Gourmet

Being less tolerant of excess a table, we decided to eat somewhere else. Out by the Amtrak station we lingered over lunch on the patio at CAFE ROMA, a local favorite that had garnered many recommendations. Thirteen years ago, Giuseppe Rizzo–once an oboe player in Arturo Toscanini’s NBC Symphony orchestra–opened Cafe Roma with his wife, Maria Rosa, and their sons. Giuseppe died three years ago, but Maria Rosa and the boys are still going strong.

Our feast commenced with Carpaccio and sublime tortelli ai funghi di Cambria–triangles of pasta stuffed with chanterelles picked in the hills above Cambria–and moved on to a colorful branzino alla romana–sea bass resting on sauces of pureed red and yellow peppers. These pleasures were accompanied by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir made from Santa Barbara County grapes for Cafe Roma by Bruno D’Alfonso, wine maker at Sanford Winery serious wines at not so serious prices. We somehow had room for tartufo all’Amaretto, a chocolate truffle with Amaretto ice cream. All this plus a tasting of the Rizzo’s own olive oils, a chat with the mushroom man (just off the mountain with a fresh load), good coffee, and a smidgen of Port, made for the sort of midday repast that calls for a long stroll.