Ristorante Max

It’s just after 7:00 am, Sunday, in Positano and it looks like another perfect day. We learned, from one of the waiters, that the road along the coast, (the only road) the one we plan to use to get to Salerno and catch the train to Reggio Calabria and then the ferry to Sicily, is closed by a landslide. So we will spend some part of today investigating another route.

I can hear gunfire on the mountain, above and behind us. The hunters are out early. I’m not sure what they’re hunting for - if this were Tuscany, or Umbria, it would be wild boar (the best I’ve ever eaten). Given the terrain here, I suppose it could be wild goat.

Last night, we ate at Ristorante Max. It has a very good reputation and it’s like eating in an art gallery - they are renowned for their collection. But the biggest reason we chose it is the owner’s son recently opened a Ristorante Max in Newport Beach, just about three miles from our home. We haven’t tried it yet, the early reviews were not good, but if the son can pull it together and match the original in Positano, he’ll be a huge success.

I had grilled prawns, caught this morning, just off the coast and Jane had fried zucchini flower, stuffed with riccotta and salami. Both dishes were superb, but the real treat were the wild strawberries I had for dessert. I rarely buy strawberries at home anymore. The huge hybrids they’ve developed, that look so beautiful and ship so well, have a hard texture and little remains of the original wonderful sweet flavor.

The bowl of berries that was placed before me, last night, were about the size of small almonds and when you put one in your mouth, the wonderful sweetness found it’s way all the way to your heart! Even the few berry’s that were still a little green, were sweeter than a whole box of hybrids!