I enjoy reminiscing about some of the best food I’ve ever had, especially in times I have to be craeful about my waistline! LOL
Today was such a day as I will go on a trip to Yakushima next week, and everyone knows it is never a good idea to board a plane with an unfit overfed body!
At the beginning of the year I found myself enjoying the memories of some sublime desserts. I don’t why, but today I feel like sharing my experiences about Italian food. My family and ancestors back in France will ask questions!
Shizuoka City has some top-class Italian restaurants serving very original gastronomy. Let’s see if you would be titillated by the following offerings!

A decadent Saffran Risotto with Foie Gras in Balsamico sauce (same as pic above) as served at Aquavite.

A very unusual plate of Spinach Gnocchi in Wild Boar sauce (Aquavite).

A charcoal-grilled “Hanadai Snapper” (caught off Shizuoka shore) with its herbs. One of my best fish dishes ever (Aquavite).

A Sicilian-style Baked Lamb Chops and its Vegetables Platter so reminiscent of country-style food (Il Paladino)

Deep-fried Veal Sweetbreads with Baked Risotto Balls. A discovery! (Via del Borgo)

“Shirako/Cod Sperm Sacs” Gratin. Tasted like foi gras. Doubt you can enjoy that in Italy! (Il Paladino)

Octopus and Vegetables Jelly Terrine. Such colours! (Via del Borgo)

Another decadent Piemonte Truffles Risotto (Via del Borgo)!

An original plate of “Sazae/Turbo Shellfish”, anchovy, green olives and Puttanesca Tomatoes Spaghetti! (Aquavite)

And finally such a heart-warming Venison stewed in red wine! (Latina)

What do you think?

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Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great and very large washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable to expensive.
Specialty:Sicilian Cuisine. Top-class Italian wines and great collection of Grappa.
at tables.

The main difference between eating Italian food in Tokyo and away from that megalopolis in a “smaller” town like Shizuoka City is that in Tokyo, for all the superlative presentation and service, the food is designed to please Japanese palates first and foremost.
Now, in Shizuoka, chefs have a direct and private access to the local fishermen and farmers, enabling them to offer more authentc and adventurous Italian culinary delights.
Moreover, they all tend to specialize in one single region of the famous peninsula with extraordinary results and (comparatively) ridiculous prices.

Before opening his Trattoria late last year, Chef-owner Tetsuya Kokawa counts in his 17 years of experience 6 months spent travelling through Italy tasting and trying everything instead of the usual “study” at a particular Italian restaurant.
He specializes in Sicilian food whenever he can combining produce from Shizuoka Prefecture, Italy and France.
His sous-chef, Tsutomu Nakamura, with 10 years of experience and his wife Chieko Kokawa combine with him into a hard-working smiling team, always ready to chat with customers.

The present article is actually an anthology of one lunch and two dinners taken in quick succession. I will just keep to describing the food first and all the wines we tasted at the end:

Antipasti misto 1

Antipasti misto 2

Antipasti misto 3

All mainly done with Shizuoka produce!

“Shirako/Cod Sperm Sacs” Gratin: a specialty in most Italian and French restaurants in Shizuoka City!

Pig Ears Jelly Terrine.

Gorgonzola Gnocchi. So simple and elegant!

Shizuoka-grown Mizuna and cockles spaghetti.

Sicilian sardines, raisins and pine nuts spaghetti.

“Suwagani/Suwa Crab” and its “brains” Risotto.

Oven-Baked lamb chops with vegetables. So juicy!

Roasted soft pork from Shizuoka baked and fried with a sweet sauce (secret!)

Oven-baked “Shamo” Chicken with herbs. Again, so simple and tasty (and juicy!)

Raspberry Panacotta.

Tea and Mascarpone Tart and Sicilian-style crunchy ice-Cream.

And now, to the wines:

Barrocco 2001, Avide Co., Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Comiso, Sicilia, Red, Frappa + Calabrese grapes. 14 degrees. Bottled numbered
-Deep rich red
-Sweetish aroma. Flowers. Camelia. Raspberry. Getting stronger with time.
-Tastes like Sangiovese. Still young and tannic. Long tail.
Powerful and sharpish. Red fruits, sunlight (impression). Very Italian.
Opens slowly. Later makes a comeback with cherries.

Tancredi 2005. Donnafugata Co. Sicilia. Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) + Nero d’Avola Grapes. 14 degrees.
-Very deep rich red
-Aroma: powerful, cassis, red fruits.
-Taste: powerful, well-rounded, full-bodied in spite of tannick attack. Still young. Shortish tail.
Red fruit appearing with second sip.

3.Carati, 2004, Sicilia, 100% Nero d’Avola Grapes.
-Deep red
-Aroma: Fruity and swetish: raspberry, blackberries, red fruit, green shrubs.
-Taste: Pine tree, very little tannin, soft. Short tail.
Coffee beans and bitter chocolate lingering in the back of the palate.

Alright, that’s about it (for this time!)!

Tratorria.Il Paladino
420-9839 Shizuoka City, Aoi-Ku, Takajo, 2-8-19
Tel.: 054-253-6537
Opening hours: 11:30~13:30, 17:00~22:00
Closed on Mondays
Credit cards OK (Dinner only)

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It finally took us almost three weeks to arrange our maiden dinner at recently re-opened Via Del Borgo in Shizuoka City just by Tokiwa Park.
Apparently it has already become the “new” place to visit and did well to reserve a table for the three of us. I can guarantee you that the staff of five were working full steam all evening!
Alright, I’ll cut all the prose and keep to what we tasted for our first dinner. Expect more in the near future as their menus are exclusively seasonal!

Via Del Borgo has a good cellar open for all to see. To ease the waiters’ task we just entered it, chose our wine and handed it at the counter for opening and serving!
The first bottle was a red, 2004 Rosso di Montalcino, Mastroianni, Toscana/Sangiovese.
A bit tart at first, it came around very quickly with red fruits after a little airing.

For the antipasti we chose a very simple, delicious buffalo Mozzarella with “fruit tomatoes” grown in Shizuoka Prefecture,

a seasonal vegetables terrine and octopus millefeuille combination,

and Roman trippa (cow’s intestines and stomach) with Peccorino cheese.
That disappeared very quickly with the wine as we chatted along and realized we had to go back to the cellar!

We discovered a very solid 2006 MAMURI, Nero D’Avola from Sicilia.
We asked for a decanter and aired it a little at a time. Just perfect for the Primo Piatti!

Saffran Risotto. Absolutely superb. We made a point to order some home-made bread to scoop the sauce!

Puttanesca Linguine with Orida Aubergines (egg-plants) grown in Shimizu Ku (practically next door!). We had a little fight with the aubergines as we had decided beforehand to share everything and taste as many dishes as possible!

Taliorini with Guinea Fowl ragu (ragout) and vegetables. A find as the combination of small bits of guinea fowl and lotus roots made for such an intesting crunching experience with the al dente pasta!

And it was back to the cellar again! Alright, we did not drink it all as we had chosen it to share it with the staff! 2004 Roccamora Schola Sarmenti. Very rich red, almost rural in concept with plenty of red fruits again.

Secondo Piatti:
Milanese Veal Schnitzel on the bone. The veal came all the way from Ibaragi Prefecture. From then on, I took care of the cutting/carving! I will have to try this veal again all by myself!

Tokushima Prefecture “Awaodori” Chicken (probably the best in Japan!) Roast. I did cheat a bit and cut myself a larger share!

Skillet lamb on the bone. Would you believe that a normal serving is three cuts and that we were three of us! Juicy, tender, a delice!

Sorry, but by then we had spent three hours at the restaurant and were full. The desserts will have to wait until next time!

VIA DEL BORGO
420-0034, Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-cho, 3-2-7
Tel/fax: 054-221-7666
Business hours: Lunch (11:30~14:30), Cafe (15:00~), Dinner (18:00~22::00)
Closed on Tuesdays
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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Via Del Burgo has finally re-opened in a different locality!
This time it is conveniently situated along Tokiwa Park away from the bustle of Shizuoka City central area.

Although the food will be of the same quality concocted by Mr. Takahiko Kato, the concept is vastly different.
First of all, the place is vastly larger and can sit a total of over 40 with a cafe seating along the bay window, a large dining room with a cozy fire-place and two private party rooms. One of them can be reserved for its large cable T.V. to watch sports in a private party around a good bottle!

It will serve not only lunch and dinner, but will serve also as a caffetaria in the afternoon.
As for lunch, guests will be able to choose among three set menus (1,300~2,800 yen).
Dinner courses (3,800~7,000) have to be reserved but one can order from the carte (alla carta) without any restrictions: 10 antipasti, 6 primo Piatti, 5 secondo piatti and 3 desserts.

Now the big news is that they have vastly improved their cellar presently including 60 to 80 vintages. As they are not all featured on the menu, do not hesitate to ask about them, or even better check them yourself!
Of course wine can be ordered by the bottle, half bottle or glass. Beer and soft drinks are also available as usual.

Well, this posting being only an announcement, wait until the report on the food which should come very soon!

VIA DEL BORGO
420-0034, Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-cho, 3-2-7
Tel/fax: 054-221-7666
Business hours: Lunch (11:30~14:30), Cafe (15:00~), Dinner (18:00~22::00)
Closed on Tuesdays
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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2008 saw the 10th Anniversary of Aquavite Restaurant and I just could not resist their “invitation” to their Special Dinner Course!

They still had that favourite wine of mine in their “cellar”, so choosing this Mastremilio 2003 was easy. A high quality red wine from Toscana, it a great spicy character with lots of red berries and does need to be aerated first. But it will open quickly and become a great friend of your food!

The starters were certainly a bit of a surprise: Carpaccio (raw, yes) of ostrich raised in Ibaraki Prefecture abundantly served with parmeggiano and luccola. The serving was comparatively big for a Japanese restaurant and the wine proved the best choice for it!

The pasta dish was a beautiful marriage of spaghetti with home-made “botarga/dried mullet roe”, “shirasu/whiting” (from Shizuoka), French dandelion, and shark fin/”fukahire” from Miyagi perfecture (Kyushu). Talk of a truly international dish!

The main dish (sorry for the fuzzy pic!) consisted of a sauteed cut of “sawara/large mackerel variety” cooked to perfection with new potatoes, Brussels sprouts (Shizuoka). carrots (Shizuoka) and a sweet red pimento puree/coulis. I can garantee you I wiped/swept all the sauce away with the home-made bread!

The dessert was an original combination of panacotta, Shizuoka “Benihoppe/Red Cheek” strawberries, “Tama Konnyaku” from Yamagata Prefecture and at least three kinds of fruit coulis.

Were we full by then? Yes, but we could not have called this dinner complete without a glass of a great Grappa Sgnappe del Checo from Friuli region to accompany our expresso!

I’m sure Rowena would have been the first to compliment the chefs!
But I’m certainly not going to wait ten more years until my next visit! LOL

Address: 420-0034 Shizuoka Shi, Tokiwa-cho, 1-2-7, Tomii Bldg. 3F
Tel. & fax: 054-2740777
Opening hours: 11:30~14:00, 18:00~22:00 (Closed on Sundays)
Homepage (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

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Was a bit in a hurry this Sunday, in-between shopping for dinner and writing at the office (no cricket today).
I decided to visit Caffe Ciccio to check what they had on their menu.
They had the perfect snack, not heavy but hearty enough before coming back to work:
Panini Set.
Look at the picture above and you will see a crunchy raw ham (there are others) cut to size with a piece of excellent quiche, a cup of vegetables soup and a side salad and a drink.
For 1,050 yen (about 9.$50), not bad at all, and very tasty!

CAFFE CICCIO
Shizuoka City, Aoi-Ku, Shichikencho, 13-20
Tel. & Fax: 0542528767
Opening hours: 11:30~22:00
Clsed on Tuesdays