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The best Italian restaurant in the world?
"Prego," said the Italian woman sitting behind an elevated counter. She waved me into one of the dining rooms, bedecked with rich wood paneling and white tablecloths draped over the half dozen tables. I was given a menu, which listed the canon of Italian cuisine: sausage and polenta, spaghetti alla vongole, and a colorful and fresh-looking anti-pasta bar, among others. It would be perfectly understandable if you thought I was dining in Rome or Ravenna.But I was, in fact, about 3,000 miles from Rome. The chaotic, but intriguing miasma of concrete, steel, and car exhaust known as Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, dwelled just outside the window of Castelli. The restaurant, opened, according to Rossella Castelli, the woman at the counter, in 1957 (though many reports have suggested 1948). It's a relic of the failed Italian occupation. The Castelli family opened the restaurant and stayed here instead of following Italian troops back home.
I didn't come to Ethiopia to eat Italian food. In New York, where I live, there's an Italian restaurant on every block, many of which are sub-mediocre quality. I lived in Italy for a few years, where I ate the cuisine every single day. Italian cuisine has managed to conquer the world, to borrow the title of a recently published book. But when I'm in a place like Ethiopia, I'm going to eat the local fare.
It wasn't until I read that Bob Geldof, member of the rock band the Boomtown Rats and the man behind LiveAid and other benefits to help eradicate famine in east Africa, said Castelli was the best Italian restaurant in the world that I decided I couldn't leave Addis Ababa without trying it.
Besides Geldof's superlative language about Castelli, Bono, ever the hyperbolist, has also reportedly chimed in, though tamping down his enthusiasm by relegating Castelli to the best restaurant in Africa. Brad Pitt and former U.S. President/peanut farmer Jimmy Carter have also twirled their spaghetti here.
As you know, celebrities, the great arbiters of taste and style in the 21st century, know what they're talking about. Because they're famous they have a superior sense of taste and style that seems to allude ordinary people. Or at least that's what we tell ourselves. We rely on celebrities to tell us what to like. Especially when it comes to food. If it's good enough for Bono or Brad, it must be great. Right?
As you know, celebrities, the great arbiters of taste and style in the 21st century, know what they're talking about. Because they're famous they have a superior sense of taste and style that seems to allude ordinary people. Or at least that's what we tell ourselves. We rely on celebrities to tell us what to like. Especially when it comes to food. If it's good enough for Bono or Brad, it must be great. Right?
I ordered a bottle of Ethiopian wine--called Gouder, which could have passed for rancid Kool Aid--and a couple pasta and secondi dishes. I've never experienced this before in a restaurant but the penne of my penne all'arrabbiata was actually under cooked. Al dente to the enth degree. The spaghetti with spicy saffron sauce was not overcooked, but the flavor managed to be bland. The skirt steak in a red wine reduction, though, was egregiously overcooked. The baked lamb, much to my delight, was tender and juicy and just about right.
Maybe the chef at Castelli was having an off day. Maybe she or he wasn't even there. It was far from the best Italian restaurant I've ever been to (though, full disclosure, I've never been to another Italian restaurant in Africa, so Bono could still be right). If you're in Addis, go to Castelli--not necessarily to eat well but to eat in a place that represents part of Ethiopia's history. (It's the only country in Africa that managed to rebuff European colonialism.)
Just don't say that Bob, Bono or Brad sent you.
Filed under: History, Food and Drink, Africa, Ethiopia, Italy, Budget Travel
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
HannahD Dec 12th 2011 10:48AM
Charming - al dente penne and a little bit of history to chew over. Still, if it's good enough for Geldof and Bono I guess it should be good enough for us. Think of the children!
cloudio Dec 12th 2011 3:38PM
I surely trust you more you have lived in Italy for years than Bono or Bob Geldof.
As italian I tend to avoid like pest italian restaurant abroad.
Although I must admit I had the best Pizza in my life in Napule, in London Chelsea
Agrodut Kumar Mondal Dec 20th 2011 3:16AM
Valentina was founded in East Sheen in 1991 where today, the Zoccola and Arcari families share their life-long passion for food and wine.
Our families hail from Saint Elia Fiumerapido, a small village near Monte Cassino southeast of Rome, where we have farmed the land for generations. We still return home annually to harvest olives from the family grove for our own-label olive oil, and source our other fresh ingredients from the native soil. Most of our vast range of products – be it in the delicatessens or the restaurants – are, born of tradition and original skills, directly from our humble beginnings in the Italian countryside.
We believe there is no substitute for evolution and our knowledge, expertise and passion for food and wine have been passed on through generations. Valentina is our way of bringing an authentic taste of Italy to the UK - to serve recipe dishes in our restaurants that have been handed down through the families.
Valentina, a name shared with the daughter of one of the founding families, is now a thriving business. The original delicatessen & restaurant, owned and run by the Zoccola and Arcari families, has now been joined by sister delicatessen/restaurants in Putney, Sevenoaks and Notting Hill Gate. Come and see us and join the family.
Abdullah Al Mamun Dec 20th 2011 12:01PM
So many comments from folks who obviously haven't even read the original blog post! Take the time to read the post at least.
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