To eat well.
Eating well is definitely a perk when visiting Italy and it’s
hard to eat better than a pizza! For a thin crust lover like me, Italy is a
treasure trove of deliciousness. The pizzerias are plentiful (in my
area they are HUGE spaces!) with a million toppings and cheeses to choose from.
It usually takes me a good 10-15 minutes to decide which pizza I want from the
2-inch thick menu.
The other night we were craving pizza but didn’t want to
make it ourselves and our favorite “da asporto” (take-away/delivery) pizza
place was closed for vacation, so we decided to go out. This time we went to a pizzeria called Hugel
Keller in Montegrotto Terme (near Padova, in Veneto). The name Hugel Keller
basically means “Cellar of the Hills” in German (there are a lot of German tourist
in this area) and the name is fitting - from the expanse of wood used in the décor
to the list of beers it serves. The menu is extensive with a ton of pizza
options and a very friendly staff. There
are small intimate tables and HUGE tables that seat about 20, both indoors and
outdoors. The atmosphere is casual and cozy, and the pizza is delicious.
On this particular night, I decided to get a pizza with
tomato sauce, mozzarella, Chiodini mushrooms (don’t know the American
equivalent to these but they are good), and salamino picante, which is kind of
like pepperoni in America. S. got a pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella,
porcini mushrooms and speck, which is an air-dried lightly smoked ham. Both pizzas came out bubbling hot and oh my, were
they good. The crust is crisp and flavorful, the salamino spicy, the cheese
abundant but not too much so - Italians are wizards at what I like to call “abundant
moderation”; they put just enough ingredients on/in things without going
overboard. I have yet to learn that skill. Accompany all that with an ice cold
coke (or beer if you prefer) and the sublime is attained. (sorry the lighting is not great in the pics below)
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| My pizza |
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| S. Pizza |
The pizzeria has been open for 20+ years and was one of the
first restaurants I ever went to in Italy, way back when S and I were dating. I remember the place clearly as it had a big “Don’t
Mess with Texas” sticker on the front door, which was highly amusing for this
Texan. It was such a random find, who would’ve thought? Sadly, the sticker is
gone now as they have expanded and remodeled over the years. BUT, one thing
still remains – the pizza is cheesy, hot and outstanding!
More later…
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