Food, Wine, and Floyd

Before heading home from Italy, I wanted to share some food and wine highlights from our visit to Perugia, the ancient capital city of Umbria.

My Canadian friend Tamara Reiter was anxious for me to meet her roommate Michele, the owner of Milano Lounge Cafè, a coffee house/wine bar located near the University for Foreigners.

In a sleek, modern setting with earthy shades of ochre and crimson, the bar offers an array of wines by the glass or by the bottle with a selection of cocktails, aperitifs, spirits, and beers. Happy hour features “aperitivo alla Milanese,” a selection of salads, pastas, pizzas, and snacks all included with the price of your drinks.

For the wine geek who speaks Italian, a conversation with Michele is essential. Ask for him by name or look for the tall, sandy-haired, twenty-something with boundless energy and encyclopedic knowledge of Italian wines. He gave me the low down on a few of his favorite producers, while speaking with the most expressive hand gestures imaginable.

Our next stop: Bottega del Vino on the Via Del Sole. For lunch or dinner, the atmosphere here has a laid-back, jazz bar vibe that makes you feel like you can hang out for hours. That’s exactly what we did. I am still reminiscing about my first taste of local wine, the Colpetrone Montefalco Rosso 2006—just one of the many great selections on the wine list.

My mother is still wondering how they made the pesto, which bears no resemblance to the creamy basil variety more common back home. Naturally, it was served on a plate of perfectly cooked pasta al dente because Italians wouldn’t overcook pasta if their very lives depended on it!

Finally, we visited Ristorante Fontanella di Porta Sole on the Via delle Prome. Chef/owner Gino Gianantoni doesn’t speak much English, but he can communicate with his guests regardless of their mother tongue. His love for Pink Floyd also made us feel right at home.

Gianantoni, who took over the restaurant from his parents, made us feel like we were part of a select group of friends, enjoying the foods from his childhood, cooked with love using the freshest ingredients.

After our first course, including a tasting of three very special soups (Mbrecciata, crema di fave, and quadrucci e cecci) we asked Gianantoni to prepare whatever he thought we should try. When our bottle of wine ran dry, he instructed his friends, who were sitting at an adjacent table, to share theirs with us, then proceeded to open a bottle or two on the house as he turned up the volume on “Wish You Were Here.”

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Tags: Italy | wine

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