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The art of reading menus
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What's the best way of appreciating the cuisine offered by Italian restaurants and trattorias? Knowing how to choose from among the dishes on the menu. Good advice for natives and tourists, alike.
Indeed, menus constitute a veritable map for charting eating excursions away from the home hearth. |
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WHEN A MENU SPEAKS TO YOU |
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What do we learn by consulting the menu in an Italian restaurant? Everything. In the majority of cases we will be handed a classic printed or hand-written menu showing the available dishes. But sometimes the list of dishes is written on a blackboard displayed somewhere in the trattoria or in front of the door to attract passers-by.
Sometimes we have to deal with an "oral menu", rattled off, generally too quickly, by the waiter.
Theoretically the restaurant should state the price of each dish, but they often don't adhere to this procedure. (It's always best to ask the price, especially if you're considering a potentially expensive dish, like a tagliatella with truffles, a big Florentine steak or, of course, lobster).
We almost forgot another major hurdle: the language barrier. In eateries catering to tourists and in the larger cities you'll always find translated menus or dining-room staff that is able to help customers in their own language. But if you want to get off the beaten track, it's a good idea to arm yourself with a pocket-size dictionary and plenty of patience, because you'll probably have to call upon all your resources in terms of communicative skills, tact and sense of humor. The waiter will do the rest with the support of the wealth of gastronomic traditions that abound throughout Italy.
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The same holds when it comes to selecting what to drink. Actual wine lists are only found in the better establishments, whereas in the majority of cases you have to base your selection on the waiter's recommendations, without knowing the price of the bottle or being able to specify the producer. We advise you to pay close attention during this phase of your dining adventure, especially if you're not an expert on Italian wines, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. For example, it's quite possible to confuse "barolo" with "barbera", especially if the waiter is speaking quickly (and in a foreign language), and there's a huge difference in price, too. You can often order "house" wine by the carafe and this can be a wise alternative to bottled fare.
By law, the menu has to specify whether or not the cost of the food includes a cover charge and/or service. As opposed to many other countries, tipping is not at all obligatory in Italy and, although it is always appreciated, it is up to the guest and the choice to do so is more an expression of satisfaction than an automatic response.
Having covered the preliminaries, we now come to the food and the arrangement of a typical menu.
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ANTIPASTI AND FIRST (PASTA) COURSES |
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One begins with the antipasto, which often consists of regional specialties, requiring a bit of gastronomical advice from the waiter.
Even if not specifically stated, upon request a lot of restaurants well serve a sampling of antipasti, including smaller portions of several specialties.
Next comes the first, or pasta, course, a highlight of Italian meals. This section of the menu often begins with seasonal dishes, whereas the "specialty of the day" is usually found at the bottom of the list, written on an attached strip of paper. If the restaurant serves meat and fish, the menu is usually divided into two distinct parts, but you can also find the two categories listed one on top of the other. As with the antipasto, the pasta course can be ordered on a sampler basis. Just ask for a "bis" if you'd like two kinds and a "tris" if you want to try three smaller portions. Sometimes there is a surcharge for these dishes, but it's well worth it. In the case of certain first courses, like risotto, the minimum order is for two or more people. This requirement is usually stated on the menu.
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When it comes to second courses, especially if the restaurant specializes in fish, items like gilthead (orata), sea bass (branzino) and lobster (aragosta) are sold by weight. In this case the waiter should show you the fish before sending it into the kitchen for cooking. The same thing applies to special cuts of meat, like Florentine steaks, which generally weigh over a kilogram!
It's not always specified whether an item is served with a side dish or not and so it's a good idea to always ask the waiter about the side-dish situation, otherwise you could end up getting two portions. But, generally, Italian restaurants and trattorias do not serve different items on the same plate.
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And so we finally get to the "dolce" section, which is sometimes listed under "dessert", a section that also includes fruit. You can ask the waiter for any special requests, like whipped cream or ice-cream with fruit salad, that are not mentioned on the menuNot all menus have a special section devoted to cheese for the end of the meal and the only mention of cheese is often for the main courses. In establishments that do feature a cheese section, a description of the cheeses offered is usually included, otherwise the menu just says there is a cheese cart. The waiter brings the cart to you and is happy to tell you about the different cheeses on offer.Only rarely will a menu include the liqueurs that are available, even if the establishment has an excellent selection. Here again, a cart is used and again you can ask the waiter if you want something special. And remember, in Italy caffè, or coffee, always means espresso, a potent brew for the uninitiated. You will only be served American coffee (diluted espresso) in a few restaurants.
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