Beautiful places, beautiful food.

 

Today as I shuffle through my mental photo album, I came across a thought that is worthy of a paragraph or ten.

One of my dearest friends in the world who lives Florence, Italy, introduced me to a place one summer many years ago that, for me, defines the word vacation. All I knew was that we were to drive to the westernmost point of Tuscany and take a ferry to get there. Giovanna’s mother grew up on this remote island that in Renaissance times was a naval stronghold for the de’ Medicis. 

I worked in Italy at the time, and like all Italians, I too had the month of August off. So I decided to accompany my friend and her family to this most special vacation spot. Now, when I think Mediterranean island, my head goes immediately to Ari Onassis entertaining Jackie or Maria Callas on Capri or Santorini. Well, it’s all-true! That’s how it felt. From the top of Isola del Giglio (the place I’m referring to), one can see Monte Cristo (yes, that one), the Italian mainland, Elba and Sardinia. Pinch me, because these colors ARE NOTreal and Mother Nature IS the world’s best landscape architect!

It was so amazing to me how the locals go about their business taking for granted that they live in an earthly paradise. I rented a small apartment and furnished it with the basics. Now, it was time to see what life here is all about. August is for the beach. Very young to very old, everyone goes to the beach. After about a week of sun worshipping, my skin was the darkest brown it had ever been. It seemed unnatural; the locals called it healthy…go figure!

Every morning, I would see a small panel truck parked in the square selling still wiggling local seafood. One day I ventured on over to it to take a peek at his wares. Now, I have seen fish monger trucks before with “today’s catch”, but never anything like this. This little couple had urchins, tiny marine snails, tiny verace clams, razor clams, fresh anchovy, baby octopus, cuttlefish bursting with ink, long spiny Mediterranean lobster and a fish called branzino, just to name few. From that moment on, I fantasized about eating each and every one of those items and needed to know the preparations for them. I learned that Giglio is famous for its steadfast culinary tradition. Luckily, my friend’s mother (the lady that grew up there) was on my same page. She would meet me at the truck before anyone else, and we’d brainstorm dinner after espying the day’s catch. All this at eight in the morning! Imagine having that goodness to look forward to! The art of using the simplest of ingredients to create the freshest seafood dishes imaginable. Honestly, the memory of the cooking aromas still makes the hair stand on the nape of my neck. I also learned what al fresco dining truly means. Picture this: nine o’clock PM, 75 degrees, a whisper of a breeze, tiny white lights strung in an arbor for illumination, simple wooden tables and chairs woven with ancient rush, beautifully tanned people wearing white linen accessorized with colors like mustard yellow and sherbet orange (wouldn’t catch me dead in those colors, but with the right tan, I’d wear fuchsia), people from all over Italy emphasizing their regional accents (fun to guess where they’re from…takes lots of practice), clear glass carafes filled with local ansonaco (indigenous to Giglio) wine and platters of grilled seafood and fried squash blossoms. Blink your eyes amidst all this and it’s 2 AM. A quick ciao ciao, off to bed, only to do it all over again tomorrow...darn.

Don, you ask, what does all this mean? Remember the aforementioned fish called branzino, a Mediterranean sea bass that was part of that amazing dining experience? I have a purveyor, that is all to happy to supply me with this little foreigner. Yes, they’re caught off the coast of Greece (same fish, I promise) and shipped overnight. I’m impressed at how fresh it is. Rubbed with good olive oil, gray salt and lemon juice, grilled over hot coals to perfection, a nice glass of Pinot Grigio and a salad to finish. If you’ve not been to Giglio, you’ll think you have been. We’ve added a whole fish to our menu at Clayton’s and are proud to serve branzino as one of our ever-changing selections. Oh, if you feel the urge to wear white linen with a coral pink sweater draped on your shoulders and I happen to see you…I’ll know you read this! Don