My Birthday dinner, well actually it was the night after as I did not have a camera for my real birthday, long story, anyways this restaurant, La Tagliata is up on the mountains above Positano and is very well known by the locals for its grill. It very rightly takes in its surroundings and the restaurant is made out of stone and mortar. It is very warm and instantly gives off a traditional vibe. At the back of the dining room is where the large grill is and all the meat is made by a frump Italian with long black hair and a moustache. He seems like he is perfect for the job!
We sit down and no menus are given to us, but the table is just set with bread and wine after we indicated Vini Rosso. Soon dishes are coming out one after the other, and this is only the mixed antipasti to start.
- Fredo fava beans salad and a risi, carciofe, pomodoro and olivera salad;
- Chickpea and herb salad with a type of fungi falafel;
- Spesso tagliate proscuitto e salumi;
- Fresca bufala mozzarella e basilico;
- Parmagiana di melanzane, melanzane cooked in parmesan and mixed roasted vegetables; and lastly
- Spinaci and brocolli cooked with olio.
This was a lot of food, but Gaetano told me we really needed to pace ourselves as the meat platter would be huge, and it was. A mixture of grilled pollo, miele, manzo e vitello bistecca, sausage and also a souvlaki of all meats which were thicker and more tender than the thin steaks and I enjoyed this the most. It was served with chips which were all shapes and sizes showing a curve on one edge indicating the size of the patate they were cut from. They reminded me so much of my Yiayia’s chips which she used to make my brother and I when I was a child. Although these were fantastic, hers will always be better, but that is just because she is Nonna!
After finishing about half the plate, we were stuffed and I needed to digest, and I wanted to take a closer look at the grill. As I walked over to have a pigeon Italian/English conversation with the grill chef, Gaetano thought it a good opportunity to take a photo. The chef was ecstatic and love the attention and the chance to pose. The grill was huge and the meats were equally impressive. Cooked over the coals, you cold taste their smokiness, each piece carefully watched so they were cooked to perfection due to their differing thicknesses and delicateness.
Sitting down, we talked more and then all of a sudden the lights went out. I felt so bad for the restaurant as I am sure half the tables hadn’t finished eating and a blackout would make it that much more difficult, although looking back, the antipasti is pre-prepared, and the meat is cooked over coals so it probably would not have made a difference. However, this was not the case. I was in for a shock when a waiter brought over a mixed plate of cakes and a candle. All of a sudden everyone in the restaurant started singing Happy Birthday to me. I could not contain my happiness and I don’t think I have ever had a bigger smile on my face, I was really overwhelmed with happiness and could not believe what Gaetano had arranged for me to celebrate my birthday. I could not have asked for anything else to top this night.
We sat slowly picking at the ricotta torte, chocolate and vanilla sponge cake and chocolate filled profiterole, and plate of fresh cherries as we sipped the last of our wine.
Finishing off the night we needed to have a digestivi. The night before we had Limoncello and I was told by a friend in Milan I needed to try Finecetto, a liquer made from fennel, however they did not have any so instead we had a miele spirit which was sweet and made us all warm and fuzzy inside.
Relaxed and over the moon, I kept looking out of the window at the assiete of lights down the bottom of the hill where Positano lies. A beautiful dinner, a beautiful view and beautiful company. It was a bit surreal that I was spending my birthday, which ended up lasting the whole week I was in Positano, in one of the most spectacular places in the world. I am very lucky and will never forget this night.
