Fine food turns into fine art – Madonnina del Pescatore – Senigallia

 

 

Few of us go often to such a restaurant like Madonnina del Pescatore. And it is not only because of the cost. Mainly because there are not so many of this quality and most of the time you have to travel for it. This one worth a trip if you are on the Adriatic coast of Italy. We visited last year at a lucky off season time when it is not busy. The town Senigallia is not so well known among foreign tourist. It is elegant Italian seaside much different than Rimini which is just a stone trow away. It is shown by the fact that there are two restaurants with two Michelin star here. We choose this one to visit it seemed fitting more to our taste.

Colors and lighting creates warm atmosfere

It is very elegant in every aspect. Interior design, table-ware, furniture are all superb. Such as the food.

Looks like an abstract painting with this unusual green

The chef Moreno Cedroni had one star for ages and 2 Michelin star for more than 10 years. For two stars you do not just have to make good food you have to make a creative and unique one. In this case you can use the term artistic. You can feel that the chef considers himself more of an artist who makes edible art than someone who gives you food to eat. His dishes look like art pieces culinary joys enclosed inside. This functional art fulfills its duty when you eat them. Just look at the speciel abstract like usage of colors in his masterpieces. Like this one here with the unusual green. I am sorry for the photo quality but it gives you back something of it. That time he used different kind of mayonnaise which is quite rear in Italian kitchen.

Risiko one of their attraction. Tastes from around the world

There was another dish where fish was swimming in green sea. We ate the 8 course menu „Vicino alla tradizione” and of course the main focus is on fish but had a beef like dish which was fish too it was amazing.
One of their attraction comes at the end of the dinner. It is the Risiko which originally a strategy war game. They using its map to show different taste of the world as petit four. Very creative and tasty too.
Mr Cedroni leads not a simple kitchen. Which has a lot of risks. Complicated kitchens can be tiring but here they keep all your senses awake during the whole time. You can enjoy yourself.

Feels good to sit at a table like this

I have to mention the wines. In most of these fine dining places they selling way too expensive wines which makes the bill even heavier. In Marche this is different. Marche wines are very well priced and you can have high quality for reasonable price. Of course here they have wide range of carefully selected local wines for good price. All together what you get here for your money is really worth it. Many two starred restaurants are way too overpriced compared to this one. See it for yourself.

The perfect beef like tuna
Octopus with mayonnaise

 

Lasagna with frutti di mare – It is swimming in green sea
Tartufo nero
„Simply” a coffee

 

L’Approdo – Calabria – The treasure is inside

Even though the sea is warmer the beaches are not crowded and prices are lower Calabria is not such a hot destination like Tuscany. It is far away and much less to good restaurants to find. But there are some good ones which you have to visit if you go there. One of them is L’Approdo in Vibo Valentina Marina. The place is not an attractive one. There is not much reason to go there but the restaurant. The outlook not promising much but this place had a Michelin star for ages and there is a reason for it. (The interior design is very gorgeous but I do not have a picture. Find it here: http://www.lapprodo.com/) We visited twice with 12 years difference. At the first visit it was the only Michelin starred restaurant in Calabria. The quality have not changed or just got better. We even found the same waiter there. What is fantastic about Italy than even a small place like Vibo Valentina can have gourmet restaurant like this. Local demand for quality is the motivation behind these restaurant not tourism. This time we had lunch with kids and everybody was satisfied. I love that even simple children food is so good in these restaurants we are rushing for the leftovers.
This is for the children Gnocci gourmet style.
Best way to eat in this restaurant if you visit Pizzo in the afternoon and have lunch here before. Pizzo is a spectacular town claiming they invented Tartufo the special ball like multi layer ice cream. Worth a visit and a taste. (Strangely you can bargain in the ice cream shops.)
L’Approdo is a place to explore some good Calabrian wines. Their wine list is very long and their cellar is impressive. Ask for looking at it. Taste a local malvasia which is very different here than in the north and Magliocco which is an indigenous grape and makes unique wine.
Very light octopus salad
And squid salad

 

Ravioli for the adults

 

 

 

Strozzapreti with shrimp

 

An amazingly done breaded squid, nothing you think of under this name

 

Dessert

 

Petit fours

 

 

 

 

 

The best half board ever – Hotel Cernia – Elba

It may be the lack of large airport or the bitter memory of Napoleon but Elba is not that well known among travelers to Italy than other places like Liguria, Sardinia or Rimini. Actually it is good for those going there because they find better prices and less people. The Island is small. You can see it for yourself if you go up with the funny cable car called Cabinovia to the top of the island (1019m) from next to Marciana

This what you see if you go up with Cabinovia


If you want to explore the sea around the best way is it to rent a small boat. If the waves are ok you can easily go around during the day. No licence or anything else needed. Not even ID.
One of the best beach is Capo Saint’ Andrea on the north of the island. It is worth going there for a small hotel itself called Hotel Cernia. It is not located on the beach but only have to walk 2 minutes. It is special from several reasons. The mother in the founder family Maria Loria turned the place into a botanic garden with rear plants.

The garden. The house on the right belongs to the hotel.

The other that here you find probably the best half board you ever had. We rearly choose half board because of those disappointing bufe dinners. It is a different case. You eat gourmet food every evening. You can choose among 3 dishes of primi and main course. Believe me and it has nothing to do those half boards you got used to. The chef Giuseppe Brescia who is actually from Puglia prepares them with great care and variety. We stayed 9 days and did not have to eat anything twice. Every evening they have a salad bar with changing selection.

The wine list is good at least 120 labels and they give you good information on each wine. Cristiano, the son of Maria who is actually the manager is a trained sommelier. (Ask to see his wine cellar.)
Weekends they have musical programs. Prices are reasonable. If you are sportsmen they have even a tennis court.
http://www.hotelcernia.it/

 

The pool and the garden

The beach. Sorry for the glass blocking the view.
The chef (in the middle) and his team
Welcome bite before the dinner.
One more welcome bite.

 

A very interesting dish. Mozzarella deep fried in grissini.

 

 

Fish salad

 

Gnocchi

 

Tuna

 

The chef like to make souffle

 

A lovely soup
Some more pasta

 

 

Guido – Rimini – The best food on any Adriatic beach

Guido restaurant is somewhat a miracle. It is located in (Miramare di) Rimini which is one of the busiest mass tourism site of east Italy. Mostly fun for families with small children. The streets are full of plastic beach toy shops and child amusement arcades. The last thing you expect here is a top class gourmet restaurant. But actually you have one and a very special one. It is located in the sand of the beach and probably this is the best beach restaurant of the several thousand kilometer long Adriatic cost. What is more the food is dedicated to the taste of the Adriatic. You might think very brave to say „the best”. Of course there are some better restaurants in the towns of the Adriatic cost but they are not located on the beach in the sand. It is actually rear to find a restaurant like this.
What else could it be than an old family restaurant. It gets the name of the grandfather of the two grandson Gianpaolo and Gianluca running the place. One of them is the chef the other giving the service.
Very few gourmet restaurant gives you this kind of feeling of freedom especially if you’re sitting on the terrace. Your children still can play in the sand and you can enjoy perfect food. If you are in the area Guido worth going there for lunch even with kids. They are crazy about different oysters, clams, muscles. It is a must to taste the red risotto. In other parts of Italy they do not really make risotto with tomato. It is the specialty of the house and the area. The rise is cooked in the liquid coming from the tomato. Do not mix it with fregula sarda, which rice looking pasta originally from Sardinia.
You can order anything you will not regret is. They have a perfect wine list fitting the light fish based menu.
Enjoy and have fun. Book a table for tomorrow lunch.
Gianluca 
One of their well know welcome dish with dried fish and muscles

 

Small welcome fish bite

 

And the crudo (Raw plate) based on clams

 

 

Red risotto with fish on top
The jelly fish from outer space (do not eat it)

 

Artistic fritto misto (deep fried plate)

 

Tagliatelle of sepia. Pasta made out of squids.
Frightening looking fish.

 

That is what you see from the restaurant. The playground is 2 m away.