The Last Supper

Following this interview, it was time to load up the car and take my parents to the airport. My mom and dad had an early morning flight on Monday the 12th of November and Pisa airport is about 75 minutes away from the castle. For this reason we decided to drive to Pisa the night before and have my parents stay in a hotel so they would not have to wake up in the middle of the night. Just prior to us leaving, I remembered a book that my friend Claire Leahny gave me titled “The Culinary Traveler” which is a book written by a Tuscan woman about the different regions of Tuscany and the local restaurants that she has frequented. There was just one restaurant in the Pisa area in the book called “La Traverna Dei Gabbiani”. La Traverna is a simply eatery owned by two bothers Dino and Mario. Mario is the chef and Dino perhaps the most charming waiter/host we have ever had (Pretty sure that the charm is aided by some type of stimulant!). There is no menu as they only serve what was caught that day.

Above you have read the validations of my parents about the food quality here in Italy, so hopefully when I say that this was the greatest fish meal of our lives, you will know that I am not exaggerating! In fact, I will go so far as to say that this was one of the top five meals I have ever eaten! We started with a puréed sea bass that was mixed with egg less mayonnaise and olive oil. It was to die for, when spread on top of bread that had been dipped in this seasons freshly pressed olive oil. The best part is that I have the recipe :>). This was followed by the best calamari I have ever had. But what really solidifies it, is that my dad (Who has eaten more calamari in his life than anyone on earth) confirmed it was the best he had ever eaten as well! The calamari, was so tender it melted in your mouth and was sautéed in olive oil, with arugala, tomatoes, basil and lemon. The next dish was an all world pasta dish made with homemade pasta (Tagietelle Noodles) with an amazing light tomato based fish sauce (This is a recipe I would love to have). Mr. Trey ate two huge helpings. We finished with shrimp and calamari fritti (Fried calamari and shrimp) which was accompanied by some of the best French fries we have ever eaten! Following are some quotes from the table:
Anna: “The best calamari EVER”

Trey: “The pasta was magnificent!”

Jim Braheem: “It doesn’t rank on a scale of one to ten on fish meals as its by far the best I have ever had!”

Jim Braheem: “I would ruin these fries with ketchup!”

Lucy Braheem: “Thumbs way up on the fries”

I cant think of a better final memory of Italy for my parents!