Next Door In Cagliari

So, here we are—first night in Cagliari, Sardinia. The land of ancient nuraghe, blindingly beautiful beaches, and, apparently, a few too many restaurants with menus that double as souvenir shops. Our mission? To avoid the dreaded tourist trap and find something that screamed authenticity rather than "English menu available." What we got? Well, something in between. Let’s not get too cynical here, though. After all, even Anthony Bourdain had to admit that sometimes the line between a good meal and a good story is a thin one. So, we stumbled upon this little spot off the side of the road, kind of tucked away like a well-kept secret, with that charming vibe that says, "We’ve been here long before TripAdvisor, and we’ll be here long after it’s gone." The evening was warm, the kind that makes you want to linger over a glass of something cold. Enter Vermentino, our first drink of the night—a zippy white that tasted like someone squeezed the entire Amalfi coast into a bottle. Lemon zest, a bit of punch, and just enough acidity to remind you that life is too short for bad wine. It paired like a dream with our raw tuna platter. Speaking of which, that tuna? Imagine if a ninja decided to slice up your dinner. That's how smoothly that knife glided through the buttery tuna belly. Fusion food at its best, and frankly, it was the star of the evening. Next up, a local rosé—let’s call it Rosato, because why not sound fancy while we’re at it? It was so good you could almost forgive yourself for drinking pink wine in public. Stone fruit, bright acidity, and the kind of drinkability that makes you forget how many glasses you’ve had until it’s too late. It was like the island itself, charming and slightly dangerous if you’re not careful. The ravioli arrived, and here’s where things got interesting. Slightly under al dente, the pasta had that perfect chew that makes you realize most places have been overcooking it your whole life. Tossed in a cherry tomato sugo that was sweet, tangy, and just the right side of rustic, it was one of those dishes that makes you pause, mid-bite, and just nod in appreciation. Then came the tuna fillet with foie gras and vegetable mash. Now, don’t get me wrong—this was good, just not "sing its praises from the rooftops" good. Maybe it was the foie gras or maybe the mash needed more oomph, but let’s just say it didn’t live up to the hype the tuna platter set. We wrapped things up with a local red wine—don’t ask me what varietal, but I can tell you it had enough alcohol to make the walk back to the hotel a bit more interesting. And for dessert, pistachio ice cream that was so good it almost brought tears to my eyes, and a lemon sorbet that was doing its best impression of a melting snowman. Maybe they were going for avant-garde, maybe it was just hot. Who knows? What I do know is this: the service was top-notch. The chef even came out to say hi and paired our wines for the night. That’s the kind of touch that makes you feel like you’ve found something special, something a little off the beaten path, even if it’s not quite as far off as you’d hoped. So, thank you, Cagliari. For the food, the wine, and the warm welcome. Even if you’ve got a few too many tourist traps, you’ve still got some gems worth finding.

Very special pizza in a elegant place