Salt Theatre

Posted on 2008/05/17 12:04:18 (May 2008).

[Friday 16th May 2008]

Let's skip the crappy day at work and any comments about it, today it was the day when we decided to go to a place called "Teatro del Sale" (Salt Theatre). Me, Chiara, Federico and Gianfranco was part of the venue, unfortunately Francesco and Elisa did not come... It was our first time (apart from Federico that already went there), I think that I ought to give some information about the format adopted by this place.

Fist of all the Theatre is infact a RESTAURANT, a sort of common house, private club type thing, where you get there early, around 7,30 PM, and food is served until 9,30.
The food is not actually "served", as when you enter the teatre hall there are a lot of tables, some sofas, some little stalls... It's really a common house, where you pick the food from a table on a side, and you bring the dirty dishes to a special window where a nice chap collects them for washing.

It's a buffet style thing, but here is the nice part. The cook is a very famous guy called Picchi, an extremely talented cook very well known in Italy. There is a very big window where you can actually see the cooks doing their job, and when a certain dish is ready, Mr.Picchi (he's a big man, looks like Santa Claus, with bug beard and long white hair), shouts in a typical Florentine dialect the food that is going to be served.

The meal was HUGE, I think that we had more tha 10 courses, and it was absolutely fabulous.

Then at 9.30 the "theatre" part comes into play and there is either a play or a concert or some sort of show. We got the Cuban Music night, it was really nice, they even played my favourite cuban song "Hasta Siempre" (Rodriguez)!

Certainly a place where I see myself going back again, it was really top stuff.

Back home had time to have a row with Chiara about changing/buying furniture in our present home.
The place is small and we really want to change and buy our house, but at the moment things are not easy because my contract is not a stable one but is a shitty 6 months deal that leaves us no real certainties about the future... I'll stop it there, it's better not to continue... Fortunately things came back to normal this morning between the two of us!

I guess you didn't watch the news on the second channel today at lunch did you? There was Picchi explaining the recipe for the polpettine (meatballs cooked in butter with anchovies and capers) that you loved so much...
I could tell you the recipe but it will cost you a lot... :-)

Posted by Federico at 2008/05/17 13:10:03.

Well, Frederico and Lox, that recipe sounds wonderful. I need to know more details!! :D :D

As for the restaurant... I am (was!) lucky in that we had a similar place not 200-metres from where we live - called The Walls Restaurant - unoriginally named after the situation next to some very old walls!!

It *used* to be owned by this guy who knew a local record producer (there is a famous recording-studio not far from here, hidden in the hills!) and it was run by a friend of ours...

We had many invitations to *special* occasions (in our younger days when kids weren't on the scene!!) where we had a sumptuous meal (along with a lot of Shiraz!), entertained by some truly top performers - for example: members of the 80's groups Japan, Marillion, XTC etc. etc. which I got to meet...

Ah, those were the days... Long gone now!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D The guy we know has moved on and the restaurant is now part of a chain... Such is progress!! :)

Posted by Nigel at 2008/05/17 17:17:04.

Nigel: Wow that sounds great it's a shame that they closed it... That is the kind of progress that is not needed...

Posted by Lox at 2008/05/17 17:50:50.

Here's the recipe:
Put the butter into a pan and melt it. Add the anchovies, garlic and some salvia leaves. After a while add the meatballs (sorry but the cook didn't give any details about them) and some time before it's done add the capers. That's all folks :-)

Posted by Federico at 2008/05/18 13:56:44.

Sorry, a little correction to the post above: "Salvia" is "common sage"

Posted by Federico at 2008/05/18 14:01:02.

Thanks Federico!! That sounds marvellous! :)

Posted by Nigel at 2008/05/18 17:17:17.

Nothing to do with this entry : haven't you proposed yet ?

Don't wait too long, my good man.

Posted by Sheri at 2008/05/19 19:15:47.

Federico : ah, ora vedo chi sei ! Se non sbaglio, sei tu che è andato con Lox e Francesco al concert del gruppo Elio e le Storie tese.

Posted by Tenente Sheridan at 2008/05/19 19:23:15.

@Tenente Sheridan:
Si' ero io al concerto

Posted by Federico at 2008/05/19 20:20:22.

:-)

Posted by Sheri at 2008/05/19 20:57:01.

Sheri: What proposition are you talking about? ;)

Posted by Lox at 2008/05/19 23:04:45.

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