2016 ITALY Praiano 58 - Last Lunch

By 13:00 we were back on the boat for a short jaunt to our last meal together on this trip. Our hosts were Armando and Carmela Gabardella at Trattoria da Armandino (opened since 1986). It is located in the seaside town of Praiano, an ancient fishing village nestled between two steep cliffs. The restaurant sits where you see the tiny orange area in the middle.

We enjoyed outdoor dining with a nice view of the beachy-beachy area and small pier.

Here is Armando. He was out and about kibitzing with his guests at every opportunity.

The menu was all Italian and a lot of seafood. No twists to traditional recipes. Food was served family style on platters; then you help yourself from there. It was hard sharing. I wanted to keep the whole platter on some of these. Here is bucatini with clams.

 

Ditaloni with marinara. Maybe some meat in here, too.
Rice and shrimp.

Stuffed red pepper.

One of my favorites--arancini (deep-fried rice balls stuffed with melted mozzarella).

I think this was swordfish.

Another fish. This time whole, before and after.

Limoncello cocktail.

...and various fine wines accompanied the meal. They were mostly whites and light reds.

Our fantastic Italian friend Cheryl always said the salad was served at the end of the main course in Italy, but this was the first time we experienced this. It was small, but I had been missing salads and really enjoyed it.

 frieAnd then there were the desserts, a nice variety starting with this tiramisu.

Profiteroles, creme (or ice cream) stuffed pastries covered in chocolate.

Almond pastry cake.

Lemon cake.

OMG. Is your mouth watering? Mine sure is.

Several cats patiently waited for a scrap, but they were not intrusive. This one with tongue hanging out over the aromas wafting by. She might have been mimicking me.

It was a fabulous last lunch.