No Menu

Savvy travelers know that you have the best experiences when you stray from the official agenda and open yourself up to some surprises. In Italy, there's hardly a shortage of fabulous food - but rather than painstakingly ordering only dishes that your dog-eared guide book recommends, sometimes it's more fun to go someplace where the decisions are made for you.

Peppe Barba doesn't ask what you want; he announces what you'll have.

That's where Peppe Barba comes in.

Menus? You won't need them at La Tagliata (Montepertuso, Tel. 39-089-87-5872), Peppe's rustic restaurant nestled high in the hills of Montepertuso, just outside of the glamorous resort town of Positano.

At the family-run restaurant overlooking the ocean, Peppe doesn't ask what you want; he announces what you'll have. Don't speak Italian? Then you wouldn't have known what you were getting even if you had looked at the menu, so it all evens out.

Peppe might let you choose between meat and fish . . . the key word being "might."

But then again it just "might" be the meal of your life. Whatever is brought to your table is sure to be simple and incredible, whether it's bistecca Fiorentina, a fresh catch from the sea, braised rabbit, the Limoncello the area is famous for, or a pair of delicious plums picked right from the garden outside.

Between the children running around under the trees outside and the waiters gesticulating enthusiastically, there's never a dull moment under the Barba roof. Watching the meals being served (usually on the area's famous Vietri dishes is like watching a piece of theater unfold; each course is presented with dramatic flare and pride after being prepared back in the kitchen by assorted members of the Barba family.

And when the pitcher of house red wine has been drained and you're ready to leave at the end of the evening, a taxi will whisk you down through the hills and narrow, winding roads, back to your hotel in Positano and - sigh - back to civilization . . . and menus.

Posted on April 17, 2006