LA TAGLIATA- Monte Pertuso, Italy

“Just go up- up up the mountain- make a left when you see the shrine and go up all the way towards Monte Pertuso, you can’t miss it”, said Ralphie, our trusted waiter at a local eatery we’d become accustomed to during a stay in Sorrento who as we found out spends 6 months in Italy and 6 months in Brooklyn because “he’s got his things here, and got his things there”. Funny that he was pushing us to try another restaurant other than his own so we took it seriously and embarked on a nailbiting journey over the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast in the dark AND the rain in a quest to find this “La Tagliata” eatery that he forbid us to miss.

When we arrived, this gorgeous place looked more like a rustic Italian dining room in a home rather than a restaurant and it was stark empty. Yet, the host looked around, eyed us suspiciously and asked quite seriously if we had a reservation. We laughed, he shrugged and then profusely apologetically sat us near the kitchen...in a place like this, we’re pretty sure we call that a JACKPOT. Though the nighttime views out over the hills are pretty magical, they’re nothing compared to the magical sights of chefs on the grill, cooking a variety of meats and home-grown vegetables to a whole new level of perfection, or the ladies hand-rolling the homemade pasta using the freshest local ingredients. The dishes came out one by one, and kept coming…we didn’t want to tell them to stop. By the time we left, this little home was packed to the hilt with a line of cars streaming down the side of the rocky inclined street waiting quite impatiently to park. Go early, DO make a reservation and do NOT miss this while on the Amalfi Coast (or anywhere near there for that matter). It’s easy to find- just take the coastal road, turn, and go up-up-up the mountain- trust us, you can’t miss it. www.latagliata.com