Majda Restaurant

The minute I entered this restaurant, I liked it.  It evoked a feeling of warm, family hospitality.  Its décor is beautifully “down-to-earth.”  Care is taken to simply reflect and celebrate the gifts of nature that the owner collects each week from the countryside.  Pomegranates, persimmons, chestnuts, squash and maple leaves – these are what decorate the candlelit tables, covered in soft melon-colored fabric, pleasing to the eye and to the senses. 

Then there is a mother and daughter team, who together create an evening of unforgettable food and wine.  Majda purchased this 200-year-old locanda with her husband 43 years ago and what started out as a simple inn providing some basic dishes, grew into a full-blown restaurant over the decades.  The inn was completely restored in 2000 and re-opened a year later with a new addition – its enoteca, or wine bar, Katia’s dream.  Besides being a mother of a three-year old boy AND running a restaurant, Katia is a trained and passionate sommelier.  

Majda’s dishes may have started as simple, wholesome offerings, but they are certainly more than that.  They are simply divine.  We sampled dishes that were a perfect blending of Italian and Slovenian cuisines.  A soft polenta with Porcini mushrooms, smothered in Montasio cheese.  A Slovenian specialty pasta called Žlikrofi, potato-stuffed ravioli with a light sauce made with savory roast drippings.  Katia chose the appropriate wines to accompany these and other courses till we reached the sweet finale.  At meal’s end, the sweetest finale of all was a visit from Majda who came out of the kitchen to talk to us and share her story and a few recipes.  It was an evening and a meal that could not be improved on.  Thanks Majda and Katia!