Amalfi Coast, Italy - Ristorante San Giovanni

Happy New Year!

After all the festivities last night on New Year's Eve 2011, I'm in recovery mode today and absolutely craving the most delicious handmade gnocchi I ate a few weeks ago at Ristorante San Giovanni. Talk about fresh, these gnocchi were made just minutes before I sat down at my table overlooking the Mediterranean on the gorgeous Amalfi coast.

About a 5 minute drive from Ravello, Ristorante San Giovanni is in the small town of Pontone di Scala. You reach the restaurant by a little path leading up from the main road. The restaurant sits on two sides of the street. The kitchen and indoor room are on the left side, and then the huge terrace overlooking the sea (which is where you want to be seated no matter what), is on the right side of the tiny street.

The restaurant is run by a gregarious husband and wife team: she cooks and he waits the tables. The homemade gnocchi were the best gnocchi I have ever eaten hands down. I actually walked right into the kitchen and hugged the cook ... and she was more than happy to have me there!! Here she is smiling for my camera:

I spoke to a local couple seated beside us who live in Pontone, and they confirmed that this restaurant is one of the best on the Amalfi Coast. As a surprise, and because we were two weeks away from Christmas, the chef made for us, literally on the spot, traditional Italian "zeppole." Some were with granulated sugar and some were with honey .... hot and fresher than fresh, they were a gift of the chef along with some cold and refreshing limoncello as a "digestivo."

Of course they also serve wonderfully fresh seafood from the region as well as pizza too. There is sure to be something here everyone will love. You just can't go wrong with this husband and wife team!