Savoring
Osteria Molo 13
Via Rubens, 13, 20148 Milano MI, Italy
June 3, 2022
On the second-to-last night of this trip, we gathered in Milan for what turned out to be an exceptional meal. Work had taken us to Stuttgart, where we exhibited for the week, but our journey ended back near our office outside Milan, with Venice on the docket for the following day.
Our Italian colleagues, ever thoughtful, had arranged a reservation at Osteria Molo 13, a Sardinian restaurant known for its seafood. The venue was warm, filled with colorful wall art, and pulsed with conversation.
It was our last evening together, and sharing it with them made it memorable. They’re both older than I am, but endlessly kind, gracious, and full of stories. One is a professor — wise, intelligent, but never without humor. The other, a Sicilian gentleman, was a joy to talk with. My family traces its roots back to the same province in Sicily as his, Caltanissetta, and it was a pleasure to swap family stories. We even touched on the old sulfur mines near Montedoro, how they shaped the region, and how they may have been part of the reason my relatives left Sicily.
And then, the meal.
The table began with an incredible spread of crudi (raw seafood). Judging from the menu, I think we had scampetti e gamberetti rossi olio e limone, though the chef made some extra additions from the standard menu for us. There was even sea urchin, which I’ve had often in Japan but never in Italy.
For the primi, we were served two pasta dishes. The first was Fregula Sarda ai frutti di mare, Sardinia’s toasted semolina pasta that resembles large couscous, cooked slowly with shrimp, mussels, and squid in a tomato-based sauce giving it a rustic touch. The second was Lorighittas con ricci di mare, beautiful, hand-twisted ring-shaped pasta from Morgongiori, dressed in a rich, briny sea urchin sauce. Both were entirely new to me, and both immediately claimed a place among the best pasta I’ve ever tasted.
Its safe to say that this meal was a farewell, a memory, a thank-you wrapped up in one. So to my Italian friends: grazie mille for the recommendation and for the company. And to my own team: thank you for making this trip, and this meal, something I’ll remember far longer than the work that brought us here.
