Pescara pairing (1 of 2)
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I went to Margherita (in Centro) to have dinner with a friend who is a local. It appears that there is another Margherita that is in the general area, but not quite in the city center. I rolled with my friend's recommendations because I am not that familiar with this region.
With a name like Margherita, you would think it's primarily a pizzeria. They do make pizzas, but it is also a full-service Italian restaurant with a focus on regional cuisine, that being the cuisine of Abruzzo. It was very full that evening and what still continues to amaze me in Italy is that people routinely make reservations for everyday restaurants and pizzerias such as this one. In North America, one is accustomed to making them only for upscale restaurants.
Cutting right to the main event, I opted for a plate of pasta based on a recommendation. It was mugnaia, and it is a popular regional pasta. With that, we ordered arrosticini, which is skewered meat apparently sourced from livestock in the Apennines, which are the spine of the region and separate it from Rome on the opposite side of the peninsula. Arrosticini seem to be Abruzzo's answer to Greek souvlaki skewers! Individual servings of the house tiramisu were also ordered.
I have no doubt that this regional food was true to form and properly prepared. That said, I didn't really enjoy the doughy rope-like form of mugnaia and I found the arrosticini a little gamey. However, one must keep in mind that these are popular in this region and people are used to them. On Italy's island of Sardinia, the two principal types of of pasta - culurgiones and malloreddus - are very different from pasta on the mainland and a paradigm shift of sorts is needed. My friend liked the food.
The service was definitely helpful and low key. The pricing appeared to be fair.
Margherita is popular and most people seem to like it. It's possible that, based on my choices, I might not return because, in a secondary city such as this one, and considering its beach strands, there are many restaurants to sample. It seems that sticking to the more generic Italian pasta and entree staples at Margherita would have been more to my liking. However, if my friend who hails from this region gives it the thumbs up and the service and prices were on point, I should just be fair and give Margherita (in Centro) 4 stars. read more