So, I gathered a few friends and we made a date. Mama Gooch is vegan. Papa Gooch is pescetarian, but mostly plant-based. BIFL is Mama Gooch's best Italian friend for life. He is a carnivore, but enjoys all food and is willing to join us for vegan night and understands the accomodations. Service is family style and begins at 8 PM. Plan on a late evening, but it's oh, so worth it. March theme was Primavera--Spring.
The menu started with an aperitivo of spring ... this drink had an orange color and flavor with a hint of bitters. I forgot to get a picture I was so busy getting excited about the rest of the menu.
Course 1: Sandwich con frittata di asperagi--Asparagus frittata sandwich. On a fantastic crusty roll, this was amazing. The frittata tasted like it was made of egg. I have know idea how they did it. 
Course 2: Insalata russa su foglie di belga--Russian salad with Endive. This was absolutely fantastic. Endive leaf boats filled with an amazing salad of fresh vegetables in a creamy dressing. I wish I had more. 
Course 3: Paccheri a sopresa--Surprise packets. These delightful little fritters were filled with vegetables and a creamy sauce. Another item that I wish I had more of. Really really tasty and popping with flavor. 
Course 4: Crocchette di miglio, fagioli alla erbe con salsa alla noce moscata--Millet croquettes with beans and nutmeg sauce. OK, I admit, the appearance of these was not amazing. But the flavor was. The texture was a bit reminiscent of mashed potatos. By this time people were getting full and not everyone loved these. That was OK by me. I started a "take-away" platter and added these to it. Folks who didn't want theirs, well that meant more for me for lunch the next day. And, they were better the next day. I don't know if my tastebuds were saturated the evening before or if the flavors were allowed to really peak by waiting another day, but they had so many flavors when I had them for lunch.
Course 5: Peperoni con cous-cous allo zenzero--Peppers stuffed with ginger cous-cous. Wow. Perfectly roasted peppers. This wasn't necessarily the most exciting thing on the menu, but it was quite tasty. The ginger wasn't very strong. And yes, I had leftovers for lunch. Getting. So. Full.
Course 6: Insalata 'Energia' con melassa dolce--Energy salad with sweet molasses dressing. This was amazing mixed greens, sweet carrots, rocket and raddichio. The dressing was sweet and creamy and took us a bit to figure it out. But, not a white creamy, a smooth olive oil creamy. Despite how full we all were feeling, we managed to eat the entire bowl. And forgot to take a picture.
Course 7: Lasagne con farina integrale de grano tenero e erbette di campo--Lasagna with integral wheat, and field herbs. OK, I have no idea what integral wheat means. I do know that this tasty tibdit was creamy and full of flavors that just popped out. I wish I had a sophisticated palate and could pull out flavors, but I don't. All I know was that it was an amazing texture, creamy, and oh, so very good. I really wanted to eat the entire thing, but I was hurting by now. So, I had a few bites and added the rest to my plate for later.
Course 8 Dessert: Crostada di fragole, kiwi e crema pasticcera--Strawberry, kiwi tart. I am so glad I didn't eat the extra bites of lasagne, because I needed to save room for this. Sweet cream and perfectly ripe strawberries and kiwi on a flaky sweet crust. Some things are hard to find eating plant-based. Desserts is one of them, especially desserts with cream like tarts. This would satisfy any omnivore who wouldn't know the difference. I savored every bite and may have made some noises while enjoying.
So, will I be back for next month's offering? YOU BETCHA!!! This might be reason enough to stay in Italy forever.
