| What makes good Italian food and a great Italian | | | | bill do not a great bistro make. Frankly, I can't stand |
| restaurant? This is what I think. | | | | those fancy Italian restaurants in Manhattan that |
| Italy has a wonderful tradition of fine food. Italian food's | | | | charge you $400 for a morsel that makes you want |
| importance to Italian culture cannot be overstated. It is | | | | to stop for a slice of pizza on the way home. A great |
| one of the central elements, and why shouldn't it be? | | | | Italian ristorante will leave you full, not stuffed, but full. |
| Think about Italy's geography for a second: | | | | The second aspect of a great Italian restaurant is the |
| - It runs a long way from north to south. Therefore, it | | | | service. The service will be warm and professional, but |
| has a wide array of growing seasons and soil types. | | | | not overly friendly. After the orders are taken and the |
| This means a rich diversity of ingredients for food. | | | | meal gets rolling, the service should be nearly invisible. |
| - It is a peninsula, meaning it is nearly surrounded by the | | | | Run -- don't walk -- from any Italian restaurant where |
| sea but also connected to the great Eurasian land | | | | the waitperson address the table like this: |
| mass. There is an abundance of fresh seafood and | | | | "How you guys doin' tonight?" when ladies are seated |
| foreign ingredients from neighboring lands. | | | | at the table. This is most un-Italian of them. An Italian |
| - It sits between Europe and Africa in the | | | | would never call a woman "guy." Even in |
| Mediterranean. All Mediterranean cultures have | | | | spaghetti-and-meatballs-type places, the waiter might |
| excellent food traditions from North Africa to Lebanon | | | | say, "How is everyone this evening?" The won't tarry |
| and Israel, France, Greece, Spain and, of course, Italy. | | | | with small talk in the white-tablecloth places, not the |
| When you think of noodles and pasta, you probably | | | | good ones, anyway. It is all about the meal and your |
| think of Italy, but those wonderful inventions came to | | | | comfort. |
| Italy from China thanks to Marco Polo. It tells you a lot | | | | The third aspect of a great Italian restaurant is the |
| about Italian food culture that something so basic | | | | ambiance. I don't know what it is, but Italians seem to |
| became associated with Italy even though it did not | | | | be able to create a wonderful atmosphere anywhere. I |
| originate there. | | | | have eaten at places in strip malls in the suburbs of |
| Anyway, food is a key element of Italian culture. | | | | Denver -- as un-romantic a setting as there is -- that |
| Therefore, the food is the most important part of the | | | | come close to great. A truly outstanding Italian |
| restaurant. Of course, a great Italian restaurant will | | | | restaurant will just have a certain feeling from the |
| have a great wine list, a clean and elegant decor, and | | | | minute you walk in the door, a warmth and a glow that |
| wonderful service, but a good Italian restaurant can get | | | | can't really be described. |
| by on great food alone, even if they have a crummy | | | | So the priorities are food first, service second, and a |
| wine list, poor service, and a dingy decoration scheme. | | | | ambiance third. If all three are met, you have found a |
| By the way, if you leave an "Italian" restaurant hungry, | | | | great Italian restaurant. |
| it's definitely not authentic. A white tablecloth and high | | | | |