Bari Eats: La Uascèzze
I was able to get table at La Uascèzze for right when they opened, by swinging by earlier in the day and talking with them directly. I’m glad I was able to reserve a table, because the dining room was quickly filled up! And as we left, there were a lot of people waiting for their table.
The dining room was very cute, in a barrel-vaulted room.
La Uascèzze is known for typical dishes from Puglia, just perfect for our first meal! Here are a couple pages from the menu. We had a very nice and spirited waitress explain all of the dishes to us in English.
What a spread! But this wasn’t all!
First, this was the famous “fave e cicoria,” fava puree and chicory. It was very hearty, but the fava was a bit bland and the chicory a bit watery (we would have better versions later on in the trip!).
This was the patate, rizzo, e cozze, or potato, rice, and mussels baked together.
Here was an order of the focaccia. Apparently Bari is one of the places known for focaccia.
Here was more pure di fave (fava puree), this time with salsiccia di maiale (sausage). Again, quite hearty.
This was patate, funghi locali, e fior di latte - layers of mushroom and sliced potato, baked in au gratin.
Finally, we had braciole di vitello al sugo - veal rolls (secured by toothpicks) in tomato sauce. The sauce was surprisingly light, like the tomatoes weren’t simmered for a long time.
This was a great introduction to Puglia! I could see how the region is known for more cucina povera, or peasant cooking. There was a lot of hearty potatoes, favas, rice, and vegetables, and not a lot of emphasis on meat. I especially liked the very warm and cozy, rustic atmosphere of the restaurant.
