In the heart of Orvieto, Italy stands the beautiful Ristorante Zeppelin; if you don’t know Italian, just look at the menu and point, or, better yet, ask the waiter to chose for you (they’re super nice) – you can’t go wrong at Zeppelin. As you enter the restaurant, you’ll pass a small area with a beautifully polished wooden bar with various black and white prints on the walls, with small tables that are always crowded with locals and full of lively conversation. If it’s nice, ask to sit on the terrace outside (if it’s open) or just go up through the little arched doorway into the larger dining area. Order yourself a bottle of the house red (Orvieto Classico – at six Euros a bottle it doesn’t get much better) and dig in to the freshly-baked bread basket as you pour over the menu. You can order different “surprise” dishes, which may or may not include the standard Italian dishes like gnocchi or antipasta, but if you’re into being particular, get the bunny. I felt terrible about the death of a rabbit for my palate (ooh, a couplet – watch out, Petrarch!) but I didn’t know what it was until after I ate it – it was delicious all the same. Everything on the menu is delicious, but the desserts are insanely decadent – skip the tired old tiramisu routine (which is really good at Zeppelin’s) and go for the blood orange sorbet. Buy a bottle of wine to go and drink it with friends while leaning over the Orvieto city walls – if you’re not bursting from happiness between the wine, food, and scenery than you might want to check your pulse to make sure you’re still alive.
Filed under: Europe, Great Eats | Tagged: antipasta, atmosphere, bar, blood orange, blood orange sorbet, bread, cheap, city walls, gnocchi, great eat, great staff, Italy, Orvieto, Orvieto Classico, patio, rabbit, Risorante Zeppelin, surprise dishes, tiramisu, traditional Italian, Tuscany, Umbria, wine, Zeppelin's | Leave a Comment »
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