Sunday, June 5th, 2022

I could see, in the previous post, that I was already in danger of eulogising the Locanda – but I did so with good reason.

I enjoy new experiences and this was one. I expect the phrase “Fine Dining – as it SHOULD be done” may well sum it up.

Just for the record, what we ate was:

Homemade bread with extra virgin olive oil from a farm in the village.

Amuse-bouche

Appetisers

Local beef carpaccio, sweet and sour beetroot and horseradish

Amberjack tataki, sea urchins with mango, coconut and lime sauce

Duck and foie gras sandwich, raspberry and juniper mayonnaise and candied onion

First course David

Asparagus Egg on a bed of watercress.

This is not on the menu below, but it sounded interesting and it was.

How anyone can somehow combine the egg white with asparagus and THEN soft boil the egg, will make me wonder for ever !

First Course Lucie

Crispy snails in a duo of garlic sauce

Second Course David and Lucie (a dish for two)

Peas and basil risotto, stracciatella cheese, lime jelly and cuttlefish tartare

Third course David and Lucie (this was a dish for two and Lucie joined me because I like lamb.)

Variations of Alpago lamb

The lamb course came in two stages.

The first was four “classic” pieces, superbly prepared. I admit I am boring enough to have worried about the strawberry but, to put it simply, it just “went” with the portion of meat that accompanied it.

The four portions on the second plate immediately aroused suspicion. As soon as she saw it, Lucie said, without hesitation, “and now comes the sheep’s brain“.

Indeed, a small partion of the brain was included, (the bottom right).

Lucie has a “sheep’s brain” story from an old incident from Bulgaria, where it is considered a delicacy and she was offered it as an honoured guest. She only missed eating it, then, by a hair’s breadth – and now there appeared no escape. I admit here that I flatly refused to even try the brain although I did sample a tiny piece of the other “horror” on my plate, neatly chopped offal (far left). I hoped it was just the liver and kidneys, neither of which I would normally touch, but Lucie assured me (after I had swallowed) that there were various other possibilities too …. Thank you, my love !

The fact that Lucie tried everything obviously pleased the waitress. She said that she thought Lucie would try it because she had eaten the snails earlier. Lucie herself could not make a connection there, but had the impression that she had upheld the honour of the Perry family.

Dessert David

Lemon sorbet

Dessert Lucie

Orange and Ginger sorbet

Home made sweets to finish

Everything which we ate was supremely prepared and demonstrated a deep knowledge of what “works” together and, I imagine, of chemistry.

After dinner, the cheerful owner came to say goodbye and to ask how satisfied we were. We were totally satisfied and made it clear.

I just hoped my poor old heart would take it the following morning when I had to pay the bill.

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Just for the record, the bill for the meal was 240 EUR but it should be remembered, we had no wine.

Whilst this sum is breathtaking by the standards of our normal life, if you consider the sheer skill that went into preparing it, not to mention the knowledge of complementary tastes, it was probably cheap. It has certainly assumed a high position in the pantheon of my life experiences. Put it this way, the Locanda is 950 km from our front door. I would ride there tomorrow to do it all again.

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Apparently the menu changes regularly, with the seasons and differing availability of ingredients

The current menu can be found here in English.

https://www.locandasanlorenzo.it/en/menu-starred-restaurant-locanda-san-lorenzo/

Locanda San Lorenzo

Via General Cantore, 2,

32015 Puos d’Alpago BL,

Italy