Adventures in the South of Italy Part II

When we arrived in Sorrento it was about half past 2 and we went on a long, yet hilarious trek to find our hotel/hostel: Hotel Londra.  It was quite lovely with a beautiful blue pool, lovely service and a tiny room that we didn't mind about because we were in the hotel just long enough to sleep.

the beauty of Positano

Before heading back out, we sat by the pool and had some cool drinks and then we started moving again.
We got on a bus with the intention of going to Amalfi but I got a tad motion sick on the bus so we
decided to get off at Positano.  I really don-t love long bus rides, especially on long and winding roads and these were particularly windy.  I will say that the bus ride is absolutely worth the gorgeous views. Luckily Positano was only 45 minutes away from Sorrento and when we got there we were faced with panoramic views of turquoise blue sea and gorgeous buildings etched into rock. It was stunning.
Then began our trek down through the town and to the water.  We walked through narrow streets and under canopies of purple flowers while we window shopped for beautiful things well out of our price range.  We contemplated getting limoncello, lemon liquor, a specialty of the region that is generally quite reasonably priced and utterly delicious.  Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and most of the Campania region
are particularly well known for their limoncellos but  since it was already 4ish I decided not to go into the shop because I am easily distracted.  I probably could have spent ages there tasting and looking at the various limoncellos.

The beautiful bottles of limoncello!

So instead we went straight down to the beach to enjoy a small patch of ston ybeach for free.  It was crowded but we didn't have to pay so we didn't mind.  If you get there early enough I would recommend paying for chairs and umbrellas.
We took turns swimming and sunbathing and I enjoyed reading the 5th Harry Potter book in Italian.  Then when the sun began to sink behind the cliffs, we started our climb back up.
It's a steep hill but the hike was well worth it for the majestic views.
Then back towards the top of the cliff we found a

little restaurant called Ristorante Bruno that I believe I want to with my best friend Angela 7 or 8 years ago.  It's a seafood restaurant with an incredible view overlooking Positano. It is perfectly positioned for a spectacular sunset, and I imagine, it's always a spectacular sunset.  The restaurant is at the perfect angle to capture the shifting colors an the beginnings of the dawning stars.

the start of a gorgeous sunset over paradise

The food is on the expensive side, but not terrible considering the location and the amazing quality of the seafood.  Our waiter was quite friendly and talkative, and wasn't overbearing. He gave us time to enjoy our meal, but cleared the table quickly when we were done and then left us to our own devices to chat and enjoy the waning light.

enjoying our wine and the sunset

Since my stomach was still bothering me from the bus ride earlier in the day, I decided to stick with

Gamberetti al limone

something small and light from the antipasto (appetizer menu).  I got the gamberetti al limone. It was a small but delicious portion of shrimp in a fresh and slightly spicy lemon sauce.  I could absolutely taste the freshness of the shrimp and the beautiful tartness of the lemon. And I absolutely loved the kick of heat. It was present but not the primary taste. I ate and enjoyed every bite of tender shrimp and used a couple of pieces of bread to soak up the remaining sauce.

La spigola with sun dried tomatoes, onion and potatoes

Endira got an amazing fish dish in a red sauce .  She got the spigola or sea bass and it was tender and flaky with an wonderful sauce made with sun dried tomatoes, capers and onions.  I don't usually like cooked fish, but this was so fresh and didn't taste fishy at all.
I was originally going to get dessert since I'd only gotten an appetizer for a meal, but it got late while we were drinking our delicious Falanghina (a typical white wine from the Campania region of Italy)

I am totally enamored with this view

and we wanted to catch the 9:40 bus back to Sorrent so we could explore the night life of Sorrento.
I went inside to pay since we needed to move quickly (note: pretty much everywhere in Italy, they move pretty slowly, so if you need speed... deal with it yourself, or just be patient lol).  We had ten minutes to get to the bus and I didn't want to miss it since the next one wasn't scheduled until 11:40, meaning no exploring Sorrento at night.  So we headed to the bus stop and we waited and waited and waited some more.
We hadn't missed the 9:40 bus, it just never came.
But we made the best of it and went to the first bar down the path. We had another 1 1/2 to enjoy the mesmerizing view and drank some more wine.  They even served us chips and finger foods while we (ok in fairness, while I ) watched the Germany and Ghana game. I love soccer and will watch any team play, especially if they pay well and Germany and Ghana definitely played well that day.
Our waiter was also quite nice and asked all about us and our Italian skills. Sometimes it's hilarious to be an American who speaks fluent Italian.

The view from the second bar

And then we planted ourselves at the bus stop by around 11:20 to make sure we didn't miss it. Even though the bus wasn't till 11:40 we decided not to take any chances.  The 11:40 is the last sumer evening bus to go back to Sorrento and without it we would have been stuck in Positano all night wihout a roof over our heads.
Luckily for us it came!  And even more luckily I didn't feel bus sick through all the curves, maybe because I couldn't see anything. Sadly though, by the time we got back to Sorrento, we were too tired to explore and we just went right back to the hotel to shower and sleep.

Want to read more about my Southern Italian adventures?
Part I here
Part III here

Restaurant Review: Fish Urban Dining

For the first time in 2 years, I got to go down the Jersey shore. My friend, Danielle, and I went to the beach, it was beautifully sunny but a little chilly, so no water, but a lot of sun. Long Branch is still in recovery after Sandy but the main drag of beach is still up and running and as gorgeous as ever.  I know that there are other sections that aren't recovering as well but hopefully by summertime, the beaches will be back and better than ever. Long Branch was to an extent lucky, because the main shops and a portion of the board walk is 18ft above sea level.

And then after a lovely day, we drove to Asbury Park and went to Happy Hour at FISH Urban Dining. It was pretty easy to find at 601 Mattison Avenue, Asbury Park. It is located in one of the region's most beautiful and historic structures and is very snazzy inside. It had a great, warm atmosphere with beautiful lighting. It was quite posh so at first I felt a little out of place in my grubby beach attire, but the staff was quite welcoming and friendly and did not seem to notice.
There happy hour was fantastic. It's Monday through Friday 4pm-7pm and Saturday and Sunday 12pm-7pm. Select appetizers, wines and house pours are $6 each and select beers are $3. We each had Bellinis that were utterly delicious. There was no fruit juice in this bellini, just Peach Schnapps and Prosecco. It was strong and yummy and definitely worth $6. We got a Yuengling as well and then we tried two of the appetizers but I would honestly love to try a bunch of others as well. Next time I'm down the shore I think I'll have to go back to see how everything else stacks up.

We ordered the Loster Mac and Cheese from the Happy Hour Menu and then the Seared Tuna Tacos from the regular menu. Our waitress suggested that we get the regular Seared Tuna Tacos because for an additional $4 dollars we would get 2 tacos rather than 1, which was an awesome suggestion and well worth it.

Loster Mac &Cheese and Seared Tuna Tacos

I don't know which of the two appetizers was my favorite. The Lobster Mac & Cheese was absolutely delicious and creamy with large chunks of lobster throughout. There was a good ratio of Mac & Cheese to lobster goodness all baked and crusted with breadcrumbs. The cheese tasted almost like a mild cheddar but it was a combination of Gouda and Jack. It was just the right mixture to go with the richness of the lobster. It was also a good sized Happy Hour portion. It was perfect to share. I think had I been eating it alone, I probably wouldn't have been able to finish, just because it was so rich.  But, I'll definitely order it again next time I'm there.
The Seared Tuna Tacos were the perfect sharing portion. One taco for each of us and a good
amount of a very light coleslaw. The seared tuna was perfectly cooked and very light. It was a good balance on the soft tortillas and I loved the combination of pico de gallo, siracha and jalapeno cream. Although, I will say, it took us a little while to realize it was siracha. It was pretty mild which I think was a direct result of the cream. The cole slaw also helped cut the heat a bit without making the tacos too heavy. I'm not sure what was in the slaw but it was lighter than a normal coleslaw with only a hint of mayo, cabbage, carrots and a slight kick of acidity. Altogether there was a great balance of flavors and the tuna was really fresh and made for a fabulous taco.

Next time I'm down in Long Branch and Asbury Park I'll definitely be going back to try other goodies. I would also like to try some of their regular menu because it looked so creative and seems to offer some of the freshest seafood and locally grown products. After our brief tasting, I can only imagine good things from the rest of the menu and I know that many of the local Monmouth students speak highly about what they've tried.