Where to eat

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There is a wide choice of restaurants, from the local ones offering country fare and traditional Italian cuisine, to the more exotic seafood restaurants on the coast.

Eating Out in Le Marche
Throughout Italy if you are not ordering pizza there is a format that's jealously adhered to. Below are the different courses you will be offered. It is not necessary or assumed that you will want all four so don't feel obliged. Helpings are usually more than generous and it's fine to order one plate of something for 2. Menus are not always available, the waiter will tell you what's on offer so listen carefully and don't be afraid to ask him to repeat it. 'Ancora, per favore' should do it. Eating times are changeable, there doesn't seem to be a routine though get in after 12.00 and before 2.00 lunchtimes and after 8.00 and before 10.00 evenings is the best guide. 8.00 pm is early for Italians, even the children.Don't expect salt, pepper or oil on the tables, ask. Tipping is not normal or expected though no doubt appreciated- the cover charge deals with this.Booking at weekends, especially sunday lunch is best as this is the favourite day to eat out. Also try to be aware of Saints Days and Bank holidays.

Ambiance and the importance of subtle lighting is not universally understood here. The restaurants vary greatly though the presence of a TV and strip lighting are something you get used to. The other extreme of vaulted ceilinged cantinas, ambiently lit,crisp linen, large shiney wine glasses are just as common.

It is almost always an enjoyable experience as the Italians genuinely charming and friendly, enjoy foreigners and are supremely helpful. English is not ofton spoken but your attempts to break through the language barrier are always greatly appreciated. The food in Le Marche for the most part is excellent, the produce local, the dishes home cooked.The Italians greatly enjoy their way of eating and its a good rule to stick to authentic looking restaurants used by Italians

Unique to Le Marche.

A few things you will come across a lot of are:

All things truffle and porcini based.
Pecorino cheese made from sheeps milk, varies from mild to old and alarming, try the chili flavoured one.
Porchetta. Roast pork which is flavoured with fennel and fennel seeds, sliced and eaten with a hunk of bread,very good served warm.
Pesci fritti. italain version of fish and chips from vans selling a variety of lightly fried fish tit bits, calamari, whitebait, fish cakes, octopus etc served with chips.
Tartufo e Funghi Porcini
Ragout and stews made with wild boar. Salmi di Chingiale
Vincisgrassi A lasagne made with pork and chicken liver ragout, bechamel and thins sheets of pasta.
Ascoli Olives. Green olives stuffed with pork meat , breaded and deep fried.
Coratella. Not for the faint hearted, a mix of lambs liver and kidney , chopped and stewed. This comes with Antipasta mista.
Bordetto. A rather startling looking fish broth with huge amounts of shell fish and seafood.
Carne alla Brace. Grilled meats from a wood fired grill.
Polenta with salisicce. Soft polenta with sausage.
Polentone: Similar to a lasagne but with set but soft layers of Polenta.
Zuppa Inglese. Means English soup but is the main pudding here, a simple triffle normally just booze soaked spounge cake with custard.
Vinocotto. A sweet, slightly burnt tasting type of sherry mostly served to dunk almond biscuits into.
Limoncello. A lemon flavoured liqouri.


Eating in Le Marche

The process of eating is explained below. Choose whatever and however many or few courses you want. Prima will always come before secondo so if you aren't having pasta but your friend is you will wait until the pasta course is eaten. Just might as well go the whole hog then! If you are on a diet - good luck!! However, we tend to eat 3 times as much as we do at home and loose weight! Most of the local foods are organic and we believe this to be the reason. Lack of stress may be the other!!


Antipasti meaning before the first course. Amounts are normally more than generous, so go hungry and willing to eat. Antipasta differs in each restaurant and almost always you can have Antipasti misti, a selection of locally produced of hams, salamis, pecorino( sheep milk cheese ) olives, bruschetta and so on. Regional favourites Bresaola { cured thinly sliced beef } with rocket and parmesan and crostini topped with truffle paste are both good. the cortorni fritte miste is worth a try:- assorted vegetables deep fried in a light tempura style batter along with ascoli olives. { olives stuffed with pork meat, breadcrumbed and deep fried}. The faint-hearted may wish to avoid Coratella, which is a rich stew of lamb kidneys, liver etc .By the coast, the all fish antipasta is a treat for shell fish lovers, course after course of very fresh clams, prawns, langoustines and mussels.

Prima Piatti is the first course and always pasta, sometimes risotto and soup. The pasta here is very light and more often as not homemade and very different to the shop bought variety.You are offered an assortment of pasta with sauces. Regional dishes are tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, ravioli filled with ricotta, flavoured with lemon, pappadelle { thicker than tagiatelle} with wild boar sauce. Near the coast the risottos and pasta dishes feature strongly with shellfish and seafood. The speciality here is Brodetto, a cornuocopia of seafood not unlike Bouillabaisse.

Secondi Piatti. Around this area the speciality is Alla Brace, which is a method of grilling meat on an open wood burning grill. When done properly it is deliciously seasoned and succulent. You can opt for a mix grill which consists of lamb, sausage, kebab, spare rib and veal. This with a simple mixed salad and some patate fritte is a really lovely choice. Regional dishes worth trying are the slow cooked wild boar stew, osso buco with tomatoes, Grilled veal chop with lemon, spiedini which is a pork fillet and sausage grilled kebab, Pork chop with porcini, chicken breast with truffle.
Towards the coast and in larger towns fish features strongly on the menu.The main courses treat the fish very simply, either grilled or fried with herbs and lemon, no fussy sauces to smother the taste. Some restaurants serve only fish on the coast.
Vegetarians are not really catered for but alot of the pasta dishes would be a safe bet.

Contorni: Steamed, unadulterated vegetables are not prominent in restaurants, though its always worth asking. Regional favourites are steamed endive with butter, boiled green beans, insalata miste or verde { mixed salad or green} rocket and radicchio salad with parmesan. Roasted vegetables are often well done and interesting, vegetables thinly sliced and marinaded in olive oil and lemon are a personal favourite. Patate fritte or game chips are always good.

Dolce: This course varies strongly from restaurant to restaurant.Where the desserts are homemade they are good as a rule. Limited in choice usually and either very sweet or highly alcoholic. The most prominant are the usual suspects.Tirmasu [ cream with coffee and sherry flavored sponge}, Zuppa Inglese, a bizarre misnoma, infact a very simplified trifle with booze, sponge and custard. Panacotta, if good wonderful but more often mass produced and sweet. Italians homemade Gelato is world renowned and rightly so though limited in restaurants, bought in and served in its plastic pot. The best bet if you are not sweet toothed and want to be able to walk straight afterwards is the frutta choice. In summer you will recieve watermelon, strawberries, peaches, kiwi or pineapple beautifully sliced and very generous. I once ordered watermelon and was served an entire half.

Coffee and Digestivo: Caffe is always expresso so if you want to break all the rules order cappucino. Coffee is another thing the Italians cannot be beaten on but look out for those expressos!! The dominant liqueur is limoncello, often home brewed, very potent and surprisingly good. Amaro for the mad and brave, Mistra for the insane. Vino Cotto, like madiera but rougher round the edges as always home brewed is lovely to dunk almond biscuits in and too drink too.

Our favourite restaurants

Gualdo:

CICCO's - bar leading onto large restaurant. Typical Italian food fare   and specials are written in the menu in pencil. Wild boar stew is brilliant.

MARIA'S in the town square is habit forming - fantastic welcome, great coffee and pastries. Ideal way to start the day!

Sarnano:

IL VICOLO - eat outside or in the vaulted cellars. No menu.

San Angelo:

DUILIA (0733 6661288) Lovely views

PIPO E GABRIELLA (0733 661120) Popular in winter for hunting parties. Very good veal steaks

PENNE SAN GIOVANNI - Authentic pizzaria with great variety.

Civitanova:

Contact Us

Marc / Ivan
info@79onorange.co.za

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