Alleia Restaurant Chattanooga

Our second evening in Chattanooga we dined al fresco at Alleia. The place features a dark cavernous interior and a bright side patio. We ate on the bright side since the weather was perfect.

Alleia features Italian dishes with a nod to the local food scene. Wood-fired pizzas, pasta, and a wide variety of starters tempted us. Cocktails were thoughtful and inventive; wine prices a bit high (maybe this is the norm here?).

We experienced good service for the most part except at the very end. We were very full from our pasta dishes, but decided to at least look at the dessert menu. Upon relaying this to our waiter, he brought us the check instead. Hopefully, it was a misunderstanding? In any case it was a missed opportunity.

A few highlights of our meal:

The Awakening with Buffalo Trace, Lavender, and Cynar. Great to see bars utilizing an amaro for its cocktails.

Dates wrapped in Benton's Bacon and drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar. Benton's has some of the best pork products in the nation. It was great to see Alleia make use of some local fare.

Tagliatelle with Rabbit and Ramps. What a wonderful Spring delight! If you are in the Chattanooga area, it's worth your while to order while the menu still offers this dish.

Despite the question mark of service at the end, Alleia was a delicious choice for our last night in Chattanooga.

Braised Rabbit with Hominy and Corn at Belmont Food Shop

Braised Rabbit with Hominy and Corn a photo by pjpink on Flickr.

While Belmont Food Shop changes its menu frequently, I was fortunate enough to dine there when the appetizer list featured Braised Rabbit with Hominy and Corn. Tender chunks of rabbit with a creamy-silky sauce. The balance of corn and hominy perfected this dish. Because of the richness, the portion size was just right as well.

We had not planned to eat here, but arrived early enough to snag a couple of places at the bar. I also enjoyed the Roast Chicken with Spoon Bread and Spinach. The chicken was moist and tasty; spoon bread, spot on with the balance of corniness and sweetness.

The wine that I imbibed was the Petit Petite from David Michael. One of my recent favs, but a bit pricey given a restaurant down the street offers it for $12 less per bottle. I guess the wine prices make up for the fantastic price of the $30 three course prix fixe.

The Tweeting of The Magpie

Another awesome dining experience at The Magpie. What drew us in this time was the sausage of the evening tweet: boar and bourbon. While we had been thinking of an outdoor venue, the lure of wild sausage meat won out.

We, indeed, consumed a delightful feast of small plates. First we toasted our good fortune with an In Fashion - an updated version of an Old Fashioned.

An Amuse Bouche featuring beet followed to whet our palates.

We also ordered a Paso Robles red blend: 2009 Field Recordings Chorus Effect.

The wine turned out to be the perfect pairing for the boar and bourbon sausage. The sausage was served with a rosemary custard (very soft and creamy) and blue cheese. We requested that the blue cheese be omitted since hubby gets ill just looking at the stuff. The chef asked us if we would like manchego, instead. Yes, please! We loved the substitute cheese with the dense and tasty sausage.

Along with the boar, we ordered the Fried Hearts of Palm with the Roasted Poblano Pesto. Yes, folks another winner. Both of us raved about the pesto.

The Magpie offered another special on that evening: Rabbit and Bacon Wontons. Yummy, yummy.

The most fantastic dish was the Popcorn Lobster with Chive Biscuit and Piccata Cream. Wonderful tender lobster chunks, perfectly fried with a creamy caper sauce. Unbelievably delicious. Get this while it is still on the menu!

For dessert we shared a salted chocolate caramel tart. Satisfying with after-dinner coffee.

The Magpie continues to bring inventive dishes to the table. Go give them some love.

 

Pisa

Pisa was an easy day trip from Florence via train. We purchased open-ended tickets the day before. The train station was a short walk from the main attraction - just across the Arno. We discovered that Pisa also sported a few icons and a good bit of graffiti.


Street cafe



Arno River

Madonna and Child

Mosaic Madonna and Child

Hidden Face

We were thrilled that we could climb the Leaning Tower. The Opera Primaziale was in charge of all of the monuments in Miracles' Square and sold timed tickets to the bell tower. About 30 folks were allowed to climb at one time. In the height of the tourist season buying tickets ahead of time is a must. The tower offered a great view of the surrounding area. Due to the lean the climb was most interesting. We also enjoyed seeing the bells.


Approaching the Leaning Tower



She does indeed lean

View from the Leaning Tower

Well worn steps

Pisa Stadium

Bell Gathering

Big Bell

Leaning View

Upon our return to ground, we sought out lunch at Osteria La Toscana down the street away from the souvenir vendors. A quiet place where we enjoyed roasted pork and potatoes and rabbit ravioli.

Osteria La Toscana

Pork and Potatoes

Rabbit Ravioli

After lunch we marveled at the Cathedral. Even if Pisa did not have the Leaning Tower, the Cathedral itself would be worth seeing. The building used recycled marble and we could see leftover chiseled words. The artistry inside amazed.

Cathedral

Recycled Marble

Cathedral Interior

Art over the altar

The Baptistry was not as ornate as the one in Florence on the inside but still interesting to see.

Baptistry

Baptistry view from above

The Monumental Cemetery is still in use today. It sustained heavy damages during World War II and the Opera continues to work on the restoration of the frescoes.

Monumental Cemetery

Permanent Pillow

Decorative Arches

Fresco Restoration

Tombs

Contemporary Tribute

A museum gave more information about the fescoes and also had a costume exhibit.

Fresco Sketch

Period Costume

The last museum contained some of the more delicate paintings and sculptures that used to be housed in the Cathedral. The courtyard also gave us the most dramatic views of the lean in the Leaning Tower.

Madonna and Child

Sculpture

Painted Panel

Leaning

Pisa was well worth the trip and we spent all day visitng the structures and museums within the square.