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An antique bicycle parked outside Grana in Jamesport. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)

Three years ago, Grana Trattoria Antica owners David and Nancy Plath went to the hilltop town of Bergamo in northern Italy and found two things that they loved.

The couple takes a break each January, closing their Jamesport restaurant and traveling to Italy for relaxation and culinary inspiration.

The first thing they found on their trip to Bergamo, a town with about 20 restaurants, was a dish called Casoncelli alla Bergamo served at Trattoria Bernabo. It’s a ravioli dish of “a sweet savory blend of roasted meats, with herbs, spices, raisins, pears and amaretti: sauced with pancetta, rosemary, roasted pears, butter and white wine,” Nancy said.

She said they tried it and chef David loved it so much, that when they came back home, he recreated it for their restaurant.

“That was a good time when we found that town,” Nancy said. “It’s been three years now and people just come to the restaurant for the dish.”

Every once in a while, David says, he has to take something off the menu and Nancy says “Not the Casoncelli!”

The second thing they loved in Italy was a purple bike.

A couple of weeks ago, they drove past the Aquebogue consignment shop “Black Whale”  and saw an old bike out front.

“I’ve got to have that bike,” David said.

The couple found an old wooden wine rack at Small Holdings Farm store in Aquebogue. David painted the bike plum and attached the wine rack to its back. It now stands out front, welcoming diners to the restaurant.

See the super cute bike and try the Casoncelli alla Bergamo at Grana, located at 1556 Main Road in Jamesport.

Credit: Courtesy of Nancy Plath
Casoncelli alla Bergamo (Credit: Courtesy of Nancy Plath)
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