Italian wine :: All Things Andy Gavin

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Drago Centro Baroli

Mar16

Restaurant: Drago Centro [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 525 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90071. (213) 228-8998

Date: August 20, 2021

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great high end Italian

Back to Drago Centro for “another” Sauvages Barolo lunch. Theme today was “Barolo from any vintage between 1995-2006 (except for 2002 or 2003).”

Located on busy Flower in DTLA.

We had a little reception outside on the patio before the lunch proper.

Hot shrimp wrapped in prosciutto, asparagus spears.

Blinis with creme fraiche and caviar.

2006 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas-François Billecart. AG 97. The 2006 Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine, but it needs time to be at its best. I am surprised by how tightly wound it is. But that only makes me think what it might develop into with time in the cellar. Lemon confit, white flowers, mint, crushed rocks and sage meld together in a bright, crystalline Champagne endowed with terrific purity. The 2006 is 60% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne and 40% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, mostly done in steel, with just a touch of oak, around 5%. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. (Drink between 2020-2032)

2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne. VM 98. The 2008 Dom Pérignon is a huge, powerful Champagne and also clearly one of the wines of the vintage. This is one of the most reticent bottles I have tasted. So much so that I am thinking about holding off opening any more bottles! The 2008 has always offered a striking interplay of fruit and structure. Today, the richness of the fruit is especially evident. Readers who own the 2008 should be thrilled, but patience is a must. (Drink between 2028-2058)

NV J.P. Chenet Blanc de Blancs Brut. 87 points.

2005 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 94. Bright yellow. Vibrant pear and melon aromas are complicated by suggestions of ginger, brioche and smoky minerals. Dry, smoky and precise, offering intense orchard and pit fruit flavors that gain weight with aeration. A dusty mineral quality adds focus and lift to the long, penetrating, floral finish. There’s a Burgundian thing going on here that’s quite intriguing.

Today’s menu.

2001 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio. AG 95. The 2001 Barolo Cerequio comes across as rich, round, seamless and pretty. Here, too, the aromas and flavors are just a bit forwad, but there is more than enough density to support another decade of aging. The wine comes together beautifully with time in the glass. Sweet rose petals, spices and licorice wrap around the big, seamless finish. (Drink between 2013-2021)

2004 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo. VM 97. Sensual, silky and totally alluring, the 2004 Barolo is another wine that is a picture-perfect example of its vintage. The aromatics alone are captivating, but it is the wine’s total balance that places it in the upper echelon. After some of the ups and downs of the 1980s and 1990s’ wines, the 2004 really shows where the estate is today in terms of quality. (Drink between 2016-2034)

2004 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric dël Fiasc. VM 95. The Barolo Bric del Fiasc is a bit monolithic. To be sure, Bric del Fiasc is always a powerhouse, but at this age, I expected to see a little more finesse. There is no shortage of intensity, structure or explosive energy, but the 2004 still needs time to come together. I think there is a reasonable chance that will happen given the track record here, but readers will have to be patient. There are plenty of 2004 Barolos that are quite showy today; this is not one of them. (Drink between 2019-2034)

2007 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato. VM 94+. Medium red. Subtle, reticent, very pure nose offers perfumed scents of wild red cherry, rose petal and wild herbs; the most refined of Mascarello’s 2007 Barolos. Wonderfully silky and fine-grained on the palate, but with terrific calcaire precision and lift. The wine’s highly aromatic red cherry and floral flavors saturate the palate without leaving any impression of weight. This vintage of Monprivato includes about 4% each lampia and rose; the rest is michet, including the juice that normally goes into Mascarello’s limited Ca d’Morrisio bottling. The very long finish features harmonious acidity and firm but suave tannins that reach the front teeth. A beauty.

2007 Massolino Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda. VM 90. Good bright red. Expressive smoky aromas of red berries, plum, menthol and mocha, with a hint of medicinal austerity. Fat, sweet and liqueur-like, but with harmonious acidity giving the middle palate a surprisingly light touch. Still, this is rather subdued today and does not show the lift or stuffing of the 2009 Parussi that preceded it in my tasting. Finishes with dusty tannins and a faint tart edge. Will this benefit from further aging or will it dry out? I’d opt for drinking it over the next few years.

Carne Cruda Alla Piemontese (aka Beef Tartar with truffles).

1999 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste. VM 94. Rinaldi’s 1999 Barolo Brunate-Le Coste (magnum) is fabulous. Firm, powerful tannins give the 1999 much of its spine, power and pure drive. Lavender, black cherries, plums, dark spice and iron emerge from the glass, but only with considerable reluctance. From magnum, the 1999 Brunate-Le Coste is a powerhouse, not to mention a terrific example of the year. With air, the 1999 can be enjoyed today, but its best drinking probably lies ahead. (Drink between 2014-2029)

2000 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Conteisa. VM 95. The 2000 Conteisa is one of the most positive surprises in this tasting. The wine is positively explosive, with marvelous balance and richness in its generous, radiant fruit. The 2000 is a terrific Conteisa. (Drink between 2015-2025)

2000 Domenico Clerico Barolo Percristina. VM 90. The 2000 Barolo Percristina has held up well. It shows considerable freshness in its dark red fruit, leather, licorice and sweet spices. The French oak remains very much present. It’s hard to see the fruit lasting long enough for the oak to every truly integrate. (Drink between 2013-2018)

2001 Domenico Clerico Barolo Percristina. VM 93. The 2001 Barolo Percristina, from magnum, has aged well, but it needs to be enjoyed over the next few years. Today the balance of fruit and oak is still good, but over time the oak tannins will dominate. Sweet red cherries, flowers, licorice, spices and mint wrap around the deep finish. The astringency of the oak is impossible to miss. It is tolerable while the fruit retains some depth, but once the fruit fades, all bets are off. (Drink between 2013-2016)

2001 Paolo Scavino Barolo Riserva Rocche dell’Annunziata. VM 97. The 2001 Barolo Riserva Rocche dell’Annunziata is huge and seamless from start to finish. The wine totally envelops the palate with masses of dark red fruit, roses, spices, and mint, all supported by nearly imperceptible tannins. The volume and shape of the 2001 is simply breathtaking. This is Scavino’s most vibrant 2001. It is also his most polished, refined Barolo. (Drink between 2016-2031)

Tagliatelle, Wild Mushrooms, Summer Truffles. Lovely.

Yarom got a salad because he was avoiding the carbs as usual.

1997 Renato Ratti Barolo Rocche. VM 91+. Deep saturated red-ruby. Less exotic but complex nose melds roasted plum, maple syrup, minerals, meat and smoky oak. Lush and velvety in the middle palate, already showing lovely perfume. Chewier and deeper than the Marcenasco, and more powerfully structured. Finishes with big, dusty tannins and a youthfully austere suggestion of camphor.

1997 Michele Chiarlo Barolo Triumviratum Riserva.

1998 Domenico Clerico Barolo Percristina. VM 92. Dark ruby. The 1998 Percristina appears to have entered the early part of its maturity and is an excellent choice for drinking today. It is an opulent Barolo with plenty of fruit and much persistence on the palate, made in a rich, seamless style, with superbly well-integrated oak and softening tannins. 1998 is the last vintage this wine was aged in 150 liter Taransaud cigarillos, subsequent vintages have been aged in standard-size barriques. (Drink between 2013-2014)

1997 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra. VM 93+. Full, saturated red-ruby. Sappy, high-pitched aromas of cherry, nuts and oak spices. Superconcentrated, spicy and sweet, but nearly as backward as a top ’96, with superb extract and powerful underlying structure. Finishes with substantial mouthdusting tannins and a late note of dark chocolate.

Osso Buco, Risotto Milanese. This was one of the best versions of this classic dish I’ve ever had. The risotto was incredibly “creamy” (it doesn’t actually have any cream in it) and the meat was rich, fatty, and succulent.

The proof is (not) on the plate.

1976 Château Suduiraut. VM 88. The 1976 Suduiraut was served from apparently one of the last remaining bottles at the property. It has 90gm/L of residual sugar. It has a deep amber core with greenish tinge on the rim. The bouquet is clearly from another era with scents of orange pith, mandarin, a slight adhesive scent that turns more chlorine/swimming pool with time. The palate is well balanced with a crisp line of acidity, very Barsac in style like many Sauternes of this vintage. It remains fresh and vital with that tang of bitter orange and marmalade on the finish. 13.7% alcohol. Tasted at the Suduiraut vertical at the château. (Drink between 2019-2024)

Chef’s Assorted Cheese & Condiments.

Bread for the cheese.

Almond Chocolate Cloud Gelato – The base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Toasted Sicilian Almond Cream and Dark Chocolate Rocas! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #chocolate #creamcheese #ganache #icing #almond

Pinoli Gelato — Siberian Pinenut Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #pinoli #pinenut

The wine lineup.

My notes.

The gang.

The ladies table outside.

Ladies wines.

Overall another great lunch. Food was as on point than ever, particularly that osso bucco. Wines were great and the pairing was perfect. Great way to “kill” a Friday afternoon.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Barolo, BYOG, Celestino Drago, Drago Centro, DTLA, Gelato, Italian cuisine, Italian wine, Nebbiolo, Sauvages

Ancient Italian (wine) at Sixth & Mill

Dec25

Restaurant: Sixth & Mill

Location: 1335 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021. (213) 629-3000

Date: November 11, 2019

Cuisine: Italian Pizza

Rating: Super Tasty Pizza, but far (for me)

This post documents an interesting combo event. My friend Walker, member of the Foodie Club, put together this event at his friend, Chef Angelo Auriana’s new pizza place downtown (located next to his other restaurant, Berea).

Chef Angelo’s pizza is his very own version of the pizza Napoletana, which was initially exported by the first waves of immigrants in the 1800s and quickly became what most people abroad identify Italian food by.

Beside the pizza, the cuisine of sixth+mill focuses on other traditional recipes that capture the uniqueness and versatility of the regional southern Italian food and include appetizers, fritters, homemade pasta, meat & poultry, seafood and desserts, keeping an eye on traditions and looking at today’s necessity of lightness, healthiness and simplicity.

The dining experience at sixth+mill evokes joyous times of travel and memories through a casual-refined atmosphere that recreates the feel of a night by the Gulf of Naples and it is the platform to celebrate and share the culture and the life style of the Italian people.

It’s in the left half of the Berea building, and is a bit of a transplant from Vegas as the chef opened this concept there first.

Inside is a mix of contemporary and “factory.”

Walker organized this HUGE (too huge) dinner with like 50-60 people to showcase the pizzas and his ancient and unusual Italian wines. The chef is in the blue in the middle of the above picture.

I also brought some wine. From my cellar: 2010 Borgo del Tiglio (Nicola Manferrari) Collio Friulano Ronco della Chiesa. AG 94. Borgo del Tiglio’s 2010 Ronco della Chiesa shows what this hillside site in Cormons can do in cooler vintages. Still bright, focused and intensely saline, the 2010 bursts from the glass with grapefruit, lime, mint and crushed rocks. The 2010 will probably be appreciated most by readers who like tense, vibrant whites. Next to some of the other vintages, the 2010 lacks a little mid-palate pliancy, but it is quite beautiful just the same. I especially like the way the 2010 opens up nicely in the glass over time. (Drink between 2013-2020)

Mozzerella from Southern Italy with peppers.

Margarita with Gorgonzola. Pretty normal Margarita, but for the strong flavor of Gorgonzola — took it up a notch for me. Very salty and strong.

Parmesan with purple cabbage and almonds. A strongly cheesy pizza with a bit of crunch and a hint of bitter from the cabbage.

From my cellar: 2007 Paolo Bea Montefalco Rosso Riserva Pipparello. 94 points. I’m a sucker for Bea and my infatuation may blur my objectivity as a result. However, it would be disingenuous of me if I were not to gush over this bottle. A tree full of ripe cherries, pie spice, asphalt, charcoal, smoke, mushrooms, damp forest floor, teriyaki…it was a feast for the senses. After 11 years of age it’s still fiercely tannic but it’s not enough to bother considering the character. The finish lasts for minutes. I realize that making wine like this is scary and the results aren’t for everyone but my God, I am thankful that the Bea’s have the guts to do it.

Mushrooms with butternut squash and arugula.

Oxtail and smoked mozzarella. Strongly meaty, probably my favorite.

Margherita fior di latte with Apulian EVOO and oregano.

Gnocchi with Alfredo sauce. Cheesy and very very soft. Perfect pillows of potato.

Much of the wine lineup.

This was Jerome and Emma’s first full evening in Los Angeles (just in from the Netherlands) and we dragged them through 2+ hours of LA traffic!

The wines are all pictured below. Far too many to write up. This was an oddball event. I’ll break it down.

The pizzas were very good. Not 2+ hours in traffic good — no pizza in LA is — but good. I’d happily have them if there were closer. They are about the same (good) level as Pizzana. There wasn’t enough food for my taste, mostly because of the format (more on that later), but what we got was great.

The wines were very interesting. These are unusual varietals that I, of course, know because of my Italian wine studies, but unusual. Mostly far Northern Italian wines made from Spanna (a Nebbiolo variant). But you NEVER see these wines nearly this old! They varied from a bit rustic or acidic to delicious. This is surprisingly long lived stuff. Pouring was a bit uneven due to the format.

The format problem with this dinner was the size. There were huge numbers, perhaps 50-60 people, and first of all the restaurant can’t produce pizzas THAT fast, so they would periodically drop one on our table, giving us a piece each, then we would wait for a good while as they kept dropping pizzas on the other 10 tables before switching to a new pizza type. Initially there was only the salad and 4 small (slices of) pizza(s). We begged for the 5th pizza and the gnocchi, but it still wasn’t really enough. I think the concept originally was for it to be smaller and for the chef to try the wines and improvise on pizzas, but because of the scale he couldn’t really do that. The wine also suffered in pacing because Walker was opening and pouring EVERYTHING so he was one busy bee — but he still couldn’t get around fast enough at the beginning. These are pretty hard bottles to even open as the aged corks take some time to work through.

But anyway, other than the ludicrous LA traffic getting to the Arts District fairly early, it was a lot of fun.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Angelo Auriana, Arts District, DTLA, Foodie Club, Italian wine, Pizza, Sixth & Mill, Walker Wine Co, Wine

Nothing Boring about Bavel

Jan21

Restaurant: Bavel

Location: 500 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90013. (213) 232-4966

Date: November 26, 2018

Cuisine: Modern Middle Eastern

Rating: One of the best tasting new places in town

Bavel is a new Modern Middle Eastern place from the Bestia people — and like that place it’s hip and crowded. It’s own webpage describes it as a Middle Eastern restaurant from Chefs Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis. With family roots in Israel, Morocco, Turkey, and Egypt, Ori and Genevieve have always wanted to open a restaurant that showcases the cuisines of their family lineages, bringing together the flavors and dishes they grew up with.

Ori and Genevieve were both born in the Los Angeles area – Genevieve was raised in Southern California, while Ori and his family moved to Israel where he spent his formative years.

Ori grew up traveling with his family and was exposed to fine dining across the globe, but it wasn’t until his year-long stay in South America, where he realized his passion for cooking. Genevieve is a self-taught pastry chef who started baking out of necessity to satisfy her sweet tooth. At the time, she was studying to be a classical French horn player.

In 2001, Ori returned to Los Angeles. He landed his first kitchen job at an Israeli cafe, before working at La Terza—the restaurant where Ori and Genevieve, who was a hostess, met for the first time. From there, Ori spent time in the kitchens of Pizzeria Mozza, All’ Angelo, and under chef Gino Angelini at Angelini Osteria, where he worked for four years as chef de cuisine.

In 2012, Ori and Genevieve pursued their dream of opening their first restaurant, Bestia and in 2018 their second restaurant, Bavel. With a background in the field of interior design, Genevieve played a key role in the design of both restaurants. When not in the kitchen, Ori and Genevieve can be found spending time with their daughter, Saffron.

It’s also located in the DTLA Arts District, which would be cool except for being so darn far for me.

The interior is large, stylish, not particularly Middle Eastern (on purpose) and very very loud (unfortunately).

We ate out on the patio — which wasn’t nearly as attractive and had worse chairs but was much much quieter (which is actually more important). I wish restauranteurs would get off their louder is better horse. It’s really annoying.

The menu — we ordered most of it.

Kirk brought some fake Chard. 2015 Alheit Vineyards Chenin Blanc Magnetic North Mountain Makstok Skurfberg. VM 91. Restrained aromas of citrus fruits and flowers, plus a whiff of crushed stone. Offers noteworthy texture and sweetness in a still-reserved package. There’s minerality here and a positive dryness to the wine’s stone fruit and citrus flavors. The firm, spicy finish is not at all harsh. Quite strong on the back end. I suspect this will blossom in bottle.

FARM CHEESE. rose petal za’atar, olive oil, maldon, buckwheat loaf. This was standing in for Lebneh — or is a lebneh variant. The bread was amazing. Tons of flavor and nicely grilled. Loved the yogurt-like cheese and olive oil too — I always do.

Close up of the cheese.

FOIE GRAS HALVA. creamy paté, date puree, black sesame, buckwheat loaf. Same bread. Kind of sweet. One of those foie and sweet preps. I liked it a lot though.

DUCK ‘NDUJA HUMMUS. creamy garbanzo beans, jerusalem mix spice, herbs, pita. This might be the bavel signature dish. The “original” in Lebanon would be beef, pine nuts, and onions on top of the hummus. This variant was superb and the pita was also top notch.

A close up of the hummus, of course.

Two vintages of the same fake pinot. One was okay, the other kind of middling.

I wish these American winemakers wouldn’t stick the vineyard and vintage info in such small type on the side, but they do. Better than the ones that put it on the back (hate that) but still couldn’t read it. I think one was 09, the other very recent. Can’t remember. I don’t buy fake pinot.

GRILLED PRAWNS. harissa marinade, cured zucchini tzatziki, herbs, lime. These were superb. Really really great. The prawns were juicy, full of briney flavor, and a certain sweet char. It paired perfectly with the tangy tzatziki.

GREEN LIP MUSSELS. makrut lime, coconut milk, ginger sofrito, white wine, citrus, serrano chile. This didn’t feel Middle Eastern at all (more Thai) but it did taste amazing. Really fabulous mussel prep. Coconut curry-like.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER. hawaij chile sauce, lime leaf, crème fraiche serrano dip, pistachios, dried flowers. I’m not a vegetable person but this was one of the best dishes of the night! A more fried variant is a Lebanese staple but this was just incredible cauliflower packed with flavor.

And the creamy dip really knocked it up.

Kirk also brought this overpriced fake pinot. 2005 Sine Qua Non Pinot Noir Over & Out. VM 92. Ruby-red. Exotically perfumed nose features energetic raspberry and blackberry scents complicated by cinnamon, mace and fresh rose. Plush and sweet, offering powerful red and dark berry flavors, suave tannins and impressively chewy finishing grip. Less a pinot than a Sine Qua Non wine, and that’s not a bad thing.

agavin: I didn’t like it at all. Doesn’t taste like pinot at all, more like Syrah.

LAMB TARTARE. burnt onion crème fraiche, pickled chive blossom, mint, cinnamon, toasted sesame, laffa. Good stuff, very tangy.

The laffa? Not to be confused with luffa?

FRIED QUAIL. cardamom date sauce, pickled celery, smoked yogurt, fresh herbs. Awesome. The sauce was quiet sweet. Like fried chicken with some interesting Middle Eastern dessert reduction.

David brought: 1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. 93+ points. I have always been a fan of the 1989 Château Beaucastel, which I rank just behind the superb 1981 at this fine estate. The most recent bottle I tasted of this wine was still just a touch youthful, but offered up fine complexity on both the nose and palate and shows excellent promise. The bouquet is a blend of roasted fruitcake, cherries, new leather, venison, incipient notes of sous bois, woodsmoke and hot stones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and rock solid at the core, with a bit of tannin still to resolve, fine focus and grip and a very long, classy and slightly chewy finish. I would be tempted to give this wine a few more years to really resolve, as it will be a superb wine and it would be most enjoyable to drink it at the same plateau that the 1981 has been enjoying for a good decade already.

LAMB FLATBREAD. Spicy fermented sausage, grated tomato, red onion, parsley, pine nuts, nigella seed, mint, sumac.

Marinated Tomato. Whipped feta, smoked eggplant powder, savory, sea salt, olive oil. People didn’t love this dish. The feta was very salty and I think people expected a sweet/creamy vibe like with burrata. I’m not a tomato fan, so it was hard for me to tell.

GRILLED DORADE. herb-stuffed, red chermoula, preserved orange, smoked anchovy. For a fish, it was very good as the paste on top was spicy and had a lot of flavor.

From my cellar: 2006 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia Sassicaia. VM 95. Bright red-ruby. Complex nose melds red cherry, blackcurrant, minerals, dried herbs and a delicate oaky vanillin nuance; the fruit aromas show an almost roasted quality without going over the top. Sweet, concentrated and nicely fresh, with an impression of strong extract and a hint of exotic fruits to the flavors of ripe red and dark berries, chocolate, plum and wild herbs. The candied fruit quality carries through on the long, smooth finish, where there’s a trace of heat and hints of menthol and minerals. A very successful Sassicaia but, in my notebook, just a little below the lofty heights of the 2001 or 2004. But given the quality of this wine, that’s quibbling.

AGED HALF DUCK. breast kebab, confit leg, duck bone broth, green amba, chicory salad. If this was half a duck, it was a VERY small duck! It did taste good, a bit like peking duck.

duck bone broth.

2002 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. 93 points. Such a great wine. Italian merlot. Loads of blueberries, black cherries and such a rich and voluptuous wine. Awesome texture. Supple and generous. But balanced and so well made. Plenty of life left in this bottle. Really enjoyable.

SLOW ROASTED LAMB NECK SHAWARMA. tahini, amba, pickled vegetables, laffa. Yum!

tahini, amba, pickled vegetables.

The tagine before opening.

BRAISED PORK TAGINE. prunes, serrano chile, cous cous, cashews.

cous cous, cashews and the usual tagine “sauce.”

The dessert menu — oops I mean dessert menu.

Yarom had this ice wine in his bag.

LICORICE ROOT ICE CREAM BON BON. sour licorice caramel, muscovado cake, caramelized white chocolate, maldon.

CARDAMOM APPLE PRUNE CAKE. date toffee sauce, cream

STRAWBERRY SUMAC & SWEET CHEESE PASTRY. pistachio ice cream, labneh cream, cured sumac

PAGLAVA. rolled walnut & apricot filled pastry, farm cheese, honey, dried borage flower

COCONUT TAPIOCA. passion fruit, basil syrup, lime zest, coconut tuile

Desserts were excellent too!

The red wine lineup.

We also ran into Liz Lee and a friend — what a coincidence!

Bavel is a really great new addition to the LA scene. The only similar spot food-wise I’ve been to in LA is Mizlala — which is also fabulous (if more casual). While LA has lots of Israeli, Lebanese, and Moroccan places, Bavel (and Mizlala) really notch the cuisine up with their bright flavors, fun fusions, and attractive plating. Service was fine. The place is too loud. The food is amazing. Unlike Bestia, Bavel is fairly liberal in allowing you to open wine bottles — but they do charge a medium-high corkage. It’s tres LA and would be great for out of town guests if it weren’t so far and hard to get into.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bavel, hedonists, Hummus, Italian wine, lamb, Liz Lee, Middle Eastern, Wine

Piedmont at Maude

Dec05

Restaurant: Maude [1, 2, 3]

Location: 212 South Beverly Drive. Beverly Hills, CA. (310) 859-3418

Date: October 10, 2018

Cuisine: French Californian

Rating: Great Theme

When it opened several years ago, Maude was a big deal on the LA restaurant scene. For quite some time they had a unique “one ingredient, one month” theme. I had gone 4 years ago in late 2014. But that was back several chefs ago, and now-a-days they have a “season” (of 3 months I think) with a wine theme and food to match. Reversing their early hesitation about corkage, if you bring on theme — you now get free corkage. yay! I went earlier this year for Burgundy and now I’m back with my wife on “date night” for Piedmont.

It’s still located on Beverly in Beverly Hills.

It’s still cute inside.

Quite small with an open kitchen.

Elegant table settings.

Tonight’s menu.

From my cellar: 1999 Paitin di Pasquero-Elia Barbaresco Vecchie Vigne Sorì Paitin. VM 92. The 1999 Barbaresco Sorì Paitin Vecchie Vigne is dark, powerful and opulent, with more than enough stuffing to age well for the better part of the next decade. Smoke, menthol, tar, black fruit and French oak blossom in the glass as this resonant, exuberant Barbaresco show off its unique, totally compelling personality. The French oak is present, but well balanced at the same time.

Bagna Cauda. Fresh farmer’s market vegetables.

And dip.

Bacalao. Parsley, garlic. Cod — with butter!

Agnolotti. Rocchetta Cheese. Could have eaten about 100 more of these.

Vitello Tonnato. Raw tuna on cheese with capers and EVOO.

Tajarin. Bresola, sage. Fetticini-like pasta with like bits of cured beef.

Ravioli. Braised veal and truffles! Awesome.

Vegetarian version without the veal.

Stick a knife in it.

Finanziera. Young beef, foie gras, sweetbread. Good stuff. Rich on rich.

A vegetarian alternative. Looks pretty meaty too.

Occelli al Barolo. Cheese soaked in barolo!

Bread.

In Maude 2.0 you go upstairs for dessert, which I really like. Last time, they had this incredible cheese and dessert buffet. They said that almost killed the pastry chef and now it’s been simplified. Too bad!

Sharon takes it in. Still there was a lot of good stuff up here.

Panna Cotta. Orange, persimmon, honeycomb. Delicious!

“Hot chocolate” with marshmallow and other goodness.

Petit fours.

Some kind of tea. May have been mint tea.

Oh, and they have little “presents” for the morning.

I found this new format for Maude much more pleasant. The food was good. Some dishes were excellent, really good, and some just solid. The service was fabulous. They were trying to go Italian with some success but it still felt a bit French — although certainly very good. The whole no corkage thing is a welcome relief. I loved the 2 locations thing and the loungey location upstairs. All in all a super fun evening!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Date Night, Italian wine, Maude, Piedmont

Crafty Culina

Feb25

Restaurant: Culina Modern Italian [1, 2]

Location: 300 S Doheny Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90048. 310) 860-4000

Date: February 9, 2017

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great Italian – Hotel or No

Hotel restaurants are always rebooting themselves, and so it goes with the 4 Seasons Beverly Hills. This time around they have brought in master Italian chef Mirko Paderno who just a year or two ago was cooking up amazing meals at the tiny Avalon Hotel and then had a brief stint at Downtown’s hot Officine.

The space has been redone in a more classy contemporary way. With a big eating bar too.

Market Oysters, Mignonette, Cocktail Sauce. Simple but great.

Crudo. Some kind of yellowtail, I can’t remember which. But the fish was superb and the olive or and bright citrus drizzle incredible. Really some great sashimi.

The wine list has some nice unusual Italians.

2014 Volpe Pasini Colli Orientali del Friuli Sauvignon Zuc di Volpe. 93 points. Dry, but intensely aromatic in a fruity, almost floral way. The fruitiness wafts up from the cup but is not fleeting or transient, but rather, evolves and persists as I drink it. Only lightly sour. Tastes very clean and leaves me feeling very good after drinking it.

Tuna tartar with quail egg and parmesan. You would barely know this was tuna, given that it was treated just like beef tartar. And an amazing tartar it was!

Sea bass on salt. A delectable chunk of fish served (cooked?) on a block of Himalayan salt.

Bread tower.

Cauliflower panna cotta with egg and truffles. A signature of Mirko’s and an AMAZING dish. Very classic and the light velvety base just brought out the intense truffle.

2005 Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco Pagliaro. VM 94. The 2005 Montefalco Sagrantino Vigna Pagliaro has put on quite a bit of weight over the last year. Today it is a rich, sumptuous wine that totally covers the palate with dense, dark fruit. In 2005 the Pagliaro is impressive in the way it achieves superb density while retaining the elements of delicate, nuanced subtlety that inform Bea’s finest wines. This is a fabulous effort from Bea. The 2005 Pagliaro saw 46 days on the skins, followed by a year in stainless steel and two years in cask.

Gnocchi with truffles and mushrooms. Some incredible light and fluffy gnocchi, again showcasing the truffles.

They have a lot of good looking cheese.

Gorgonzola dulce on crisps. Amazing!
Chef Mirko above to mix some risotto with braised meat inside the half wheel of parmesan!

I first saw this technique at Forma.

Risotto with braised beef. Classic pairing, but awesome. The rich cheesy risotto perfectly mars with the succulent meat. Very Northern Italian.

Warm dark chocolate liquid tart. Mint chip gelato. Fabulous chocolate.

And a glass of great vin santo.

2005 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Vin Santo del Chianti Classico. 93 points. This is a great deal in nice dessert wine.

Not only is Culina now one of the best hotel restaurants in town, it’s one of the best Italian restaurants. Mirko has always been an amazing chef, and particularly when he just “makes stuff for you.” His particular classic but quite contemporary Northern Italian is very much you get at a great (high end) place in Northern Italy — and totally scrumptious.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: 4 seasons hotel, Beverly Hills, Culina, Dessert, Italian cuisine, Italian wine, Mirko Paderno, Wine

Sauvages at Oliverio

Aug01

Restaurant: Oliverio [1, 2, 3]

Location: 9400 W Olympic Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90212. (310) 407-7791

Date: July 25, 2014

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Awesome Food & Wine

The Sauvages are a group of serious Friday afternoon wine drinkers. Today’s event brings us to the Avalon Hotel’s poolside Italian: Oliverio for a special custom Barolo lunch.

The atmosphere is tres LA and top notch.

Opening up with a couple whites. This Italian was tasty, but I didn’t know it.

Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard. I didn’t catch the vintage, but it was a 100 point Parker wine. This is a pretty decent new world Chard, still, I don’t understand the ratings. It’s flabby, lacking the acidic backbone that makes a great white Burgundy so delicious. Instead you are just hit by straightforward richness.

1988 Fiorano (Boncompagni Ludovisi) Sémillon Vino da Tavola. A totally unusual, delicious, ancient bottle of Semillon from Italy.

Our custom Barolo menu.

Bread.

1997 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Prapò. IWC 90. Medium red-orange. Spicy aromas of redcurrant, clove, dried flowers and tobacco. Juicy, bright and delineated, with noteworthy shape and structure. Quite spicy at the core. Substantial firm tannins are very nicely buffered. Finishes with excellent persistence.

1998 Angelo Gaja Costa Russi. Parker 92. The dark ruby/purple-colored, supple-texture 1998 Costa Russi possesses sweet, jammy raspberry and cherry fruit, medium to full body, gorgeous glycerin, low acidity, and a lightly tannic finish. Although large-sized, it has good finesse as well as beautifully pure fruit.

1997 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio. Parker 92. The paradoxical 1997 Barolo Cerequio possesses exquisite purity as well as an open-knit bouquet, but restrained, tannic, forceful, backward flavors. Dense and rich, with the vintage’s thickness well-displayed.

1997 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto. Parker 90-96. A well-respected La Morra producer, Codero’s 1997 Barolo Monfalletto is a soft, structured offering with muscular, earthy, licorice, and black cherry aromas as well as flavors. With airing, notes of chocolate, truffles, meat, and pepper emerge. Muscular and rustic, but substantial and rich on the palate, it requires several years of cellaring.

Mediterranean Seppia. Carmelized onion, fresh liver, black figs. An interesting combo that totally worked. The sweetness of the fig worked with the liver (probably actually foie gras) and the Seppia had a wonderful chew.

1996 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis. Parker 96. The 1996, one of the estate’s best, takes things to another level. It shows an outrageous, well-delineated nose of fresh roses, minerals and menthol followed waves of dark fruit and licorice flavors that are just beginning to show the signs of early maturity, with exceptional freshness, length, and harmony. This opens beautifully in the glass, taking on an almost Burgundian elegance. A wine to marvel over. It is hard to resist this now, but it will be even better in another 3-5 years, and age gracefully for another decade, and probably more. 96+ points/drink after 2008.

1997 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis. Parker 96. The 1997 is rich and alcoholic on the nose, displaying aromas of very sweet fruit with a slightly evolved character. It is super-rich and concentrated on the palate, offering intense sweet fruit and mineral flavors, but with notable balance for the vintage, closing with a final lingering note of sweetness. This is drinking well now and should last at least another ten years.

1996 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto. Parker 94-96. The saturated ruby/purple-colored 1996 Barolo Falletto exhibits an extraordinary nose of smoke, earth, white truffles, black fruits, licorice, and floral scents. Extremely massive, with layers of concentration, high tannin, a muscular personality, and a 40+ second finish, this classic, young Barolo will require patience. Why can’t I turn my body clock back twenty years?

1997 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto. Parker 93. Giacosa’s 1997 Barolo Falletto de Serralunga is an exquisite Barolo offering superb notes of tar, earth, truffles, licorice, minerals, and cherry/raspberry fruit. There is plenty of acidity as well as high tannin, but concentrated, chewy flavors. The wine is tight, dense, impressive, and surprisingly structured for a 1997.

Roasted Quail. Venetian style chicken liver, oyster mushrooms. The quail was delightful, as were the mushrooms. This liver was a bit stronger, more like my mom’s traditional liver and onions.

1998 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra. Parker 93. Domenico Clerico’s 1998 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra is one of the most full-throttle wines of the vintage. Still deeply-colored, this authoritative wine possesses tons of mineral-infused dark fruit intermingled with French oak and menthol. This remains one of the most tannic and firm wines of the vintage. My impression is that the fruit will fade before the tannins melt away. Still, this is a beautiful wine Barolo to enjoy over the next few years, although it is not a wine for the timid.

1997 Massolino Barolo Vigna Rionda. Parker 90. The sexy, layered, evolved 1997 Barolo Vigna Rionda was obviously produced from extremely ripe fruit as evidenced by the dark garnet/amber color, and sweet perfume of smoke, caramel, toffee, and espresso infused with black cherries, plums, and prunes. This multilayered, full-bodied offering exhibits a seamless personality with no hard edges.

1999 Massolino Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda. Parker 93. The 1999 Barolo Vigna Rionda has always been somewhat of an enigma. It is a big, structured Vigna Rionda with vibrant fruit, great length and powerful tannins. One of the casks was new in this vintage and the wine has always has a gloss of new oak, but over the years the oak has begun integrate and the wine has developed beautifully. I may have initially underestimated this wine.

From my cellar: 1996 Aldo Conterno Barolo Colonnello. Parker 90-93. The 1996 Barolo Colonnello is aromatic, offering scents of melted asphalt, cedar, tobacco, spice box, and assorted red and black fruits. Following a soft entry, the immense richness, fleshy, full-bodied power of this wine became apparent. The finish offers considerable tannic clout and power.

agavin: Sadly, this bottle was kinda turned, and particularly odd as I bought it from Aldo Conterno personally in 2000 and had it well cellared. It wasn’t totally gone, and the nose was fabulous, but the color was mostly brick and the fruit faded. We didn’t serve it.

Conchiglioni al forno. Stuffed with veal trippe, white bean sauce, pecorino cheese. A fabulous pasta. Nicely al dente, with a wonderful cheesy tomato sauce inside. I guess the trippe just added a touch of richness, as I didn’t detect the noxious texture.

2000 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino. Parker 97. Conterno’s 2000 Barolo Riserva Monfortino gives an impression of accessibility only because it is so open relative to some of the surrounding vintages of this great, legendary Barolo. The 2000 has tons of fruit backed up with considerable tannic heft. With time in the glass sweet, balsamic notes make an appearance, but this is one of the few 2000s that needs considerable cellaring to show all of its cards.

2000 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Cannubi (San Lorenzo) / Ravera. Parker 89-91. 2000 Barolo Cannubi (San Lorenzo)/ Ravera (from barrel)—A blend of 60% Cannubi (San Lorenzo sub-plot) and 40% Ravera fruit. Dark ruby in color, the Cannubi (San Lorenzo) /Ravera is delicate, perfumed and aromatic, with lots of cherry and spice flavors, although still very closed on the palate. The Brunate/LeCoste is the masculine wine, the Cannubi (SanLorezo)/Ravera the feminine wine.

2000 Angelo Gaja Sperss. Parker 94. From Magnum. Gaja’s 2000 Sperss is wonderfully open and radiant. Layers of dark fruit, grilled herbs, cassis and smoke saturate the palate in this powerful, stunningly beautiful Sperss. Gorgeous inner perfume and a long, intense finish round things out in style.

Australian Wagyu Tagliata. Parmigiano fondue, caviar, chanterelle mushrooms. A fabulous little bite of beef!

Dolce. Raspberry & apple crepes. This had an intense berry character, almost cherry like. Really ripe and tasty.

Overall, this was another knock out meal. The food was fantastic, even if we had no pasta! and was well paired with the might Baroli. Oliverio, its staff, and chef, took fantastic care of us.

LA dining reviews click here.

After we snuck down the street to a member’s house, where he generously opened a number of great bottles.

1996 Pride Mountain Vineyards Reserve Claret. Parker 95. The 1996 Reserve Claret is a blend of 63% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petite Verdot (230 cases), it is a gorgeously balanced, super-concentrated yet hauntingly symmetrical wine with copious quantities of black fruits, spicy new oak, minerals, licorice, and roasted herbs. Full-bodied, with a cherry liqueur-like richness to its fruit, this wine has loads of glycerin, fabulous extract, and no hard edges. The velvety finish lasts for 40+ seconds. This is a spectacular wine that must be tasted to be believed.

1995 Clinet. Parker 96. Another extraordinary wine made in a backward vin de garde style, the 1995 Clinet represents the essence of Pomerol. The blackberry, cassis liqueur-like fruit of this wine is awesome. The color is saturated black/purple, and the wine extremely full-bodied and powerful with layers of glycerin-imbued fruit, massive richness, plenty of licorice, blackberry, and cassis flavors, full body, and a thick, unctuous texture. This is a dense, impressive offering from administrator Jean-Michel Arcaute.

1996 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain. Parker 96. The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain possesses a black/blue/purple color, and a texture of unctuosity and thickness. Greatness is suggested by a wonderfully sweet mid-section, gorgeous purity, and this humongous wine’s overall symmetry. It also possesses sumptuous layers of concentration, remarkably sweet tannin, low acidity, and a 40+ second finish.

By: agavin
Comments (2)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Avalon Hotel, Barolo, Beverly Hills California, Italian wine, Oliverio, Sauvages

Amarone at Oliverio

May14

Restaurant: Oliverio [1, 2, 3]

Location: 9400 W Olympic Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90212. (310) 407-7791

Date: May 8, 2013

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Awesome Amarone

The summer Hedonist season is heating up and brings us to the Avalon Hotel’s poolside Italian, Oliverio for a special Amarone dinner.

The atmosphere is tres LA and top notch.

Sharon holds down are giant table before the festivities begin.

This is our custom menu, but as you’ll see below we nearly doubled the number of courses!

2010 Giovanni Almondo Roero Arneis Vigne Sparse. The nose showed white flowers, almond skins and a spritz of lemon. On the palate, I found sweet apple, floral notes and hints of peach. The finish was clean, fresh and highly enjoyable.

Antipasto. Crudo di Pesce. Santa Barbara Uni, amachi, santa barbara prawns, yellowfin tuna. Nice fresh fish in the (new) Italian tradition.

2000 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 91. Explosive notes of green apple and obvious minerality plus a touch of wood toast lead to elegant, intense and long medium weight, beautifully textured flavors. This stains the palate and though this is not an especially powerful wine, it packs plenty of flavor authority.

Our bottle was fairly oxidized with strong creme brule flavors.

Roasted Bone Marrow. Fava beans, fresh radish, salsa verde. Really a knock out.

Cauliflower flan with black truffles.

1980 Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella. Brick red. Nose of dried flowers, tea leaves, camomile, licuorice. Full bodied, ripe. Finish of plum peel. Still a lot of spice.

1981 Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella. Deep ruby color with browning edges. Potent nose of tar, black licorice and sweet prunes. Deep and creamy with spicy black prune and raisiny fruit. Still loaded with acidity that is almost overwhelming. Finishes with an earthy complexity and a hint of alcohol. Much younger tasting than the 1980 (even though that wasn’t tired).

2004 Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella. Parker 94. The 2004 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is flat-out gorgeous. Why can’t all the Bertani wines be this good? The 2004 is a superb, elegant Amarone graced with expressive dark red fruit, flowers, tobacco and spices, all supported by finessed, silky tannins. Sweet roses, tar and licorice are woven into the layered, sublime finish. Deceptively medium in body, the 2004 has the stuffing to age well for decades. This is a terrific showing from Bertani.

Bread.

Primo. Risotto. Pioppini mushroom, braised Sonoma lamb neck. Tasted just like a great Osso Bucco. Awesome!

Tommaso Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Tb Vigneto Alto. Deep ruby. Opulent, sexy aromas off red cherry syrup, strawberry jelly, marzipan, cardamom and cinnamon. Dense, sweet and seamless, offering a lovely multilayered mouthful of red fruits, jam and spices. Finishes extremely long, with powerful grip and building tannins that stay silky-smooth. This clocks in at 47.8 g/l total dry extract, 11.1 g/l residual sugar and 6.45 g/l total acidity.

A vegetarian risotto with mushrooms and saffron.

2005 Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico. Nose: Dark berries, sage, mint, maybe some tomato. A hint of vinegar. Taste: It has a tomato and liqueur-y kind of note. The slightest hint of sweetness with some brandy notes on the back. My friend who enjoys Amarone gives this an 89… I’m not enjoying the style but lets go with her thoughts.

Secondi. Porchetta. Roasted korobuta pork belly, frigitelli pepper, porcini mushroom.

Not actually that fatty (considering) but with a really nice rich flavor and a bit of heat from the pepper.

2006 Monti Coroni Amarone della Valpolicella Classico.

Seabass with tomatoes and olives.

2003 Bolla Amarone della Valpolicella Classico. Surprised by this wine. Still very young, and quite tannic, with nice deep red fruit characteristics, with no raisin component at all. Nice, interesting wine that was very enjoyable. Give it time.

Salmon with fennel and potatoes.

1996 Romano Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore Vigneto Monte Lodoletta. Deep, rich red wine, erupting with pure, and intense aromas of cedar, black currants, dried cherries, basil, earth, spices, and hints of leather and tobacco on the back-end. The palate is pure, focused, concentrated, ad extremely elegant with mirroring brightness of fruit and a savoriness that leads into an unbelievably deep and rich 60 second finish with the kind of finesse that most winemakers only dream of. This is only the second time I have had the pleasure of trying this incredible wine, and I relished every moment of it. This is easily the best Valpolicela in the market. Anyone, If you come across this wine anywhere, buy it and drink it, because you need to try what a truly great valpolicela holds beneath its cork.

This isn’t technically an Amarone, but a wine made in the same region with the same grapes without the ripasso method (drying into raisons).

Quail in wine reduction sauce with polenta. Really nice.

1997 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Mazzano. This beautiful mouth filling wine had a port-like nose and guess what….the first sip exhibited a lovely, mature, extracted port-like taste. The wine had Valpo flavors at just the right intensity, not as large as Port, but the correct stature for the grapes that make up the blend. The bottle was consumed over three days and each day I thought that the intensity, ripeness and mouth feel would decrease but it maintained a wonderful flavor to the end of the bottle. A real treat.

Polenta with gorgonzola.

2001 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Campolongo di Torbe. Parker 91. The palate is very soft, graceful, matured, powerful and really broad. Overall the wine seems really dry, although there is a hint of sweetness at the tip of the tongue. Soft yet brawny tannic structure. Dried cherries, figs, earthiness, leather, dark-roasted coffee and raisins in an impeccable balance; none of these flavors dominate the complex palate, everything is in its right place. Lengthy finish with round, sweet taste of figs, moccha and wooden oak. A spectacular wine, this is. It is so powerful its high alc. (16,6%) doesn’t show at all, bar a slight touch of heat in the throat. One of the best wines I have ever tasted, probably even the best. Impressive now, but has a powerful body that’ll hold easily for another decade.

La Casola. Traditional duck and sausage stew with cabbage.

Almost like a French Cassolette. Rich meat, rich sausage, and rich sauce!

1999 Allegrini Amarone Classico (in 3L!). Parker 91-95. The impressive 1999 Amarone della Valpolicella is from a vintage which was anything but easy, but apparently created few problems here. Rich, jammy, and spicy aromas are followed by full and voluminous flavors, broad and warmly alcoholic with abundant super-ripe fruit and notes of chocolate, solid but voluptuous and extremely long on the finish.

Tomato, basil, and burrata pizza. Somehow the crust is made from potato? Anywhichway, it was a great pizza, very chewy.

1980 Castello di Cacchiano Vin Santo del Chianti Classico. A mid sweet Vin Santo, very pleasant.

Chocolate cake with creme fraiche and passionfruit sauce.

Overall, this was another knock out knight. The food was fantastic, even if we had no pasta! and was well paired with the rich heavy Amarones. That atmosphere outside by the pool really added as well and Oliverio, its staff, and chef, took fantastic care of us.

More crazy Hedonist adventures or

LA dining reviews click here.

Big Mark opens his big bottle!

By: agavin
Comments (14)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Amarone, Bertani, Bone Marrow, hedonists, Italian cuisine, Italian wine, Oliverio, Valpolicella, Veneto

Eating Modena – Osteria Francescana

Jun14

Restaurant: Osteria Francescana

Location: Modena, Italy

Date: June 6, 2011

Cuisine: Emilia Romagna

Rating: Amazing Italian Molecular!

ANY CHARACTER HERE

Our first fancy meal of the trip was at Osteria Francescana, a modern Italian in Modena with 2 Michelin stars. Francescana has an unusual and creative take on Italian. Most of the dishes have as their basis traditional ones, and the finest local ingredients (in a land rich with fine ingredients), but then they mess playfully with the forms, flavors, and textures. You’ll see.

The restaurant is located in scenic old Modena.

Here is the formal dusgustation menu. There is also an extensive ala carte. We put together a custom (and lengthy) molecular omakase.

First bread course.

We asked the sommelier for recommendations in interesting Italian wines. He started us with this Nero D’Avola, which surprisingly, tasted like a good Burgundy! Arianna Occhipinti bottles Frappato and Nero d’Avola. The two grapes are traditionally blended to make Cerasuolo di Vittoria, which in 2005 became the first style of red wine in Sicily to achieve DOCG status. Only 2 percent of Sicilian wine even merits DOC status (a tier down from DOCG) and only 15 percent is even bottled on the island. Native grape Nero d’Avola gives darkness, and Frappato provides uncommon fragrance. By utilizing native yeasts to begin fermentation, ageing in older and larger oak barrels and farming in adherence to the tenets of biodynamics, Occhipinti finds grace in the fields surrounding Ragusa and Vittoria.

This first dish is meant to represent “rock of the sea” and it’s colored and sweetened with squid ink. Mom says: the black sponge needed more flavor! To be fair, there were supposed to be clams inside, but they were removed to accomodate dietary restrictions.

This is “foam of mortadella di bologna.” Mortadella (seen below) is a classic traditional meat. Here it is basically whipped into a mousse-like consistency and served with a wonderful bit of toasted bread. The meat is spread on the bread and eaten, and it retains the exact flavor profile of the original. This is essentially a baloney sandwich.

Traditional Mortadella.

Various homemade breads and grisini.

Mackerel and salmon eggs.

With a pea soup.

Very tasty!

One of my favorites. The Fois Gras lollipop.

Inside is fois gras, coated with toasted almonds, and injected with a dab of aged balsamic (from Modena of course). This was rich, but pretty much incredible!

This wine was so rare the label is scotch taped on. It tasted like a cross between a Tavel (Rose) and a Pinot Noir, with strong tones of rosewater.

A “tart” of shallots and leeks, with Italian white truffles. This was absolutely delicious, and tasted a bit like Eggplant Bharta, the traditional cooked down eggplant and onion dish from India.

We also mixed in this Moscato, which while still sweet had more subtlety than most of the breed.

This is cod, with sicilian pesto and pistachios. The pesto was tomato and eggplant based. Also yummy.

Parmesan, five ways! This wonderful statement of the varieties of local Parmesan involves taking five different ages of the cheese, and processing them into five different forms and textures. Mouses, foams, sauce, crisp, etc. A very cheesy dish!

This dish was meant to represent a “cow in the pasture.”

It had various spring vegetables, and some fresh cream! Not the most exciting, just lots of types of peas!

This is a “compression of pasta and beans.” There is some fois gras in here too. Which perfectly fine, this was my least favorite dish of the evening.

This 1999 Barbera was rich and smokey, aged such that it had considerable sediment. It tasted like an old barbaresco!

This pasta is a fairly close reinterpretation of Pasta con Sarde. There were anchovies, breadcrumbs, and pesto. The pasta was al dente and the very flavor very refined.

Two raviolis contain cotechino (a very interesting cooked salami-like product) and lentils. The pasta itself was nigh on perfect, and the inside a traditional combination generally eaten at new years in Italy for at least 2500 years – festive pork and beans!

Black cod with potato confit.

A molecular reinterpretation of “bollito misto” (mixed boiled meats). Starting with the clear one at the bottom, and moving clockwise, we have: head, tongue, cheek, belly, tail, and cotechino! This last and the tongue were my favorites, the head and tail my least.

The pre dessert. Yogurt almond galette ice cream, goat cheese, drops of strawberry, mint. Very tasty. Sharp.

The first “real” dessert. Vanilla ice cream, chocolate cake, and a sort of gelatin cover. The taste was a bit like cassata.

Vanilla ice cream.

With fresh local cherries! My wife loved it.

An indication of the damage.

The petite fours, cheesecake, profiteroles, chocolate truffles, passionfruit gele, chocolate with cherry and tea, something with lemon and maybe shiso!

Our meal was so long that we emptied out the room!

This was a fantastic dinner. I happen to love the playful nature of modern molecular cuisine, which you can also see at my reviews of Calima, Saam, and La Terraza. You can also check the other two Michelin 2-star takes I sampled in Italy: La Frasca and Arnolfo. Like Osteria Francescana they both reinterpret their local cuisines (Adriatic seafood and Tuscan respectively) through a modern culinary lens.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.