N'ombra de vin

Last night after dinner we headed out to one of the hotspots in downtown Milan, N'ombra de vin in the Brera district. It's actually an enoteca, wine shop, that opens late. The cellar downstairs is pretty amazing. We had a bottle of sparkling white wine to toast Dario's birthday. I don't remember what it was but it was good!


Here's a picture of the crowd socializing outside. This was taken at 1am on a Friday night. No one looks ready to call it a night yet.

http://www.nombradevin.it

Felice Come Una Pasqua

The Italians say, 'felice come una pasqua' or 'happy as Easter'. I think it may have something to do with this...

It seemed like the whole Easter section filled with every kind of chocolate egg just sprouted overnight. Each of these giant eggs have some kind of 'surprise' inside. They range from silly plastic toys to the fancier silver jewelry. It looked like a huge marketing scam but the Italians were really buying it all up. The day before Easter, it looked like they might run out. Everyone had them in their shopping carts. Made me feel like grabbing a couple more myself. But we already had two at home.

Yum.

Happy Easter everyone!

Sicilian Blood Orange: Arancia Tarocco

One of the things I appreciate about Italy is that Italians tend to eat produce that is in season. Not only do you avoid eating produce that has travelled halfway around the world, but you can get produce that is fresher, cheaper and just tastes better. It's also a good opportunity to try new and different fruits and vegetables.

I first tasted the Tarocco blood orange a few weeks ago and was instantly hooked. They are mostly sweet and juicy. And I love the red color! With these oranges in season, we like to start the day with a glass of fresh squeezed juice. So goooood. That's a good reason to get out of bed, at least until the season ends.