Dining Out

Pizza or Pasta??

From the extravagant to the most simple, dining out in Italy is a new experience for everyone arriving. The wide variety of foods and many types of dining establishments will ensure that everyone has at least a few favorite places, depending on exactly what type of food or how much time or money you'd like to spend for an evening out. Before going into a few of the various types of restaurants, just how does an Italian restaurant work?

In the U.S., most people are very used to getting their food quickly, and always all at once. Vegetables, potatoes, and rice come with the main dish, usually the meat or fish. If you have ordered an appetizer or salad, you may finish them before your main course, but not necessarily. How many times are you working on that salad, and the steak and potato shows up? That will almost never happen here. Each course is cooked and served individually, as you complete the previous course. Don't be surprised if your meal lags behind that of your dinner guests, when their next course is ready to be served and yours takes a little longer to prepare. You may wait a few extra minutes while the others continue on without you. The waiter will bring out each plate as soon as it is ready, never held in the kitchen waiting for someone else's food or under a heat lamp.

In Italy, meals are still served in the traditional courses. You may order one course at a time, or order a number of courses to be served in succession. Normally, you would begin with the "antipasti", or appetizers. This can be hot or cold, shellfish, marinated vegetables, or seafood salads. The regional specialty, Mozzarella Di Bufala, is served as an appetizer with melon, ham, fruit, or tomato with basil. Your pasta comes next, and always is available with a choice of sauces or seafood to top it. From fresh tomato to creamy alfredo, every kitchen has that one specialty that you hope they never run out of. Now that you've had your antipasti, and your pasta, it's time for the "main course", usually meat or seafood.. Veal is very popular and inexpensive, as is pork or chicken. Most restaurants have a choice of grilled or sauteed meats for this course. If you should want to continue, a "second plate" can be more meat, or seafood, then green salad, fresh fruit or hard cheeses, and finally dessert, and an after dinner cordial. Would you do this every time you go out? Certainly not, and the key to Italian dining is it's flexibility. You pick which courses you want, pick the order, and order only what you like. Many times a simple salad and pasta is more than enough, or just spaghetti with clams and a bottle of house wine.

Let's take a look at the different types of places to go out for dinner.

The pizzeria. Probably one of the most popular spots for American families. A fair price, big servings (each person gets their own pizza), local dishes prepared by the owner, beverages, dessert, and caffe or an after dinner cordial. As an example, the local pizzeria down the street charges between $3.50 to $6.00 dollars for a pizza, about $3.00 for a litre of house wine (a little more than a quart), and $1.20 per person "coperto", which is a small charge for use of the table, silver, linens, etc. Basically, once you choose your table, you have rented it for the evening, and may stay as long as you like, regardless of how much or little you order to eat or drink. Not a bad deal at all, two people, two pizzas, a bottle of wine, for as little as $12.00.

The trattoria. One step above the pizzeria is the trattoria, or what we would call a small home style restaurant. Many have pizza, in addition to seafood, pasta, appetizers, and a limited number of second courses. These are simple, small, affordable restaurants. You may have a waiter, or "Mama" may take your order, send it to the kitchen, or go cook it herself. These are plentiful around the Naples area, and no two are alike. It is not unusual to see the children playing near the trattoria while mom and dad do most of the work, and each family takes great pride in the quality and service they give their customers.

The Restaurante. This is more upscale than any of the above, and can truly be the fine Italian dining you've pictured from the movies. If the whole evening is planned around going out to dinner, complete with candlelight, violins, formal waiters and valet parking, you will not have to travel far. With seven or more courses, the relaxation and conversations between friends or lovers, formal service, and excellent food and wine, the evening can be turned into a grand event, beginning about eight for the early diners, and going sometimes well past two in the morning.

Other Restaurants. Tired of Italian? With a little help, you can find the hidden restaurants of Naples. Downtown, there are Chinese, Greek, Spanish, German, French, and "American" restaurants. The service remains Italian, but the menus focus on the foods of the country, and generally, the cooking is authentic.

Food on the run. What about lunch, or while shopping when you don't want a full meal? In each neighborhood or in the downtown area, there are always numerous sandwich shops or stands, pastry shops, coffee bars, and deli counters. Almost every grocery will make you a sandwich to order at the meat and bread counters, and of course there is always pizza, sold by the slice to walk away with.

American Style fast food. If you have children, the question will be heard over and over....what about fast food, what about Burgers and Fries? On base, there is currently a Subway Sandwich Shop, and the NEX operates a Fast Food Restaurant similar to Wendy's with burgers, fries, chicken sandwiches, kid's meals, and sodas. There is a Hot Dog stand near the exchange, a Baskin-Robbins, and the Runway Cafe and Sports Bar at Capodichino. There are McDonald's in downtown Naples, but prices are very high compared to back in the States, with a distinct difference in taste.

Always be willing to experiment, don't order the same thing every time! The owner of one of our favorite restaurants complains constantly about Americans who eat only two things during their whole tour, carbonara and calamari. Many have never tried the dozens of other items from the menu. or the daily specials, which are excellent.