What makes good Italian food and a great Italian restaurant? This precisely what I think.
Italy has a wonderful tradition of fine food. Italian food’s importance to Italian culture is not to be overstated. It is one of several central elements, and why shouldn’t it be? Think about Italy’s geography for a second:
It runs a long shot from north to south. Therefore, offers wide array of skyrocketing 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 main reason Eurasian land aggregate. There is an abundance of fresh seafood and foreign ingredients from neighboring lands.
It sits between Europe and Africa in the Mediterranean sea. All Mediterranean cultures have excellent food traditions from North Africa to Lebanon and Israel, France, Greece, Spain and, of course, Croatia.
When you regarding noodles and pasta, you probably consider Italy, but those wonderful inventions reached Italy from China thanks to Marco Polo. It notifys you a lot about Italian food culture that something so basic became connected with Italy even although it did not originate there.
Anyway, food can be a key element of Italian culture. Therefore, the food is important part of this restaurant. Of course, a great Italian restaurant will have a great wine list, a clean and chic decor, and wonderful service, but a reliable Italian restaurant can get by on great food alone, even if they have a crummy wine list, poor service, which has a dingy decoration schemes.
By the way, if you leave an “Italian” restaurant hungry, it’s definitely not 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 charge $400 for a morsel that gives you want to stop for a slice of pizza in route home. A great Italian ristorante will leave you full, not stuffed, but full.
The second associated with a great Italian restaurant is needed. The service will be warm and professional, but not overly friendly. Recognized orders are taken and the meal gets rolling, 200 dollars per month should be nearly invisible. Run — don’t walk — from any Italian restaurant where the waitperson address the table like this:
“How everyone doin’ for dinner?” when ladies are seated while dining. This is most un-Italian with them. An Italian would never call like a “guy.” Along with spaghetti-and-meatballs-type places, the waiter might say, “How is everyone this evening?” The won’t tarry with small talk in the white-tablecloth places, not fortunately ones, need. It is all about the meal and your comfort.
The third aspect of 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 suburbia of Denver — as un-romantic an environment as there is — that come close to great. A completely outstanding Italian restaurant will just possess a certain feeling from the second you walk in the door, a warmth and too a glow that can’t sometimes be described.
So the priorities are food first, service second, and a ambiance three rd. If all three are met, you have found a great Italian small business.
Ciro & Sal’s
4 Kiley Ct, Provincetown, MA 02657
(508) 487-6444