Feast of the Seven Fishes Blog | Italian Christmas, Italian Food, Cooking, Recipes and Traditions

A great radio show

A few years ago, when the Feast of the Seven Fishes first came out in book form, I was lucky enough to be a guest on the Good Food radio program on my favorite Los Angeles radio station, KCRW.  I just came across the link to that particular episode and thought I'd post it here  - and be sure to check out other episodes - it's a great show.

happy new years

We wish all of our readers and members of our little community a happy new year. Thank you for coming to our site, buying our book, eating fish at the Feast of the Seven Fishes Festival and caring for observing existing traditions and creating new ones. We wish you all the best luck, health and good spirits in 2009.

Caporella's Bella Cucina Ristorante

Have you ever noticed how some of your best holiday memories - or any memories, really - are the ones you didn't plan for?  A few days ago Shannon and I were driving on Rt. 51 south of Pittsburgh. We were looking for a place for lunch.  As we passed through the small town of Perryopolis, PA Shannon happened to notice a place called Caporella's Bella Cucina Ristorante.  I don't think I'd ever noticed it before.  We decided to take a chance - and are we ever glad we did. Caporella's is an unassuming little place but one look at the menu speaks of a quiet confidence.  We decided to try a few different things, starting with their marvelous lightly-breaded fried calamari.  I went for the wings as well - they were fantastic.  We moved on to pasta and meatballs and sausage and, being as it's always five o'clock somewhere in the world, a frosty Peroni beer.  All in all, an excellent time in a warm and inviting atmosphere with great service.  Now before you ask, nope, I don't know the owner, Patricia Caporella Filak or executive chef, John Filak.  But I do know a good meal when I've had one.  So if you ever find yourself driving on Interstate 70 and pass the Rt. 51 exit - do yourself a favor.  Exit and drive south on 51 a few miles, seek out Caporella's and treat yourself.  They are open everyday but Monday = usually by 11:00 a.m. Their address is 100 Quaker Church Road, Perryopolis, PA 15473 and the phone number is 724-736-VINO.

The Amateur Gourmet and Spaghetti Carbonara

We got quite a few of emails from readers excited about us featuring some of our favorite bloggers. So after featuring Ms Adventures in Italy, the Amateur Gourmet is next. It's the blog of writer Adam Roberts, who's daily writings about restaurant reviews, recipes and how-to instructions are fun to read and always insightful. Adam who started writing this blog while going crazy in law school and is now a professional writer brings a unique perspective to the world of blogger chefs out there.  For a fun Italian recipe, check out his Spaghetti Carbonara For Beginners recipe. Also, Adam wrote the book The Amateur Gourmet which you can buy at Amazon.com 

Photo Credit - The Amateur Gourmet