Osteria Caserma Guelfa is deeply rooted in the fishing culture of San Benedetto del Tronto. Chef-owner Federico Palestini comes from a maritime family and spent his youth aboard fishing boats, giving him a knowledge of fish that was acquired at sea rather than in culinary school. His cooking remains closely connected to the old cucina marinara sambenedettese, while allowing himself enough freedom to reinterpret it. The restaurant itself occupies a remarkable historic building, originally a papal customs post dating back several centuries.

That philosophy was very evident in our dinner. We started with a series of antipasti, and these were excellent — probably the strongest part of an already very good meal.

The scampi, served both raw and cooked, demonstrated exactly why simplicity works when the raw material is this good. The Gamberi Rossi di Mazara were equally impressive: sweet, intense and requiring very little intervention.

The risotto with asparagus and scampi was beautifully judged, with the sweetness of the crustaceans working particularly well against the vegetal character of the asparagus. The restaurant specifically uses Acquerello rice for its risotti.

Then came the pastas. Campofilone sul Mare used pasta from Pastificio Marcozzi di Campofilone with melecche, bottarga and lemon peel — very much a dish of the Adriatic, combining salinity, richness and freshness. The Spaghetto alle Vongole — amusingly described as “senza spaghetti e senza vongole” — showed the more playful, contemporary side of the kitchen.

Unfortunately, the pasta portions were simply too large. By the time we finished them we had to surrender and forfeit the fish course entirely, which was a pity.

We finished instead with the Insalata Marinara.

Overall, a very good dinner. What I particularly liked was that beneath some contemporary presentation and ideas there is genuine knowledge of the sea and of the local fishing tradition. This is not generic modern seafood cooking transplanted onto the Adriatic. Palestini’s cuisine comes directly from San Benedetto and its maritime history — and the excellent antipasti showed that at its best. Less