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We hope you will enjoy this new addition to our site which has come from a suggestion, and a good one although restaurant reviews will test my shaky writing skills to the full but the recipes I hope Liz will contribute I just have copy which will help but at the moment she is refusing to give any away I just hope the reviews will reflect the overall quality of the food. Firstly the most obvious thing to strike anyone coming here for the first time is the different way most places run in relation to almost anywhere else you go, even in some of the most up market establishments you will not find to much in the way of over the top service and pretensions of grandeur and most people will be struck by the brightness of the lighting and general lack of decoration. Almost without exception all the bars cafes restaurants and hotels are family run which works well (well nearly) except when you end up somewhere where some family member has gotten the sticky end of the stick by being the waiter, and it is only to obvious they would much rather be doing anything except being there. Apart from Pizzerias and the odd place you will not find a menu so you just struggle through and let them serve you what they are doing that day but be prepared for a treat with whatever they bring. You will find in the vast majority of restaurants at least one television maybe more always with different channels on, and along with the general noise of the locals you are never left in any doubt that you are there to have an “Italian” meal enjoy the evening and the wine and go home happy without burning to big a hole in your pocket. The overall feeling you will get from all restaurants except maybe just one or two is that you have just arrived at mamas kitchen, which in most cases you have!.
There is a downside to mamas cooking though but I know the locals with their deep traditions would never agree with me and maybe not you either, but when you have lived for several months on a staple diet of Pasta, Pizza, and Polenta one does crave a slight change. No one has been brave enough to try and start a restaurant serving anything less than local dishes even fish is normally only found on the coast let alone “foreign” food in the local area. There are two Chinese Restaurants in two of the main towns and quite look the part, but they do not serve Chinese food the way most of us would recognise it bread sticks on the tables and antipasto starters followed by what tastes as though it is “boil in the bag” imported bland mass produced stuff with no flavour, For me unless you like bland food don’t bother. So until some enterprising people come in with authentic Indian, Chinese, Thai, or dare I say it English fare when you dine out it will always be local Italian but delicious with it. One day someone will make a fortune in this area with an international restaurant, the locals may not come but there is an ever growing band of European and other nationalities settling here so it would be almost by reservation only after a very short time.
But in the meantime Liz has pretty much mastered some great International recipes so when we need a change we stay at home in “Liz’s Place” and have a great meal here, so far she is still saying no to putting her recipes on this page but we will see. I now have my first review which will be my favourite restaurant in this area and as luck would have it my most local it is typical mamas kitchen two televisions lots of noise and were off there tomorrow night with good friends so roll on a good night at
“Le Querce”
Food Festivals in our regionMay
San Venanzo (our home)‘Sagra de li Vincigrassi’- late May a food and music
festival based on a lasagne dish
June
Pianello (near Cagli) - Sagra della Lumaca (snails) - mid-June
Apiro (near Cingoli) - Sagra del formaggio pecorino (pecorino cheese)
July
Sefro (near Camerino) - Festa della Pizza - early July
Matelica - Sagra della Rana (frogs)
Ostra Vetere (near Corinaldo) - Festa della trota (trout) - earlyJuly
Montemarciano (near Senigallia) - Sagra del pesce (fish)
Corinaldo - polenta festival on third Sunday in July to commemorate the time when the town's people successfully resisted a siege thanks to copious supplies of the stuff.
Sefro (near Camerino) - Festa del Tortellino alla boscaiola (pasta) - late July Castelplanio (near Jesi) - Sagra della crescia sul panaro (stuffed flat bread) - last Sunday of July Ostra Vetere (near Corinaldo) - Sapori ed Aromi di Casa Nostra - late July - local food, music and a procession of old farm machines
August
Monte Vidon Combatte (near Fermo) - Sagra delle quaglie (quails) - 1st Sunday
Sassoferrato - Sagra del Cinghiale (wild boar)
Cingoli - Sagra di prosciutto e melone
San Severino Marche - Sagra della ceca (chick peas)
Staffolo (near Cingoli) - Festa del Verdicchio (verdicchio wine festival)
Fermo - Sagra delle vongole (shell fish)Serra San Quirico (near Fabriano) - Sagra del coniglio in porchetta (roast rabbit with fennel)
Monteprandone (near San Benedetto del Tronto)- Sagra delle olive fritte (fried stuffed olives)
Pedaso - Sagra Nazionale delle cozze (mussels)
Massignano (near Ascoli Piceno) - Sagra delle frittelle (omelettes)
Vererotta (near Ascoli Piceno) - Sagra della vitella allo spiedo (spit-roast veal)
Loro Piceno - Sagra del Vin Cotto (a sweet "cooked" wine)
September
Apiro (near Cingoli) - Sagra della polenta
Montecassiano - Sagra del pesce (fish)
Cupramontana - grape festival in the heart of Verdicchio wine country
Piandimileto (near Urbino) - Mushroom fair
Lapedona (near Fermo) - Sagra del Vino Cotto (the Marche version of Vin Santo)
Fermo - Sagra della Polenta
Arcevia - Sagra dell'uva (grape festival)
October
Acqualagna (near Cagli) - Fiera nazionale del tartufo (truffle fair) - last weekend in October and first two weekends in November.
Acquasanta Terme (near Ascoli Piceno) - Festa d'autunno (autumn produce)
Montemonaco (near Ascoli Piceno) - Sagra della Castagna (chestnut) Castelsantengelo sul Nera (near Visso) - Sagra del Marrone Castellano (chestnut)
Sant'Agata Feltria - White Truffle fair
Santo'Angelo in Vado (near Urbino) - Mostra del tartufo bianco (white truffle)
November
Monte San Martino Vino Nuova Novello (New wine and chestnut)
Talamello (near San Leo) - Formaggio di Fossa cheese fair
Acqualagna (near Cagli) - truffle fair - last weekend in October and first three weekends in November.
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