"We had an outstanding dinner at this restaurant (which is attached to a vineyard, winery and guest house). We understand that this chef, Sambino, has only been at the restaurant for a few months and he is emphasizing local produce in his preparations. We started with a dish of tenderloin of pork, slow-cooked and thinly sliced, adorned with ribbons of celery and carrots, and radishes. Delicious! The pork, which in thicker slices might have been dry, was perfectly suited to be a cold starter. We then moved to a gazpacho/pesto/caprese combination which was extraordinary. The chef chose a Pugliese basil to make his pesto instead of a Genovese basil and pistachios instead of the more traditional pine nuts. There was no garlic in his preparation and it was excellent. The gazpacho used nothing but the freshest of tomatoes, and other ingredients. And the caprese was made with hand-made mozzarella freshly done the morning we ate there and the extraordinary Pugliese tomatoes. The whole combination was worth the price of admission. We then moved to an eggplant stack (don't know how else to describe it), which may have been his take on eggplant parmigiana. This combination had been fried. Finally we had a very simple ricotta cake that had a layer of butter creme with basil in it. Each dish was admittedly simple, but so fresh and good that one knew that one's meal was in the hands of a master. Highly recommended."
