Not the most exciting blog post, I know …
But these days we are happy when everything goes well, my back is not acting up too much, Julius brings home a smily face from school and enjoys his food …
I am planning on writing a bigger post on the last medical check up I had last Friday (short version, all good so far), but I have the feeling most people already asked me by email and I have probably told the same story to several friends more than twice …
So, if an interesting pic is coming along, I will post it …
Next day, after breakfast, we went to our regular wine place to get 2 more boxes of wine and our Japanese friends bought 3 bottles of Nebiollo, after having tasted 2 of the reds.
| Then a quick look at Canale where we had just missed some kind of ‘ring in the spring time’ carnival.
But sure enough we had to stop at that cake shop (what? They have no ‘real’ website?) and Julius somehow got his free piece of cheese at the cheese store, where in season we buy the cream cheese with white truffles, though we did not buy any cheese this time. |
 |
Then we followed a recommendation from Malcolm and went to Cisterna d’Asti, which is pretty high up and offers great views of the countryside (well, by that time the clouds had come back) … and we found a very nice restaurant (Guess what, you now find restaurants on facebook) with strange (for Italy) opening hours … lunch on Sunday 10:30 – 1PM … and it was 12.55.
But they still let us in, seated us downstairs, which was a bit gloomy and dark, but the food was overall very good (and not too much .. I was still full from the dinner the night before) . [Full Menu]
It was great to be able to select from ‘small’ dishes .. so it was up to us if lunch would be light or heavy … everything was very nice, starting with a huge platter of salami and fried bread (this is what you pay ‘coperto’ for in Italy) .. but honestly, that could have been enough for lunch for me … but the pepperoni with bagna couda sounded tempting, and while I make my bagna couda a bit more on the garlicky, spicy side, well .. I guess it is a questions what flies well with most patrons.
Great lunch, great views … really want to try this place again. Maybe in summer when they do outdoor seating.
Ras – Ciamuraje Vino et cetera
Piazza R. Rossino, 5
14010 Cisterna D’Asti (AT)
Telefono: 0141979330
GPS: N44˚49.495′ E8˚0.285′
Weird opening hours, I recommend you call ahead.
This weekend we introduced Yuika’s family to Cascina Vrona and the kids had a lot of fun looking at the animals (although the path to the stables was super muddy, it had rained all week before, but now it was sunny)
Dinner was again a feast, many things we had before, but some of the new things were broiled sausage with cheese sauce, roasted chicken as the main dish (I kept feeling that I had seen that chicken alive just a few hours ago) and the quadruple dessert platter had some very yummy Zabaione on it (freshly made, for which I complimented Piera many times).
While Julius was very happy to have Yuika around, he was quickly way more interested in some other, older kids at a neighbor table … and it always baffles me how quickly he switches to Italian, especially when he talks to kids.
Going there is fun, we know each other by name now and it feels like a second home and Rino, man if the house, always comes around for a friendly chit chat and was of course very interested in my recent mishap …
Oh .. good time to mention that Ritsu did all the driving again, including highway!
I had been aware for a while now that the kittens find their way out of closed rooms.
Unfortunately, our apartment came with no keys to any of the doors (other than entrance and one of the 2 bathrooms)
But it sure took me a while to see how they (and by ‘they’ I mean Whisky, the male cat, who has about double the body weight compared to Sheesha) does it AND get it on camera … enjoy!
Sure enough, a quick search on youtube shows many more videos like this …. but there is even one where a cat is actually able to open a twist door knob!
I would not mind the cats roaming around freely at all … but they get very active around 5 AM … and that is a time I still like to sleep.
So for now I am blocking the door with a chair and a few books, so that the handle cannot be turned.
I had asked Ritsu about a week ago if she wanted to go anywhere special on Sunday and she said ‘not really’ … much later she explained that she was not aware that I was talking about Valentines Day. Maybe the combination of the recent medical mishap and her Japanese genes (did you know that in Japan, on V-day, only women are supposed to give chocolate to men, not even only to loved ones? But retaliation comes March 14, when men have to return the favor, and giving back ‘only’ the same amount of chocolate is the same as a ‘Dear John’ Letter. [source: wikipedia]
So, besides being semi invalid, I managed to get a box of chocolate, a bouquet of roses, but calling restaurants on Saturday just before V-day was a very interesting, though not very surprising experience … I got everything from a very polite ‘sure, let me check, oh, I am so sorry, but we are fully booked’ to ‘HA HA HA HA HA HA HA’ ..
But my best and most successful conversation was with our pals at Magorabin, where we had been once, twice before. After the usual ‘we are fully booked’ spiel, I tried things like ‘but we are nearly regulars and maybe you can squeeze us in’, I even recognized the voice of the guy on the phone: my Gin & Tonic man, and he started to remember me … and suddenly he had an idea … ‘We are still fully booked for dinner … but how about lunch???’
And that was music to my ears … lunch on a snowy Sunday makes things like getting a babysitter so much easier … (also, I am getting old and want to be in bed by 10)
So, off we went by taxi, we were indeed greeted like regulars and we were presented with the special San Valentino menu (we could have ordered a la carte as well) … but pretty much everything on the menu sounded fantastic and once we communicated that Ritsu cannot have anything with oysters (allergy), we settled for that. Amazingly, even 2 different kinds of bubbly (one white, one rosé) and one desert wine (all from here) were included in the whole deal.
We got to talk again to chef Marcello directly who suggested to exchange Ritsu’s risotto (which according to the menu comes with oyster butter) with a risotto based on crab meat.
And then the feast started: (do I even need to repeat my food porn warning?)
| SAN VALENTINO 2010 “Elogio alla sensualitâ” |
(I will hardly even mention the delicious selection of breads with pink pepper butter that precedes every meal here)
Wild salmon from Alaska which was incredible in flavor, while usually smoked salmon is already a tad salty, in this case the (by now signature) flakey salt of chef Marcello and some drops of lime favored creme fraîche rounded it up very nicely. |
1.) Salmone selvaggio dell’Alaska marinato con creme fraîche al lime
|
Overall an impeccable start and signs of things to come.
| 2.) Crudi di pesce con frutti tropicali
|
A very nicely arranged platter of four different kinds of raw seafood, from what we were able to identify there was sliced scallop, maybe some sea bass and for sure some red shrimp, all perfectly fresh and paired up with some great corresponding tropical fruit:
Lime, avocado, something yellow that we are still arguing about if it was paw paw (as I recall the waiter saying it was) or mango (which color-wise makes more sense, but for me it was missing the mango-typical texture) and delicious kernels of pomegranate. |
(Interestingly, one of the waiters came back to rotate the plates, as if (maybe) the chef had tried to create a fish shape dish … if you squint really hard, it DOES look like a fish.
This dish was easily the highlight of the evening and I would have given it a perfect 10 on the Goodale scale, if the pieces of avocado had been a bit softer .. they were barely ripe.
 |
3.) Insalatina tiepida di arance e calamari
|
Oranges, soft calamari pieces in funky shapes & tiny capers … and I keep wondering it they used some walnut oil … I always got some nutty flavor which added immensely to enjoying this dish.
| 4.) Tortelli di aragosta son il suo consommé
|
I keep getting confused about what exactly aragosta is. Sometimes it is translated as lobster (which then again could also be astice) or it is just some other big crustacean.
(Ah, they are similar, but not the same, look at the claws) But anyways, lucky number 5 of those in a very fragrant lobster broth, decorated with rose petals. |
|
As much as I am usually trying to skip the primi as I see them just as fillers, this was fantastic.
| 5.) Risotto biologico Acquarello al burro d’ostrice, caramello d’aceto rosso a caviale Asetra
|
 |
Did I mention how much I liked that the first primi was pleasently small? Same here, good portion, not too filling and just incredible in flavor.
Asetra is a caviar that is price wise just one tier under Beluga, which means you easily pay 200+$ for an ounce for that [source International house of caviar and I had at least quarter of an ounce on my risotto.
Since Ritsu can't do oysters, she got a risotto with crab meat, which was equally cooked to perfection, had a more 'fresh' flavor to it (because of some greens, mine was more sweet and rich)
So far all we had were seafood dishes ... but when they came with the knives that looked like we are going out hunting, we knew it was time for meat.
 |
6.) Punta di petto di manzo, cioccolato 72% e peperoncino
Braised beef cheek to a point that it was so soft that it fell of the fork, teamed up with a bitter, sweet, spicy fusion of dark chocolate and hot peppers. Yes, meat and chocolate sounds like a weird mix, |
but I recall some Mexican restaurants that do meat in 'chocolate sauce' .. it is only sweet if you add sugar .. and sweet is not bad at all, right? (Think about how sweet BBQ sauce and ketchup actually are)
A very delectable dish, but if I had to give grades (and so far, no one is paying me to do so [yet]) this would have been the lowest rated dish of the menu, while still being a way above average concoction. It sounds really bad to call it ‘lowest rated’ .. it was really amazing! it just shows how great the other dishes were.
| 7.) Pancia di maialino da late al rosemarino, crema di piseli e gamberoni al cocco
|
 |
A classic … slow cooked pork belly. We had that in a variation the first time around. New this time was the pureé of peas (with some pieces of asparagus) and the single shrimp on top did not come across as bitter as it did last time …
If I could change anything .. this pork belly is perfect … why not just serve it with some sweet red onions … (Or ask Malcolm again to wreak havoc on his oven and waste 4 hours of his time)
Dessert time:
 |
8.) Fragole e limone
No, they did not give us half a lemon and some strawberries .. it was rather a fusion of 2 sorbets with sauce and powdered sugar, a mint leaf and some more flower petals .. followed by: |
9.) Zabaione al vermouth con crumble die nocciole, composta di mele e canella Since it was day time we asked for a coffee and we also got their evil tray of extra sweets, of which I especially loved the mini tiramisu. |
A new spin on the zabaione thing .. instead of using sweet marsala wine, using dry vermouth .. very interesting … and that with crunched nuts and a mix of apple and cinnamon. Delightful.
|
Overall: I have liked this place a lot before … but the first time we were too full too quickly and the second time it felt a bit like repeat business … so THIS time, it was all new, great size of portions, an overall fantastic menu, so THIS time has been the best meal there so far for us. And I tried to convey that to Marcello that he should do more themed Sunday lunches for regulars who otherwise know his menu. (Next V’day on a Sunday is in 2016, I don’t want to wait that long)
Checking the website later, I see that they are usually closed on Sundays … so this Valentines Day must have taken quite some extra power, but must also have brought some welcome surplus money.
Speaking of which .. the price was at 60€ per person very reasonable (including drinks) but I would not hold it against them if they hiked the price up a bit for dinner (Good chance of no shows thanks to the snow, plus dinner patrons drink way more)
Magorabin
Corso San Maurizio 61/b
10124 Torino
011 8126808
Ever wanted to know what Food Porn actually means? And google and wiki were just not around … click over there where it is blue … or here …
Remember that cute Japanese girl from back in August?
Now actually Julius has 2 Japanese girls to chose from, Momoe, who is in his class and Yuika, who is one class below, but if I get it right, they all meet at Japanese school on Saturday.
So yesterday he was a guest there again which gives me extra time before I have to go and pick him up (my back still hurts like hell and I think it is great for the kids to play together …. Julius teaches Yuika English and he might catch some Japanese from her)
Yuika has a jungle gym set up right in front on the TV and there is constantly some ‘Disney for English beginners’ DVD going on.
I have rather strict rules about either playing or watching, but when at a friend’s house, do as the Romans do … and they seemed to have so much fun … and I am just very grateful about having the chance that Julius has some extra playtime after school.
Today was Carnival at Julius’ school, which, according to the info sent out to the parents boiled down to a mini ‘parade’ and then some snacks and games (and then changing back into school uniform)
Honestly, nothing I felt like spending 40€ on a costume for which he could then wear once (and maybe again for Halloween) or he might end up not liking (a few years ago I got him a cute Dalmatian costume and he did not appreciate it).
So, instead, I got him this very colorful mask and we used one of Ritsu’s kinda color matching t-shirts (100 points to the first reader who finds the blog post that describes where that t-shirt came from) and he was an instant carnival clown.
(as usual, click for bigger, but this time there is even more)
I found it very interesting to see how other parents dealt with the issue … of course I saw tons of girls in princess dresses … I actually only saw one cowboy. There are 2 supermen alone on that picture collage above and while shopping I saw that superheroes and carton characters (and I am not talking Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck, we are talking Transformers, Power Rangers, Dragon Ball-Z or Ben 10) were the most available …
I really enjoyed the more creative, home made ones … i.e. Sophie as Pipi Langstrumpf was hilarious. Her brother Tom came as a baker / chef … subtle but very effective …
On my way out I saw a mother bringing in her 2 kids … she must be an artist on the sowing machine … she had created 2 outlandishly creative costumes from textile and foam rubber … too bad I did not take a picture. If there was a contest, she should have won. Can’t even say what these costumes were supposed to be … they looked like some weird underwater creatures with wings and Wall-E eyes …
Now, let’s see what we do for Halloween.
(Since I was not able to attend the actual parade, I hope to still get some more pictures from other parents, maybe there was even a group photo op)
(Photo thanks to Daniela’s dad)
[update] I received some more photos, thanks to the advanced technology of having them printed on glossy paper (from digital file), nicely stuck in an envelope (and my 8 year old scanner seems to have lost his life, like many of my tech gear, back in Fiji), so, excuse the quality, but I am very grateful for the pictures:
Always nice to have some photo material that look 70ies style … I bet they are selling an expensive photoshop plug-in just to achieve that effect.
This time Ritsu had the chance to get out early and see Julius at swim class and take some nice pictures!
I keep being amazed how much he is used to using a swim cap … I HATED those when I was a kid (and they were rarely mandatory), but for him it is now part of the whole thing.
It is so cute to see how the kittens just find the person who is sleeping and join the nap.
We recently had Julius over at Daniela’ s[his current flame] place for a play date (when I was a kid there was no such thing as a play date) and today we combined the return invitation with a trip to our favourite Asian restaurant.
Having enjoyed a nice lunch and seeing the kids in half nap / half movie mode, I just extended the play date invite to Daniela’s sister .. and the 3 kids were happily watching a Disney movie while munching on apple slices and pieces of banana while Ritsu was taking her well deserved nap.
After that it was the storm of the bastille re-enacted in Julius’ room, gladly mainly with bubbles, hardly any bajionettes.
There is even some video.
And yes, Julius got a new haircut. The drying time had just become too much.
It is tricky to continue with the blog after such a big event. Many things happened, I have a bunch of pictures, there are stories to share … and somehow I just have to get back into the blog-driver’s seat and keep writing.
I have been been home for a bit over a week now and things are fairly good so far: I am taking a lot of happy pills, you get dizzy just by reading about their side effects on wikipedia (Fenobarbitale, Rivotril), then there are standard painkillers and a syringe I have to stab my tummy with once a day. I showed that once to Julius, so that he would not be afraid of syringes, and he was fascinated.
I keep being amazed and grateful at what a great job Ritsu has done from the moment of the incident (getting me into a hospital right away), then taking care of me, spending many days at the 40 km away hospital with me, while taking care of Julius all by herself. Calling in all kinds of favors so that Julius could stay after school with friends, going with me to the MRI (too bad she could not be in the actual room, nobody told me it would take 25 mins, it felt like 3 hours. On House MD it always looks so short and simple) and all these kinds of things. And a lot of this in Italian.
To put this into perspective … since his birth, I have always been around. That’s 1992 days (5 years, 5 months and 13 days) Monday January 18th 2010 was the first full day without papa for him. And all of a sudden Ritsu had to take over, while keeping focus on her high demand job, PLUS taking care of an injured husband.
It still has not gotten much easier for her, as I am still on bed rest (which includes my reclined office chair) and I cannot bring J to school or pick him up and I am not allowed to drive for a while, which also leaves the groceries to Ritsu. Basically I am useless … ok, I am doing a lot of phone calls to get our small car fixed. (Since Ritsu is rekindling her interest in driving, which I think is great)
The other big help we received was from my dad, who came down for a week, and he was great at bringing J to school and pick him up, doing driving duties (so we could stock up on heavy things like water) and last Saturday he and Chris (the father of Daniela, Julius’ latest flame in his class) were able to get our broken, small car from the mountains to Turin, since ACI (the Italian AAA) had no helpful options on that which would not include paying a lot of money. And it was great that Julius had a chance to hang out with his Opa again.
Over the next few days I will catch up with some long overdue posts (keep and eye out for ‘hospital food porn‘), so it might be a good idea to scroll down from time to time.
Too bad I don’t have a good photo of Ritsu while she was visiting … I do have one … but she would kill me if I posted it 
Recent Comments