Eleonora’s stars: the new Don Alfonso 1890, where the territory is brought to the table and history inspires new ideas

Don Alfonso, Livia, Mario, Ernesto. For the entire world of food, the Iaccarinos are the magnificent four of hospitality, a symbol of a family that has been able to turn the art of cooking and hospitality into a business. They have been doing so for over 50 years, maintaining a precise identity linked to the land and the history of the territory, but with the ability to always remain current. It is not a coincidence, but an objective, which is summarized in the quote from Eduardo De Filippo which opens the menu:
“Only after having studied, studied and respected the tradition, do we have the right to put it aside, always with the awareness that we are indebted to it, at the very least, for having contributed to clarifying our ideas. Naturally, if we remain anchored to the past, life that continues becomes life that stops but, if we use tradition as a springboard, it is obvious that we will jump much higher”.

Thus the past is delivered to the present and has as its medium the table and as ingredients the vegetables from the owned farm, Punta Campanella, as well as fish and dairy products and meat from nearby producers. The kitchen, led by Ernesto Iaccarino, took over from Don Alfonso and the two generations coexist in the dining room with Livia’s class and Mario’s organization, which is divided between Sant’Agata sui due Golfi and the various offices around the world (Singapore and Toronto), both dedicated to the perfect well-being of the guest.

We begin with the delicious series of amuse-bouche: a mini-tomato which is actually a ball of buffalo mozzarella covered in tomato jelly and garnished with confit cherry tomatoes and finely chopped oregano at the base; a small, very crunchy thousand leaves alternating with mortadella mousse; celery chips with purple potato and truffle; the fermented onion sandwich.

And while you munch on the breadsticks prepared with the taralli dough and enjoy the fragrant bread to be dipped in the extra virgin olive oil, the real journey can begin, choosing between the vegetarian menu, the one dedicated to tradition, the great tasting with the latest news of the season or perhaps fishing a la carte.

Don’t miss the raw amberjack, with compact and dry meat – indicative of perfect maturation – in sashimi cut (on the other hand Ernesto’s Asian experience is not limited to exporting the Mediterranean to Malaysia, but to absorbing some gastronomic virtuosities from there), accompanied by mint oil , broad bean puree and ginger chips, frozen fake olive and two exquisite sauces: a white one with chives and a yellow one with turmeric, scented with fried garlic. In fact, there is a slight risk of losing the perfection of the fish in all that abundance of sauces, but the fun is guaranteed if you try to combine a piece of it from time to time with a different seasoning.

Impeccable for the degree of cooking and particularity of the combination, the lobster and cardoncelli skewer, so pleasant that the saffron potato foam on which it rests can take a backseat. The sweetness and aroma of the combination is enhanced by a touch of ‘nduja, the real icing on the cake.

From the vegetarian menu, here is a real pearl: Judean-style artichoke with sweet and sour onion, grilled fennel, courgette cream and fried ravioli with mushroom filling. A dish of great balance and enjoyment, proof – if proof were still needed – that if the raw material is first rate, you can have great satisfaction even just with garden products.

Ricotta nudes are a monument to simplicity: soft and tasty, with the lure of a little fiordilatte which makes them slightly stringy, drowned in a delicate sea capon broth scented with verbena and lemon zest.

Another seemingly simple first is worth the trip: spaghetti with garlic, oil and chilli pepper with marinated mackerel, sprinkled with chopped breadcrumbs, pine nuts, caramelized onion and resting on a layer of albacore tuna sauce, they are cooked by the book for a chewiness that is a joy for any pasta-obsessed Italian.

Another surgical cooking is that of tuna belly puttanesca style, where the ingredients of the famous sauce – tomato, olives and parsley – become the ideal accompaniment for the fine cut of fish. The small pastries and desserts, such as the Limone di Punta Campanella, recall all the flavors of Neapolitan desserts (including a micro-pastiera) and the aromas of the Coast.

From the cellar, a thousand-year-old and evocative environment obtained from a pre-Roman tunnel where over 25,000 precious bottles are preserved, wines for every taste are available, from large emblazoned labels to small local producers.
Here dinner is a real dive into the Mediterranean and the Iaccarino family proposes its philosophy by pursuing the absolute search for well-being – also in terms of health – of its customers. The good immersed in the beautiful, it is appropriate to say. And in fact the restaurant reopened just a couple of weeks after the exterior renovations. Where there was a car park there is now a beautiful garden full of citrus plants, which indicates the care of nature as a premise for the care of guests.

Rating 8/11

Don Alfonso 1890

Corso Sant’Agata 11/13, Sant’Agata Sui Due Golfi (Na)

Vegetarian menu: 180 euros
Menu The Tradition: 190
The tasting: 230

A la carte: around 120-150

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