Lunch in Asiago
Had lunch while wandering Asiago
the other day and what a major disappointment this little place was.
The décor was lovely as you can see from the photos but the personnel
and service was offensive.
The
prices were high for what was offered and when I ordered some wine, it
was either by the glass or by the half bottle. OK, fine but how about a
list of what is available????? I ordered by the glass and the waitress
trotted off up the stairs to see what was open…. When she returned it was not, would you like white or red, but this is what we have and presented me a bottle.
So what do you do, tell her to take a hike? Not likely, she would
probably spit in it if I had told her to get me something else. Who
knows, the wine was probably someone’s leftover bottle from the night
prior.
The head duck was dressed in a suit…for an Osteria?? Yes it ha
d
tablecloths and was very nice downstairs but not enough to be that
pretentious if you ask me; the quality of the food did not match the
dress code. This little place is tied to the Hotel Europa a four star hotel…or I should say stolen stars for a rating and is next to one of the more famous hotels in the town. (This photo is the "nice" hotel)Asiago
is a fantastic altopiano with numerous small towns scattered around the
plateau. This is not a Cortina d’Ampezzo or a Campiglio however there is
that “air” or feeling of being on the verge of having been touched by
the hands of “get rich quick” tourism.
Since Asiago is a short drive from Vicenza, this is a place for locals to get some skiing in with
just a short drive from home in the morning, on the slopes by 9 and
then home by evening. Nonetheless, there is that air of catering to a
higher tourist Euro and that brings nothing but disenchantment to those
looking for a casual and relaxing little day trip away from it all. The
area is well known for cheese and limpid honey and is well equipped
for skiing although here in March the lifts were closed even though
there was still a lot of snow. Granted
it was Monday and shops are either closed on Monday or at the very
least, during the morning, so the town was dead and many cafes or
restaurants were closed. This only helped fuel the idea I had formed
in my head of this town; that the season had just ended and no one
really cared to be nice because they did not have to now, almost as if
they were burnt-out and fed-up. Despite
this gloomy feeling, I will still venture a return trip during early
summer, the hills must be breathtaking and there are other towns on the
high plateau besides Asiago, which looked very inviting and comfortable
and ready for exploration.
The Ecstasy of Italy- Part II
After
leaving way too much money in Germany, the two food hounds headed to
the Dolomites in Trentino, Alto Adige or Sud Tirol. Even though it was
still August and full-on Italian vacation time, it was nice to be back
in Italy where the food is always good even when it is bad, and the
wine, oh God the wine; finally back to real heavenly wine! Menus were in
three languages although we did not need it, it was nice to see that
Italy was catering to travelers and making life a little easier by
offering other languages on the menu without having to fight to find out
what you were ordering from people who did not care to even try to speak English or another l
anguage for that matter (and I am talking about two t
owns where the tourism is heavily Italian, Madona di Campiglio and Pinzolo).
Once
again food and wine was a joy and the days were filled with stupendous
hikes at 2500 meters, mushroom photography, grappa tasting and of
course, the can’t-live-without, sprtiz campiglio style. One of the greatest tragedies of Cam
piglio,
especially for one who has grown up with the place over 40 years is to
see how the ultra rich manage to destroy the simplicity and true nature
or personality of a place; just look at Cortina and what is has become!
Campiglio should be left as a place for skiing and summer trekking,
hiking and nature, a place for casual dress, simple genuine food to fill the huge appetites fueled from the vigorous outdoor activity the area has to offer.
Unfortunately,
the “locals” who are not willing to pay massive prices for a slice of
carrot cake, are outnumbered by the twits who could care less about how
much they spend, all they want to do is be seen never really looking at
the price, paying and leaving the locales with the idea that it is OK to
charge high prices. Kid you not, two glasses of Prosecco and ONE slice
of carrot cake was 18 Euros!!! This translates into 4 Euros for the cake
and 7 Euros a glass for the bubbles, insane and offensive to those who
work hard for their money. With this come the changes from rustic
mountain, simple and real, to false refined BS, shops selling Rolex,
furs and lots of useless things for people with nothing better to do
with their money than buy more “stuff” and fuel a false atmosphere.
The
outdoor sporting goods stores abound with prices to match. With a bit
of preplanning regarding clothing (buying it for much, 
much
less in Milan), Campiglio can be sojourned without spending a fortune
although, the “ovini” (gondolas) to the mountain locations are not cheap
but hey, that is one fee we are happy to pay to have the opportunity to
see vistas worth millions and to listen to the sounds of silence.
Pinzolo is a good option for lodging for those who wish to save some money with Campiglio only 15 minutes away and not to ignore and brush aside is Pinzolo’s Dos del Sabbion.
Some except
ional meals, superb lodgings with breathtaking views from one’s hotel room may be had at the Hermitage chalet hermitage in Campiglio. Their stube-hermitage Stube
Restaurant is expensive but memorable and half pension affords one a
glimpse of the talented chef and pastry chef (beware, bottled water is 7
Euros a liter).
Ah Italy, alive, sexy, passionate, and expressive how else should one end a vacation except in ecstasy?
Spritz Campiglio Style
A
few months ago while in Vicenza these two piglets reintroduced
themselves to an aperitif Vicentina, the now infamous Spritz. Although
good, I felt I had to give my allegiance to Italian
bollicini finding the Spritz to be good but not exceptional. Now, I
have changed my tune after having these Campiglio style, in fact I
now talk about them non-stop. The difference is in the type of white
wine used; at Vicenza these are made haphazardly as far as measuring is
concerned. They contain white wine, Aperol (bright orange bitter)
and water and a little bit of ice.
While visiting Campiglio, we stumbled on a fantastic “watering hole” for our
preferred bar. Not only because the prices were fair but also the
Spritz was out of this world and always accompanied with small cutting
boards of Spec or cheese. The first time ordering these Campiglio
Spritz, we were amazed at how good they were and ended up doing a
second round. After that little sosta, this drink became our all time
favorite particularly after coming down off the mountains in the
afternoons from hikes. Until I was told what went into
them, I had no clue as to the “why” of my preference and here
is the secret: instead of any old white wine, they use Prosecco (no
wonder)!
The glasses
are well stocked with ice Aperol, Prosecco and some water although we
do not know the right proportions of each ingredient except the ice. ;-)
After about the fourth time at the watering hole, we talked to the "tender" and he told us the Spritz is not only the “in” drink (he
serves gazillions of them) but has become the preferred cocktail of the
“in” places and of that area. Curiously, while strolling the main square
in front of the Swiss Chalet Bar/Café we noted there was nothing but
the orange drinks on almost every table. Looking at each other and
thinking the same thing, we decided to test one
out at "the Suisse " and compare it to our favorite bar tender’s special. The drink was
good, served in smaller wine glasses but it just did not have the flavor
of the other; must be the type of Prosecco used. So, on the last day
before reentry to the big city, we had our farewell Spritz and will not have another
until returning to that area (would hate to ruin a great memory)!
Looks like we will be making plans to head back there real soon, the
withdrawals are terrible.
September 16, 2008
d
tablecloths and was very nice downstairs but not enough to be that
pretentious if you ask me; the quality of the food did not match the
dress code. This little place is tied to the Hotel Europa a four star hotel…or I should say stolen stars for a rating and is next to one of the more famous hotels in the town. (This photo is the "nice" hotel)
