Culinary Tour of the North End

Yesterday was such a treat. I spent the whole afternoon eating!

I joined a small group of local bloggers to experience authentic Italy through the eyes of Bertolli by exploring Boston’s vibrant Italian culinary scene in the North End. We spent the day “serving Italy” with a tour of the best Italian specialty shops that Boston has to offer, each of which shared Bertolli’s passion for food and fresh ingredients.

Vittoria Caffe

The first stop of our culinary tour was at Vittoria Caffe for a discussion and tasting of Italian cappuccinos, biscotti, and cannoli– a combination that was truly divine!

Established in 1929, Vittoria Caffe is world renowned as the first Italian caffe in Boston. The Vittoria’s old world charm gives one a feeling of being in a romantic cafe in “Bella Italia.” From caffes to pasticceria tradizionale to gelati, you can experience authentic Italian treats in the heart of Boston’s North End.

While we waited for everyone in the group to arrive, we chatted and enjoyed some treats. I ordered an iced latte, tried a chocolate biscotti, and part of a chocolate cannoli. Holy yum indeed!

Fun fact:Vittoria Caffe sells about 700 cannoli per day!

I also tried some mint chocolate chip gelati, which was so incredibly creamy.

I’m not going to lie, I loved that we started our culinary tour with dessert!

Salumeria Italiana

We spent about an hour relaxing and lingering over our coffees at Vittoria Caffe before we departed for Salumeria Italiana, where we enjoyed a tasting and demonstration of Italian cheese, cured meats, and olive oil.

Salumeria Italiana is home of the finest foods from Italy and all of the Mediterranean. The store opened more than 40 years ago in Boston’s North End because an Italian mother wanted to feed her baby son the wonderful foods she knew from her homeland. For more than four decades, Salumeria Italiana has stocked the best in olive oils, vinegars, pastas, and other specialty products.

Salumeria Italiana was easily my favorite part of yesterday’s culinary tour. I mean, I smelled delicious cheese as soon as I walked in!

The store was stocked with quality olive oils, vinegars, pastas, and other specialty products”” most of which were imported straight from Italy.

The staff at Salumeria Italiana was also incredibly friendly, helpful, and accommodating. If I lived closer, I’d frequent this shop all of the time”” the meat and cheese selection alone were really impressive. The fresh breads were pretty amazing too!

At Salumeria Italiana, we tried a few different cured meats and cheeses.

My favorite of the bunch was a cheese called Moliterno al Tartufo:

Moliterno al Tartufo is an amazing combination of beautifully aged cheese with intense truffle flavor. Made of sheep and goat’s milk in Sardinia, this cheese is aged and then injected with black truffles for more aging. The result is irresistible flavor and texture. Perfect to star alone as a cheese course with red wines or dessert wines.

This cheese was life changing. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever tasted a more delicious cheese. I might be making a trip back to the North End sooner than later!

The olive oils that we tried were also outstanding. It was so interesting to learn and experience how different olive oils can taste depending on where they’re grown. We also tried the most outstanding aged balsamic vinegar, which we got to take home with us. I can’t wait to have it on fresh greens.

Gigi’s Gelateria

The next stop on our culinary tour was Gigi’s Gelateria for a tasting and discussion of homemade Italian gelato. Gelato twice in one day? Yes, please!

As the North End’s first gelateria, Frank DePasquale opened Gigi Gelateria to give patrons all natural authentic Italian gelato.

Frank chatted with our group for a little bit and told us what makes his gelato so special. He said the Gelateria doesn’t use eggs, heavy cream or butter in their gelato, which leaves just milk, sugar, and natural flavorings to create the frozen treat.

With over 30 flavors to chose from, there’s an option for everyone. The extensive list includes unconventional flavors such as lemoncello, panna cotta, and amaretto, but you can still savor classics, like chocolate, vanilla, and tiramisu.

I picked Stracciatella, which is kind of like chocolate chip, but with finer bits of chocolate throughout, which gave it a really smooth texture with just the slightest crunch in every bite. Delish.

After enjoying our second gelato of the day, we had a little time to kill before the next visit, so our fearless leaders from Bertolli offered to snap some photos of the group. Nine bloggers = nine cameras!

Success!

DePasquale’s Homemade Pasta Shoppe

Our next visit was to a pasta shop specializing in over 50 homemade different varieties.

DePasquale’s Homemade Pasta Shoppe is a tribute to DePasquale’s mother and the Sunday’s of his youth spent watching her make pasta in Italy. At the Pasta Shoppe, customers and pasta enthusiasts alike can find every essential ingredients for a homemade meal. From freshly baked Italian breads, imported Italian cheeses, olive oils, vinegars, and tomatoes to an array of 50 types of pasta and daily selections of more than 20 varieties of ravioli; there is no need to look any further for your favorite ingredients.

The Pasta Shoppe had so many different varieties of pasta! It was so cool seeing all of them! Check out just some of these delicious ravioli combinations:

• pumpkin
• spinach/truffles
• artichoke/goat cheese
• prosciutto/ricotta
• portabella/asiago
• gorgonzola/sundried tomato
• smoked chicken/mascarpone
• braised short rib/escarole

Quick tip: Pasta is Italy is served al dente or “to the tooth.” To see if it’s cooked perfectly, pull a piece from the boiling water, break it in half, and look at its middle. If you still see traces of while (the uncooked flour), it needs a little more time.

Lucca

The final stop of our culinary tour was a customized dinner of fresh homemade pasta paired with delicious Italian wines at Lucca. I’ve never eaten a meal in the North End, so I was especially psyched. It was a first for me!

Named for the Tuscan town renowned for its extra virgin olive oil, Lucca offers Northern Italian classics, combined with new innovations that are sure to tantalize the most discriminating palate.

Thanks to culinary inspiration accumulated from his regular trips to Italy, Lucca’s executive chef, Patrick Duffy, offers acclaimed regional Italian cuisine, homemade breads, authentic pasta dishes, and of course, succulent desserts. Time spent in the region has taught him the value of the freshest produce and ingredients.

Bertolli prepared a special menu for us with antipasti, a tasting of fresh pasta paired with wine, and dessert.

The antipasto was a presentation of the Chef’s selection of imported meats, seafood, and roasted vegetables. I tried a bite of everything and enjoyed it all.

The antipasto was paired with a fantastic white wine: St. Michael-Eppan (Alto Adige) 2010 Pinot Biance. It was light and mineraly. I was a big fan of it.

The main course was a side-by-side pasta tasting:

• Tagliatelle: Black pepper tagliatelle pasta with shucked Maine lobster, North Country smoked bacon, chanterelle mushrooms, sweet corn, and scallions.
• Ravioli: House-made caramelized onion and goat cheese ravioli with fava beans, escarole, blistered cherry tomatoes and basil, finished with aged goat cheese.

I thought I would love the ravioli (goat cheese? hello!), but the tagliatelle was my favorite out of the two dishes. It had massive chunks of lobster in it and a ton of bacon-y flavor. The pasta was also fresh and perfectly chewy.

For dessert, I tried blueberry-flavored Grappa, which was pretty tasty, but also super strong! Holy moly! I only ended up having a few sips of it.

Since we enjoyed so many sweets throughout the day, the table decided to order a few different desserts and share them. My favorite was a warm Chocolate Torte with vanilla bean gelato. Mmm! It reminded me of a super chocolaty and dense brownie.

Many thanks to Bertolli for such a wonderful culinary adventure in the North End. It was a truly a delectable day!