trust the spirit
look. i’m from jersey, and i know diners.
as i’ve traveled most of the good ol’ usa in my time, and a healthy amount of foreign soils, i have always been convinced that jersey was the one and only true home of the diner. in fact, the jersey diner, should be referred to as such—the jersey diner—so as to differentiate it from all the other greasy spoons, box cars, and drive-ins guy fieri might shovel down his gullet.
i couldn’t give a stronger recommendation than to visit agriturismo locanda del gallo. i wish i had some sort of ihoc rating system i could utilize to describe its greatness. ebert would excavate siskel to find enough thumbs to express his like. a truly unforgettable mecca of nature and peace. this is a shot on our (overcast) approach to the gallo. the house and jah’s green hills. nothing else.
I'm High On Cooking | in Food, Travel, VIDEOS | tagged italy, locanda del gallo, olives, slow food 
before beginning ihoc i had never read a blog in my life. and even after i began chronicling my story, i still avoided reading other blogs for fear that being influenced by others’ ideas would somehow make mine less original or unique. but now, a year and a half after sharing my days with you, i have certainly read my fair share of others’ blogs, mostly food related, and have developed preferences. one thing that always bothers me about food writing is the tendency towards superlatives. how can every single dish and every single bite be pure poetry? i just get easily bored reading about people’s dinners, and how magical and sumptuous they always are. i know, pot calling the kettle black.
and so with that out of the way, i bring you the BEST lunch, at our new FAVORITE restaurant in the whole WORLD: osteria cassia vetus.
I'm High On Cooking | in Food, Restaurants, Travel | tagged gelato, italy, locanda casanuova, osteria cassia vetus, slow food dank woods, approaching musty. a keen nose—this case, bobby, our truffle hunting hound—and years of experience—imperio, the eighty year old master, and francesco, the recipient of thirty years of his truffle hunting know-how. after two hours of hunting for the elusive, coveted, glorified white truffle—following a dog this way and that—watching the hunter control the dog with swift hands, and control the truffles with gentle probes—the price tag on this fungi started to make a bit more sense. one thing’s for sure, finding a small white knob buried beneath endless hectares of old growth forest is no simple task.
the pay day, however, for anyone with a nose and a mouth, is well worth the time.
I'm High On Cooking | in Food, Travel, VIDEOS | tagged barbialla nuova, italy, slow food. agriturismo, truffle hunt, white truffle 
