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Dining in Tuscany
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On a blustery April day, six eager, salivating foodies departed from our lovely villa in Cosano-Pienze and descended on La Chiusa for a light lunch that grew into an orgy of self-indulgence. The restaurant is part of an inn situated in the pretty Tuscan hilltop town of Montefollonico. We were greeted and seated by the owner, Umberto Lucherini who, for the next three hours, led us, in a leisurely fashion, through a menu artfully devised by his wife, Dania Masotti, the chef de cuisine. We opened with a typical Bruschetta accompanied by a dry, white Tuscan wine which did nothing to prepare us for the Crespella di funghi porcini; crepes of an ethereal lightness stuffed with porcini mushrooms of such intense flavor that they seemed to explode in the mouth. Tastes of three soups came next. Ribollita, the traditional Tuscan bread soup, white bean soup with orzo and chickpea soup with taglialini pasta. Delicious, and each one a new flavor sensation. This was followed by a selection of three pasta dishes; Ravioli with ricotta and parsley, gnocchi with beef ragu and pappardelle with Dania’s own secret sauce. The discussion as to which was the best went on for some time. In the end we decided that all were winners . All the time Umberto hovered over us urging us to “Smell this, taste that, try the other and how do you like this one?” At this time we had a brief respite. Lemon and pear sorbets were served and during the ‘pause digestive’ we chatted with Umberto who told us something about the restaurant. The season was due to begin on May 1st. In four days time and, unless someone cancelled, there would not be a single dinner reservation to be had until the end of October; there were not many available lunch reservations either. To be assured of a place at the table many of his regular devotees reserved a year ahead. We were happy to be discovering the reason! The intermezzo was now over and we were fully prepared to tackle the entrees. Again, three dishes were presented to us. Baccala, the traditional Italian salted cod, in a spicy tomato and onion sauce, herbed rabbit casserole with a heavenly aroma and breast of duck with wild fennel left us feeling thoroughly cosseted. Everything that we ate seduced all our senses, even hearing, for Umberto maintained a running commentary throughout the meal. All good things come to an end and our grand finale of creme caramel, gelati and chocolate semifreddo washed down by an icily superb Moscato, brought the curtain with style. Comfortably sated and wonderfully contented we trooped down to the spotless kitchens to serenade Dania with our thanks for a rare experience. Months later we still reminisce about this lunch. We are no strangers to fine food; but nowhere in our travels have we eaten a better meal! (For a complete overview of our Tuscany and Umbria escapade, look for a soon-to-be feature in MyKindofHoliday.com.) |
