pranzo fit for a president

In between pizza and gelato, I planned a few splurgy meals. One was a late lunch at Michelin-starred President in Pompei. President is Paolo Gramaglia's passionate vision, cozy and ambitious but always delicious and satisfying.

It's a white sunny room, a great contrast to the black minimalism of Retrobottega, where I ate Tuesday and was competently but coolly served. At President, I was greeted by name and warmly welcomed with champagne. How could I not try the tasting menu under the circumstances?

The wine list had many reasonable bottle prices. But was worried if I got the wine pairing about hauling my suitcases up to the B&B in Naples. That turned out to be a valid concern.

The first bite was...a taco!

Bread service to please the eyes

I had a glass of this gorgeous piedirosso–merlot–cab blend. I love discovering new varietals, and Italy has a lot obscure grapes.

Look away, vegetarians! First course was buffalo tartare. And it was magnificent.

Paolo's egg is cooked at a low temperature and served with shaved truffles over a cheese fondue. The striped rings are puree of roasted peppers.

 Pasta with burrata and chicken, adorned with adorable mushrooms.

And finally, the duck breast. Delectable.

 This aloe and citrus sorbet won the award for best presentation.

Today's dessert was a brilliant rendition of baba au rum. Which I don't think I'd ever eaten. Not with whipped cream and custard and amarena cherries. It was a splendid over the top meal, made with skill and imagination and a lot of soul. The only thing that would have made it better was the right company.

Who wants to come to Pompei next time? Maybe we can try something from that enormous (and reasonable) wine list.

On my way to the train, I passed the Hotel Diana, but resisted going in. Instead I'm at my B&B in Naples, watching commercials for Parmesan.

Tomorrow: pizza all over Napoli.