Living
After Hours: Trattoria da Gemma in Amalfi, Italy
Stars and Stripes
January 28, 2011
In the foreground, one of Trattoria da Gemma's signature dishes: large, tube-shaped pasta with Genovese sauce -- a spiced, onion and meat blend. In the background, a bowl of lentil soup with pork ribs confit, perfect for a cold day. (Sandra Jontz/Stars and Stripes)
In the foreground, one of Trattoria da Gemma's signature dishes: large, tube-shaped pasta with Genovese sauce -- a spiced, onion and meat blend. In the background, a bowl of lentil soup with pork ribs confit, perfect for a cold day. (Sandra Jontz/Stars and Stripes)
A waiter at the Trattoria da Gemma cleans the salt crust from the catch of the day. The local fish can be can be baked in a salt crust, grilled or poached. (Sandra Jontz/Stars and Stripes)
Before serving, a waiter at Trattoria da Gemma in Amalfi, Italy, cleans the salt crust from the catch of the day -- fresh local fish. (Sandra Jontz/Stars and Stripes)
One of the specialties at Trattoria da Gemma in Amalfi, Italy, is this dish: homemade ravioli filled with goat cheese and served with cherry tomatoes, basil and freshly grated cheese. (Sandra Jontz/Stars and Stripes)
The Trattoria da Gemma in Amalfi, Italy, offers imaginative dishes in an attractive town on Italy's Amalfi Coast. (Sandra Jontz/Stars and Stripes)
As if the delicious and fresh cuisine of Trattoria da Gemma wasn’t enough of an incentive, patrons of the restaurant in Amalfi, Italy, are further spoiled by an elegant environment and a terrace overlooking the main street of this attractive coastal town.
Escaping the chaos of downtown Naples to the celebrated Amalfi coast — and the town that provided the name for the spectacular 15-mile coastline — is practically a necessity if you want to keep your sanity intact.
The coastal trek is a gift for the eyes and soul, so make sure you treat the stomach, too. That is easily done at da Gemma, a traditional trattoria focusing on fresh, mostly fish-based, southern Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.
The restaurant’s niche dining are dishes made from the freshest catch of the day, from fish soup to sea bass baked in salt.
Other specialties include paccheri Genovese, a sweet marrying of Neapolitan large-tube macaroni with a spiced, meat-based sauce from northern Italy; risotto topped with raw sweet shrimp; an appetizer with marinated tuna carpaccio; and a variety of desserts with chocolate, including chocolate eggplant flan served with buffalo cheese ice cream.
The restaurant also boasts an excellent wine cellar, stocking a large selection of Campania regional wine in addition to many others from throughout Italy.
While delicious, the food is not exactly cheap. Appetizers run between 14 euros and 18 euros for marinated anchovies with rocket salad to the citrus-marinated tuna carpaccio. Other starter specialties include grilled octopus and smoked mozzarella cheese grilled in lemon leaves.
Trattoria da Gemma offers pasta and rice dishes priced in the same range as appetizers, a nice sampling of fish dishes, but only two meat options, a fillet of beef and lamb; both tallying 26 euros for the pleasure.
And as is typically Italian, there are no shortages of desserts. In addition to the several chocolate choices, you can choose from among a creamy Amalfitan custard and cherry tart, crepes stuffed with buffalo ricotta cheese, classic tiramisu, plus a selection of ice creams and sorbets.
Since the restaurant is in a popular tourist destination, menus are in Italian and English and the wait staff easily navigates language barriers. The restaurant has seating for about 60 people, and reservations are highly recommended
Trattoria da gemma
Location: Via Fra Gerardo Sasso, 11, Amalfi.
Directions: The restaurant is just off Amalfi’s main street past the Duomo, or main cathedral. Amalfi is about 45 miles south of Naples via A3 to Vietri sul Mare and then west along the coastal road to Amalfi.
Hours: The restaurant is open daily except Wednesdays from 12:30 to 3 p.m. for lunch and 7:30 to 11 p.m. for dinner.
Food: A mix of Italian and international cuisine, featuring seafood and fresh ingredients.
Prices: On the high side, with appetizers and first courses ranging between 14 and 18 euros, and second dishes with fresh fish or meat costing from 20 to 30 euros. One of the house specialities — a traditional fish soup made from a 140-year-old recipe — costs 80 euros for a minimum of two people.
Clientele: Tourists
English menu: Yes
Reservations: Highly recommended
Web site: www.trattoriadagemma.com; there is an English-language version and a map for the restaurant
E-mail:info@trattoriadagemma.com
Phone: 089-871-345