Lazise - A Night to Remember at 'Alla Grotta'
On our first night at Lago di Garda, we had dinner at the quaint restaurant of the place where we stayed. Since it was still pre-season we were the only guests, which made for an extra romantic, candlelit dinner where both of us could drink as much wine as we liked and only had to stumble up some stairs to tumble into bed.
For our second night, my 'Schatzi' had arranged something extra special…the worst part about it was - he wouldn't tell me what! Much like he did for the entire trip, he just packed me into the car and drove me into the unknown.
Soon we arrived in Lazise, another quaint town sitting at the lake's edge. The oldtown is still surrounded by the old town wall, giving it a sheltered and even more ancient feel.
Unfortunately the entire time we spent at the lake, the sky never quite fully cleared and there was a constant haze that hung about.
I still found it captivating despite the haze, and as the sky merged with the lake, we made our way to our surprise destination for the evening - 'Alla Grotta'.
Thankfully, the Mr. is just as fussy about the quality of his food as the Fraeulein. So when he recommends something - I can trust him blindly. Before the waiter even had a chance to hand us the menus, he boldly asked the waiter to bring whatever the chef fancied. We informed him we didn't eat meat, but loved seafood and before we could say grazie, this work of art was delivered to our table…
All of it was fresh out of the sea and served in its raw state. Prawns, scallops, tuna and several other types of fish. Each had its perfectly complementary drizzle of sauce, yet every flavour of the dish still managed to complement each other.
With this kind of start to our evening, I really didn't think it could get any better. Well, I was wrong. The second dish was a a flavour combination unlike any other I have experienced. Small chunks of lobster meat, plum jam, thickly smeared butter, all atop lightly toasted white bread, sprinkled with Fleur de Sel.
The earthy, oceany meatiness of the lobster, combined with the tart sweetness of the plum jam, rounded off with the creaminess of the butter is a genius combination, which in my opinion makes Alla Grotta a worth a visit in itself!
My Schatzi had raved about this combination on one of our first dates, but never would I then have believed just what a flavour explosion this could be, that I would ever get to experience it and even more so - ever get to experience it with him.
Therefore I would like to take a moment to cheers to the Mr. for organising such a memorable and perfect evening - here's to you!
What were we "cheersing" with I hear you wonder…The typical Lake Garda wine: 'Ca dei Frati'. Unfortunately I can't find any decent information about it, but it's the one Italian wine all Lake Garda fans know and love. I must admit, it tastes bloody good!
But back to my main passion - the food! For our third dish, we were presented with juicy prawns grilled in a hint of chilli, in a Philadelphia-sauce and fresh mint. Again prawns an creamcheese-sauce with fresh mint is not a combination I would've expected to work so harmoniously, but it did.
Next up, fried mini-octopus wrapped in a kind of cheese-stuffed wonton.
Before we were presented with a (not quite crystal) ball to play with…
…filled with grilled octopus.
Next; my second favourite dish of the night - the name of which I can't for the life of me remember! - but it comprised of prawn chunks in a rich, tomato-based sauce topped with a sliver of crisply toasted brown bread and the creamiest 'Burrata'.
There was something about the simplicity and depth of flavour of this dish, that made it taste as if my make-belief Italian Nonna had just poured all her love for her only grandchild into cooking this plate of food - a culinary cuddle of sorts.
For our… seventh!…dish - yet more seafood: crabmeat with homemade ricotta ravioli.
By this stage, we had to kindly ask the waiter to stop bringing dishes, otherwise we both would've fallen off our chairs from protein-shock!
Since we were nowhere near ready to leave Alla Grotta yet and were still keen on dessert, the Mr. ordered a round of Grappa - for digestive purposes…
Though I am not a Grappa fan, I was a fan of the dimpled glassware.
Before we knew it, we had room in our bellies for more decadence. Since we couldn't quite decide, we ordered the trio of desserts, along with a kind of chantilly cream with strawberries.
I can't really remember what this trio of creams was, however the one on the left, was an amazing nougat and chocolate (my tastebuds told me Nutella) kind-of semifreddo.
A perfect end, to a perfect evening with inspirational food and liberating wine, spent with one of my very favourite people on this planet - thanks again for making it possible for me to experience this evening with you and even more thanks for being a true gentleman and picking up the bill! ;)
What I found most refreshing about our visit to Alla Grotta, was rediscovering, that Italian cuisine has so much more to offer than great pizza and pasta. In my book, Italians are the masters of simple yet powerful flavours and Alla Grotta is an excellent example of this. I hope you manage to pay them a visit at least once in your lifetime.
With all my love,
Fräulein SoulFood x
For our second night, my 'Schatzi' had arranged something extra special…the worst part about it was - he wouldn't tell me what! Much like he did for the entire trip, he just packed me into the car and drove me into the unknown.
Soon we arrived in Lazise, another quaint town sitting at the lake's edge. The oldtown is still surrounded by the old town wall, giving it a sheltered and even more ancient feel.
Unfortunately the entire time we spent at the lake, the sky never quite fully cleared and there was a constant haze that hung about.
I still found it captivating despite the haze, and as the sky merged with the lake, we made our way to our surprise destination for the evening - 'Alla Grotta'.
Thankfully, the Mr. is just as fussy about the quality of his food as the Fraeulein. So when he recommends something - I can trust him blindly. Before the waiter even had a chance to hand us the menus, he boldly asked the waiter to bring whatever the chef fancied. We informed him we didn't eat meat, but loved seafood and before we could say grazie, this work of art was delivered to our table…
All of it was fresh out of the sea and served in its raw state. Prawns, scallops, tuna and several other types of fish. Each had its perfectly complementary drizzle of sauce, yet every flavour of the dish still managed to complement each other.
With this kind of start to our evening, I really didn't think it could get any better. Well, I was wrong. The second dish was a a flavour combination unlike any other I have experienced. Small chunks of lobster meat, plum jam, thickly smeared butter, all atop lightly toasted white bread, sprinkled with Fleur de Sel.
The earthy, oceany meatiness of the lobster, combined with the tart sweetness of the plum jam, rounded off with the creaminess of the butter is a genius combination, which in my opinion makes Alla Grotta a worth a visit in itself!
My Schatzi had raved about this combination on one of our first dates, but never would I then have believed just what a flavour explosion this could be, that I would ever get to experience it and even more so - ever get to experience it with him.
Therefore I would like to take a moment to cheers to the Mr. for organising such a memorable and perfect evening - here's to you!
What were we "cheersing" with I hear you wonder…The typical Lake Garda wine: 'Ca dei Frati'. Unfortunately I can't find any decent information about it, but it's the one Italian wine all Lake Garda fans know and love. I must admit, it tastes bloody good!
But back to my main passion - the food! For our third dish, we were presented with juicy prawns grilled in a hint of chilli, in a Philadelphia-sauce and fresh mint. Again prawns an creamcheese-sauce with fresh mint is not a combination I would've expected to work so harmoniously, but it did.
Next up, fried mini-octopus wrapped in a kind of cheese-stuffed wonton.
Before we were presented with a (not quite crystal) ball to play with…
…filled with grilled octopus.
Next; my second favourite dish of the night - the name of which I can't for the life of me remember! - but it comprised of prawn chunks in a rich, tomato-based sauce topped with a sliver of crisply toasted brown bread and the creamiest 'Burrata'.
There was something about the simplicity and depth of flavour of this dish, that made it taste as if my make-belief Italian Nonna had just poured all her love for her only grandchild into cooking this plate of food - a culinary cuddle of sorts.
For our… seventh!…dish - yet more seafood: crabmeat with homemade ricotta ravioli.
By this stage, we had to kindly ask the waiter to stop bringing dishes, otherwise we both would've fallen off our chairs from protein-shock!
Since we were nowhere near ready to leave Alla Grotta yet and were still keen on dessert, the Mr. ordered a round of Grappa - for digestive purposes…
Though I am not a Grappa fan, I was a fan of the dimpled glassware.
Before we knew it, we had room in our bellies for more decadence. Since we couldn't quite decide, we ordered the trio of desserts, along with a kind of chantilly cream with strawberries.
I can't really remember what this trio of creams was, however the one on the left, was an amazing nougat and chocolate (my tastebuds told me Nutella) kind-of semifreddo.
A perfect end, to a perfect evening with inspirational food and liberating wine, spent with one of my very favourite people on this planet - thanks again for making it possible for me to experience this evening with you and even more thanks for being a true gentleman and picking up the bill! ;)
With all my love,
Fräulein SoulFood x
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