Good food and not only by Giorgio al Cucciolo
Giorgio and Emanuela Desiderio take care of every detail to make their customers’ experience unique
When we evaluate our experience of a meal consumed in a restaurant, in reality the strictly culinary aspect contributes only in part to our satisfaction.
On the contrary, there are many factors that come into play: from the location that frames it to the professionalism of the staff, up to the ability of the menu to satisfy our desires. If a restaurant is able to meet all these standards, then we can say that our experience is very positive; and by Giorgio al Cucciolo, thanks also to the many years of experience of its owners, every detail is taken care of to perfection. Giorgio Desiderio told us about the business he carries out with his sister Emanuela, their choices and their way of understanding cooking.
The story of Giorgio al Cucciolo is peculiar and is connected to the name that the restaurant currently bears. Do you want to tell us?
“We started this business nine years ago; but the place had already existed for about 35 years. The previous owner had called the restaurant “Il Cucciolo” and since we already have a restaurant in Capri called “da Giorgio”, when we took over the management of the Anacapri restaurant we decided to merge the two names, and it is from here that “Giorgio al Cucciolo” was born.
The menu you offer customers is really rich. What are your main dishes?
“We offer both land and sea dishes, but it is the latter that are very strong with our customers. We offer fish appetizers, often raw, salmon, prawns, oysters, grilled razor clams that are very successful, stir-fried shrimp, fried squid, seafood salad, grilled, squid, shrimp, octopus and much more.
As for the land dishes, the most popular are the smoked burrata and the Italian-style mixed fry. Sometimes we also like to experiment: such as with the cheesecake di fassona, which is nothing more than a base of savory crumble biscuit, goat cheese with honey and on top of the fassona tartare, also available in a “sea” version with salmon. instead of meat.
In short, our goal is to try to satisfy all palates a little “.
In the kitchen, do you prefer experimentation or remain faithful to the original recipes?
“We are for tradition, which we also combine with innovation, as in our opinion even the eye wants its part. So we bring to the table very traditional dishes, such as Spaghetti and clams or Tubetti with mussels, but also recipes invented by us, more innovative; we generally try to find the right balance between these two aspects. For example, in our Linguine di Gragnano, drawn pasta with lupins as tradition dictates, there is the addition of a lemon mayonnaise sauce and tuna bottarga; this also happens in our half pacchero with poached octopus, in which instead of olives and capers we add a sprinkling of olives and dried capers”.
Do you also reserve particular attention to the wine list?
“We have an excellent wine cellar of various price ranges, to satisfy all palates and needs”.
From yours you also have a location surrounded by greenery, with a splendid panorama from which to admire all the wonders of our splendid gulf.
“Exactly: from the restaurant you can admire a view of the gulf that goes from Ischia to Massa Lubrense, with the Vesuvius in front of it. It is surrounded by beautiful vegetation that, while not belonging to us, we always try to keep clean, and the most striking aspect are the beautiful sunsets that customers can admire while dining, which especially in this period give splendid colors.
We have two outdoor terraces, although the whole place is very airy and bright thanks to the large windows which surround it and which descend to the ground. We are also close to two historical and naturalistic beauties of our land: the excavations of Damecuta and the Blue Grotto, reachable with this walk that starts from the restaurant and reaches there.
So our customers are also lucky enough to admire these two pearls of Anacapri”.
What particular attention do you give to your customers?
A service dedicated to our customers that we care about is that of the shuttle, dedicated to those who want to reach us from Capri or Anacapri. At the moment, in addition to my sister and me, the chef is working with us, a boy who has been working with us for 16 years now, Francesco Staiano, and in the kitchen there is also my sister’s husband, Umberto Pandarolo. The staff is completed with the guys who drive the shuttle, the waiters and an assistant cook in the kitchen.
We all work together to give our customers the best “.
Who we are
In the Giorgio al Cucciolo restaurant, past and future mix and find their union.
A feature that manifests itself already in the name: nine years ago the current owners, who already managed the restaurant “da Giorgio” in Capri, also opened the restaurant in Anacapri, but decided to leave the name of the previous management “Il Cucciolo”, already active. since many years. As if to underline a sort of continuity but also the will to bring about change, the names of the two restaurants merge and become “Giorgio al Cucciolo”.
Giorgio and Emanuela Desiderio, together with an attentive and prepared staff, welcome customers with a cuisine attentive to tradition but that knows how to surprise, in a welcoming location with a breathtaking view of our splendid gulf.
Menu
The dishes most appreciated by customers are certainly those of the sea: from appetizers, often raw fish, to main courses based on salmon, prawns, oysters, octopus and much more.
But also the land cuisine turns out to be a pleasant surprise: as in the very original cheesecake di fassona, made with a base of savory crumble biscuit, goat cheese with honey and fassona tartare, also available in its sea version, with salmon instead. some meat.
Giorgio al Cucciolo’s cuisine is intended to satisfy all palates: this is why it combines tradition with innovation. An example is the main dish: Gragnano linguine made with drawn pasta with lupins, but enriched with lemon mayonnaise and tuna bottarga. The culinary offer is completed by an excellent cellar with wines of various price ranges to satisfy everyone’s wishes.
The chef
To take care of the kitchen are Francesco Staiano, who has been working with the Desiderio family for 16 years now, and Umberto Pandarolo. Together they carry on a culinary tradition made up of genuine ingredients but also of particular attention to the “beauty” of the dish, paying attention to current events and tastes of the moment.
Location
One of the strong points of the restaurant, located in Anacapri in via La Fabbrica 52, is its splendid view of the gulf, from which you can admire the island of Ischia as far as Massa Lubrense, and from which you can admire splendid sunsets. A location surrounded by greenery, with two outdoor terraces where you can enjoy the splendid colors that only the sky of Naples can offer.
In addition to being close to the excavations of Damecuta, a walk starts from the restaurant that reaches the Blue Grotto; a lunch at Giorgio al Cucciolo is therefore the ideal opportunity to enjoy the flavors of Anacapri but also its artistic and natural beauties. The restaurant owners also provide customers with a shuttle service for those who want to reach the restaurant from Capri or Anacapri.
Edited by Stefano D’Alessandro
