|
by Mara Bivone
Driving around the wine towns of the Langhe will bring you to “rustic” restaurants with very sophisticated kitchens and cellars. The locals enjoy eating out and eating well; extended families will jump into cars and drive to their favorite osteria or trattoria for outstanding traditional dishes and wines from the best local wineries.
Eating out in the town of Alba, for example, one has the option to patronize the Osteria dell’ Arco, on Piazza Savona 5, Alba’s leading locale. It is one of few restaurants that are closed on Sunday, most close on Mondays. A very good tasting menu will allow you to evaluate the kitchen’s expertise. The extensive wine list has some of Piedmont’s best bottles. Another good possibility is Caffè Umberto Enoclub, on Piazza Savona 4. Pass the upstairs youth hangout and go downstairs to the old cellar that has tables. The food is very traditional and the dishes are well cooked and very flavorful. But the huge wine list is the reason to seek out this place. In it you’ll find the area’s viticultural treasures from past and present at fairly logical prices, though the meteoric rise of the euro is raising some of the older and best vintages to high levels. Another good place is Porta San Martino, Via Einaudi 5. A smart chef has upgraded the kitchen product to practically international refinement. It is a surprising good value considering the quality of the dishes, even the traditional ones, and the in-depth Piedmontese wine list.
Moving to the area around Barbaresco, there is a little place, Osteria dell’ Unione, in Treiso, Via Alba 1, open only from Wednesday to Sunday lunch. Easy going and popular with the locals, even though their menu has not changed for the last 10 years, as I’ve been told. Fresh local ingredients cooked to maximize the flavor. Has a very nice wine list. In good weather there is outside seating. Cash only. In the same town, Il Tornavento, Piazza Barraco 7. Closed Tuesdays. Light, “modern” cooking based loosely on local ingredients. Wines from the surrounding vineyards. In the town of Barbaresco, Rabayá, Via Rabayá 9. Closed on Thursdays. The locals think very highly of this establishment. The dishes are traditional yet given individual attention. Wines mostly from the Barbaresco and Alba -surrounding vineyards. In good weather, outside seating. Also in town, Antica Torre, Via Torino 8. Closed Wednesdays. A family run trattoria with strictly local dishes, from recipes that have been in the family for generations. Some of the more unusual dishes require advance ordering. The wine list is strictly Barbaresco and if you are a traditionalist, ask the waiter to recommend the appropriate wine for the dishes you have ordered. One of the best area restaurants is in the town of Neive. Contea di Neive, Piazza Cocito 8. Closed for Sunday dinner and the entire Monday. Abundant use of fresh local vegetables from the owner’s own garden. Excellent selection of many hard-to-find local cheeses. Very large wine list with the best of Piedmont. A classy restaurant with service to match. A bit pricey, but well worth it. For food, wine and service quality like this, you’ll have to pay much much more in Turin.
In the town of La Mora, a little outside of Barolo, there is Belvedere. Piazza Castello 2. Closed for Sunday dinner and the entire Monday. One of Barolo’s highlights with a panoramic view (outside seating in good weather). Carefully prepared, flavorful, classic dishes from the best local ingredients. Very traditional cuisine. Wide wine choices, with excellent local examples.
Finally, in Monforte, Il Giardino da Felicin, Via Vallada 18. Also closed for Sunday dinner and the entire Monday. The local gentry considers it the area’s top spot. Nothing really outlandish, as the kitchen is very traditional. Having said that however, the freshness and high quality of all ingredients is remarkable. Truly seasonal dishes with the best the area has to offer and the same goes for the wines. Another advantage is the fact that they have rooms for overnight stay.
© May 2006 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
|
