How to have an Italian dinner or Lunch? I mean what should one order and have it with what? Kinda confused!!!?

Question

I want to taste Italian Food and I don't know what should i order for a 3 course meal. All i know is Pasta ( I kinda like Fenne ). I know that pasta is all about sauce but what should i order on a date as i don't want to look like an idiot while ordering. I am planning to order white wine. Can sombody please help me with it please.

Thanks for ur reply people...

I found a link hope which explains what I want and that solved my query as well..

http://www.italianfoodforever.com/iff/articles.asp?id=44

Now the big Question what should one order for dinner. Don't tell me to check the menu again as thats understood. I mean I haven't tasted anything Italian so i don't know the taste and how its gonna react with my taste buds. Please help as its really important for me.

Thanks Oli for correcting the spelling mistake.

Answer 1

hi...
i'm italian, for 3 couse meal you have to order :
1)antipasto(small portions,generally it is served while waiting for dinner... can be some salami, olives, prosciutto and melon...)
2)"primo piatto" that means pasta or soup, if you wanna take a white wine i'd suggest you to eat fish ,so, can take pasta with clam
3)"secondo" (can be everything like meat and fish) and a side dish(salad or potatoes..)

cannot finish whitout a sweet(like tiramisu),an espresso and an "ammazzacaffe"(coffee killer: generally is limoncello liquor)

i don't know what you like eating, i can suggest you something if you tell me something more

Answer 2

As an Italian, here is my two-cents':

First Course: Soup or Pasta. Order whatever you prefer, but remember that many restaurants serve a pasta portion that's too big as a first course.

Second Course: A meat and vegetables and/or salad. Or poultry or fish instead of meat.

Dessert: Anything that catches your fancy from the menu card.

White wine is usually drunk with poultry, fish and seafood. Red wine with meats.
But the line between white and red wine is blurred somewhat; for example with duck you'd drink a red, and sometimes a rose' goes well with some fish.

Good luck and enjoy - sample the food as you go along, and pretty soon you'll teach us all a thing or two!

Answer 3

Italian food isn't spicy. It uses lots of oregano, rosemary and basil. Order spaghetti (or any other pasta, they are the same stuff the difference in name refers to the width of the noodle) and a marinara sauce. This is the basic Italian sauce. Have some garlic bread or bread sticks. Pasta goes well with breads. You can start with a nice soup. Minestrone is a very classic soup. It has lots of beans. For dessert have some tiramisu or something else sweet.

Answer 4

OK first you should only order White white if you are going to have seafood or some types of veal or poultry. Otherwise a robust Red wine goes best with Italian food...[Burgundy or Chianti]

For a first time eater - try an appetizer of antipasto [various salad type things] or bruchetta [ toasted Ital. bread pieces with fresh tomatoes, garlic and olive oil and seasoning---REALLY good]

Main course: choose from these two

Ravioli - cheese or meat stuffed - these are pasta squares that are filled and then topped with a sauce [usually a red sauce, but if stuffed with spinach or seafood, or chicken, may be a white sauce]

or

Fettucine Alfredo [with chicken or shrimp

This is a somewhat flat version of spaghetti and close to looking like noodles but longer and more robust.

The Alfredo sauce is a cream sauce and simply delicious.

For dessert - Canoli - a pastry with cream stuffing

Answer 5

It should be pretty straight forward, it's not like Thai or Chinese where you might order a large selection of dishes. Pick a starter - often breads or cured meats - (antipasto in Italian) then pick a main (most likely from lists of pasta, pizza and other things)
Dessert is simple.

The rule is poultry / pasta / fish / veg dishes go with white wine although I think this rule is unnecessary, order what you like best.

Also it's Penne pasta not fenne.

Answer 6

First of all it is Penne pasta. Some of the dishes you can order are pasta Alfredo (white sauce with garlic and cheese. Pasta carbanara (pasta topped with black pepper) You can also ask the waiter, waitress to explain the menu since you have never been in there establishment before.Most pastas are either with a cream or tomato base

Answer 7

Drinking white wine you will probably want to order chicken or fish. The entree on the menu will describe what you're getting with your selection. It's just a matter of whether you want an appetizer or salad before your entree. Choice of dessert won't be an issue yet. You will be offered it when your dinner plates are removed.

Answer 8

hey
you know i can tell you the vegetarian option
(usually in USA they serve bread complimentary)
For the starters/ antipasti have brushetta. you can order red wine with it
later have minestrone soup.
then for the main you can order some risotto/ Veg lasagna, or pasta arabita (arabita is the tomato sauce) or ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese.
For desserts have Tiramasu.
If you are going on a date with your GF/wife, I bets she will be impressed

Answer 9

Flavia has it...

My usual antipasto is an insalata caprese.... mozzarella, tomatoes, and soft lettuce. My hubby likes the misto fritto, it s plate of diffrent fried appetizers, mozzarella, rice balls, calamari, etc,

As for pasta dish I ask for a recommendation, whatever sounds good.

I like a carne misto for the secondo. Different types of grilled meats, usually served with patatine, ie. french fries

Espresso to finish me off...I skip the limoncello... its very strong.

Answer 10

I grew up interior the ranch lands of the great Plains, close to the Colorado Rockies. There, the midday meal became dinner with meat, potatoes, greens and bread, and the night meal became supper very equivalent to dinner, yet with dessert. "Lunch" became reserved for a mild meal on an afternoon while we weren't exerting lots actual attempt. we've lived all around the south and southwest. Lunch and supper are the main basic names given those food in our adventure. Our daughter-in-regulation is from outdoors usa. She in many situations fixes a bigger meal with soup, a protien dish, and greens at midday, and supper is a lots lighter meal of a salad and fruit or soup and a salad. She calls all of them "food." "The meal is waiting."