Description: qui tutto e buono
Strolling along Shelter Harbor's marina, contemplating the remains of the day, we caught sight of an authentic looking Italian restaurant. Under a low green awning diner's have views overlooking the harbor surrounded by the overall Mediterranean look of the enclave where sailboats and fishing boats remain docked until sunrise. Inside, a spotlighted art niche sporting a sculpture of Venus is tucked into the stucco walls, decorated with frescos that have been summoned right out of an Italian villa. A rap on the door found someone vacuuming the floors but nevertheless willing to take our reservation for that evening's repast.
The foresight was a good thing. Hours later we returned to find the restaurant bubbling with excited diners and rushing waiters, hailing one another in broken English and Italian. A wine list abruptly presented by our hurried, yet somehow still charming server, revealed Brunello Di Montalcino, my husband's favorite. One sip took us back to Rome, where we'd enjoyed the same bottle at the Hotel Eden.
All this authenticity is understandable when you learn that Peter Landwehr, Swiss by birth and a longtime resident and restauranteur of Hilton Head, is married to an Italian and spent nine years in his wife's homeland learning the art of the Italian table. So, of course the pasta is homemade! Of course, the sauces are terrific! Of course, the ambiance of old Italy is represented most faithfully.
The busy family of seven at the next table were, however, firm reminders that we were still in the American family-style resort of Hilton Head island. A glance around the room proved that this restaurant is a favorite of children and adults alike, as the under twelve crowd made up a good percentage of the dining population.
As the evening wore on, the moms and pops wore out one by one and carried their little ones out toward the ice cream shop around the corner. We settled further into our cushy booth under the light of the "Venus" and let our imaginations wander through our plates of Angel Hair Mediterraneo (seafood and pasta in a cream sauce, with spinach and basil) and Filet Mignon al Barolo, a relief from all that shellfish!
Since we'd had the calamari and caprese salad for appetizers, we had no room for the traditional Italian desserts: tiramisu, cannolis, and gelato. Instead, we sipped the remainder of the Barolo and enjoyed the new-found quiet which revealed a recording of Boccelli in the background. Afterward, we strolled the harbor once again then headed toward the statue of King Neptune which guards the entrance to the marina and pointed the way to our parking spot.
"Good choice," my husband remarked once we were inside the car. After turning the key he added, "When do you want to go to back to Italy?"
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