Let’s get ready to rumble!

Our return to Umbria from Rome, on the heels of our “getaway day” successes and excesses, was punctuated by one simple stop. Dinner in Terni with some business associates who have become good friends. It turned out, like so much here in Italy, to be much, much more.

We should have known we were in for trouble when we walked into the restaurant, the Oste della Mal’ora at 9pm. We were not to begin dinner for a little while and an hour drive to Cannara awaited us after we finished. It was going to be a late night.

We had dined at the tiny, atmospheric osteria/tavern once before, with this same group in fact, to celebrate the business deal that brought us together. It was a singular evening with great food, high hopes for successful business together and a command performance by the osteria’s owner, Renzo. So as we entered the restaurant memories began to flood back and the needle tracking the level of expectations jumped off the dial. It hadn’t clicked that we were returning to the Oste.

And as we made our way through the front dining room to our semiprivate room in the back, Renzo spotted me (as well as our more regular companions) and shouted out “Beel.” I don’t think he was referring to Jessica. He was happy to see me.

For some reason, I had left a big impression on this lovely man at our previous and only meal at the restaurant and for the next three hours he repeatedly returned to our table to make sure that Beel was doing fine. Each course was described to me. Each wine was poured and I was asked for my approval. This guy must think I’m writing him into my will.

Regardless of the reason, his attention worked. Or maybe it was just the food. But for the second time Renzo and his little Oste della Mal’ora gave us a reason to visit Terni, not your typical stop for tourists.

* * *

But in addition to the meal there was the company. We started out the evening as a group of six – Suzy, Wendy and I, who had come up from Rome, our business partners Corrado and Paolo and Fabio, one of the two principals on the other side of our business deal who had since that time become a good friend. Giuliano, his business partner had been expected to come, but had been delayed by unforeseen circumstances.

As the evening progressed and more wine was uncorked, the conversation became more lively and animated. Throughout, Paolo, an accountant by trade, was keeping a running commentary on the food, announcing every now and then what a good cook he was. When pressed by Fabio, Paolo professed to be an expert in making pasta with squid ink. Over the next hour we learned more about squids and how to coax the ink from them than we had ever thought possible.

But it was with the unexpected arrival of Giuliano and his companion and son as the meal was winding down that the fun began. At some point Giuliano, a proud and successful man with a streak of good humor a mile wide heard Paolo carrying on about his kitchen prowess. Giuliano suggested that his “8 hour risotto” would put Paolo’s nero di sepia to shame. The gauntlet had been thrown down.

I will not go into all of the details here. Suffice it to say that Italians are proud people and by the end of the discussion we had arranged for the Throwdown. A cookoff to take place on two separate nights at our villa, la Fattoria del Gelso. Dinner for about twenty.

April 3 – Paolo and his pasta with squid ink
April 14 – Giuliano and his 8 hour risotto with scampi

Be sure to tune in. Don’t miss it. Winner takes all.

So let’s get ready to rumble.  The only thing that won’t be is our stomachs.

Ci vediamo!
Bill and Suzy