Out into the evening we go. It is a gorgeous night, nice and brisk without a cloud in the sky. Tonight we are going to Ristorante Al Pozzo Etrusco da Giovanni – which is literally right around the corner. A 3 minute walk.
They open at 7:30 and we get there at 7:25 – because we have read they are extraordinarily busy and you need reservations, which we do not have. So, we figure if we go early, we might score a table. The reviews of this place are excellent, and Sabrina, our hostess also recommends it highly.
The staff is just setting up as we arrive. We go to the first doors we see, but they are locked and we figure they aren’t open yet, but the waiter sees us and waves us to another door, hidden down some stairs. Oops. Oh well, a little embarrassing, but we’ll get over it. We speak our pidgin Italian and they show us to a table in the corner.
The dining room is light and bright – and we’re the only people here. So we take advantage of our luck and settle in. The menu is great – local specialties – we start by splitting the Antipasto Mixto, then Ed orders his Cinghiale (Wild boar) with blueberries (cool) and I order the lamb stew.
The Antipasto is huge – and excellent – with tons of different things, like a little quiche type pie, three different types of bruschetta, fried potato slices and this incredible cheese that we’ve not figured out yet. It was a sort of brie, but with a totally different taste.
Our main meals didn’t disappoint either. Ed’s Cinghiale was cooked to perfection, with a wine reduction and blueberries. Incredibly different and incredibly delicious. My lamb stew was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. The lamb was tender as butter, the sauce rich and perfectly complementary. And incredibly excellent meal all around. And the bill comes in this adorable little box, of which we neglect to take a picture.
Excellent choice for our first night, and obviously, the season has affected the business, because there is only one other couple that comes into the restaurant while we are there. Otherwise, it is completely empty, which we know is not the case earlier in the year (as recently as October even). We are totally stuffed, but not ready to head back to the apartment just quite yet. So we decide to walk off some of the food and jet lag.
We end up wandering into Piazza della Reppublica, which is all but deserted, but makes for a great photo opp!
As we head back to the apartment, we stumble on the Blue Bar, which is the only bar we have really seen so far. We head in to be greeted by Antoine (Antoni here in Italy) – from Brittany, who is an absolute hoot. He likes his music loud, his opinions strong and he keeps us entertained with his banter for the rest of evening – over a very good glass of wine and beer for Ed (and Antoni as well). We will definitely be back here for night caps on our remaining nights.
Back at the apartment we sit outside for a bit, taking night shots that aren’t all that great. Then hit the hay, exhausted, but ever so happy here in Orvieto.
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