Trattoria Pallotta

As I passed beneath the ancient archway that leads from the Piazza del Commune to the very door of Trattoria Pallotta, I already had a sense that I was in for something special.  Trattoria Pallotta moved from Upper Assisi to this “new” location eight years ago – a structure that dates back to the Middle Ages!  Margherita was looking for an extra special locale for her restaurant, where she could show off the food of Umbria in a setting worthy of her culinary talents.  She found a perfect spot.

Margherita is rightfully proud of the dishes she presents daily to a discriminating local clientele, as well as visitors to Assisi.  Her emphasis is on seasonal freshness.  When I poked my head into the dining room earlier in the day, I could hear Margherita on the phone, placing her orders for fresh produce, within hours of the arrival of her lunchtime customers.  She made words like fragole, carciofi, melanzane and funghi sound like musical notes – notes that would soon be turned into a concert of flavours and textures.

When we returned at the proper time for pranzo, Margherita greeted us personally, having removed her chef’s hat in time to greet her first customers.  At her suggestion, my husband and I tried two different pastas – the Umbrian specialty pasta known as strangozzi, Margherita’s version made with a mushroom and black olive pesto, slightly piccante, to tease the taste buds.  A more delicate primo were the ravioli with springtime asparagus and pecorino di fossa.  Secondi of note are the piccione alla ghiotta (roasted pigeon, a small bird that is big on taste) and the agnello scottadito (roasted lamb ribs, called scottadito in Italy because people can’t wait to eat them right off the grill, thus burning their fingertips).  I waited for my ribs to cool, but I did eat them with my hands – I could not resist!  We washed down our lunch with a bottle of local Assisi wine.

For diners wishing to explore vegetarian cooking, Margherita offers many choices – all are well marked on the menu.  Trattoria Pallotta is open for lunch and dinner every day except Tuesday.