Il Cucciolo

Anacapri, IT

Franco recommended Il Cucciolo to us for dinner and in typical Italian sea side fashion, we were picked up from our hotel by a red Il Cucciolo decal minivan. I really, really enjoy that service, especially because you never have to tip the driver. It is really a free service. But given that restaurants are tucked away which no tourist would ever find, a driving service is essential. We opted for an "early" 8 oclock dinner, so we were the only patrons there when we arrived.

View

Il Cucciolo is on the edge of a cliff, with sliding windows lining the entire dining room. There isn't a bad seat in house, with views all the way to Mt. Vesuvius on a clear night. We arrived just at sunset with a glass of champagne while we perused the large enticing menu.

Bruchetta

I'm bummed when I think about fresh bruchetta because it just doesn't taste the same in the states. Its just one of those simple things in Italy that tastes awesome because of their local vine fresh tomatoes and hourly baked bread. I miss that.

Octopus and Potatoes

The octopus and potatoes ended up being the only item we ordered directly off the printed menu. We were just so intrigued by the combination that we decided to give it a try. We were thrilled that we did because it was probably the most tender, tastiest octopus I've ever had in my life. More tender than the best tako nigiri I've ever had. And when i told the chef, he was extremely pleased but would not share the secret on how he prepped it. It was superb. Even more surprising was the potatoes. There's something about potatoes in Europe that just taste better. There's more than one layer of flavor, not just chalky texture, a hearty, filling, satisfying pair to the fresh octopus.

Seafood risotto

During our week in Italy, we hadn't gotten around to having risotto, and since it was a recommended special, we decide to give it a try. The most impressive thing to me about this dish was there were at least three different types of fresh shrimp among the seafood mixture. The risotto itself was very flavorful but not overcooked or gummy, which Chu-Toro prefers. I don't recall too much of it because I was too busy with my linguine, but between the potatoes and risotto, Chu-Toro was stuffed.

Lobster linguine

My favorite pasta has got to be lobster pasta. It was on my last trip to Italy, and it was on this trip. It wasn't on the menu, but our server mentioned that they had fresh lobsters made with linguine and I was immediately sold. Although this one wasn't as good as the one from Trattoria Del Carmine in Florence, it was pretty damn close. Lobster pasta is just so rich and buttery, I can't get enough of it. It was amazing. My mouth is watering thinking about it. The lobster was so sweet, rich,fresh, and delicious with every bite. Surprisingly, the claw was the best part, not something you'd expect with lobster. I was so enamored and full with the first two courses, that we could have and should have ended the meal right there. 

Local Red Snapper

We had foolishly already order one entree to share, but it was huge. The local deep sea red snapper caught earlier that day had to be at least two pounds, and we were already stuffed. But I was captivated by the meticulous table side de-boning of the beautiful fish that I ate as much as I could before exploding. The fish was very good, but was heavier than the other local fish we had along the coast. It was also very expensive, so in the end, we probably didn't need to get it, but added to the overall experience of my favorite meal in Italy.

Limonchello

We were so full that we couldn't even have a coffee to finish, but in typical Italian fashion, you MUST have a digestive, so they brought us some rocket fuel local limonchello which was perfectly icy and chilled, ending our excellent meal. It's probably out of your way to get here, but if you ever stay a night in Capri and are looking for a splurge meal, find a way to get to Il Cucciolo for fresh, amazing, coastal Italian food. 

Overall 8/10

May 26th, 2011