Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Oltre Il Giardino, A secret in Cortona

Last night Barbara invited me to dinner at Oltre il Giardino, a well kept secret here in Cortona.
Actually it is not such a secret but it is hard to find. Located on the other side of the park as I was told and as the name describes, I ventured out not quite sure where I was going. The receptionist at my hotel did not know where it was so I took a leap of faith and followed my intuition. Luckily I asked a woman walking her dog if she new where I was going and she waved me on saying that no she did not know where it was either but I could try turning left after the park and should try walking up the road.
So I did as I was told and headed up a deserted unpaved road for 5 minutes when I saw a light ahead. I was there.
Turns out that Barbara's son Marcus designed the beautiful logo that you can see on the menu below.
It was like walking into a private house. First you pass through the garden then into the restaurant that feels like coming home. There are only 4 tables inside and a few outside.
We sat by the fire place and talked and sipped prosecco then headed to the table where we sat and talked and ate till well after 1am. I was so busy eating that I forgot to photograph the desert. It was the best chocolate cake I think I have ever eaten.

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