Xp Bonaire IslandLife Feature Story
We always look forward to them, but this time was a review that I was looking forward to. We often pay attention to newcomers, but there are, of course, restaurants on Bonaire that have been around for years and have more than earned their spurs. Donna & Giorgio Trattoria is one such restaurant. With more than 20 years on Bonaire and after various locations, the restaurant finally settled at Kaya Grandi 52, just outside the center of Kralendijk. Donna and her Sardinian husband, Giorgio, introduce their guests to the taste, variety and romance of Italian cuisine.
That romance is immediately apparent when you enter the restaurant. The interior is like a cozy living room. On the right, a long bar and behind it the kitchen where Giorgio prepares the dishes with the right Southern European passion. It is a pity that the kitchen is not half open. I got to see Goirgio at work once. The way he works is best described as loving nonchalance. Even if you don't know what he is about to prepare, just looking at it makes you hungry. Donna and Rosie in the restaurant ensure not only the playful interior, but also an atmosphere that radiates coziness. We quickly have our drinks on the table and can now make a choice from the chalkboard on the wall.
Appetizers
Our starters are a creamy potato-onion-feta soup and a beetroot carpaccio. Donna told us that the soup is a traditional Sardinian dish. We can only add that it was a delicious soup, almost scraping the glaze from the bowl to get the last drops.
The beetroot carpaccio sounds as simple as the soup and was also surprisingly tasty. The beetroot with feta cheese was dressed up to what you can actually call a full salad. The combination of the savory feta cheese and the sweet beetroot with balsamic reduction makes a delicious starter. Giorgio shows once again that simplicity and perfection can be perfectly balanced.
Main Course
After going outside for a smoke, we are called back in for our main course. We opted for a tagliatelle with salmon and truffle and grilled picanha with baked potatoes. To start with the picanha, you immediately discover the difference between the masses and the master. The potatoes do not come out of the deep fryer, but are really fried in the pan. It will undoubtedly sound a bit too sentimental, but baked potatoes like my mother used to make. Delicious! The picanha is clearly grilled with care, soft, tender and very tasty.
The tagliatelle is also a party in itself. Although neither of us are fans of cooked salmon because it dries quickly, this was a very tasty dish. Perfect cooking of both salmon and tagliatelle, with a delicious creamy sauce. Delicious food in a nice ambiance, who wouldn't be happy? We certainly are.
Dessert
We are very satisfied, but we close with a dessert that we share, simply because “homemade”at Donna & Giorgio is actually a trigger for us. Tiramisu, meaning "pull me up" in Italian which actually means as much as "make me happy". The dish is said to have been discovered by accident when a cook in Treviso (northern Italy) accidentally dropped a spoonful of mascarpone into a bowl of eggs with sugar, tasted the mixture with his wife and decided to add ladyfingers and cocoa dipped in coffee to serve as dessert. We'll never find out if that's true. What we have discovered is that tiramisu or “make me happy” applies entirely to Donna & Giorgio Trattoria.
INFO
Donna & Giorgio
Kaya Grandi #52
Tue. - Fr 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Tue, Thur, Fri, Sat 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Phone: +599 717 3799
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