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Mediterraneo, a closer look
Aloha!
8/26/08 - Last time I mentioned a couple of books regarding the truly revolutionary period of time that started with the Greeks, roughly around 600 B.C., and continued on with the Romans for about a thousand years. The period was a glorious flowering, indeed. Unfortunately, all the learning that occurred during that time was soon lost after the infamous sacking of Rome by the Barbarian Hordes of central and upper Asia, an event that plunged the known world into another thousand-year period, only this time around, it wasn't so pleasant. It was a dark time, indeed. So much so that it was not only known as the middle ages, but also the dark ages. See what happens when learning ceases? Does this apply to us or what?
Like I said the last time, I won't get into a whole history lesson, but allow me just a few paragraphs to briefly mention why these periods were so interesting and important for us, even today.
Yes, it took another thousand years to get us out of this mess that began with the fall of Rome. It took guys like Fancesco Petrarch and many others, who began recovering and translating the lost works of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and other long-forgotten Greek and Roman thinkers, which had been locked away for generations in monastaries and libraries scattered throughout. Known as "classical knowledge," these rediscovered texts were the inspiration for what was to become the beginnings of the second major explosion of intallectual growth in man's history, an intriguing, fascinating period of time called the Renaissance.
As the last entry, time fails me to speak of such truly amazing people as Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Nicollo Machiavelli, Copernicus, and Galileo. Neither can I get into the far-reaching effects of perspective, of Renaissance humanism, or of the reformation. All huuuge, I tell you! Even the many revolutions that came later - scientific, industrial, political, etc. - were direct results of this newfound, enlightened way of thinking. In fact, they say that this second learning explosion, which began with the renaissance a little over 500 years ago, is still continuing today! You'll have to check out the books I mentioned in the preceeding page on the Olive Tree, a Greek restaurant, to learn more. Or just Google all these guys, is all!
Anywayz, as Italy is the country that most symbolizes the Renaissance, we'll check out an Italian restaurant for today. Hopefully, it'll be an authentic one, given the heady lead-up!
The parking lot is located right after the restaurant, but has only a few spaces, so be sure to lock into street parking if you can.
A small display awaits as you enter the store. I had some shades on that day, so things may look a little different.
Sitting down, I had to take my shades off and get a better look around. Aaah, much better...
Passing on wine, we instead had a couple of different beers of Birra Moretti fame, a company founded all the way back in 1859! As expected, though, it was soon bought by one of the big boys, namely, Heinekin.
Wifey had the classic of the same name as the original company. Being the respresentative all-purpose-type beer, it was precisely that - middle of the road, light, and just ok. Probably what you drink when having at least three or four, but not just one or two, where taste plays more of a role. My beer, a La Rossa, played the role just fine. I'm not exactly one to savor roasted barley malts and extra-dark beers, but I do like a lot of hops, perhaps to let me know it's not just the water anymore. The La Rossa was dark and did contain roasted malts, but it wasn't nearly as strong-tasting as many of the other dark beers out there. The alcohol content, however, is super-high, at 7.2% abv (alcohol by volume)!
To top it off, the simple cuts of bread roll were warm and pillowy soft, soaking in the complex tones of the oil/vinegar like a sponge. Bravissimo!
I could tell right off the bat that it had no signs of canning at all, every mouthful coming from freshly stewed tomatoes. Back when I worked as a produce clerk, I used to mark down all the old, over-ripe tomatoes and take a bag or two home to make a base tomato sauce, which I would then use for soups, spaghetti, other pasta dishes. Melt down a few thick-cut kal-bi ribs or chicken in a pot of pure, 100% tomatoes, and boy, o boy! You'll throw away all those Del Monte cans in the cupboard right away! You know, the ones heading past their second or third years?
Oh, and how can I forget the lomi-salmon I'd also make from them! There's only one thing you gotta get right if you wanna construct a good lomi salmon - over-ripe, even cut-out-the-bits-of-rotten-parts kind of tomatoes! Get that down, and you'll have a winner every time!
Oh, well. Life goes on, ey? The taste was still top-knotch and delicious, and all the ingredients fresh as can be. And as stated earlier, few are the restaurants that don't use any canned tomato sauce or paste at all, a difference worth the price of admission any day!
Meanwhile, my dish was a ravioli neri zafferano, or black ravioli with lobster in a basil and saffron cream sauce. At $17, it was near the top of the list as far as prices go, but this is real lobster we're talking about. There are only a few dishes that cost more, the most expensive being the Florence steak, sauteed with mushrooms in a red wine and white truffle sauce, and an osso bucco, served with mixed vegetables and coming oven baked in red wine, a creamy tomato sauce, and herbs. Both top out the list at $22.
My ravioli arrived looking very much like an Asian hybrid curry, its substantive content hidden in a deep, dark, yellow sauce. I wondered if there was a mistake of some kind, but no, sir. It just took a little diving with my trusted fork to uncover the black shells of submerged ravioli, each filled with sweet, tender chunks of lobster. Normally, I look forward to mopping up every bit of sauce with an extra serving of bread, brute that I am, but this sauce was waaay rich and overpowering for my tastes. I did, however, devour every piece of ravioli with fervor and a little attitude, as well.
Furthermore, there seems to be a pattern at many of the popular Italian restaurants on the island, which is the curious fact that many are owned by Asian chefs. Not that this is a bad thing, as I frequent several of them, and you'll never catch me saying that a non-Italian can never cook a truly great Italian meal. I will say, however, that non-Italian-owned places seldom seem to know the proper order of an authentic meal, which can be very important from an old-school, traditional perspective. I know an Italian chef that goes crazy over waiters who don't know the difference between an aperitivo, an antipasto, a primo, or a contorno.
You don't have to worry about all of that if you come to Mediterraneo. They do know all the subtle nuances that will please even the most traditional of Italian guests. Actually, if this is important to you and your party, and just to be full-proof, make sure to let the house know, as there are some non-Italian waitresses that may not quite have it all down yet. Yeah, Aku's not the most PC person in the world. I just don't see the sense in playing ignorant to the differences we come across in this multi-cultural world. Just be like Frank Delima and tease everyone, is all! Then we'll laugh at eachother and learn how to get along, for sure!
Hope you've all had a great weekend and this coming one will be killer, as well! Wifey and I, along with Big Al and a few other friends, will be headed out to the Joy of Sake Festival this coming Thursday. Can't wait! Hopefully, I'll see some of you there!
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
