A cappuccino at Blue Bottle Coffee, San Francisco Ferry Terminal. Beautiful, and authentically Italian in flavor. These folks know what they’re doing.
Tag Archives: Italian food
Gallery: Tirano, October 2007
I took so many great pictures during our visit to the Sertoli Salis winery in Tirano (Valtellina) that I couldn’t use them all even in three pages, so here they are. Some are fuzzygraphs because I did not want to use flash on the interior frescoes, but I’ve included them anyway to give you at least a fuzzy idea what they look like.
Al Cenacolo: A “Last Supper” in Chiavenna
Yesterday we had our family holiday big meal out at Al Cenacolo (“at the Last Supper”) in Chiavenna. Having gone that far from home, it was a big decision not to go to our beloved Lanterna Verde, but, because this place had been recommended to us by Dr. Maulé, we decided to take a chance – and were not disappointed.
Al Cenacolo is located in central Chiavenna, very easy to find. Just go through the gate shown above, and you’ll find it a few doors down on the left.
The menu is brief (there are probably seasonal changes) and totally without fish (smoked salmon appetizer doesn’t count!).
Four of us opted for the paté di fagiano (pheasant paté). We should have stuck to the restaurant critic’s rule – everyone get something different and share – because the paté was not that interesting.
It just didn’t have much flavor, and would have been better if served a little warmer and with toast, although the restaurant’s bread was excellent.
The house wine was a very good Grumello riserva (a local wine made from Nebbiolo grapes), made especially for Al Cenacolo by the Nino Negri winery, a bargain at 9 euros per half-liter, served in a very attractive carafe – I want one of these!
Ingvild and I opted to skip the first (pasta) course. Bruno and Enrico both had the tortelli d’anatra glassati (stuffed with duck breast), which were very good (I managed to get a bite of Enrico’s).
Graziella had Al Cenacolo’s version of pizzoccheri, in which the pasta was more like gnocchi, and very tastily drowned in butter and garlic. She couldn’t possibly finish it, so we all got to clean up the serving bowl.
For secondo, I had wanted the duck breast all’amarena (sour cherries), but they would not make it for fewer than two people – very disappointing as that was not specified on the menu! I hate when I make my mind up for a particular dish and then can’t have it.
So Ingvild and I both had carré di cervo (venison) served with an insufficient portion of salsa ai mirtilli neri (berry sauce). The meat itself was luscious, rich, and tender, though the presentation was unimaginative and the polenta squares boring. Roasted potatoes would have been a better accompaniment to this wonderful meat.
Enrico had a (small) leg of pork smothered in porcini, Bruno had kidney with mushrooms, and Graziella had lamb; they all said their dishes were good, but I didn’t taste them.
The dessert menu was not particularly exciting. We had two kinds of sorbet: plum drowned in Calvados, and mandarin with “two kinds of liquor” (which kinds wasn’t specified).
The total for the five of us, including one and a half liters of wine and lots of water, was about 260 euros. Altogether a worthwhile meal, even at that price, though not quite as spectacular as I would have liked.
Ristorante Al Cenacolo, via Pedretti 16, Chiavenna – closed Tuesday evening and all Wednesday – phone 0343 32123
San Lorenzo Dinner at the Symposium Quattro Stagioni – Gallery
In 2007, I won a deluxe dinner at one of Italy’s finest restaurants, and published several pages about it. Here is the full gallery of photos from that evening.
Favorite Restaurants, in Italy and Elsewhere
Note: All prices may be severely out of date. Quality not likely to have changed.
Lake Como Area
These are full reviews – also see brief listings below for some more restaurants.
Elsewhere
Vegetarian Restaurants
Some tips for eating in restaurants in Italy.
Don’t want to eat out all the time? It’s also possible to eat cheaply in Italy.
Opinions
Some More of Our Favorite Restaurants
NB: My data on prices may not be entirely reliable; costs refer to a full meal (antipasto, primo, secondo, dessert) with wine, per person. You can of course save money by eating less! (By 2010, these prices are likely out of date! I have not eaten at any of these places in at least two years.)
But you don’t always have to go to restaurants; it’s also possible to eat cheaply in Italy.
Milan
via Cassala 59
near the Romolo metro stop
tel 02 5811 1957
Fresh mozzarella from Naples daily, amazing seafood of all kinds. Pizza is also good. ~ euro 20-30
Vecchia Napoli pizzeria
via Chavez 4
tel 02 2619056
Fantastic pizza. Closed Mondays. Pizzas cost euro 7-12.
Osteria Grand Hotel
via Ascanio Sforza 75 (naviglio Pavese)
tel 02 89511586
Fabrizio, the owner, is head of one of Milan’s Slow Food groups. Excellent food, great wine list. euro 30-40
La Veneta
via G. Giusti 14
tel 02 342881
Antique recipes from the Veneto. Don’t miss the pasta e fagioli with radicchio, but everything else is wonderful as well. The owner is idiosyncratic and sometimes perceived as rude, but really he just has strong opinions on what should be eaten (and drunk) with what, and he’s probably right. Leave room for amazing desserts. euro 30-50
Ristorante da Bruno
via Gonzaga 6 (Duomo metro stop)
tel 02 804364
An old family favorite. Everything’s good. ~ euro 25-40
Gatto’
via Castel Morrone 10
tel 02 70006870
Mon 17:30-23:30, Tue-Sat 12:00-23:30
A brief but excellent Neapolitan-influenced menu, with an emphasis on top-quality ingredients. Possibly the best tuna steak I’ve ever eaten, lightly seared with a Japanese-style dipping sauce. Don’t miss the desserts.
near Menaggio
Locanda San Martino
Santa Maria Rezzonico and then way up the hill
tel 0344 50167 – reservations recommended
Excellent regional specialties including boar and polenta uncia (with cheese, garlic, butter, and sage), very cheap. euro 15-20
Lecco
Osteria del Viaggiatore
Corso Promessi Sposi
see my review
Taverna ai Poggi
via ai Poggi 14
phone: 0341 497126
Large selection of salumi and wines. Especially try the lake fish carpaccio and of course the local specialty, pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta cooked with vegetables, cheese, garlic, butter, and sage). euro 25-35 at night, much cheaper at lunchtime (weekdays).
l’Azzeccagarbugli
Piazza XX Settembre
tel 0341 288063
A little pricey, but the servings are large by Italian standards. Particularly good meat, and an excellent selection of wines.
Morbegno
Ristorante Vecchio Fiume
Contrada di Cima alle Case
Nouveau twist on regional specialties. euro 30-40
Chiavenna
La Lanterna Verde
Fraz. SAN BARNABA, 7
VILLA DI CHIAVENNA 23029 SO (on the road going to St. Moritz)
Our absolute favorite, well worth the trip. During the day, eat outside and enjoy the amazing view of forests and waterfalls. euro 40-50 (cheap at the price!). See my review liked above.
Crotasc
via D.P. Lucchinetti 67
23020 Mese (SO)
Restaurant associated with the Mamete Prevostini winery.Specializes in salumi and insaccati (dried meats) and wild game. Five-course menus euro 25 and 30.
Il Capriolo
Subiale, Tel. 0341 875.017 – Cell. 328 749500
See my review; closed Thursdays.
Chianti
I Tre Castelli
Loc. Cintoia Bassa
Strada in Chianti
tel 055 8572227
Open for lunch and dinner, except Wednesdays.
Rita and Lino took us here. Excellent and unusual dishes such as a very spicy boar goulash.
Rome
Osteria Le Mani in Pasta
via dei Genovesi 37, Trastevere
via Monte Giordano, 12
via Banchi Nuovi 14
An old-fashioned Roman osteria. Get there while you can – places like this won’t last much longer. euro 15-20Also go here
Mantova
Outside Italy
London
(locations in Brussels, Copenhagen, Paris, Delhi, Dubai, and Beirut
as well)
Indian-French cuisine based on recipes from the old French colony of Pondicherry. I have had a lot of Indian food (lived there 5 years), but never anything like this. Amazing. Expensive.
Virginia/Suburban DC
Some of the best Thai food I’ve eaten outside of Thailand.
France
Barcelona
