alla Carbonara will leave you cleaning your plate with a slice of bread which is what Italians do when they enjoy a dish; they call it la scarpetta.
Her antipasti are made by hand every day – her vegetable soufflé and her “polpettini” (small meatballs made with veal and yogurt) are remarkable. But the truly extraordinary dish from Giuseppina’s repertoire is her baked fennel.

She makes this dish with cooked fennel and layers it with her “secret” Pecorino cheese and into the oven it goes for about 10 minutes until there is a crusty topping.
I have tried to replicate this dish many times and have even passed on the recipe to clients who we sent to the enoteca, but, alas, the “secret” cheese seems to be what sets her dish apart from all others.

Depending on your taste and budget, Giovanni has wines from €5 to €5,000. Even his selections at the lower prices are high quality. His collection of wines include famous labels as well as those from small, unknown vineyards that do not produce enough wine to export.

A couple of examples of smaller vineyards are:

1) Palistorti di Vagliano, a lovely light red from the hills surrounding Lucca, comprised of 40- 70% Sangiovese and 30% of Canaiolo; a natural substance from the earth which goes back as far as 100 years ago in wine making, or Ciliegiolo and 15% merlot; it sells for €15 a bottle;

2) a very good red, produced organically, is Podere Concori Melograno, a still lighter red than its companion — it sells for about €13. This is 60% Syrah, Ciliegiolo 5%, Carrarese 5%, Pinot Noir 10% as well as other native grapes from the area.

When asked about his favorite red, at a higher quality and price, Giovanni doesn’t hesitate; Brunello di Montalcino from the Biondi-Santi estate. The 2005, a wonderful year for that wine, comes at a mere €70 a bottle.

This enoteca is a great find and one that this writer wants to keep secret for as long as possible, but sharing secrets is what Request Italy is all about!

Giuspeppina’s Fennel Recipe

For 4 people:

Take 5-6 fennel hearts and cut into pieces and wash thoroughly.
Put into a pan with enough water to cover the fennel.
Add salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes.
Drain the water.
Add 2 ounces of butter and sauté the fennel making sure not to press them
Put the mixture in a pyrex dish and layer the fennel with strips of Pecorino making sure to have the layer of Pecorino on the top.
Put into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

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