We ate lunch outside next to the Piazza Duomo at Cantina Foresi.  We enjoyed a 2009 Orvieto Classico Superior with four items from the cheese and meat section of the menu. Misto de Chinghiale (a trio of wild boar sausage, prosciutto and salami), Formagio al Tartufo (local pecorino w/ black truffles), Salsiccia al Tartufo (sausage w/ black truffles) and Porchetta (cold roast pork stuffed w/ herbs and fennel).  The wine was fantastic and the cheese and meat was an awesome introduction to our countryside journey. 

We strolled among the shops along the narrow streets for about an hour or so and Bob and I decided it was time for another taste of the local libation.  We stopped at Le Grotte del Funaro and sat outside overlooking the valley below while we enjoyed a bottle of 2008 Orvieto Bianco.

We departed Orvieto for our villa La Cipressina, which after several wrong turns and some cursing at my navigator we arrived one hour later than we had planned.  Of course it would have helped if there were road signs, house numbers or even a name on the villa but we are in Tuscana, who needs such superficial things.  After meeting the villa owner Maurizio, he gave us a tour of his beautifully restored 19^th century villa situated among several vineyards with a spectacular view of Montepulciano to the west.  Maurizio is a wine maker and owns some of the surrounding vineyards as well as a small orchard next to the villa.  He offered us a tour of his vines and a tasting for the following day, gave us several recommendations and bid us farewell.

 We where off to dinner in Montepulciano, a town known for the world famous Vino Nobile di Montepulciano which is grown and produced in the surrounding countryside.  Of course for those young ladies reading, you may know it from the Twilight Saga New Moon as the town where Edward tried to pull a Romeo in the piazza. 

We chose a restaurant renowned for a dish call Mantecato di Farro al radicchio rosso (barley risotto with radicchio salad), Trattoria Diva & Maceo.  We started our dinner with an Antipasto platter and Ribollita Toscana (bread soup w/ beans and cabbage), followed by the house specialt, along with Pici al Ragu (pasta w/ meat sauce and tomato), Pappardelle al Cinghiale (ribbon pasta w/ wild boar), Maremmano in Fonduta di Pecorino e pepe (ravioli w/ pecorino sauce and pepper).  We were less aggressive with the last course which consisted of Salsiccie e Lenticchie (sausage w/ lentels), Cinghiale alla Cacciatora (wild boar in tomato sauce), cipollini onions w/ pecorino sauce and braised fennel gratinee.  The dinner was fantastic even though our server who was also the owner (Diva) shushed us for obvious reasons.   

The drive back on the gravel roads to La Cipressina was quite interesting and I was thankful for the driving experience I had growing up in rural Pennsylvania.   With the stars shining in full force we had a night cap on the terrace and were off to bed.

Before we could gain our composure the chef sent out several plates of risotto with ripe melon & sautéed prosciutto.  Everyone at our table and the entire restaurant had received the course before I did, then placed before me was a large wooden platter topped with a huge sauté pan that contained the remains of the course.  Yes, I ended up eating this course from the pan.  We had now consumed seven courses and had no idea what was coming next.  Polite as they were and with our best effort to speak the native language, we could not communicate with any real understanding.  As quick as this course was cleared our 8th course arrived.  A simple rigatoni cooked al dente w/ a baby cherry tomato sauce and spicy arugula.

We knew there had to be a meat course coming and it arrived right on schedule.  A braised pork dish with a natural jus flavored with rosemary and roasted garlic.  The pig apparently had been butchered before being given a chance to shave and many of the randomly butchered pieces had its natural bristles still attached.  Bob and I were fine with this chalking it up to extra fiber, but Wendy and Lisa felt the swine should have been given a proper shave.  The one healthy glimmer in the evening was the small plate of sautéed spinach that accompanied our hairy dish.

The finale came in the form of panna cotta, Wendy’s favorite.  This version had a bit too much gelatin and the accompanying caramel sauce was slightly overcooked.  Dessert was served with a traditional digestive (Amaro Jannamico), the bottle was placed on the table and poured at our discretion.   We left the restaurant beyond satisfied and made our way back to the hotel wondering what surprises the sunrise would bring.   

After our 30 min drive to Rome we realized none of us actually had a map of the city. No problem, we are experienced travelers. Ok after another 30 minutes of aimlessly driving around we stopped at a randome hotel to get a map and ask directions. Five minutes later we were at our destination.

No time to waste, we were off on foot to take in the sites and nibble on the local fare.

First stop the Spanish Steps. Of course after observing the steps for a less than 30 seconds it was decided it was time for a beer and pizza with spicy salami at Ritorno al Passato. We all agreed it was delicious.

Next stop Trevi fountains. The fountains were of course beautiful, but once again we agreed it was time to try some more food. We stopped at an alley cafe named Vicolo Scavolino for some house white wine and shared the daily special of pasta w/ tuna and red sauce and fried calamari. Once again, simple and delicious.

No we were off to the Pantheon. After another exhausting 15 min tour we decided is was again time to find a cafe to relax. We chose Trattoria al Pantheon overlooking the piazza. We orderd a bottle of house white and this time tried the fried octopus. This was even better than the squid. At this point our heads were about to hit the table and it wasn’t because of the wine. The lack of sleep was starting to take it’s toll.

We returned to our hotel at 3:30 to check in, shower and take a 2 hour nap. At 6pm sharp we were up, dressed and ready to hit the town for more sites and dinner.

We took a taxi to the Colloseum. The sun was setting and there were several bridal parties taking photos. It was absolutly gorgous and the ruins looked nice to. The site seeing was again starting to wear us done so we were forced to stop for a quick appetizer at La Vecchia Conca Ristora.  Back to beer this time we ordered Bresseola (curred & dried beef tenderloin sliced thin) and fried squash blossoms w/ anchoivies. The perfect pick me up after such a cruely tour.

A bit more walking around and it was time to go to dinner at Ristorante Piccolo Abruzzo. We had no idea what we were about to experience. (It is time to depart Rome so I will have to finish this story later. Trust me it is worth the wait.)

I first met Bob in 1991 when I took a position with Clipper Cruise Line as Hotel Manager working on board a small coastal cruise ship named the Nantucket Clipper. I was 23 years old and had been working for Walt Disney World in Florida as a food & beverage manager at the Norwegian pavilion at EPCOT Center.

Bob graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1980 and accepted the position of Chef de Parte for Holland America Cruise line where he worked onboard for four years before being recruited in 1984 to help start up Clipper Cruise Line. Clipper ships were smaller, more intimate, sailed with an all American crew and were considered more upscale. Sometimes referred to as ultra yachts, these ships were very exclusive and offered the best food and service available onboard at the time.

I first met Bob in 1991 in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands on what we called turnaround day. The day the current cruise passengers depart and the new group arrive for the upcoming cruise. Bob was Director of Culinary Services in charge of all the chefs for the cruise line. He had been sent to St. Thomas to ensure that a 30 day supply of food and dry goods was delivered to the ship safely and would then sail on board for a few days to check on my performance as a newly trained Hotel Manager, as well as work with the culinary staff. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Bob’s knowledge of onboard operations and his unwavering method of delivering this information would become invaluable to me throughout my hospitality career. Bob’s ability to badger anyone into submission, while at the same time gaining their trust and friendship, to this day still amazes me.

Over the course of my nine years with Clipper, Bob and I became good friends and partners in operating the onboard food and beverage services for a growing luxury adventure travel company. We saw a great deal of the world together traveling to, from and onboard the ships, but neither of us ever lost sight of why we were there in the first place. Our goal was to always try and improve what was being offered to our passengers and continually train and mentor our staff.

I left Clipper in the fall of 2009 to pursue my dream of owning my own business. Bob’s loyalty to the company ended in 2008 after 23 years when the company was sold for a third time to a competing travel firm. Needless to say, we were very excited the day Bob accepted the General Manager position at Eleven Eleven. It is not often you get to work with someone with his culinary knowledge, not to mention such a good friend.

Next stop Rome!  We are scheduled to land at 8:30am.

We are leaveing tomorrow for the ultimate food fantasy vacation. Oh yea, this isn’t vacation, it is actually work. I knew there was a reason I loved my job. Check in daily to find out where we are and what we have discovered besides our cloths getting tighter.

But wait, there’s more!! After Tuscany we are traveling to St. Remy de Provence to meet up with Kirby Jones our Executive Sous Chef at Vin de Set. Again, this will be our first time back to this region since we traveled there with Ivy before opening Vin de Set in 2006. Kirby has a great deal of experience in a variety of French kitchen’s and is well versed in Provencal cuisine, but he has never traveled to this region as a culinary observer. After one trip Wendy and I conceived the concept of Vin de Set. To say this area of the world is inspiring is, once again, an understatement. If you can’t tell, we are serious about what we do and are passionate about the cuisine we offer to the St. Louis dining community. Join us this fall for the most authentic cuisine from these two regions you will find in our city. To share in our culinary journey follow us on our blog from September 3rd to September 20th.

At Moulin 2010 brings a new event space on the rooftop dedicated to private events.  We finished consruction on it in late 2009, but were only able to use it a couple of times once the weather turned so 2010 will mark the 1st full season.  In addition to the private rooftop deck, we are starting plans for the cellar of the Centennial Malt House.  1st step is the build-out and refining the use of the new space, but if anyone has ever seen it,  you know it is one of the coolest spaces in the building.

In March of 2009 we started the Centennial Beer Festival as a one day tasting  and have expanded it this year to include a Friday Brewmaster dinner, Saturday Tasting, VIP Beer session and a Sunday Pub bus the last weekend of January.   What a great way to get out of the winter funk.

Moulin also was able to finish the year with the strongest October and December in it’s brief four year history.  As a reward we are going back to Las Vegas for the Catersource show   This show encompasses everything catering, banquets and events and last time we returned with a wealth of knowledge on new trends, ideas and direction.  Julia Eubanks ,Corporate Sales Manager, Tony Cole, Executive Chef, Amanda Hazel, Banquet Captain and I will be headed out there in March and will look forward to sharing our ideas and bringing other ideas back to St. Louis.

All the best in the New Year and please stop down to say hello.  Cheers.

We have always found that as planners finish up their summer vactions, they start to focus in on planning the rest of the year out that includes the meetings, retirements, birthdays and holdiay get-togethers.  Even though this October has not been great weather wise, it can be a great month to plan a party.  The good news is that people are actively booking November and December events, which gives us a more optimistic view of the economy.

We are also looking forward to the re-opening of the highway 40/64 project which is the easiest and most convenient way to get here for most of our guests from Clayton, Ladue, Chesterfield and points west.  It can only help all of the businesses and events downtown and from  a personal standpoint should help congestion on all of the other highways in town.

Couple of things on our radar for the next 3 months:

Now-December-Holiday planning will be in full swing.  Maybe the budgets are tighter, but companies are thanking their employees for hanging tough in these uncertain, but improving times.

Holiday season-Valentines day-This has traditionally been the busiest engagement months and venues are the first or second decision a bride and groom make (ceremony site and dress are also a top priority.)

January-2nd Annual Wedding Open House with our preferred vendors.  All future brides, grroms and families are welcome.

Jan 29th-Jan31st-2nd Annual Centennial Beer Festival Weekend.

Looking forward to a busy and prosperous year for all.  Cheers.