Naples, Italy: Good Food And Fair Prices, But Lukewarm Entrees And Undercooked Pasta Left Me Bewildered

La Taverna del Buongustaio

Via Basilio Puoti 8
80134 Naples, Italy
Centro Storico
Phone number: +39 081 5512626
Prices: €€€€

A small taverna just off Via Toledo halfway between the Dante and Toledo Metro stations, Buongustaio (translated "gourmet" in one case) does not quite live up to its name, but I was pleasantly surprised by the food and value.

At €6.50 ($7.67) for a primo (pasta) or secondo (meat dish), the prices are quite reasonable and €4 for a half liter of vino della casa (house wine) ain't bad neither (how's that for lousy English?).

The small place (10-12 tables) was packed save one table for two tucked in the corner, so we grabbed it. The service was quite friendly and efficient, my top-2 priorities, and we were quickly brought our drinks (wine and water) and a basket of fresh Neapolitan bread.

My wife's Penne alla Genovese (a dish you would probably associate with Genoa, but will rarely find outside Naples), comes in a sauce with onion, mostly onion, carrots, celery, and white wine, then simmered with beef and was very tasty. Unfortunately, the kitchen served it just a tad too "al dente" (1 Bomb deduction #1), a mistake you rarely see in any Italian restaurant or home for that matter. It was too chewy, but hot and tasty nonetheless.

My Bucatini alla Siciliana, a thick, hollow spaghetti tubes baked in a tomato sauce with eggplant, mozzarella, and pieces of meatball, was also delicious, but obviously cut straight from a pan and not nearly hot enough, call it lukewarm (1 Bomb deduction #2).

For secondi, my wife had the Provola alla Piastra, a gooey slice of smoked, grilled cheese that was also delicious but nearly cold (1 Bomb deduction #3). The highlight of the meal was my Braciola al Ragù, a nice portion of thinly sliced beef rolled around herbs and pine nuts, then smothered in marinara sauce. I was perfectly heated and seasoned, much like my nonna (grandmother) and Zia (aunt) Gina used to make ... one of my favorite dishes.

Good food and fair prices, although €36 in not a €€€€ meal, this trattoria needs to pay a little closer attention-to-detail, ensuring dishes are served at the right temperature and pasta cooked "al dente", not break the dente.

CombatCritic Gives La Taverna Buongustaio 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

"Shits & Grins"

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Read Chris S.'s review of La Taverna del Buongustaio on Yelp

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Title: Naples, Italy: Good Food And Fair Prices, But Lukewarm Entrees And Undercooked Pasta Left Me Bewildered

Key Words: La Taverna del Buongustaio, la, taverna, buongustaio, Napoli, Naples, Italy, trattoria, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, Via Toledo, pasta, review, Yelp, Zomato

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I Have A "Hunch" You Will Like "Il Gobbetto"

Il Gobbetto

Via Sergente Maggiore 8

80132 Naples, Campania, Italy

Phone: +39 081 2512435

Prices: $$$$$

I had read the favorable reviews of Il Gobbetto, literally "The Hunchback", so we decided to have a look inside as we happened by. It is a cute little place just off Via Toledo and a stones throw from the infamous Teatro San Carlo, but a bit cramped with too many tables for the small room. It seems as though they cater to tourists as foreigners made up most of the clientele. We were squeezed into a corner table by the owner who speaks a little English, making maneuvering the elbows a little difficult.

As is usually the case, our eyes were, metaphorically speaking, bigger than our stomachs and we ended up ordering antipasti (appetizers) and primi (first courses). For my wife's antipasto she ordered the Pacchero Fritto (€3), four deep fried ??? cheese squares that were rather uninspiring. I on the other hand had l'insalata Caprese (Caprese salad - €6), sliced, ripe, juicy cherry tomatoes on a bed of rucola, and thick slices of mozzarella di bufala (mozzarella cheese made from milk of water buffalo, a specialty of Southern Italy's Mediterranean coastal region) topped with fresh basil leaves. You would easily pay $8 to $15 for a dish like this in the states, so the $6.75 price tag was not difficult to swallow ... yuk-yuk.

For our primi and final courses of the night we decided to go with pasta. My wife had the Gnocchi del Gobbetto (€6), handmade gnocchi (potato dumplings) in a creamy cheese sauce with sliced zucchini and topped with fresh basil. The gnocchi were perfectly cooked, not too soft, not too hard, and the sauce perfectly complimented the lightness of the thinly sliced zucchini. The portion was perfect with just enough to fill you without bursting and the price extremely fair compared to U.S. restaurant standards.

My Orecchiette Salsiccia e Provola (ear shaped pasta in a tomato sauce with ground sweet sausage and melted provolone cheese - €6) was exquisite. Again, handmade pasta, as is the case in most restaurants in Italy, was in just the right proportion to sauce, sausage and provolone, and was perfectly "al dente". One of my all-time favorite dishes is orecchiette salsiccia e friarielli (sausage and broccoli rabe sauteed in olive oil and garlic) and this was the first time I tried a version with tomato sauce. It may not become my favorite, but I will definitely be playing with this recipe at home and would order it again in a flash ... HOOAH!

Cover charge (coperto) is just €1 per person, the service was excellent, and things moved quickly even though they were rather busy.  The owner even took time to dance with a couple of pretty young lady customers in the middle of the room while his wife slaved away in the kitchen (I hope she doesn't read this or I might get him in trouble). Their house red (or white) wine, which is very good, comes in at a paltry €3 per bottle (compare that to a half-liter of inferior house red at Pizzeria Sorbillo - €9) and a liter of mineral water is just €1.50 (€1.50 for a half-liter at Sorbillo). Our bill came to just €28.50 for two courses, wine, and water (plus tip), a tremendous bargain and worth feeling a bit claustrophobic.

CombatCritic Gives Il Gobbetto A Very Solid 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better

 Menu (English)

Title: I Have A "Hunch" You Will Like "Il Gobbetto"

Key Words: Il Gobbetto, gobbetto, hunchback, hunch, osteria, restaurant, pasta, antipasto, Caprese, salad, menu, review, Naples, Napoli, Italy, Italia, CombatCritic, travel, value, critic

Not The Bottom Of "The Barrel" (La Botte), Not The Top Of The Charts

La Botte
Scarlatti Street 147, 80127 Naples, Italy
+39 331 856 5398
Website

Prices: $$$$$

The food behind the glass looked enticing as we strolled by, so we returned shortly thereafter for a late-night bite to eat. If you have read my other reviews from Southern Italy, you know that I love salsiccia e friarielli (sausage and sauteed broccoli rabe, a Neapolitan specialty) and it was on the menu ... WOO-HOO!

We entered, ordered two saltimbocca, a "Positano" (speck, brier cheese, and lettuce - €4.50 at the "bar") for my wife and a "Cetara" (salsiccia, "friarielli", and scamorza cheese - €5) for me. But when we delivered the receipt to the counter, as is the custom in Italy for take-away, I was told there was nor frierielli and that I had to choose from the other bleak options. It would have been nice to know that they did not have the item listed on the menu BEFORE we ordered because we would have gone elsewhere, but by then it was too late.

We had a seat at the bar across from the prep area and because they were obviously busy, my wife asked how long it would take and the young woman making the sandwiches replied "a little while". She then sent over Il Tagliere dell' Attesa (the cutting board of, for the, wait), a cutting board loaded with a selection of tiny toasted sandwiches, making our wait a little less noticeable.

Unfortunately, what we received were "sandwiches" on a baguette, not the advertised "saltimbocca" (a Neapolitan specialty with ingredients baked inside of pizza dough).  For $5 to $6, the sandwiches had hardly any meat and were mostly bread, and the half liter of mineral water was a pricey $1.25, not a great value. The staff's positive attitudes deserve an additional "bomb", but otherwise our experience was very "average"

CombatCritic Gives La Botte 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... Le Bombe Sono Buone! 

Title: Not The Bottom Of "The Barrel" (La Botte), Not The Top Of The Charts

Key Words: La Botte, botte, barrel, Naples, Napoli, Vomero, Vanvitelli, piazza, saltimbocca, panino, panini, wine, vino, sausage, salsiccia, friarielli, CombatCritic, travel, value, menu

Cantina di Sica: Not Great, But The Cockroach Seemed Happy!

Cantina di Sica
Via Gian Lorenzo Bernini 17 
80129 Naples
Telephone: +39 081 5567520
Website: cantinadisica.it
Prices: $$$$$

Yes, we arrived near closing time, but instead of making us feel welcome we were hastily seated and told what exactly we could order ... excuse me, but is the kitchen open or not? Pizza was being pushed heavily.

First of all, be very specific when ordering. The waiter was in a hurry because they were closing at 4pm, so with pizza menu in-hand I ordered "salsiccia e frierielli" assuming I would receive a pizza with the ordered toppings. 

My wife ordered the pizza Lei with no tomatoes, a giant slice of mortadella covered in mozzarella atop a pizza crust with a large dollop of some sort of cream, possibly ricotta, in the middle. Her pizza arrived quickly and I began to wonder what was taking my pizza so long to arrive.

What I received when the waiter finally arrived was a plate of grilled sausage and a side of frierielli. I asked "where is my pizza?", but the waiter seemed too bothered to make it right, telling me that he had to check if pizza could still be made so late in the day (even though I could clearly see the fire in the pizza oven still burning) so I ate what was brought. Instead of €8 for a pizza, I paid €12.50 for something I did not want.

The pizza Lei was ok, minus the mountain of sour cream in the middle. Mine was what it was, not what I wanted, but also "OK". Now I see why they have a rating of less than 3 out of 5 stars on Yelp!

When a customer obviously is not happy, it should be made right. It was a misunderstanding, but in the end I was not happy. I now see why they only have 3 stars. The cockroach blocking our path as we were leaving seemed to enjoy his experience more than we did. Hence, ...

CombatCritic Gives Cantina di Sica 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Title: Cantina di Sica: Not Great, But The Cockroach Seemed Happy!

Key Words: Cantina di Sica, cantina, di, sica, Naples, Napoli, Vomero, Vanvitelli, piazza, pizza, pizzeria, trattoria, pasta, cockroach, friarielli, CombatCritic, travel, value, menu

Rocco Provides The Knockout Punch To Neapolitan Take-Out

Rocco e Suoi Fratelli
Via San Giacomo dei Capri 155
80131 Naples, Italy
Telephone: 081 5465302

Rocco e Suoi Fratelli (Rocco and His Brothers) is a pizzeria not far from my in-laws house in Naples. After my mother-in-law’s surgery and half a day at the hospital, we did not feel much like cooking, so we ordered from Rocco’s to be delivered. You do not get food as good as this delivered in the States.

We started with antipasto (appetizers), a mix of arancini di riso (fried rice balls), fried calamari, potato croquettes, zeppoline (a deep fried puff of dough with bits of algae inside that I can only imagine got its name because of a resemblance to a zeppelin, e.g. the Hindenburg) battered and fried shrimp (gambaretti) and other deep-fried Neapolitan favorites. There went my cholesterol!

My sister-in-law ordered far too much food for three people, so we had lunch, dinner that night, and still had leftovers. Our primo (first course), gnocchi alla Sorrentino (il mio cognome – my surname), was too much to eat with firm, not too hard, not too soft, balls of potato goodness, infused with fresh mozzarella and baked in a light tomato sauce. With just the right consistency of gnocchi to mozzarella to sauce, it does not get much better than this. Delicioso!

For reasons unknown, we also ordered a pizza quattro formaggi (four cheese pizza) that did not even have a dent put in it at lunch. I did have a piece for dinner and for being hours old, the crust was still firm yet pliant and the cheeses gooey and savory. It is well known that I love frierielli (broccoli rabe sautéed in olive oil and garlic), so it was also on the menu. I had some by itself at lunch but having missed my favorite sausage and frierielli pizza for too long, I added some to the pizza quattro formaggi and threw it in the microwave for thirty seconds … buono … yum … scrummy!!!

For take-out, Rocco’s cannot be beat and I am sure that dining-in is likely as good if not better, so I am a fan and as Arnold Schwarzeneggar would say: “I’ll be back”.

CombatCritic Gives Rocco e Suoi Fratelli 8 Bombs Out Of 10 … More Bombs Are Better!

Title: Rocco Provides The Knockout Punch To Neapolitan Take-Out

Key Words: Rocco e Suoi Fratelli, Rocco, suoi, fratelli, Napoli, Naples, Italy, Italian, pizza, pizzeria, delivery, menu, pasta, gnocchi, Sorrentino, zeppoline, arancini, calamari, CombatCritic, TravelValue