CombatCritic's TravelValue™: December 2023

CombatCritic™ ... World traveler - 42 countries and counting; Military Leader - Four combat operations; Amateur chef; Published author and producer - over 4 million visitors on seven platforms! Yelp "Black" Elite '14/'15/ '16/ '17/ '18/ '19 / '20/ '21/ '22 / '23 / '24; TripAdvisor ¨Local Guide¨, Zomato "VERIFIED CONNOISSEUR"; Booking.com "GENIUS"; and Foursquare "INSIDER". On the Front Lines in the Battle Against Mediocrity - Follow Me To TravelValue™ ... That's A Freakin' Order!

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Naples, Italy: A Refuge Maybe, A TravelValue Definitely Not

Ristorante al Rifugio

Via San Gennaro Ad Antignano 119

80129, Naples Italy

+39 081 229 2213

Al Rifugio Ristorante.it

Facebook Page

Prices: €€€€

Off of a small alley on a Vomero sidestreet, we found Ristorante al Rifugio, a Neapolitan trattoria where, normally, you get an excellent meal with not much of a dent in your wallet.

We started with the Friturra all' Italiana (€10), a fried assortment of croque (potato croquettes), arancini (rice balls), peperoni (bell peppers), and carciofini (baby artichokes). They were very tasty, light and crispy, not greasy, and the portion size was fairly decent.

Not all that hungry, I decided to go with one of my favorite secondi (main dishes), Salsiccia e Friarielli (local sausage and sauteed broccoli rabe - €10 + €4 = 14). There was not a lot of sausage to be had and the friarielli was on the tiny side as well, and, as I said, I was not very hungry, they were both quite tasty. I added a side of French Fries (€4) for shits and grins, bringing the total for my meal to €18.

My better half and her friend both had the same primo, Rigatoni Guanciale (€10 ea), pasta in a cheese sauce with bacon and pecorino romano cheese. They were quite happy with the dish based on the empty plates but, again, the portion sizes were small by Neapolitan standards.

Adding a 750 ml bottle of local sparkling water and a half liter of local vino rosso (red wine), we had a slightly filling lunch for a whopping €68 ... MAMA MIA!

A comparable meal with much larger portions came to less than €50 at a nearby trattoria, so this place is NOT a TravelValue.

CombatCritic Gives Ristorante al Rifugio 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Good To Go"

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Naples, Italy: Malinconico Translated - Good Neapolitan Cuisine At Low Prices

Trattoria Malinconico

Via Giovanni Paisiello 1

Naples, Italy

+390810491466

Facebook Page

Prices: €€€€

For my first course (primo), I had Pasta e Fagioli (€4), a dish my grandmother used to make me growing up and one of my favorites. Ingredients are pasta of one sort or another and white beans in a tomato-based broth or sauce. In this case, the pasta was a combination of several pastas - fettucine, farfalle, penne, and others - broken into small pieces and cooked al dente. They used small white beans, but the sauce had some tomato as a base, but was creamy, likely combined with panna. It was a large portion and was quite delicious.

My wife ordered Mozzarella in Carrozza (€5), a Neapolitan specialty where a thick slice of mozzarella is placed between two slices of white bread, dipped in egg and breadcrumbs, then fried to a crisp golden brown. Eaten with a knife and fork, the melted mozzarella oozed from each piece as she joyfully devoured every bite. She also added a contorno (vegetable), which in this case was marinated carrot slices.

For my main dish (secondo), I had the Cotoletta (€6), a thinly sliced steak covered with breadcrumbs, then pan-fried in EVO to a crispy perfection ... HOOAH! The only bummer was that they offered no potato option to accompany my main.

I added two contorni, the Peperoni (sauteed bell peppers - €3) and Mellenzane (eggplant - also €3). Both portions were massive, the peperoni a mixture of thinly sliced yellow and red bell pepper, and onion and the melanzane in small slices, also with some onion, but with local cherry tomatoes from the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. The combination of the peperoni and melanzane with the EVO they were sauteed in was to die for.

Of course, you get delicious thickly sliced Neapolitan bread which came in handy for dipping in both the pasta fagioli and EVO infused with the peperoni and melanzane. Plenty of garlic was available in everything.

Adding a 750 ml bottle of local sparkling water and a half liter of local vino rosso (red wine), we had a delicious, filling lunch for under €30.

CombatCritic Gives Osteria Malinconico 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

Seville, Spain: Casa Manolo Tapas Bar Sevillano - Simple Tapas Bar, Friendly Service, and a Definite TravelValue

Casa Manolo Tapas Bar Sevillano

Plaza De La Alfalfa 3

41003 Seville Spain

+34 669 41 08 54

Casa-Manolo.com

Prices: €€€€

We came across this tapas bar after going into a couple of others where neither the staff nor the menu was understandable to English speakers and the people behind the counter ignored us.

A young man approached us while perusing the menu and tried to help with his limited English, then showed me a QR code that had the entire menu in English with photos of the food and prices ... HOOAH!

We ordered five tapas, the Spanish Omelette with Brandy Sauce (€4.50), Grilled Iberian Pork Tenderloin with Whisky Sauce (€4.50), Argentine Black Angus Empanada (€4.50), Traditional Ox Tail Stew (€4.90) , and Homemade Croquettes (€4.50).

All five were fantastic and filling, so we could have ordered four. My favorites were the Ox Tail Stew and Pork Tenderloin, both coming atop a small ration of french fries.

Two large beers and a glass of sangria were also in the mix, bringing the total damage to just €30.

Our server, Ana, was charming and efficient even with her limited but very helpful English. The entire staff was great, the environment relaxed, and we will return again when in the area.

CombatCritic Gives Casa Manolo Tapas Bar Sevillano 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!