Eating And Drinking Around Bari, Italy

With more than 400 miles of coastline on the Adriatic, Italy’s province of Puglia quite naturally bases its gastronomy on the bounty of the sea, and Bari, as one of its principal seaside cities (Brindisi and Taranto are the others), is exemplary for the abundance of seafood it brings in, sells and cooks. Indeed, as the locals proudly insist, “If Paris had the sea, it would be Bari.”

Various invaders have left their mark on Bari’s food culture, including the Greeks and Spanish. One of the more interesting examples of Barese independence occurred in 1647 when the Spanish overseers tried to tax flour to the point of entering the people’s homes to check on hoarding. Already heavily taxed, Baresi revolted and street fighting went on for a week before peace was restored and the tax rescinded.

The Baresi are also very fond of vegetables, especially chicory and fava beans they combine in a wonderful hearty dish, which was, on a recent trip, the first thing I ate—ravenously—in Bari at the 85-year-old Antica Osteria delle Travi (Largo Chiurlia) in the Old Town. Monastic in its vaulted ceilings and barebones décor, the service is perfunctory but pleasant, overseen by an owner who’s a ringer for Samuel Beckett. The one-page menu rarely changes, and the prices seem to date back twenty years, with antipasti, pastas and main courses only €8 to €10. It’s almost as if they never got around to changing them.

The fava beans and chicory (€8), scented with garlic and Puglian olive oil, was a masterpiece of simple flavors, while a platter of impeccably fried Adriatic fish (€10) made for a perfect introduction. For the pasta we had a local specialty of ear-shaped orecchiette—Puglia’s favorite—lavished with a very rich cavallo (horsemeat) ragù There is also a selection of local salami and sausage like the superb filone di maiale of pork (€8).

That evening, with local friends, we approached a place called Piccinni 28 (Via Niccolò Piccinni 28) in the city center at 7 o’clock, only to be told no one could enter until 7:30. Okay. So we strolled the well lighted streets full of boutiques and returned to find ourselves at the only table taken; ninety minutes later every table spread over several dining rooms was occupied. Piccinni 28 is known for its pizzas, whose options fill pages of the menu. We started off with a globe of glistening, cream-rich burrata and marvelous hot focaccia, very crisp but with a soft center, and prosciutto. Then came a parade of terrific pizzas (€5-€13) with fanciful names like Don Chiscotte, Corsare, La Buona Figliuola and Il Cavaliere per Amore.

We were very close to satiety but the waiter brought a pasta dish unique to the region—spaghetti all’assassino (€12) which is dried pasta cooked only in a heady sauce of tomato and wine then topped with cool ricotta. The pasta stays firm, much more so than mere al dente, and has a delightful chewiness to it. The “assassin” reference is to the chile peppers that make this a fiery killer of a dish, said to be created in Bari in the 1970s.

One of the best known, though not particularly pricey, ristoranti is the amiably elegant Al Pescatore ( Piazza Fedrico II de Svevia), set near the sea, which brings its saline air to the verandah and al fresco tables. The barrel-vaulted inner dining room with a wine wall is quite cozy, but the table lights in the other rooms make them even more intimate and shadowy. Linens, china and glassware are of fine quality. (I do wish they would not allow patrons to bring their dogs into the dining room.)

We began with a large portion of orecchiette with an octopus ragù (€15), a very robust dish now for winter. Al Pescatore also serves a local specialty that clearly derives from fishermen’s family kitchens, a dish called tiell (€12), which is a sort of Italian paella (though there is no evidence they picked up the idea from their Spanish occupiers). It is a mélange of potatoes and mussels with an abundance of rice in a casserole. Interesting, if not as flavorful as I’d expected, it is one of those dishes every gourmand must try once.

Garlic-sweetened true scampi and langoustines followed (€20). My wife chose from an array of glistening fish set on ice at the entrance, opting for sarago (market price), a sea bream baked in the oven with potatoes and olives.

There are other places I’d recommend as good examples of Barese cooking, including the very simple Il Canto dei Bischeri (Via Putignani 93), where they do indeed serve cavatelli pasta and meatballs and lemon zest. The chickpea soup is a great restorative. Prices are cheap. Very new is Le Nicchie (Vico Corsioli 11), a narrow room that is both rustic and well lighted, and the young owners are very eager to please everyone who comes for the typical Pugliese food like spaghetti with clams