L’Aquila’s Ristorante L’Aquila Reale

“I always liked the idea of having a restaurant. It’s hard work, takes personal sacrifice but you’re always fully living human relationships. What satisfaction!” brown-eyed Laura told me with a wide grin as she made our after-lunch espressi. The idea of opening this L’Aquila area restaurant four years ago originated with Laura (at the cash register and the coffee bar) and her husband Felice. Built on the land adjacent to her parents’ house, this family-run (in all respects!) restaurant serves tasty abruzzese dishes cooked by Felice – or sometimes by his father, Giovanni (in the kitchen when Pino and I ate there recently).

Laura at the coffee bar

Ilvana, Laura’s mother, flanked Giovanni in the kitchen while Ilvana’s gray-haired distinguished-looking husband, Saverio, served at table – while sharing L’Aquila lore with us and family history.

Giovanni dishes up the pasta

Once a bus-driver in Rome, Saverio, latched on to his daughter’s restaurant proposal without hesitation, for “after all, I come from a family in the food business,” he told us with a smile. “One brother had a restaurant in Rome, another was a cook in Venice, Rome and here in Abruzzo and a sister had a restaurant in Trastevere (Rome) for years. And I helped them all.” And as he headed to a nearby table to welcome clients, he added over his shoulder, “…and my first job was as a waiter.”

Saverio serves us gnocchi and tagliatelle goodness

Just a couple other people were there at Ristorante L’Aquila Reale (“Golden Eagle”) that day, both stonemasons working on earthquake restoration. That’s what brought us to L’Aquila, too: Pino has a team of three stonemasons working on a two-year restoration project of apartments damaged in the April 6, 2009 earthquake. hey stay in a rented apartment from Monday to Friday and their dinner now will be at L’Aquila Reale: Pino and Felice agreed on a price for a prezzo fisso (“fixed price”) for their dinner. And our lunch confirmed that dinner might be the best part of their work week!

Homemade, tagliatelle, pappardelle, and gnocchi were first course choices the day we were there. Pino chose the gnocchi and I opted for the tagliatelle, both made with a spicy sauce of guanciale (“pork cheek”), saffron, crushed walnuts – and peperoncino. Pino had the grilled lamb to follow up as this area is so known for its lamb but I chose vegetables: wild chicory sautéed in olive oil and hot red pepper and beans with oil and lemon juice. “Right from our garden next door, “ Saverio told me proudly.

Tasty gnocchi

Grilled lamb goodness

And when we left and crossed the restaurant patio to head back to Pino’s van, I leaned over the wall separating the restaurant area from the family house next door – and took a photo of Saverio’s vegetable garden – and the rows of those beans twisting around bamboo stakes and heading skyward.