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Antichi Sapori definitely serves one of the best authentic Italian meals ever — really one of the best meals ever period, Italian or not.
And, to be perfectly honest, I use the word “authentic” mostly for Google. Because, while these dishes are spectacular, the chef takes traditional Italian foods and refines and redefines them to create totally original tasty little morsels. In other words, while the dishes could have originally come from your grandmother’s kitchen, these particular dishes are probably something no Italian grandmother would make. Certainly not Mama Cappelli.
A majority of their ingredients for each dish come from their large garden a few meters away from the restaurant. So it is a nice, heavy vegetarian meal (until you get to the meat course, of course).
The head chef, Pietro Zito, couldn’t be a nicer guy and his staff really is top quality. The waiters know everything about the menu and every dish, while also serving everything with a flourish and a smile.
Hopefully the pictures and descriptions along with the podcast give you at least a taste of the amazing meal you can have when visiting.
1A little wine to start off the meal
You’ll see a bottle of their extra virgin olive oil also in the background.
2Baby fresh fava beans
Served in a light sauce of lemon and oil.
3Cheese antipasti
Clockwise starting at the top: Dried sausage. Ricotta with candied celery. Pecorino with candied carrots. Caciocavallo with candied onions. Capicola with pickled broccoli spears.
4Vegetable antipasti
Clockwise starting at the top: an artichoke cooked “old-style” with cheese inside; a frittata made from fresh baby greens; kale stuffed with ricotta and squash
5Artichokes
Grilled baby artichokes on a bed of mashed potatoes
6Onions Gratine
Onions covered with breadcrumbs and cheese and baked until brown.
8Sheep’s milk cheese with fresh fava beans
The cheese literally melted in your mouth and paired with the tart fava beans the combinations was blow-away
9Troccoli
A square spaghetti-like pasta with a sauce of brazed scallions, brazed tomatoes, and smoked sausage
10The scarpetta
Remember, bread is not there to fill you up before your meal! Italians use bread to mop up any sauce left after the pasta is gone. Literally it means “little shoe” I guess because it looks like you are making a little shoe move across your plate? I’ll have research that name…
11Orecchiette
Orecchiette (or little ears) a very traditional pasta in Puglia made from grano arso with a wild broccoli rape. Be sure to listen to Paul’s explanation of what grano arso is and why it’s called tat. It’s at around the 11 minute mark.
Note this is not the exact pasta we had. It’s the same pasta, but a different sauce. But I wanted to show you this dish so you could see the style of pasta
12Crudite
Polignano a Mare carrots and fennel
13Fresh fava beans
Straight from the restaurant’s garden
14Lamb with roasted potatoes
Roasted lamb thigh. This melted in your mouth. One of the best lambs I’ve ever had.
15The lamb with gravy
The gravy was almost as good as the lamb itself. This dish was something I’d love to perfect at home. I think that’s a challenge to myself!
16Pork steak
This melted in your mouth, too. I mean. I was dying. This was so good. To be honest, their meat dishes have never been the highlight of their meals, but they really stepped up their game with these two. I would go back just for this. And I LOVED everything else. But seriously. I hope these become standard on the menu!
17Cassata (sort of)
Sponge cake soaked in either fruit juice or liquor, later with ricotta cheese and then a thin shell of chocolate with chocolate sauce drizzled on top.
This is, again, more their take on a traditional cassata so I use that term loosely. But whatever it’s called, it’s delicious.
18After-dinner drinks
Nocino and limoncello with some sugar-coated almonds. Want to make your own limoncello, check out our recipe here. Trust me. It’s so much better.
Here’s where you’ll find our “Crack” Almonds: Sugar. Like the ones you see pictured here.
19Baba a rum
A small spongy cake soaked in rum served with cream.
20Deconstructed Tiramisu
Lady fingers dipped in coffee later with marscapone topped with a sprinkling of chocolate and crumbled almond cookies
21Apple Torte
Not my favorite, but still delicious
22Mama Cappelli
I’m not sure she LOVED the place as much as we did. She liked all the meals, but as with any traditional Italian grandmother, if it’s not the way her family made it, it’s not really the right way.
Here’s where you can find out more about Antichi Sapori.
Do you agree it’s one of the best authentic meals ever? What are you thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
I might never be able to eat again.
I always think that as well, Frank. Then the next day comes along with more delicious Italian food and I find myself eating.
Love me my favas!
Thanks, Tom. They are delicious!
Where is this Restaraunt located in Italy?
Montegrosso. Here’s a link to the place on google maps: https://www.google.it/maps/place/Montegrosso+BT/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x13383de3d51fda95:0x6b6fa7ff7bc64423?sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjtlMDUn9XMAhUF1RoKHXoJB-MQ8gEIHDAA
Loved looking at all the delicious dishes.
Thanks so much, Pat!
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