If you get a chance and love all things food (especially if you are in the Industry), checkout eater.com and the Heat Map!

Heat Map: Where to Eat Now

Bar del Corso has been on the Heat Map for 5 of the last 6 months!

Also, read this review from this past fall - I make a cameo...

What's Happening on Beacon Hill

Hope everyone in the Pizza world is doing well and I hope you have full and content bellies!

Ciao!

Neapolitan Pizza in Seattle

There are so many options for Neapolitan pizza in Seattle that it can be a little overwhelming. As you may know, I no longer work for Tutta Bella, but that does not mean that I do not love their food or concept. In fact, being away for the past 6+ months has made my heart grow fonder. Anyway, one of the new options for wood-fired pizzas in Seattle is "Bar del Corso." Tarah and I ate there last night and it was excellent. Plenty of small plates, specials, and of course Neapolitan pizza. I'm sure the denizens of Beacon Hill have finally had their wishes answered. Please read about this new restaurant here:

http://www.bardelcorso.com

I'll try to update this blog as much as possible with my random observations, rants, and raves about the Neapolitan pizza scene here in the great Northwest. Ciao!

Here is a picture to hold you over until then...




PS - can you guess where this pizzeria is? Hint: This is where I had THE BEST Margherita DOC I have ever put into my mouth!!!

Pizza Today names Tutta Bella "2010 Independent Pizzeria of the Year".

Mama Mia! What an awesome achievement for our humble neighborhood pizzerias. I would like to thank all of the staff and my peers who have worked so hard, shown incredible passion, and have demonstrated uncompromising hospitality to be awarded this industry honor. I also would like to say "Thank You" to all of our loyal guests who make Tutta Bella feel like an extension of our homes and not just a "JOB".

Grazie!

Read the full article at: http://www.pizzatoday.com/imags/piz1008/pageflip.html

Photos... SO MANY!

We have been uploading all our images to Picassa, feel free to check them out. They go all the way back to when Jeff first arrived here to now... and they will continue to grow as we head to Rome tomorrow for 2 days.

First set: Jeff's arrival through Amalfi, the first time.

Second set: My arrival and Napoli (still more to be added though)

Third set: Our most recent... We will be adding more as we go as we have a ton to still upload.

This is where they will eventually all live: http://picasaweb.google.com/jmperini/

Last Night in Ravello

Today was our last day and we made the best of it! We woke up at 8:30am and had our breakfast at the Villa San Cosma, which we would both recommend! Then we were given a scooter ride up to the main square by Roberta, our host at the Villa. She is so sweet and has the most beautiful eyes! We caught the bus to Amalfi, which is a windey ride. One thing that is so crazy here are the drivers. There are so many cars and scooters zipping around narrow roads. You would think they would have alot of accidents but honestly, the Italian drivers are very aware of one another and also very respectful to the other drivers. It just works!

Once we arrived in Amalfi we had 45 min to use before the boat to the restaurant picked us up. Katharine recommended this little restaurant on a beach that requires a boat ride (I was sold right there as I didn't get to go on the fancy yacht Jeff went on before I arrived) to get there and they have access to beach chairs so you can hang out all day and relax. We wandered the shops looking for gift ideas for friends and family and made a mental note of where we needed to revisit after our beach and boating day came to an end.

At noon sharp (the Italians tend to be late but today everything was on time) we met the boat at the dock and these two very tan guys whisked us away to our secret island hangout. They were very friendly and took us to a few places to snap photos of us together and even posed for one when I tried to sneak one in of them.

The beach is a very nice out of the way rock beach. The water is bright blue and there is a roped off swimming area where kids and families were splashing around enjoying themselves. I was by far the whitest person there but then again I am pretty much the pastiest person in Italy right now. Everyone we meet makes sure to mention sunscreen to me as they appear to be worried about me frying to death - that is a valid concern though and I have been lathering up daily. Anyways, the beach was lovely! We chatted with a man who worked there before renting 2 chairs. We decided to lay out for an hour before having lunch. As always it was hot hot hot but having the umbrella was such a huge help. I actually got in the water and Jeff and i were thrilled that we can now say we've been in the Mediteranean.

Lunch was amazing. We have been sharing most of our meals as it is just to much and yet we want to try everything. Today we had a caprese salad, clams and mussles with spaghetti and then grilled swordfish, grilled octopus and grilled squid. Delicious!! We ate ever bit of it! We had a half liter of white wine with peaches and then finished off the meal with an espresso and a shot of limoncello. We both walked away satisfied and ready for a nap. We did just that!

After our day of beaching and eating ended we headed back to amalfi on the bost to get souveniers, gelato and then take the bus back to our villa.

Now, as I type this, Jeff is making me dinner. I don't think we will ever come home. Please send the dogs, a few boxes of our stuff and rent out our house... Ravello may be our new home! ;) Ciao for now!

Ravello, I Love You

Jeff and I have been in Ravello now for 2 days and it is an amazing place. The humidity has created a haze that won't blow out and doesn't allow us to 100% see the beautiful view, however the view is still one of the most spectacular I have seen.

We are staying at Hotel Villa Fraulo and the staff here is great. It's been so relaxing. We wake up, eat breakfast, lounge on the deck, swim in the infinity pool, longe some more, shower, wander the town, eat, drink, nap, wander the town some more, enjoy dinner, have more wine, espresso and then sleep. So simple, yet the perfect getaway!

Today we are checking out of our hotel and headed to an apartment Jeff rented for 2 days. He is excited to cook for me - he feels inspired by all the wonderful meals we've had. Yesterday we went to some new friends home for lunch. It was such an experiene that explaining it would not do it justice. The fact that they opened up their home to us and then treated us to a heart felt meal really made this trip so special. (Thank you Katharine and Salvatore!)

The meals here should be their own seperate post - we've had no bad meals. Last night we went for pizza but also had a salald that contained the thinnest sliced octopus ever with lemon and olive oil - so simple yet ridiculously good!

The people here have been great and to compare this place to Napoli would be like comparing night to day. Napoli was fun, crazy, but fun.

Enough of my rambling, I just wanted to try and catch you up to where we are and what we are doing. We have taken so many pictures, if you have the time you can check some of them out. Remember Jeff has been here 10 more days than me so the first 1000 or so are from his business portion of the trip. Enjoy!!

We're on a boat?!? We are on a BOAT!!!

Our last night of business in Napoli was spent on a boat. Our VPN friends, Massimo, Peppe, and Stefano, hosted a sunset cruise to the island of Procida. We enjoyed an Apertivi hour with Diego at the helm and then docked in this aweswome little village. Our dinner consisted mainly of local seafood dishes and wine. It was an incredible way to end 10 days of Tutta Bella cultural immersion. Friends, food, and the Tyrrhenian Sea - la dolce vita!

TuttaBella Fella's Lady Arrives

Hello! Tarah here - I finally arrived yesterday around 3pm. What a whirlwind of a day. I left home around on my flight at 7:30am (5am for the shuttle) - I literally was given the last seat on the plane. Then got to Philly and was told the Rome flight was full but Venice had room. I called Jason and he said that the next days flight "was in the red". Ok, headed to Venice then! So thankful I bought the first class upgrade as that was amazing. The seats recline all the way into a bed. They feed you dinner (I had cantelope and proscuitto for an appetizer, iceburg lettuce and blue cheese salad, seared sea bass and then dessert. Not to mention 3 glass of pinot grigio, hot tea and bottled water. Then when I woke up they gave me yogurt, granole and berries along with hot tea and juice. Oh and I watched 2 movies on my personal movie player. It was great. I slept for a bit of the flight in hopes to acclimate to the 9 hour time difference.

Once we arrived I chatted with my first class neighbor about Venice as I wasnt sure how to get to Rome in an efficient way. She suggested the train for the scenery (6 hours though) or a flight bu she thought they would be spendy. Once in the airport I manuevered my around, all signs have english so that helps. I found the exit, I found information, I foun the ticket counter... Come to find out a flight to Rome and then to Napoli is 124 Eur and the train was 112 Eur. I took the plane due to time. My excitement to see Jeff squashed my sense of adventure a bit. Thinking back I should have taken the train as I could have seen so much more but I am so happy to be here with Jeff as
I missed him! He has grand plans so I'll be seeing quite alot!

I caught a cab and he zoomed me through the narrow streets of Napoli (they are so narrow and people are just in the way but manage to move out just in the nick of time). Right when he pulled up to the hotel there was Jeff - waiting at the cafe with a bottle of sparkling wine waiting for me. It was so great to see him! We caught up and drank the wine and then I insisted I had to shower - the 4 flights I just experienced needed to be washed off.

After cleaning up we headed out and just wandered the city. Napoli is a bit dirtier than I expected but it holds many old buildings and monuments that were interesting to see. I didn't take many photos just yet so you'll have to wait for those. Sorry.

We had pizza for dinner which was delicious! Then gelato and espresso - of course. I was dead tired so we finally made it back to the room and I crashed hard.

Now we are off to explore. More later. Ciao!!