i+alia a to z :: f and j - fish and jazz e la mia famiglia

it is just us now, family of five. on wednesday, we sat down to a quiet dinner in Siena. mom and dad remembered Millevini from their trip a few years ago and had made it back earlier in the week for lunch...twice. this place really has all the best of Siena. it is located in the underbelly of the Medici Fortress and is surrounded by beautiful gardens and walking paths.

the chef Alberto De Gortes is the son of the Palio di Siena's record holding jockey, also Alberto "Aceto" De Gortes. the Palio di Siena is an annual horse race (well, twice a summer) around the Piazza del Campo at the center of the city. it is a world-renowned event, pulling 10,000+ attendees a year. jockeys ride bare back around the tight, inclined circle of the piazza. they loose at least one horse a year, and it is common for horses to finish without their jockeys. Aceto won the race 14 times.

and then there was the food at Millevini. Andrea the diretorre recognized my folks on their second visit in a week and invited them to a special evening of fish and jazz. after hemming and hawing with the kids over wether to come back, they went ahead and signed up.

it is hard to relate our experience. i think the adjective we agreed upon was 'magical'. when i say a quiet evening, I mean a quieting of the soul, a slowing down of the feet, a soothing of the anxieties about what to do, see and the work left at home, and an intimacy that only comes when she wants to.

they served us five courses. the first course was a salty crab over a tomato and basil salsa. the second and my favorite was a white flaky fish (sorry, language barriers made it difficult to figure out exactly what species) over caramelized onions. this fish was cooked perfectly, pan seared crisp on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside. next was a wide pasta with tuna and bread crumbs. we noted its affinity to tuna noodle casserole - one of our family favorites. fourth was another, albeit delicious, unidentified white fish covered in arugula and marinated mushrooms. for dessert, they served an apple tartelette with vanilla gelato and espresso.

and there was jazz! a feast for the soul served by just a single jazz guitarist, Giulio Stracciati, professor at Siena Jazz, as well as performer and composer. mom was bold enough to ask him to play 'the shadow of your smile.' well, bold enough to ask Andrea to ask him, as she turned and flashed an eye-squinting joy-full smile and my dad smiled back. and we waited. and well tears of gratitude twinkled around me as he worked it out on his strings.

have a listen... (that means click on 'have a listen...')

The shadow of your smile
When you are gone
Will color all my dreams
And light the dawn
Look into my eyes, my love, and see
All the lovely things you are to me
A wistful little star
Was far too high
A tear drop kissed your lips and so did I
Now when I remember spring
All the joy that love can bring
I will be remembering
The shadow of your smile
Now when I remember spring
All the love that joy can bring
I will be remembering
The shadow of your smile...

Written by P.F.Webster & J.Mandel