Mark’s Score 8.5
Limoncello is St Michaels premier Italian restaurant, ok its St Michaels only Italian restaurant. It is owned and operated by two Neapolitans, Gennaro and Ivano. They set as their mission the celebration of Italy’s “vibrant culinary culture through food and wine.” That is a great deal to ask of a restaurant, but I am all for celebrating anything Italian.
I frequently travel to St Michaels in my work with Bordeleau Winery. St Michaels is a popular tourist town so there are many restaurants. Limoncello is my most frequent lunch-stop when I travel to St Michaels. Italian cuisine is one of my favorite cuisines and, sadly the number of good Italian restaurants on Delmarva is far and few between. So, to run across even a half-way decent Italian restaurant is cause for celebration.
Fortunately, Limoncello’s lunch menu is nearly as extensive as its dinner menu and the selections go well beyond sandwiches and salads. There are many items on the menu I want to try and they have an excellent Italian wine list to pair with their dishes. But sadly, I have tasted very few of their dishes and there is a good reason.
When I go to Limoncello I always vow to try something new. As I walk down the street from the Bordeleau tasting room I tell myself, “I am not going to order the Pappardelle con Ragu di Cinghiale with a glass of Nero d’Avola, I am going to try something new this time….I really am!” I walk into the restaurant saddle up to the bar, the bartender comes up to me and before I can stop myself I always say, “the Pappardelle con Ragu di Cinghiale and a glass of Nero d’Avola.” The last time I had lunch there I made the bartender promise that she would not let me order the same dish yet again. I know I should try something different, but you rarely see wild boar on menus these days, and the Nero d’Avola goes perfectly with boar ragu.
There are several other dishes I always vow to order, the Sacchetti cone Pera & Gorgonzola sounds spectacular and they have several sweetish Italian wines that should pair well with the pears and the saltiness of the gorgonzola. If you are not into blue cheese, the Linguine con Vongole paired with a Sicilian white would hit the spot as well.
Perhaps if I publicly vow right here and now. I’ll actually order something different the next time I eat at Limoncello. If I do, I’ll post something in the comments section of this post. In the meantime, and even if a falter in my quest to try something new I will still enjoy Lemoncello’s la dolce vita vibe, but I sure wish they would ditch the big TV screen behind the bar. You would never find a TV in a café in Italy, and rightly so.
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