Enoteca di Monteforte

Enoteca di Monteforte

Italy is known for good food and good wine. And if you want to eat well, ask the locals… We had spent a most convivial morning tasting the delicious Soave Classico wines with Andrea from Le Battistelle but now it was time for lunch. Andrea’s mother, Cristina, had plied us with delicious snacks to accompany the delightful wines so we really just wanted a light lunch. Andrea pointed us in the direction of Enoteca Di Monteforte.

The Enoteca is not fine dining, but the food is good. The room, as with so many Italian restaurants, is cavernous. This place is not about decor – it’s about eating well and enjoying good wine. 

We decided not to have antipasti and simply go straight into the primi piatti. In retrospect, given how good the food was, we should have done and spent the rest of the afternoon feeling like beached whales. There were plenty of local foods on the antipasti menu including the Sopressa salami which is typical of this area. I opted for a plate of bigoli – also a typical Venetian pasta – with tomato sauce topped with stracciatella and basil. It was sublime… Andy decided to have the fettuccine with courgettes and scallops. Again, it was very good. 

Despite feeling like utter gluttons, we decided to have desserts. I had the tiramisu which was made properly with mascarpone – not cream as so many restaurants do – and it was excellent. However, the star of the show was Andy’s lemon sage sorbet. It was sensational! I tried to take a photo of his sorbet but he had already wolfed down half of it. According to Andy, Jay Rayner would have been impressed by it – and there is no greater compliment in Andy’s world.

The Enoteca is great for a family meal or a quick bite to eat. There is a car park across from the Enoteca so you don’t need to worry about parking. As for the cost, we paid about £30 for two plates of pasta, two desserts, house wine, and the extras such as bread. Not exactly cheap but definitely worth it. The Enoteca is also very close to the Le Battistelle vineyard (www.lebattistelle.it) as well as the Nardello Vini tasting rooms  (www.nardellovini.it) – and both vineyards are definitely worth a visit.

NB. The Enoteca is closed on a Monday. Check on our store locator for up-to-date contact details.