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Rimini and Senigallia, Italy


Joe H

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Does anyone have any experience with Rimini or Senigallia on the Adriatic Coast ("Italian Riviera") of Italy? We have an extended business meeting there in mid September and Rimini seems like something of a gastronomic wasteland from the research I've done. Guido is a restaurant on the beach and Acero Rosso has a star but there does not seem like much beyond this. Senigallia, in the Marche region, is another story however. Uliassi now has two stars and is one of the best restaurants in Italy ( http://www.uliassi.it/index.mv ). Six of us will drive the 200 miles roundtrip for dinner there one night. Fascinating restaurant, by the way-directly on the beach and apparently an extraordinary experience.

Edited by Joe H
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Gambero Rosso also recommends Marinelli da Vittorio. They rate it one point less for food, but price of a meal (without wine)is listed at Euro 48, and Euro 70 at Acero Rosso. Several years ago, we stayed in Poggio Berni (16 km up in the hills) at I Tre Re. It's an inn and restaurant and the food was wonderful. GR also likes a trattoria, La Greppia, in Coriano - closed Tuesdays, average meal Euro 30. Regrettably, we didn't get to Uliassi.

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I may give abit more credence to Gambero Rosso than Michelin in Italy. It was their 50 food rating for Il Postale in Umbria that intrigued me; at the time I had not read anything about it on any food board. We went and loved it. L'espresso has been good, too.

La Madonnina is the restaurant that received most of the attention in the Marche region. Fabio (Maestro) returned to Senigallia about a year ago and was extremely impressed with Uliassi believing that it was worth two stars if one were to judge it like this. It's website fascinates me-the on the beach location. I can just imagine that at night, after dark, this must truly be a special place. In any event it now seems to be regarded as a very real rising star in an area of the country relatively unexplored by Americans.

I'll take a serious look at da Vittorio; thanks for mentioning it.

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In any event it now seems to be regarded as a very real rising star in an area of the country relatively unexplored by Americans.

What about the Abruzzo and Molise regions? Not going to find many Americans exploring those areas. Heck you could probably say that of every region of southern Italy (excluding Naples and the Amalfi Coast). Too bad though becuase it contains some pretty incredible scenery and food. How many people know about the saffron from Navelli? What about the digestive Centerbe?

My best trips have been getting to Rome, renting a car, and eating my way East and South.

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An "Italian Crab House" in Rimini: Italy's Best Seafood Restaurant?

La Puraza serves "fresh seafood" in a run down bunker of an old farm house two blocks from the Autostrada on the onskirts of the Italian Riviera in Rimini. A plain, nondescript building with fraying paint and a gravelled lot the low ceiling entrance leads into an expansive room lined with huge fish and lobster tanks flanking numerous cases of seafood and a small cooking and grilling area. In a country where almost every Italian is fit and is known for favoring modest portions of food La Puraza's 250 seats are stocked with countrymen who resemble the more than Rubenesque Americans who swear by Calabash.

At 6'1" and 205 I felt comparatively emaciated looking around the room.

La Puraza serves only seafood. Recently alive fresh seafood. On entering the room you are led to the cases and tanks in the rear to tell them what you want: there are about 20 "courses" which can vary in the size of the portion; generally they are portioned for the number in the group having them. You are shown fat, four inch long sardines and told they can be served marinated or lightly breaded, drizzled with lemon and oil and grilled over charcoal. They are eaten whole. Gambero are fresh head on shrimp (comparable to 5-10 in size here) which are grilled then encased with coarse salt: these are one of several specialities of the restaurant. Another tank holds live 1 1/2 to 2 pound lobsters which are grilled, then chopped in large pieces and mixed with fresh pasta and tomato sauce (an unbelievable and best lobster pasta I have ever had). Calamari, razer clams (tiny clams steamed with olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs), diver scallops in their shell, frito misto, whole 3 and 4 lb fish which are baked, "red" or "white" seafood risotto (red with tomato sauce, white with wine and a bit of cream) which has huge chunks of a half dozen seafood mixed in it and cooked to order), mussels in one of three or four preparations. Pale gray rectangular metallic platters of these or combinations of them are brought to the oversized wooden tables every fifteen or so minutes until you tell them to stop. There are no sauces other than olive oil, garlic, lemon, wine and herbs. I didn't see much in the way of sides: just huge, endless trays of marinated, grilled and baked seafood and a packed room of people gorging on it.

The overall ambience had a lot in common with the "live seafood" halls of Vancouver and Hong Kong. Or, despite being off the water, this felt a lot like a real Maryland crab house. Shells and whatever are thrown into bowls, baskets and trashcans.

And the food? The best shrimp I have ever had anywhere. Perhaps much better than I have ever had anywhere. Clams better than any I have had anywhere in New England, sardines that induced moans, mussels that were plump, juicy-intensely flavorful. This is truly fresh, literally hours out of the water seafood brought to the restaurant from the many fishing boats docked only miles away in Rimini.

This is also a Rimini tradition which we were told rarely has an American visit them. I have never seen it written up anywhere; yet if you google La Puraza you'll find numerous entries in Italian which can be roughly translated (they are all raves) by Babelfish.

Rimini is a more than worthwhile destination in Italy. Almost unknown to Americans it is also home to a pizza that is better than I have had anywhere in Naples and, yes, I think better than New Haven: La Posada which has a decades old brick oven and lines out the door every minute they are open. (subject of another post to come).

La Puraza has lines out the door, too. Every minute that it is open. It is nationally known and, for me, I would drive the 300 miles round trip from Venice or Florence just for the experience. It is that incredible. There may be individual or "properly served" seafood as good elsewhere in Italy but the communal excess of this place is an experience almost worth crossing an ocean for. I can only wonder how many other places there are like this around the earth that no guide book has ever turned up.

And are missed by us. This one should not be.

Joe Heflin

I thought that I should lend a bit of perspective to what I wrote above: a close friend of mine who has eaten at a dozen or more Michelin three stars in the past several years also went to La Puraza recently. It was he who told me about it. He thought it was the "best dining experience he's had in years."

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They have a website now, although there are not many photographs.

http://www.lafornacedibarbablu.it/

This is a new website. Their old one did not come up when I tried to link it. But this one is better with several photos that do give a good feeling for it. The only difference is that the lighting in the restaurant is much dimmer than the photos show. At dinner there were candles everywhere, just incredible atmosphere. Pay special attention to the stone walls and the ceiling height along with the wood beams. Great memories for me! Thanks.

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This is a new website. Their old one did not come up when I tried to link it. But this one is better with several photos that do give a good feeling for it. The only difference is that the lighting in the restaurant is much dimmer than the photos show. At dinner there were candles everywhere, just incredible atmosphere. Pay special attention to the stone walls and the ceiling height along with the wood beams. Great memories for me! Thanks.
You're quite welcome. We're going to try and find it next May, and any suggestions that you might have about navigating the menu and wine list would be greatly appreciated.
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Seriously, just GO! To this day I have no idea what my wife and I ate. And I'm not so sure that I want to know!!! But it was delicious. This is an overall experience-an incredible experience that in my almost sixty years of eating may be the single most romantic, most original, most adventurous dinner that I have had. Looking at the photos, I have wonderful memories. If you are able to go to La Fornace I envy you for your first encounter: it will exceed whatever your expectations are. I think there is nothing else like this on earth. Serious. If you do go, please, post on here your thoughts when you return.

As Michelin says, it is worth the journey. Worth a LONG journey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, I now think I will build a trip around this in the Spring. I really want to recapture, as best I can, the experience we had there several years ago. This was truly extraordinary! For anyone reading this and thinking about going to Italy, please, give serious consideration to Liguria and this area. It is beautiful. Beautiful! And, this restaurant is a memory that you will carry with you forever...

Edited by Joe H
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