When you visit a place when the chef/owner is on vacation in NYC its not necessarily a bad thing. In super competitive NYC it most likely means the well oiled machine is intact and the boss can take a breather. In Frena’s case it meant we visited at the right time. I gave it about a year after old EWZ darling Taboon closed due to a nasty fire and reincarnated three years later as Frena. Not being in the business, it’s a small mystery why restaurants take so long to recover after a fire (See Danji). Some never do.
I’ve been a fan of Taboon pretty much since I started this blog. One of the points I always stressed was that if you survive that long in that location, you are doing something right. Anything west of 9th Ave, the Hell’s Kitchen border for most tourists, should pique your interest. Efi Naon, the mega talented head chef at Taboon understood that he had something special there, and reopened the place along with a frequent Taboon patron.
Taboon 2.0 feels more like 1.2. A new version where much of the old menu items are still there, and the concept is pretty much the same. Elevated “Middle-terranean” with the Taboon oven in the center of things. even the name Frena has a similar meaning to the old name. Frena is the community oven in a Moroccan village (Naon is Moroccan Israeli), and also the name of the fluffy Moroccan pita. In my East Village tours I introduced guests to the Frena pita, which I can still smell.
This meal was not a whole lot different than my Taboon meals over the years, except that it was simply better. Just about every item felt like an improved version of the previous, along with some new Italian flair to boot. Its an ambitious menu that’s common in Middle Eastern. Leave it to Anon, who trained all over Europe including a three Michelin in France, to perfect it.
Just like Taboon, every meal at Frena starts with their terrific “Frena Bread”. A rarity for such quality bread, dusted with a bit of salt and za’atar, to be free these days. But if your group is more than two, chances are you’ll need another ($9), especially if you get the 5 dips deal. All dips were exceptional, especially the Cauliflower hummus.
For the middle course we opted for the said Italian flair. I mean how bad can braised oxtail Tortellini on top of Sabzi Persian herb stew be? Turned out to be one of the highlights of the night. Roasted eggplant with tomato and Stracciatella was like eggplant Parm on steroids. You wouldn’t be disappointed with those dishes at a Rezdora, or any of the Michelin Italian.
Its best to share some of the big plates here. Old signature Lamb kebabs cooked in Terra Cotta pots covered with bread as satisfying as ever. We absolutely demolished it. The butterflied Branzino lightly drizzled with sage chimichurri looked like a piece of art at the Louvre, and significantly more exciting than the old Branzino.
Just like in Taboon, you finish with the transformative Silan – Tahini ice cream, caramelized rice crispies, almonds, halva, date syrup. A marching band in your mouth. There are some dishes that changed the way I eat at home, and this is one of them (Mesa Grill’s eggs is another). Every other dessert will pale in comparison, but a good Knaffe rarely disappoints, and no exception here.
All good things come to an end. Eventually! My favorite, precious, perfectly fit sneakers have holes in the front approaching toe size. I made a deal not to wear them while I’m with her, or in close proximity to other humans. I only wear them on my daily walks, but their end is near. Honestly, considering she randomly throws away anything remotely old, I’m surprised I still have them. Heck, I’m surprised I’m still around.
Hibernia fits my taste like those sneakers. Except that it didnt have any holes in it at all. In fact it always felt fresh, and even trendy, after 38 years. One of my favorite restaurants in the world had the total package. Outstanding, creative cuisine in a mythical setting. They perfected the South East Asian / French mashup before it even became a thing in Paris.
Last month, owners Mary Pat and Raoul announced they will finally retire and close the restaurant in May after 38 years. While disappointing, it’s totally understandable. This is not the kind of place you can easily hand to someone else. But for us, this is a huge blow as we are essentially left with half a Jacala (since the first half of the name Jacques retired). While there’s no shortage of all kinds of great dining on Anguilla, these are our two favorites by a wide margin.
I dont usually write such posts. Who wants to know about a place that’s closing, in the Caribbean no less. But this is different. Long time readers, especially the Anguilla fans here, saw how Hibernia become an EWZ darling over the years. And in the small chance that any of you are still planning your spring vacation, this is your last chance to experience one heck of a dining experience.
I’m suffering through a writers title block of the worst kind. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to come with this half joke. One of the options I was considering was “A Diamond in the Rough”, but I quickly remembered that about a year ago I found out that it doesnt mean what I always thought it meant. I’ve been living a lie my entire life. Like the moment you find out that a tablespoon equals three teaspoons. I always thought it was just a slightly bigger spoon.
The title is essentially half giving up, and half inspired by the title of my favorite restaurant in Florence, Italy (so people dont get confused with food mecca Florence, South Carolina), Da Ruggero. When we first visited Da Ruggero 12 years ago, I vividly remember the Seattle Times article hanging on the wall with the title “Da Ruggero – A good place to eat”. A simple, humble title is the epitome of the simple Italian Trattoria.
In Turks and Caicos, a good place to eat takes on a different meaning. It includes a bit more flair to entertain the tourists. There’s pretty much nothing to do at night on the island but eat and drink. Why do people opt for hotels with big pools? They need to be big enough to circle at night multiple times. Aka, The Turks and Caicos Passeggiata.
Marine Room is a rare, new find (my old definition of Diamond in the Rough). There’s a reason why I keep recommending the same two places in Provo, Caicos Cafe and Le Bouchon. Around 20 reasons. Vast majority of new places simply dont impress enough. Prices have gone through the roof in Provo, so it’s increasingly hard to find a ‘total package’ kind of place. That includes places that excel in things I cant easily get at home, namely seafood. If your top dishes are Braised Short Rib and creamy Gnocchi (looking at you Almond Tree), I wont be in a hurry to return as a visitor, but I might visit more often as a local.
Marine Room opened by the couple that owns Lemon To Go, and formerly Lemon about a year ago. So far it seems like the total package. Beautifully designed space outside and in. A full, seemingly capable staff including an experienced head chef that created a playful but very solid menu. You wont find Ribeye Cap outside of few select steakhouses in large US cities. And Some truly impressive cocktails and cocktail menu. I rarely take a picture of the cocktail menu, but took one here.
We started with a superb Lobster Thermidor Tart. Lobster mixed with cheese and bisque on top of puff pastry. It’s like Dennis the chef and Carmen from Bay Bistro went to the same culinary school (She serves a similar but different Shrimp dish). The Tuna Tartare with Avocado was a revelation. The second best compliment I can give to Tuna Tartare with Avocado (first being the flavor and execution) is that there’s very little avocado. Probably my favorite dish of the night.
This is is one of the situations where the mains were slightly less successful, but only because the apps were that good. The expertly cooked Cod with lentils was just what you’d expect from a place like this. Maybe slightly overcooked fish but super flaky and enjoyable nonetheless. The black beluga lentils especially elevated the dish.
Had to order the signature Sideways Lasagna, or the “Tall and skinny Lasagna that fell on the way to the table”, depending on how you look at it. It’s just a very good Lasagna. Not particularly unique or distinct tasting, although outside of Italy its an impossible task. Being surrounded by “Mine is better” murmurs didnt help. But think about what you need to go through to make something like this at home. I still recommend, and would even order again.
The Key Lime Pie was a fine finisher. The rest of the menu is a nice blend of Italian, seafood, and the steakhouse variety. One of those rare menus where I want to try every single item. More data is needed, and I obviously cant speak for consistency. But for now, a solid, rare addition to the list of recommended dinners. Go!
Another great Turks and Caicos trip in the books. We sort of settled between alternating between Anguilla and TCI these days. TCI is my home away from home, my partner if you will, while Anguilla feels like the mistress. I’m starting to think this is the closest I will ever get to a mistress. A bit shorter than usual (the trip, not the mistress), but this was some of the best eating in roughly 25 trips. Over the years, new places have been hit or miss to put it mildly. But this time we encountered new places that dished out some fairly impressive stuff. Only problem, not small, it all comes at a small fortune these days. Meals under $200-250 for two are becoming a rarity in Provo.
The Farm
An unplanned breakfast, lunch and dinner at the newest addition to Seven Stars. A striking, comfortable, bright and airy place with a very capable kitchen at the hands of island veteran Edwin Gallardo. Terrific short rib sandwich and a salad with the kind of dressing that almost made Mrs Z pull a Meg Ryan. Serviceable breakfast (SS guests get a $25 credit) other than the surprisingly stale sourdough.
The best part was Indian Sundays which happened to be during the Super Bowl in our case. I wasnt expecting much from a theme night, but this was as solid as I ever had in the Caribbean. The Butter Chicken alone is worth the “price of admission”. It has more of a peppery, “Chettinad” like flavor profile and is simply outstanding. The shrimp fry and carrot cake not too shabby either.
Omar’s Beach Hut
Beach shacks or huts is one area Anguilla got the edge, while Provo’s shacks are closer to regular restaurants. Although, places like Omar’s and the famous Da Conch Shack are quite picturesque and worth leaving the resorts for. Omar’s has arguably the best Oxtail dish on the island, but pretty much everything I’ve had here from fish tacos (top) to conch fritters have been solid. Omar is sort of an island legend and the local following reflects that.
Le Bouchon
A must on every single visit. We’ve been enjoying Le Bouchon cooking before Le Bouchon was even born (when the chef owned Caicos Cafe). We found Pierrik Marziou’s legacy even in Paris. Last time we stayed in the 11th arr., walking distance to a place called Justine formerly owned by Pierrik and named after his daughter who owns a shop right near Caicos Cafe. “Its… a small world after all” Everybody…
Another stellar meal. Killer Escargot as usual. Perfectly tender octopus sitting on a nice and crunchy salad. Love salads with texture. And I can’t think of another signature dish on the island that’s more renowned than the Steak au Poivre. It’s the sum of all parts dish including the fries, au gratin and veggies. Highly recommend Le Bouchon, for like the 25th time.
Hemingways
Nothing to see here. A traditional lunch since the first trip where we stayed at the Sands (before Seven Stars was built) on one of the best oceanside decks on the stretch. Over the years we settled on fish and chips and fish tacos, no matter how many times we examined the menu. Yes, its Swai, but who cares if you rarely eat it. Swai can be delicious when prepared right and is flakier than most Snappers out there.
Bay Bistro
The new and improved* Bay Bistro 2.0 is off to a promising start with an asterisk attached. Carmen Norocea (formerly with Magnolia) is leading the new team, and she completely revamped the menu. While the food was mostly great, the overall experience was somewhat lacking. Not much of a break between courses and we were done eating in under an hour. Not much of an ambiance or personal touch from the staff. Normally I’d be fine wit that. But like Indigo, Omar’s and other new places its nice to meet the people that can introduce you to the concept and/or menu. Carmen was not there, and the active manager was mostly entertaining one guest.
The food was indeed mostly good, but not perfect. The clear miss was an overcharred, dry and uneventful lobster that relied on melted butter more than I normally like. Surprising considering lobster was historically the one sure thing at BB. The rest was great. Tiger Shrimp tartelette wasn’t much of a tartelette, but sitting on top of one. Quite excellent mostly due to the smart shrimp seasoning.
Tuna Tataki was very interesting. Something you may find at a finer joint with the flavors to match. The one dish I’d come for were the Jerk lamb chops. Superb, even with the uneven cooking. The dessert of banana and toffee in a jar needed some adjustments like a more accessible, not frozen at the bottom, Graham cracker crust, and more cream.
Lua at the South Bank Resort
I love trying new places but this is one pricy lunch at a resort I probably should have skipped. I was curious about the resort itself and I was advised to go by a trusted local. But at the end of the day, this is just another restaurant at a pricy resort where you get good service with hit or miss dishes. In our case it was a fine Caesars salad, a refreshing creamy feta with hot honey. But a basic, slightly oversalted $40 Snapper filet on top of Caponata was a pricy miss. Caponata was a nice touch, but the dish was desperately missing something starchy and got boring in a hurry.
Marine Room
Out of the new places we tried, this was our favorite by a mile. From the stunning decor, drinks, food and ambiance this was just about flawless. A packed house, not in a beach resort, means they are doing something right. I will save the rest to a dedicated post. Spoiler: The signature Sideways Lasagna wasnt the best dish. How will you sleep tonight? I recommend Zzzquil. Bout time I add some ads here. Zzzquil – when you are over 50, doing eye exercises at 3 am, the 20th Tiktok trick you’ve seen.
Caicos Cafe
The traditional first and last night meal. Not much has changed except that its as busy as ever. On our first night, we sat next to the entrance and witnessed the amount of people being turned away. Make reservations people, especially in places like Caicos Cafe and Le Bouchon which are very popular with locals. One thing I’m beginning to realize with CC, as it gets more and more popular with locals, we are more in the mercy of the local taste. Case in point, the famous grilled calamari is now fried.
But there’s no shortage of hits. On our first night we discovered a well crafted Duck Foie Gras terrine. The Gnocchi is still the same fresh pillowy goodness. The conch chowder is as good as ever, and the Lobster fra diavolo is still a crowd pleaser. Pay attention to the specials. They may include a fresh Wahoo perfectly cooked on top of an addictive Amalfi style veggie stew. Or a beautiful chewy Strozzapreti with bits of octopus, beans, olives, tomatoes and more. Strozzapreti of course was created when someone saw a priest being slowly strangled. On our second night we came with local friends, so we were able to sample all the specials.
And talking of special, a special shutout to the lovely couple we met on our first night who are avid readers of the blog. Pleasure was all mine, obviously 🙂
Chinson’s
Avid readers, both of them, know I’m a big fan of Chinson’s. A trip feels incomplete without at least one visit for lunch. Not only great food, but the prices are more than fair as opposed to much of the island these days. Great Jerk as usual, and the Goat Curry is still the GOAT.
How do you criticize a place called Osteria Imperfetta? How do you criticize a picture perfect Vitello Tonnato shaped like an apple. You cant, but for different reasons. You cant criticize anything about the restaurant as any imperfection is well advertised. No one forced you to go there. You can simply agree with the premise or argue that the name is misleading.
Osteria Imperfetta is my favorite discovery of the last trip to the Langhe. An extremely talented and capable staff awaits, and all you need to do is arrive in one piece. I’ve driven in Italy many times. In fact I prefer a car in much of Europe and generally choose destinations where cars are handy. But driving from La Morra to Guarene at night is quite the hair-raising experience even though its only 25 minutes. A local who moved in recently from Naples admitted that its an adjustment. I can still hear that truck.
The imperfect Osteria opened during the pandemic by two brothers. One runs the front while the other the kitchen, with extensive high end experience including the coveted Piazza Duomo. A young, energetic staff that makes you feel welcomed (not a guarantee for tourists usually). If they are not happy to work there, they do a splendid job fooling the patrons. The atmosphere in the cave-like room was very pleasant, with a surprisingly high number of families. You know you are an American tourist in Europe when you dine earlier than families with little children.
The trio of antipasti alone is worth the price of admission. Vitello Tonnato of course, peppers stuffed with tuna, capers and anchovies that may have stole the show within the show, and yet another sublime Fassona tartare. I may not be able to enjoy French style or any kind of Tartare anytime soon. Maybe a Tartar-less January will help, adding to my New Year resolution, dry Mondays.
Yet another outstanding Tajarin with Bra sausage ragu. So light, seemingly simple, yet addictive. The Maialino here is a specialty, and for good reason, albeit could have been a little crispier. The baked lamb however is closer to perfect in flavor and texture. All washed down with a fine Barbera by the glass. We came to Piedmont to enjoy the Nebbiolo, Barolo, Barbaresco but found a newfound appreciation for Barbera.
We rarely order two desserts but couldn’t pass on a couple of them here after much deliberation with the staff, and seeing the items parade all over the room. A trio of hazelnut creations and the lightest, silkiest panna cotta you’ll ever encounter. The latter gets the nod, but I’d try both.
A pretty flawless meal from start to finish, and one of our new favorites. I also developed a weird new fondness toward Guarene, the village, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy according to I Borghi più belli d’Italia. Which means next time I plan to stay a few nights at the stunning Castello di Guarene – Relais & Chateaux to make sure I arrive to Osteria Imperfetta in one piece. Go!
Turin is not the city people usually visit on their first, second, or even third trip to Italy. It took us 9 trips. With the post Covid revenge travel still in full swing, Rome, Florence, Venice, and the rest of them are redefining crowded these days. Even regions like Puglia and Sicily seem to be catching up and joining the mainstream. Turin still feels under the radar, but offers plenty of culture and beauty to entertain tourists for even a week. With the rest of the country having a moment, I wouldnt rule out Turin on your first visit to the Italy. Here are some tips to help you out…
Get a proper introduction from Chiesa di Santa Maria del Monte dei Cappuccini. This is where you get the classic view of the city. Ample parking at the streets at the bottom. An atmospheric spot, well outside the tourist area
Buy as many chocolates as your luggage allows. Turin is the city of chocolates. You’ll see chocolate stores galore all over the city selling artisanal Gianduiotto (a blend of chocolates and hazelnut cream) among other goodies. They are a lot more expensive in the states, in Eataly or Venchi. And if you feel that you didnt get enough and you are flying from Milan, you have Venchi right there in the terminal.
Stay in San Salvario. This is partially a personal choice, as I generally prefer to to stay walking distance to the center, instead of inside it. But San Salvario is an up and coming neighborhood that reminds me of East Village in some ways. Not the most attractive area in the city, but loaded with great restaurants, bars and shops.
Check out the park within the Parco. Turin has stunning squares and parks, with Parco del Valentino being one of the prettiest I’ve seen in Europe. In particular the Giardino Roccioso section and its unusual photogenic statues. Look for the two lamp lovers sitting on a bench. You can combine the park with a tour of Castello del Valentino led by students on Saturdays.
Dont overlook Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile. Turin has some really impressive world class museums like the Egyptian Archaeological museum, and the Cinema Museum. But I feel like people overlook the Auto museum because its a bit out of the way. You’ll encounter eyepopping displays with extremely thoughtful layouts and engineering. I’m a movie buff, not much of a car buff, and I enjoyed the auto museum more than the cinema museum.
Overlook the Royal Palace. Sometimes popular attractions are popular due to their location. The Royal Palace of Turin is easy to do, and a fine activity on a rainy day. But if you’ve seen palaces as such throughout Europe, this one wont stand out IMO.
Take a food tour. We already went over this but its worth pounding the table on it. While the large food tour companies took over the larger cities, you can still find the small guys in the less popular places. Turin is a unique food city and spending quality time with a local chef helps understand the dynamics involved. And its just a fun way to experience the city.
Book L’Acino weeks in advance. Turin has no shortage of fantastic restaurants, and L’Acino stands out among the great ones. Maybe not the typical mom and pop, but once you experience it, you’ll understand why. I’ve already covered it here
Have your Bicerin at the Original. You’ll find this layered drink of espresso, hot chocolate, and milk (or whipped cream) all over Turin and only in Turin. One of many things invented in Turin. Caffé Al Bicerin is the place where it was invented in 1763. Opened by women, and still operated by women all these years. Drink it the proper way, without stirring.
Have Gelato at Casa Marchetti. Full circle, ending the same way we started, with the world famous Hazelnuts. While I would be tempted to try the Hazelnut gelato, you are actually here for the Gianduia. Try both.
Do you ever find yourself talk about travel experiences to friends and family like they talk about their newborns or grandchildren? You realize at some point that they dont care nearly as much as you, especially after showing them some serious raw meat porn. But you do it anyway, since it feels good to relive said experiences. Such was the case with Casa Rampolina and its restaurant La Rampolina.
Rampolina towers in the mountains above Stresa and majestic Lake Maggiore, with mythical views of the lake and the Borromean islands. By mythical I mean all we witnessed during our entire rainy stay was 50 shades of gray, and at some point the views became a myth. Plenty of pictures on the internet, possibly AI generated, like the one below. I’ll believe it when I see it, Federica!
Casa Rampolina
Federica and husband Davide own this jewel in a hamlet called Campino, an easy 8 minute drive from Stresa. After seeing the third penis shaped Limoncello, I was relived that we didnt stay within Stresa itself. Casa Rampolina provides ample, easy parking for its sizable 5 rooms. Comfy beds, baths, a sauna, and a superb breakfast overlooking the splendid AI generated views. The main feature is the kind of hospitality you’d expect from a family member, not a stranger.
La Rampolina, the restaurant was an unexpected doozy. When I read the reviews, I got the impression of a possible tourist trap. It wasnt very clear whether the draw was the food or the location. The confusion intensified when their parking attendant asked me to park closer to the next car in a lot bigger than the entire hotel. Are they really about to fill the entire lot? Yes they did, and then some.
Turns out La Rampolina is a local legend. Not only it was a very packed multi-room, multi-building house (imagine a large Florida seafood palace), but we were also the only tourists there, confirmed by Davide. In addition, a local celebrity chef just happened to dine there at the same time. By the end of the night the parking attendant was directing traffic like an air traffic controller.
Started with an awesome silky smooth Fassona carpaccio special with Puntarelle, and Bagna Cauda. I noticed on this trip wild mood swings on days we didnt eat Fassona. Coincidence? Egg, Toma cheese, veggies concoction was exactly what you expect. Excellent Tagliatelle with rabbit ragu. A different flavor profile than the ragus we tasted in other parts of the region.
Mrs Z and I usually share everything including mains but this time we had our clear favorites. A fine slow baked beef for Mrs Z. Fassona Hanger (Tagliata di Diaframma) for me. This was the best cooked Fassona of the trip. The waiter suggested to have it rare, and I could see why. Its much thicker than the usual Hanger, features a good amount of char, and supremely flavorful. The more you cook it, the more flavor you lose.
We even ended a mini streak of subpar Tiramisu here. My only regret was not taking advantage of the tremendous wine list and getting wine by the glass. But overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better finish to another wonderful eating trip in Italy. Worth travelling to Lake Maggiore just to eat and sleep here. Go!
Ever thought about what are your favorite restaurants in the world? Multiple trips to Piedmont will raise the question. Our favorite experiences are often the most recent, but some stay up there for years if not decades. If I had to make a list of my top 10, most will probably be in Europe, a couple in the Caribbean, and some elsewhere in the US. Weirdly none in my hometown NYC even though the food scene here is insane. The list would also include two places that are 40 km away from each other. A few weeks ago I’ve written about one of them. The other is Il Centro in Priocca (Piedmont)
If I had to shrink the list even more to top 5, 3, or even 1, Il Centro would probably still be on it. We’ve been really fortunate to have some amazing meals all over the world, and Il Centro is responsible for now two of them. I’ve written about the previous meal 10 years ago, so if you could only imagine the anticipation this time. Like a loyal dog waiting for his master to come home.
Il Centro is owned by the Cordero family for roughly 70 years. The busy kitchen is run by the mega talented Elide. Her husband Enrico walks around shaving truffles and schmoozing with the ladies. While the son Giampiero who is a respected sommelier, helps with the wine, the Italian challenged like myself and everything else pretty much. The space is a mature, businessy environment, with a menu that respects tradition, but also full of surprises. Their Michelin star is just one of the growing list of accolades.
Like pretty much any meal in Piedmont it begins with a beautiful bouquet of Grissini. Unlike any other meal however, here it continues with thoughtful, small flavor bombs. A preview of things to come. Millefeuille of Jerusalem artichoke with Bagna Cauda was the star early on. It even beat the outrageous red/white Mille Crepe cake pictured above, which is actually layers of raw Fassona veal thigh, and lardo.
Plain Tagliolini (Tajarin) with truffles and just the right amount of butter was very satisfying. Piedmont is the one region where I would gladly order the International kid’s meal of pasta with butter. Agnolotti del Plin, not surprisingly best of the trip. So delicate, yet flavor packed. The actual surprise was another Agnolotti, with butter, anchovies and bread crumbs. Unlike other Anchovy pastas we had, this was well balanced, well textured, and one of the best dishes of the trip.
Beef cheeks with caramelized figs, just as last time, deep, lasting sweet flavors, with the figs really shining throughout. But the theme of “as good as that was, wait until you taste the next one” continued with the crusted veal fillet with cauliflower. Superb!! Baby angels singing with every morsel. One of the many dishes showcasing the signature attention to detail of Elide.
I asked young Cordero if he can set us up with a local Roero, both white (Arnais) and red (Nebbiolo) and he delivered big time especially with the aromatic, delicious red from Cascina Chicco. Every aspect of this meal was done with tremendous care by a talented team. The staff is both professional and grounded. You dont come across such flawlessness of both food and service very often.
Although your meal at Il Centro can be as short as you want, if you are not a fan of three hour lunches, Il Centro may change that. You will not only leave with a lasting memory, but it will change the way you think about lunch. You’ll essentially start thinking like an Italian. Holidays should never be a sprint to check as many boxes as you can. Less is more. More often than not, memories come from experiences, not attractions. Ok, enough preaching for today :). Just trust me on this one!
Turin, a food and monument wonderland in North Italy. A city rich in culture and history… and chocolate. I probably bought more chocolate in Turin than all my travels combined. It’s a city that would be a top destination just about anywhere else in the world, but in Italy it gets lost in the shuffle. Not to mention it’s so close to the mother of all food and wine wonderlands, Langhe. You will leave Turin talking about Turin like you talk about your newborn. Especially if you spend one of the days eating and drinking with Abram of I Eat Food Tours.
As some of you know, I’ve been taking food tours before most people even heard of them. I took my first one roughly 15 years ago in Lisbon, way before they went mainstream. 10 years later I started offering my own, before Covid hit and and life happened. While it remains the coolest thing I’ve ever done, I dont regret moving on.
Its a business I know a thing or two about. The good and the bad. Simply put, we both agreed that this was the second best tour we’ve ever done. It’s pretty impossible for a European tour to beat our almost 5 hour eating extravaganza in the markets of Mexico City. But this easily topped anything we’ve done in Europe. It got all the needed ingredients. Small group, entertaining guide, great food. A simple rule of thirds when it comes to Food Tours.
Abram is a Michelin star trained chef. He runs the tours along with his wife Cecilia. You just don’t come across something like this too often in large cities. If they do exist, Trip Advisor has made it very hard to find them since the Viator merge. Last year in Seville my best option was a large group with a company running tours in 20 cities across the globe. A staggering difference to a tour offered by the a local who owns the business.
I wont get into the food details except for the few pictures (there’s much more to this). The less you know the better. But this was some of the best food we had in Turin. There was one particular local specialty that we ate often all over Piedmont and none came to the level we had on the tour.
But the icing on the cake was Abram’s personality. Just the kind you want to be around for half a day and then wonder where the time flew. He’s a wealth of information about Turin, and his personal stories (he worked at the legendary Del Cambio) can carry the tour on their own. But at the end of the day, he’s just a fun guy that didnt stop smiling for four hours. Go!
Imagine this scenario. For a decade you dream about coming back to a place you ranked in the top 10 dining experiences in the world. You are finally back, and have another memorable meal, even while being somewhat under the weather. And when its time to update the post you wrote about this place 10 years ago, you discover that much of the old post was about Puerto Rican oven mitts, and bad dad jokes. Not the kind you normally expect on Google’s first page.
So instead of updating the old mess, I’ll just write a new one. But if you are looking for oven mitt tips, and some serious Piedmontese food porn, you may want to check out the original post, even though its a decade old. In Slow food country things change at a snail’s pace. And you get the sense that Alessandro, Massimo and Tiziano, the three brothers running the magic show at La Coccinella are not rushing to change much.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The Langhe area has some of the highest concentration of great dining in Europe. Other than the coast area between Getaria and San Sebastian in Basque country, I cant think of another embarrassment of riches as such. Whether you are staying in La Mora, Alba, Monforte d’Alba, or even up in Guarene and Priocca, you are just minutes away from amazing dining. Of course offering Piemonte cuisine which is arguably Italy’s best, and some of the most versatile and robust wine in the world helps.
The menus in all these restaurants dont differ a whole lot, which is why places that go outside the box like Trattoria La Coccinella stand out. Not that I mind being in this box. I love the box, and can eat Agnolotti del Plin, Battuta di Fassona, and Vitello Tonnato every day. We pretty much did that for 10 days last month, and got the doctor warnings to prove that. But it’s nice sometimes to bump into some seafood, or maybe an onion stuffed with chicken liver, a local specialty that isn’t nearly as mainstream as the rest.
Whether you actually like onions is irrelevant in this case. The onion is stuffed with delicious chicken liver, baked in salt, and the result is sublime. But just like the fondest memory was an onion last time, this time it will be the Tagliatelle with mushrooms. It was unlike any mushroom pasta I ever had. More like a superb, meaty mushroom ragu. Even chief mushroom hater Mrs Z admired this one.
Just a couple of truffle dishes this time. Gnocchi with butter and a poached egg. Terrific even on their own. We got a little unlucky with the timing of the truffle season this time, as white truffle peak was a few weeks away due to excessive rain. Even our lunch with a truffle hunter was entirely black truffles. But we got very lucky with the mushrooms.
We ended with a mixed seafood grill that included succulent Sicilian red shrimp among other goodies. One of many dishes that showcases the chef’s range. And one of the only restaurants in the area offering a seafood menu. In addition you have a regular/classic menu, and a truffle menu when in season. Mixing the dishes from the various menus is allowed of course.
Driving to and from Serravalle Langhe is an event in itself. Especially if you arrive from the north or west, you’ll encounter some of the most stunning scenery in the country. Hence I suggest lunch, combined with a visit to Monforte d’Alba. Go!
Eating With Ziggy 