The orecchiette pugliese at I Trulli in Ramstein, Germany, were delicious. The ear-shaped pasta were served with olive oil, basil and cherry tomatoes and topped with a parmesan-like cheese made of ewe and cow milk from southern Italy. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The orecchiette pugliese at I Trulli in Ramstein, Germany, were delicious. The ear-shaped pasta were served with olive oil, basil and cherry tomatoes and topped with a parmesan-like cheese made of ewe and cow milk from southern Italy. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The antipasto della casa at I Trulli, an Italian restaurant in Ramstein, Germany. The assortment of starters differs according to what the chef cooks up. On this day it was, clockwise from bottom left, a meatball in tomato sauce, a bite of eggplant parmigiana, grilled mushrooms, bruschetta, aged pecorino, and warm cheese wrapped in bacon, with a spot of caprese at center. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Trulli (singular Trullo) are traditional dry stone huts with conical roofs found in the Apulia region of Italy; they give the Italian restaurant in Ramstein its name. A picture of huts is painted on one of the restaurant's walls. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
A bottle of mineral water and a glass of dry rosé went well with a good Italian meal at I Trulli restaurant in Ramstein, Germany. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The I Trulli menu said the tiramisu was homemade, and it looked and tasted like it, too. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
A hot, strong espresso finished off a delicious meal at I Trulli in Ramstein, Germany. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Inside I Trulli, an Italian restaurant in Ramstein, Germany. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
I Trulli, an Italian restaurant in Ramstein, Germany, has a nice big terrace for al fresco dining when the weather is good. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
I have to come back someday.
That was my thought as I slurped the last drops of espresso after an excellent meal.
This was a couple of years ago, when I was staying in Ramstein overnight to catch an early flight the next day. In search of a place for dinner, I had come across I Trulli, an Italian restaurant.
Recently the opportunity came to go back, and I jumped at it.
The restaurant gets its name from the traditional dry stone huts with conical roofs, known as trulli (singular trullo), found in Italy’s Apulia region. The restaurant is not in a trullo, unfortunately, but in a modern building on the edge of Ramstein’s town center.
There is a large terrace for al fresco dining when the weather permits. Inside, yellow leather chairs and dark wood tables make for a comfy atmosphere.
I Trulli’s menu is manageable — about a handful of selections for each course, a little larger assortment of pizza and a small choice of daily specials.
For a starter, I tried the antipasto della casa, a selection of appetizers. Out came a plate of eight hors d’oeuvres: a meatball in tomato sauce, a bite of eggplant parmigiana, grilled mushrooms, bruschetta, aged pecorino, and warm cheese wrapped in bacon surrounding a spot of caprese at center. All tasted good, especially the tart pecorino, but I was a bit disappointed that the plate didn’t include carpaccio or vitello tonnato, two antipasto classics on the menu.
The restaurant has a nice selection of reasonably priced wines by the bottle and a more limited choice if you order by the glass. I chose a rosé from Veneto that complemented my meal.
For a main course, I debated whether to go for pizza, pasta or a meat dish. The pizza called Michelle was tempting — it came with pepperoni sausage, sheep’s cheese, fresh tomatoes, garlic and pepperoni.
I went with the orecchiette pugliese from the daily specials. For two reasons: Pugliese means “from Puglia,” the Italian word for Apulia, so something local seemed appropriate, and the dish sounded tasty. It was. The ear-shaped pasta were served with olive oil, basil and cherry tomatoes, topped with a Parmesan-like cheese made of ewe and cow milk from southern Italy. The mild oil, the tangy cheese and the basil complemented one another, with the tomatoes giving it all a fruity kick.
There was no question of what to have for dessert. The menu said homemade tiramisu. It looked like it and it tasted like it. Delicious. Again, a cup of dark, strong espresso finished off a satisfying meal at I Trulli.
