Friday, May 17, 2013

I'm still here!

It was back to Buttrio for us for the next couple of days. We got in in time for dinner. I was getting tired of the more formal dinners so we hit up a local family run watering hole. We had the most delicious barley/vegetable soup, plain old pasta Bolognese, and the house red wine. It is amazing sometimes how cheap red wine tastes delicious with pasta. As usual, we have had the best meals here. The dining experience is so different than in the states. No one is in any rush and even a simple dinner can last 2 hours. I also like eating later as I don't wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Every thing tastes so much fresher and menus tend to be seasonal.

Buttrio is a small city but the area is very rich in history. It is in the Friuli -Venezia region. We are about an hour from Trieste, an hour from Venice, and very close to the Austrian and Slovenia borders. The countryside is rolling hills mostly covered with vineyards. The region has been known for its white wines but there has been some great reds produced here recently. It is very picturesque and dotted with old farm houses and villas. The area has been inhabited since before 1000 and has seen a succession of rulers and cultures. The region played important roles in both WWI and WWII.

No pics yet this go round as it was pouring rain all day yesterday and this morning. I was not terribly unhappy as I needed a day to relax and catch up. It looks like the weather may clear up this afternoon and I will take the car and go exploring.

We had a fantastic dinner last night at an old farmhouse. It is in Manzano and it is apparently a winery as well as a restaurant. They have applied for a license to rent out rooms as well. The views are spectacular as this sits up on a hillside. The name is Elliot. Surprisingly, the restaurant was pretty empty last night...perhaps Thursday night is slow as the place came well recommended. They started us off with a glass of Prosecco. I ordered a medley of asparagus as an appetizer and lamb chops for my main course. Ned ordered some kind of terrine of rabbit( shuddering) and sliced pork loin. They brought us a plate of very thinly sliced local ham with radicchio. I am not usually a ham eater but I have to admit this was delicious. If I had known we were getting this I might not have ordered an appetizer! This was not going to be a short dinner. We had white wine to go with the appetizers and red with dinner. The food was both presented well and fabulous tasting. No dessert for us!

Tonight's dinner is going to be equally as good. We are going back to a place we have been before and taking one of Ned's coworkers with us. Last time we went it was just the two of is and we spent 3 hours there. There is no menu and nobody speaks English. Tonight we will have a local with us.

Weather does not appear to be cooperating today. Bummer. I have been in this area five or six times over the years and there is nothing to do inside. There are no museums or art galleries. While I love exploring the little towns, it is not fun to do in the rain. Looks like I will be having lunch with hubby and coworkers and then reading for the afternoon. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

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