LE LANGHE AND TURIN: A WEEK IN THE LAND OF BAROLO, BAGNA CAUDA AND BICERIN

sorry, correct spelling is Treiso.

Oh my! This is going to be good.

Eks, I begin to fear that there will not be other destinations for me aside from Italy and Spain! Every time I research for a trip (or read on of your reports) I find more and more things to do (and taste).

Looking forward to tons of detailed food reports.

Ah, there is nothing so fine as a well written trip report about a place for which you have already booked a flight. I shall hang on every word. I have already posted questions for you on two other posts but shall wait for you to finish this report. This is wonderful.

I am looking forward to the remainder of your report!

Cant wait to read more!

We have also booked Camera Blu for our October trip to Alba.

More please! More wine, more food, more info. Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

drbb, when will you be there? Maybe there's no need for me to even think of trying to book there if you've already booked the Blue Room? Maybe we could do a GTG in Alba. Wouldn't that be amazing? They're pretty common in Paris, but this might be the first for Alba.

YAY! A new Italy restaurant list from ekscrunchy!

Julie- We have booked for October 1 through 10 when the Alba Truffle Fest and the Palio are taking place. When I booked back in January, Roberta still had several rooms available and I was able to choose. Definitely contact her to see what is available. She is very helpful.

Before I detail the dinner at Profumo di Vino, let me say that there are so many fabulously reviewed places in this area—ranging from simple agriturismi to Michelin-starred spots and everything in between--that one would have to spend weeks and weeks in order to try them all. We concentrated mainly on trattorie and osterie serving traditional or slightly creative renditions of the local fare and even then, it was next to impossible to pare down the list. In the end, much of the decision came down to avoiding closing days and trying to minimize driving at night.

Had I realized how easy the driving was in this region I might have branched out a bit further from our base at La Favorita.

PROFUMO DI VINO, TREISO (closed Tuesdays; no website;
Phone/Fax: 0173-638017)


It was pouring rain when we set out for nearby Treiso, which sits atop a hill just 7 km from La Favorita. The gastronomic fame of this tiny (pop. 763) town originated with the Michelin-starred La Ciau del Tornavento. The owners of Profumo di Vino met while working in the kitchen of Tornavento. About a year ago, Memmo, a Baja Californian with Cordon Bleu training, and Cameron, a Scot who grew up in Colorado and worked at, among other places, restuarants in Boulder, joined forces to open this handsome restaurant and wine bar facing the main piazza. (The wine bar is open from 10am to 1am, save Tuesday closing day, and offers three tasting plates for every glass of wine ordered—keep this in mind on the off-chance that you want to skip lunch!)


The handsome gray and ivory dining room, with a chiseled stone wall and striking local landscape photos, was empty when we arrived on this rainy night, but soon filled up with locals—Memmo, who handles the wine, told us that they often host winemakers and their guests. (One table was eating an all-fish meal, which the restaurant will do with advance notice) On the stereo, Nat King Cole alternated with Frank (no last name necessary).

Dinner began with complimentary (there is a word for “amuse bouche” in Italian (begins with “A”…..(???) ) thin wedges of frittata dense with herbs and served in a large steel spoon. Already on the table was a basket of grissini and several varieties of excellent house-baked bread including one studded with walnuts. After much grissini sampling during the week, Profumo di Vino’s version of these Piemontese breadsticks was voted winner and reigning champion. Amazing, amazing little sticks of goodness!

Antipasti: “Uova in pasta,” two of the most vivid orange egg yolks that you could ever imagine, encased in delicate, large ravioli which were drenched in brown butter and topped with shreds of Parmigiano and spears of roasted asparagus. In a word: Heavenly!

My partner echoed my delight after taking one bite of his veal meatballs, served with a mustard that had been blended with foie gras and espresso. We were off to a good start!


These two dishes (and the breadsticks) were so good that my partner insisted on returned to the restaurant later in the week to try them again.


Next, we shared a creamy carrot and potato soup. Excellent.

Because we could not decide on a pasta course—we opted for 3 primi and passed on the secondi.

Gnocchi with duck confit and brussel sprouts in a Dijon cream sauce. While the flavor was good, there was little variety in texture and a bit too much creaminess; this was my least favorite dish of the evening.

Risotto carbonara with speck, Grana Padano, egg yolk and black pepper.
A modern, Piemontese take on the old Roman standard and a resounding success! Also to be repeated later this week.

(The flat plains near Vercelli and Novara are one of Italy’s major rice growing regions, accounting for 60% of the country’s production, and we had driven through mile after mile of patchwork fields crisscrossed by irrigation canals en route from Malpensa to Alba. The story is that the genesis of the American rice industry stems from Piedmontese rice smuggled, in the face of an export ban, to South Carolina by Thomas Jefferson.)


Tajarin (Piedmontese dialect for tagliarini) tossed with shrimp, asparagus and black olives. What made this dish memorable for me were the Taggiasca olives, tiny black beauties from Liguria which were, simply the best olives I had ever tasted. (Two jars now sit in my kitchen, treasures for the next day’s supermarket expedition with Roberta, in Alba)

The olives, and the olive oil brought to the table to dress this tajarin, were so terrific that I asked to see the bottle: FRANTOIO DI ALDO ARMATO, Via Solferino, 3, Alassio. Note that the frantoio in Liguria welcomes visitors from November to March:

http://www.frantoioarmato.it/prodotti.html



With the meal, I drank a glass of Roero Arnais, an indigenous varietal from the neighboring Roero, and a glass of La Ganghia Barbera d’Alba (we were too tired to even contemplate a bottle).


We were presented with a complimentary dessert course of macaroons (chocolate and local hazlenut); chocolate truffles; hazlenut chocolate bites; and lovely corn and butter cookies that Memo told us are characteristic of the region. Along with these treats, a tiny glass of pureed frutti di bosco.

And finally, the house grappa, from Villa Prato in Mombaruzzo, another courtesy.

With mineral water and cover, the total was 63 euro.

Oh Wow. I have a feeling that I'll keep saying that over and over as I read your report. This is fantastic and to think I'm going there. Anticipation is me!!!

Glad to know you were safe and sound on your trip, and sorry the rain socked in over Piemonte. (And yes, Ligurian olives from Taggia are fantastic).

I'm afraid I simply cannot eat those rich red Italian eggs. But I'm glad you found them and loved them. They simply don't exist in the US as far as I know.

Ooooh my, I am drooling! And we're only on the first meal!

I LOVE your goal of "eating and drinking as much as possible."

Can't wait for more details!

I dont know what a Limonera is but i think I want one.

Can you gain weight from just reading?

Jet: I don't know, either, because the word I should have written was "limonaia!"

A glass-walled room used to shelter potted lemon trees during the cold months. Like an orangerie (fr.)

This is just wonderful, ekscrunchy. I too am drooling here at the end of a rather dreary workday. And as they say on this forum: More, please.

Close enough.
It had the base word limon in it so I new it had to be good.

I love your report. You are funny.

I forgot to ask if any photos will accompany with report?

63 euro for such wonders . . . drooling in the morning for olives . . . risotto . . . vino . . .

Thanks for the compliments! Unfortunately I do not know how to post photos so that people can see them on the internet. Perhaps this is also the time to reveal that, although I do have a cell phone (that works only at home, not in Europe or Asia) I have lately been the recipient of a few odd looks when I use it on the street. My friend took me aside and told me that the reason for these odd looks may rest with the fact that my cell phone may be one of the oldest still in use today! (Motorola StarTac). I am telling you this because we need to understand the level of my technological competency!

More soon..

Bravo, ekscrunchy! I can't wait for the next installment....

I know you can share photos at http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareOverview.jsp

Oh yum,yum, yum! This is sounding REALLY good, and I'm already thinking along the lines of a similar trip, so I can hardly wait for more. Thanks, eks, for taking the time to spin out another of your great trip reports.

Before I proceed, I want to correct a mistake above; the name of the Baja Californian co-owner of Profumo di Vino is “Memo” (Guillermo Field Melendez).



On the way back to La Favorita from Treiso, we noticed a light on the dashboard warning, “Tercio Luzzo Freno!!” My rudimentary Italian told me that this meant something like “third brake light.” When I mentioned this to Roberta, she sprang into action without being asked first phoning Autoeurope, only to be told that this was a problem for Europcar, then trying several numbers for Europcar, only to be told that they had no idea what was wrong, or if anything was wrong. So we left it overnight.

The next morning we were treated to the first of four lavish La Favorita breakfasts. There is no central dining table but, rather, several tables scattered throughout the rambling house for guests to take their pick. Bread, butter, and jams made on the estate were constants. Twice we sampled the famous Roero strawberries, with panna and in a banana bread compote. On one morning the breads were supplemented by an herb frittata and on another, by a wedge of ham-encased asparagus drenched in creamy béchamel. I am sure that Giovanna, Roberta’s ever-smiling assistant, would have been happy to whip up almost anything , with prior notice.

After the first breakfast, I realized that the lunch plans were in peril, and I vowed to get up extra early in the morning to allow room between breakfast and lunch. This plan got a bit derailed, however.

After phoning Europcar in Alba and finding them open after the Sunday closing, Roberta insisted that she accompany us to the garage to check he brake lights. And so we set off in a two-car convoy in the pounding rain. The Europcar in Alba is tucked away on a side street in the new part of the city and we were very glad that Roberta had accompanied us because I did not see one sign pointing the way.

After a quick look at the car, and the light, the mechanic told us we had nothing to worry about and relieved, we set off for the Villa, making a small detour to the supermarket with Roberta. Since this was early in the trip, I could not buy anything perishable, but I did manage to assemble a few tidbits, with en eye to completing the shopping at Eataly in Turin at the end of the week.

Ligurian olive oil


2 large bags of Langhe IGP hazelnuts (nocciola), known as “Tonda Gentile delle Langhe,” or “sweet round nut of the Langhe.” Local hazelnuts are used in the production of Gianduiotti chocolates, pralines, nougat, cakes, and of course, Nutella, one of the products that brought prosperity to Alba. (The founding fathers of Nutella, the Ferrero family, owns a house adjacent to the La Favorita estate.)


http://www.la-morra.it/site.aspx?p=950



2 jars of Taggiasca olives in olive oil


assorted packages of polenta, etc.

After stopping to drop off our packages, we set out for La Morra.

Unfortunately, the weather remained grim, so we were unable to see the fine views from La Morra that clear weather must allow. It was even too miserable to do much exploring in the town, so we ducked into a gorgeous wine shop at the bottom of the historic center and had a look around at one of the most impressive collections of wines I had ever seen in a retail shop—everything from magnums of Petrus to a half-bottles of Pantelleria sweet wines. The prices seemed high, however, as this was certainly a shop oriented towards tourists.

Among the food products were gorgeous treats from Cascina San Cassiano, a local firm whose products are sold in many local gourmet shops. Just look at these beauties!

http://www.cascinasancassiano.com/homee.html

I could not resist a jar of Le Lacrime di Brachetto, the tears of Brachetto, (the sparkling wine from Acqui Terme). (about 6 euro). The label says I can use it to accompany game meat, liver pate, aged and creamy sheep and cow cheeses, ice cream, strawberries, and fruit salads. Or use as a preserve at breakfast or teatime. So I guess it is all-purpose!

Shopping complete for the day, we headed down the hill to Santa Maria, a few km from La Morra center, and our lunch destination, the SlowFood L”Osteria del Vignaiolo.

Here is a sample printed menu just to give an idea of offerings and prices:





Aperitivo 

Calice di vino bianco Euro 2,50 



Antipasti 

Trancio di tonno scottato con verdure grigliate Euro 8,00
Merluzzo mantecato con patate e pomodorini Euro 8,00
Carne cruda battuta al coltello Euro 8,00
Vitello tonnato Euro 8,00
Tortino di pasta brisé con topinambour e fonduta Euro 8,00
Cialda di parmigiano con cosce di quaglia al rosmarino Euro 8,00
Carciofi stufati con scaglie di grana Euro 8,00 



Primi piatti 

Tagliolini al ragù di salsiccia Euro 8,00
Ravioli di seirass con purea di zucca Euro 8,00
Gnocchi di patate con raschera e radicchio trevisano Euro 8,00
Risotto con zafferano e carciofi fritti (min. due porzioni) Euro 8,00 



Secondi piatti 

Coscia d'anatra arrosto Euro 11,00
Carrè di agnello al forno Euro 11,00
Lepre al civet con crostone di polenta Euro 11,00
Filetto di storione spadellato con julienne di verdure Euro 11,00
Stracotto di vitello al Nebbiolo Euro 11,00 



Formaggio 

Piatto degustazione con cugnà Euro 8,00


Piatto degustazione con cugnà e calice di Passito Euro 11,00 



Coperto Euro 2,00




And here are some photos (not mine, unfortunately) of the restaurant and a few of the dishes:

http://www.con-vivium.com/reports/l40.htm




I will be back soon with details of our meal...

Oh my, I am getting so hungry. Now tell me, did you gain the same 5 pounds that I did in Piemonte?

The first of many questions, I'm sure...

Is Le Lacrime di Brachetto a sweet jam? Have you tasted it?

Eks, do you remmeber the names of the supermarket in Alba and the wine store in La Morra?

If I only gain five pouns in October, it will be a blessing.....

Can't wait to hear about the rest of the trip!

lovely report!! hoping to travel to this area of Italy soon - thanks for the reviews!

I'm so happy you guys are having fun reading this!

Bob: Probably not 5 but certainly a few! My record is 8 pounds gained in one week on the trip that included Bologna, so I probably hold the unwanted record! We actually (shudder) skipped a few lunches on this trip..even I could not contemplate lunch after eating those breakfasts at the agriturismo. Very unusual for me, I will admit.

Drbb: Deviating from my usual compulsive saving of scraps, I seem to have thrown out the receipt from the wine store where I bought the Lacrime de Brachetto. But I will investigate and try to find the name of the store. It is on a corner near the main street entering the town. It is a very large store and I could have spent hours there. One new thing I saw was Barolo Chinato, Barolo infused with the bark of the cinchona tree and Alpine herbs and consumed as a digestive:

http://www.marcarini.it/eng/vini/bchinato.html

But this store has rooms and rooms of bottles, including an entire room of Barolos. Some of their prices for imported stuff were crazy, though.


The LAcrime di Brachetto appears to be a sweet jam, or that is what I thought it was, but now when I look at the jar, it is a liquid. Very unusual. I bought one more of their products at Eatialy but am sorry I did not fill my suicase up with those jars. Wait until you see them! They have everything: Jams, mostarda, vegetables in oil--there were shelves of them at that wine shop and they are sold all over the area.

The supermarket where I bought the nuts is:

Cooperativa dei Lavorati
Corso Langhe, #65 (one of the main streets leading out of Alba from Piazza Savona; Roberta also recommended a pizza place on this street)

There are many appealing-looking food shops in Alba center, including one where I bought some dried egg pasta (I had some of this last night with asparagus and with edamame (shudder again) filling in for fava beans) I would recommend buying fresh pasta on the last day and taking it home in the checked bag; we left very early on a Sunday so were unable to do this.

Because we were not very hungry and eating only in the interest of research, we opted for a light lunch at Osteria delle Vignaiolo:

We shared the antipasto: Cialda di parmigiano con cosce di qualgia al rosmarino. Four meaty quail legs, roasted and glazed and set over a, for lack of a better word, parmesan pudding. Hands down, the best quail I have ever tasted. (And certainly a LOT better than the one attempt made in the Ekscrunchy house of which the less said, the better) . Excellent! I would order again.

Primi (main course for us):

Ravioli di seriass con asparagus—this were lovely ravioli stuffed with seirass, the local name for ricotta produced in Cuneo province, and also around Asti. Bathed in a light butter sauce. Impeccable, as was each and every pasta dish we sampled on this trip.

Tagliolini al ragu di salsicca—ribbons of long pasta in a light meat (sausage) sauce. Also excellent although I preferred my ravioli.

After we finished the pasta, a plate of duck legs were brought to a nearby table and to this day, I am sorry I did not give in to one more course.

Instead, we finished with coffee. The bill, including one glass of wine and water, totalled a reasonable 35 euro.

Although we had only a small sampling of the food, I liked this restaurant very much. Neither rustic nor fancy, with gracious service , it was my kind of place and I was sorry that we did not make time for one more meal here later in the week. (Because we stayed on the Barbaresco side of Alba, driving to La Morra/Verduno meant negotiating around Alba itself and I tried to keep this to a minimum at night). My advice here is to keep in mind the location of restaurants when you choose your lodging! If you have a week, it might even make sense to choose two places in different areas, if you are a squeamish driver)



I will be back with more food: Walking around Alba and dinner in town at La Libera.

ekscrunchy, I think this might be the place in La Morra:
http://www.gallowinegallery.com/enoteca_INB.asp

You must obviously try the Lacrime di Brachetto and tell us about it. All I could find about it is that it contains Brachetto d'Acqui, cane sugar and "jellifier" (gelificante); I suspect - for no very good reason at all - that the consistency is somewhere between a jam and a liquid.

Zerlina: You are a star! That is exactly the wine shop, Gallo, in La Morra. Thank you!

I will certainly reveal all when I try the Lacrime--it is so liquid that I cannot imagine it would fit on a plate with cheese, etc. Perhaps poured over strawberries or peaches (??)

I wish I had bought many more of those San Cassiano products, though!

Thanks for the info! I will surely check out all the stores. I love to bring back items from Italian markets/supermarkets. Even their tomato paste in tubes somehow just always tastes better. I'm thinking I may have to bring an extra suitcase!

And thanks Zerlina for the wine shop name.

Perhaps the Lacrime is something like the hot pepper jelly we have here in the South in terms of consistency. Kind of reddish brown clear jelly that is pretty liquidy at room temperature. And it doesn't firm up too much in the fridge either. Many years ago, the ubiquitous Southern party food was a block of cream cheese with a jar of pepper jelly poured over it, served with crackers.

Can't wait to hear more about Alba and La Libera. So far, all 3 of your restaurants were also on my list of must-eats.

Thanks!

Drbb: Looks like we have a lot in common! I am also a supermarket and food shop fan. I could spend hours and hours! I bring lots of bubble wrap to protect the glass jars of oils, etc. I am just kicking myself for not bringing back MUCH more. Those tubes of tomato paste were about 60 cents in the supermarket! And there were quite a few brands. The supermarket also had some interesting bitters and digestives and other spirits for good prices.

And I love to cook with whatever I bring back. Good memories and good food.

Thank goodness for bubble wrap!

A related question - did you bring back any wines? We have managed to bring back as many as eight bottles in checked luggage. But going to the land of barolo, etc., it's a shame not to bring back more.

I did ask Roberta if she knew of any way to ship it back, but she said that it was not do-able. I think there has to be a licensed importer receiving on the US side.

Keep the trip report coming! It's great.

Sorry - another question. And I'll have quite a few more before all this is over.

The Casina San Cassiano web site shows an address of Localita San Cassiano 4 which is on a road going out of Alba to Grinzane Cavour. Did you go there? Is that a shop or the site of their production facility?

Thanks.

Drbb: I do not mind answering any and all of your questions! In fact I welcome the questions, so ask away!

I brought back only one bottle, packed in my luggage. This was a mistake, I am afraid and I cannot explain, even to myself, why I did not bring more. (But I did bring 3 liter bottles of olive oil, though, and some duty free Aperol.)

I cannot believe that there is not a way to ship it back home, as long as your home state will allow you to receive it. In fact I am almost positive that I saw signs in that La Morra wine shop, and in others, offering to ship. And I know lots of people who have shipped wine home from France and Italy. I think it works out to about 10 euro per bottle, or around that amount.

I am not sure if the actual wineries would ship, though.

We did not go to the San Cassiano place and from their site it looks like a production facility and not a shop. Roberta should know and if you ask her, let us know, ok?

I have been following closely and look forward to reading more of your detailed trip report. We leave next Saturday for 2 weeks in Europe including a week in the Piedmonte region. You mentioned that if you knew that driving was so easy, you might have considered staying at another place. Any place in particular? La Favorita looks great, but we are trying to keep the budget 90 Euro or less per night. We are considering Cascina Sant'Eufemia based on all the positive reviews on TA.
Thanks,
Nicci

Nicci: In that comment about splitting the time, I meant that I might have considered a few nights on the Barbaresco side of Alba and a few near La Morra or even Cherasco. But my partner really dislikes driving at night (one reason is that he has very poor night vision!) and he is the designated driver. But for most people, one base would be fine. We are the exceptions due to the night driving issues. There actually WAS no issue, because we kept it to a minimum by taking location into account when choosing dinner locations. But I would have liked to be able to range further afield at night.

As I said the Langhe is small and I doubt if anyplace is more than an hour from any other.

I also commented about the wide choice of appealing-sounding lodgings. We did spend one more night in the Langhe after our La Favorita stay, but the price at that winery is no lower than that at La Favorita.

But we did visit Ca de Re, the agriturismo of the Castello di Verduno winery in the picturesque village of Verduno, and they have rooms for 70 euro double. I should tell you that Prince Charles reportedly stayed there, so they cannot be too shabby! And you would have the advantage of eating at the very well regarded restaurant of the agriturismo (we had dinner there)


http://www.castellodiverduno.com/eng/camereagriturismo.asp



That is just one example of the reasonably priced options in the area. As we drove along through the hills, we passed dozens and upon dozens of signs announcing "rooms to rent" or "agriturismo." They were everywhere! Take a look at TripAdvisor but know that many of the places we passed were not listed on that site. I will do some searching and see if I can come up with a couple of additional suggestions in a lower price range. I will look at Sant Eufemia, too, and give you my opinion.

Did you happen to be in Pollenzo, between Bra and Alba? I've booked at La Corte Albertina there. We liked that it's a small village (smaller than Alba) and that it has a college associated with SlowFood, that the town is a preserved historical site, and that the hotel/B&B is itself a winery. Might you have seen the hotel and/or the town?

I booked through Booking.com which has a liberal cancellation policy so that I can change if I pick up bad vibes about it--which so far I haven't.

http://www.lacortealbertina.it (don't know why that
doesn't appear as a clickable link)

Thanks for any info you can provide. Loving your report. So useful. And so good.

After lunch, with our jet lag drowsiness deepened by the dreary weather, we drove back to the B&B to relax and chat with Roberta.

I had reserved ahead, by e-mail, at La Libera in Alba, so we set out around 6pm with directions to the parking lots most likely to have free spaces provided by Roberta. Parking the car in Alba was a snap, that night and each time we visited. There is both free parking (outlined in white) and paid parking (blue outlines; get a ticket at the nearby machine and put the white slip inside the car, on your dashboard). After 7:30pm, parking is free.

We meandered around Alba a bit, but since this was a Monday, many shops were closed. At an open tabacci, I bought a bag of Barattii & Milano hard candies.

7:30 found us at La Libera, at Via Elvio Pertinace, #24.


http://www.lalibera.com/

La Libera is a sleek, contemporary restaurant adorned with handsome food-centric photos. A bouquet of artfully scattered grissini on each ivory-linen-draped table hints at the contemporary twist that Chef Marco Forneis gives to traditional Piemontese cuisine. Those breaksticks were excellent and we agreed that the first test of an eating place in these parts should be the breadsticks!
(Surprisingly, we were served obviously packaged grissini only once the entire week!)

Cruda di fassone battuta al coltello, or raw veal cut by hand and dressed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon, is a classic of Le Langhe.

I was determined to try as many traditional dishes as possible during the week. I also wanted to try that other quintessential Langhe dish: vitello tonnato.

Although the carne cruda and the vitello tonnato are listed as two separate dishes on the menu (10 euro each), the friendly server did not hesitate to offer to mix half orders of each dish as an antipasto for me.

Vitello tonnato—delicate slices of rare poached veal sauced with a blend of tuna, anchovies, lemon, capers, mayonnaise, and olive oil may not sound particularly appealing. But this dish, which reflects the traditional link of Piedmont to the coast, is a marvel! The Slow Food guide calls La Libera’s vitello tonnato “very good.” I would call it great!

Here is a recipe; it would make an elegant party dish:

http://www.saveur.com/article/food/Vitello-Tonnato


The menu ventures into other regional territory, including Emilia Romagna and Liguria.

Tortellini in brodo has been one of my partner’s favorite dishes ever since he first samped it in Bologna a few years ago. So when he spotted Raviolini di Gallina in Brodo on the menu, he did not hesitate. He also wanted to try another pasta, the Lasagnetta Gratinata di Asparagi e Burrata, lasagna with asparagus and burrata. Both of these dishes were excellent.

It was on this rainy April night in Alba that I actually met a dish I did not like: The carne cruda. I tried several mouthfuls and just could not get past the raw meat texture. Noticing that I left more than half of the (half) portion on my plate, the server asked if I would like to try another dish before my secondi. I, too, opted for the excellent raviolini in brodo.

After reading a recent New York Times article about the rising popularity of goat,

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/dining/01goat.html


and sampling it once at an Italian restaurant here in New York, I was
eager to try it again and so was elated to find Capretto Nostrano Arrostito al Forno con Primi Asparagi on the menu (roast local goat with the very first asparagus of the season).

What a revelation! I loved the flavor of the roasted meat; more subtle than lamb with a wonderful delicate flavor. Excellent!!

We passed on dessert, but were treated to a complimentary plate of lovely cookies with coffee.

With the meal we drank this bottle of Dolcetto Diano D’Alba 2007 from Bricco Maiolica (11 euro)

http://www.briccomaiolica.it/english/dolcetto.htm


With water and wine, the bill totalled 65 euro.

Highly recommended!

EKS, thank you, thank you, thank you for this report. I am having severe Italy withdrawals (I was there exactly a year ago).

I am really enjoying this report.

Johanna

Is goat a relatively common menu item in Piemonte? It's actually my favorite meat and I order it in Spain and Mexico (I've not been to other Latin American countries where I'd imagine it's similarly available) almost every chance I get. If I can get goat in Piemonte, I'll be even more excited to be there. Minimally, I know I can get it in La Libera--and I shall. Thanks. What else shall I eat? Tell me. Tell me.

I agree that there are so many options on where to stay. Although, we were surprised how little information exists in guide books on this area of Italy. So I'm printing out everything from the internet which is where I do most of my research anyway. Thank you for the recommendation of the agriturismo of the Castello di Verduno.

We don't mind driving at night as long as we understand the directions, plus our car will have a GPS. We are starting in Munich and driving through Alsace wine region in France before entering Northern Italy and back up through Switzerland and Austria.

I'm a little confused on the best market day as it seems different in each village. I'm arranging the schedule to arrive early on a Saturday. Did you go to any?
Also, do you think we can just do a day trip to Turin or do we need to spend the night?
Thank you,
Nicci

Yes, Nicci, let's find out about market days. Eks, hope you went to many and know where we can find the straight scoop on all of them. It would be nice to have something like the Patricia Wells France book that tells market days even for the tiniest towns. I try to arrange sightseeing days to maximize markets. And I too am interested in the amount of time recommended for Turin.

And can you tell us anything about Pollenzo, and the La Corte Albertina, hotel in a winery that is in that small village?

Just briefly: Julie, yes, there is goat on quite a few menus. It was on the menu at Osteria del Vignaiolo and I think also at Trattoria della Posta. Looking back at this report I am astonished at the few dishes that I actually sampled. I will try to find out more about goat in Piemonte.

Nicci: If you do not care much about museums (Egyptian Museum, Cinema Museum, etc) you could do Turin as a day trip. But would you be driving? I am not sure I would want to drive there and back in one day with the traffic of weekdays. But as you now, we are squeamish drivers and I get a little anxious as navigator. It is certainly close enough in miles.

I asked a local person if he took the train when he visited Turin and he chortled and exclaimed something like "ha ha, the trains--of course I don't take those!" So that tells you something!

There is a large market in Alba on Saturday and there are also smaller markets in Alba every OTHER day of the week; we visited the Thursday market (actually fairly large even during this season) so following that reasoning, there would be Tuesday market as well. (This sounds confusing but it is how Roberta described it to me..I will report back on that and on other markets if I can find more information. We were there in a season when there was not much local produce in the markets (most came from further south) so I was not as dogged as usual in finding out about them)


Julie we did not go to Pollenzo (I know: Shocking to miss the SlowFood capital) I had looked at Corte Gondina on TA before we decided upon La Favorita. It has a pool, which would be fabulous in hot weather. The other one that looks great (we saw the exterior) is in the gorgeous town of Cherasco:


http://www.cardinalmazzarino.com/

More soon...I have to go to my own market!!

You can look up market days for the tiniest towns here:
http://www.regione.piemonte.it/cgi-bin/commercio/mercati/dynIndex.pl

It's worth noting that in most places non-food (i.e., junk) stalls outnumber food stalls. Also, many vendors go from market to market, so it hardly seems worth one's while to go to more than one.

Zerlina that is a good point. At the Alba Thursday market there were, indeed, a lot of vendors selling those big tan pointy men's shoes and cheap women's underwear. Also, purple is BIG this year, apparently, because everyone--from cheap market stalls to upscale Turin shops--had light purple clothes in the window. But there were many food vendors, including quite a few of those mobile carts that roam from market to market. There was even one with Calabrese products--dried peppers, cheeses, salumi, etc. But Alba is so filled with food shops that the market did not exert the draw for me that it would have in a different season.

Thanks for that link!

Julie: I took a look at the menu of Trattoria della Posta; it does not include a goat dish. But I did see it at least a few times at other places. Lamb and rabbit, and of course, beef, and pork, were also popular secondi, with duck, pigeon and goose a bit less common (results are from the limited ekscrunchy sampling).

Also, please remember that "coscia" means leg; you will see this often on menus.

I don't know where I've been all these years on the goat front. I think my initial hesitancy resulted from eating inferior, gristly goat meat in Mexico. In New York, I had goat at L'Impero (now Convivio) in a braise. But it was not until having the roast goat at La Libera that I became a convert!

The roast meats are certainly one of the secondi to focus on in this region.



I am rethinking my comment on the trains, above. While the local person may have disparaged the train system, much as I might scoff at the Long Island Railroad service, my guess is that there are decent enough train services to Turin. The Turin station is conveniently located within walking distance of the historic center. By train I think Turin would be a very easy day trip.

We will drive to Turin rather than a train…perhaps on the way to our next destination, Verona.
I am mostly interested in food markets and visiting one or two is fine. Trying to justify the rush to get there early on Saturday from Como. We might want to take a cooking class, if we have time. Most that we have taken in other countries usually start with a trip to the local market. Did you run across any worth noting?
We love cheese and we wondering if there's a cheese tasting route similar to the wines. I would like to visit the farms and possibly see the process.

Nicci: That sounds like an excellent plan. Why don't you post your itinerary so I can understand exactly what the route will be.

One of the largest food markets in Italy is Turin's Porta Palazzo, open until 1pm every day and later on Saturday. Closed Sundays. Just north of the center; you can walk easily.

Since we were in Turin on 25 April, a major Italian holiday, the market was closed.

But just as good, if not better, is Eatialy, the Slow-Food "supermarket/enoteca" in the Lingotto area, south of the historic district. If you are interested in food you cannot visit Turin without stopping here. I will write the details in my report, but you do not need them--you just need to GO! Monday is closing day:


http://www.eatalytorino.it/eatalytorino/welcome_eng.lasso

Now, are you asking about a class in Turin or in the Piedmont region? I did not take one but maybe we can find some names, if you think you will have time.

ps. I just realized: Eatialy offers cooking classes (see the website) but they are in Italian. And I think you will want classes in English, right?

You are too kind. I can do a search for English speaking cooking classes around Alba or Asti. I just thought that you might have come across a recommendation while on your recent visit.
This trip has been somewhat last minute and I don't have a wine route planned yet. We bought our ridiculously cheap air tickets about a month ago for $382rt non-stop both ways from Atlanta(our home) to Munich. We travel internationally once or twice a year and have been avoiding Europe because of the weak dollar. Although, we have wanted to get back to Italy since our marriage in Florence in 2001 followed by honeymoon in Cambodia and Thailand. Anyway, until a couple of days ago, we have been in the process of negotiating the sale of our home and house hunting since we close 4 days after returning from this trip. Luckily we are not moving for 4 weeks after closing.
With one week until departure, I am in cram mode trying to secure plans. I greatly appreciate all of your comments and suggestions. You have been most helpful.

Nicci: Roberta at Villa Favorita gives cooking classes. She speaks perfect English and I can attest to the fact that she knows how to cook! You could drop her an e-mail and see if you can arrage a market visit and a class. Her kitchen is large and well set up for classes.

One well-respected, more formal, cooking school in the region is that of Roberto Boggio in Revigliasco in the province of Asti. This information comes from my Fred Plotkin Italy guide; you could e-mail for information:

http://www.scuoladicucina.it/

But since you really want a cooking lesson, not formal classes, my guess is that Sant Eufemia (which looks great, by the way) could arrange this for you. In a region like this, great cooks seem to be thick on the ground, so to speak! See if you can set up a market visit and a class.

I also meant to post this restaurant/hotel option, for Jule V:


http://www.felicin.it/pagine/eng/albergo.lasso

Eks, thanks for the restaurant rec. I tripped on the place when looking at lodging and thought it looked good. If you say so, it must be so. It goes on the list. Thanks.

Julie: I did not eat there, but I did note it on my "possibles" list. It does look good. But then, so do so many places in this area! It is almost impossible to decide!

After dinner, we wandered around Alba for quite a while searching for our car; we had forgotten the location of the parking lot! Finally, after much drenched searching, we stumbled upon it and made our way back to Villa Favorita; the drive takes about 5 minutes.

The next morning we awoke to more rain! Very dreary! Because of the poor weather, we really did not explore nearly as much as is our custom. Normally we (or rather, I) would be up at 7am, eager to begin the day’s wandering. But with the rain, we gave into the temptation to sleep late and have a leisurely breakfast and some computer time (one person wanted to check baseball scores while another, your faithful correspondent, was busily rifling through on-line menus of restaurants in Turin!). There is a free computer with high-speed internet in the front room, and this came in very handy during our visit.

After another sumptuous breakfast, highlighted by fresh Roero strawberries and cream, we finally set off for Cherasco, about a 40 minute drive from the villa.

I loved Cherasco!

Dating in 1243, this walled fortress town on a high elevation at the confluence of two rivers, founded by the city of Alba as a defensive position against rival Asti, is built on a grid and surrounded by star-shaped ramparts. The perpendicular streets are lined with gorgeous medieval and Baroque palaces and churches.

Cherasco is Italy’s snail capital and home to an institute of snail culture! An elaborate 17th Century triumphal arch guards one end of the town, a tribute built by a citizen grateful for remaining unscathed during the plague of 1630. (Brought to Venice by ships, this scourge reportedly decimated up to 70% of the population of present-day Northern Italy.)

You can see photos of this beautiful town, and the arch, on the website of the commune:

http://www.comune.cherasco.cn.it/ita/index.asp

The 16th Century monastery in town is now being restored and is scheduled to open as a hotel sometime this year, according to their website:

http://www.piedmontplaces.com/hotel/index.html

You can see an old engraving showing the unusual star shape of the bastions and the grid plan here:


http://www.piedmontplaces.com/attractions/index.html




After a wander through the streets and some menu-reading (snails are much in evidence and there are several well-reviewed restaurants) and browsing in a few food shops, where the celebrated Baci di Cherasco, Cherasco chocolate kisses were much in evidence, we set off again, bound for our long-awaited lunch at Trattoria della Posta, in Monforte d’Alba

OMG. I can't believe that I've never tumbled to what a fantastic foodie place Piemonte is. All those wines,
Eataly, SlowFood movement headquarters, and now Snails and Baci chocolates. I must have been under a rock. I remember a friend suggesting we go there and all I could say was, I've been to Aoste and didn't get very excited about it. Thanks so much for such interesting, informative "stuff." Now I'll quit gushing and just read as you keep posting. Thanks.

TRATTORIA DELLA POSTA, Monforte d’Alba (a few km outside the town, in the countryside). Closed Thursday, and Friday lunch).

We arrived at Trattoria della Posta with high expectations, based on the multitude of reviews I had read during my research. We were not disappointed. This place fulfills every element that we could want in a restaurant—great local fare, warm service, lovely surroundings, no pretension of stuffiness. And prices that are most reasonable. I only wish that we had had time for a second meal here; we certainly would have returned but their scheduled closing days did not allow this.

The restaurant occupies the ground floor of a country house; a few clues told us that the owners may live upstairs.


There are at least three dining rooms, including the two front rooms which I think are the nicest—a couple of window tables offer a fine view. Furnished with antiques and an extensive library of wine- and food-related books, the restaurant is elegant but not at all ostentatious. Tables are large and there is ample space between them. The pace was only about half filled on the afternoon we were there. (But after lunch, the German couple at the next table proceeded to confer with the owner about a group dinner planned for late September; reservations are a must in high season)


http://www.trattoriadellaposta.it/english/surroundings.htm

Considering how much we had looked forward to our lunch here, we had a rather small meal:

After placing our orders, we received complimentary crudi (raw fish) of swordfish carpaccio, lightly dressed with a lemony vinaigrette.

For my antipasti, I chose Bagna Cauda., (15 euro) This was undoubtedly not the most exciting choice, but I was determined to sample as many Piemontese classics as I could, and there is probably no dish more representative of the cuisine than this preparation of raw vegetables accompanied by a warm, anchovy-laced dip (bagna cauda, or warm bath), a relative of the Provencal achoiade that reflects the historical links betweenPiedmont and France.

Had I thought out my selection in a bit more depth, I would have realized that this dish would have been better ordered when the classic vegetables, especially the famous peperone (red peppers of Asti and Cuneo) and cardi gobbo (“hunchback” cardoons) of Nizza Monferrato, were in season.

But although bagna cauda is a trademark dish of the region, it is not frequently found on restaurant menus, being more of an end-of-harvest extravaganza prepared at home. Nevertheless, it was delicious—a plate of red peppers, fennel, and endive arrayed the deep cup of bagna cauda. Although the vegetables were not in their prime, I could not resist dipping into the anchovy-and-garlic-laced “bath.”

My partner, on this rainy day, chose the vegetable soup, a chunky puree presented in a handsome copper pot-- excellent.

He proceeded to the agnolotti del plin, one of the two quintessential Piemontese pasta preparations—delicate “pinched” ravioli (usually made with rabbit) in a light butter sauce.

Fabulous!

I skipped a primo and followed the bagna cauda with one of the house specialties: Il Cosciotto d’Oca Ripieno del suo Fegato Grasso (25 euro) —roasted goose leg stuffed with its own liver. I had never tried goose before, but I will certainly try it again. Perfectly cooked. Delicious.

For dessert: A molten chocolate cake with orange syrup (8 euro)
Heavenly.

With water and one glass of wine, the bill came to 74 euro.

Clearly, this restaurant is an essential stop. In good weather, tables on the terrace offer a stupendous vineyard view.

Ahhhhhh I realize ekscrunchy that you are Erica on Chowhound! So here we have a much more detailed report, thank you I am drooling with anticipation now! We leave in two days for our Piedmont trip. We have Trattoria della Posta already booked.

I am glad that Roberta at Villa la Favorita was so helpful to you, we also enjoyed our stay there very much on our last Piedmont trip.

I am also looking forward to bringing home lots of goodies from the markets, hazelnuts are a great idea! We are indeed bringing an extra suitcase for bringing wine home but I hope to bring home more wine than just one bottle! Ok, back to read this again with more attention to detail...

jczinn, where have you chosen to stay on your upcoming trip?

Julie, we are actually staying closer to Acqui Terme, in a small town called Olmo Gentile, five nights at a B&B that looks lovely: Borgo Vallone (http://www.borgovallone.com) We had originally planned/hoped to stay at Baur B&B in Acqui Terme, but unfortunately it is currently closed while they are renovating; Diana of Baur B&B recommended Borgo Vallone and I totally trust her recommendation. We are staying in this area because I wanted to explore some new places and visit the coast one day (Camogli, Portofino.) But we will spend a day or two around Alba and the Barolo towns, for sure.

correcting link:
http://www.borgovallone.com

JC: I will look forward to your report! That area should be a super base, since you can also venture to the coast.. If we had had better weather, we would have done a day trip to the coast near Savona which is only about an hour-plus or so from Alba.

There is just so much to explore around there that I feel as if we barely scratched the surface in 7 days.




Here is a bit more:


After lunch, we drove through the vineyard-covered hills to the tiny hamlet of San Rocco Seno d’Elvio, and from there, up the hillside to Podere Colla, the domain of Tino Colla and his niece, Federica.
I cannot recommend this winery enough; Tino Colla is a charming man with deep roots in the Langhe and a passionate interest not only in the wines, but in the land that produce them.

We had a walk through the vineyards, followed by a memorable tasting of Dolcetto, Barbaresco, Barolo, nebbiolo and pinot noir blends, and even the DOC Riesling that Sr Colla grows on Bricco del Drago, one of the three estates under the Colla name. Another highlight was Bonme, a small production wine imbued with absinthe. The setting of the tasting was equally fascinating because the tasting venue also serves as a mini-museum of old agricultural and wine-making tools and there is a story attached to each implement.

For more information, here is their website. I would recommend a visit only for those with serious intent; as at most Piemont wineries, tours and tastings are conducted by the winemakers themselves.


http://www.podericolla.it/default.htm

Hi Ekscrunchy, so glad after all your reviews on Italy that you spend some time in Piedmont and a great write up, even if we are disapointed that you didn't stay with us!! BTW not to beat our drum too loudly, but we do informal cooking classes too, for thos ewho asked on this thread. Happy to find Piedmont's famous wine and food country so well represented.

Tim, that is very sweet! If we had had more time I would have at least wanted to have a visit with you! I hope you are enjoying this report, and are not finding too many errors!

We really enjoyed our time in Piemonte and I look forward to visiting the Asti area sometime in the future! I want to thank you again for the tremendous help you have provided, both to me, and to many other Piemonte-bound travelers on this forum!

For newcomers here: Tim's wife is reportedly a fabulous cook, so I would recommnd investigating the cooking classes (and the lodgings) offered at his very-well-reviewed agriturismo, Villa Sampaguita:

http://www.villasampaguita.com/Live/home.cfm

and thank you for your sweet words about us too. This year there have been very few posts on this forum about things to do with Piedmont and so your well written and detailed review is wonderful to remind readers of what us locals consider Italy's best food and wine area (there's a challenge)and your restaurant reviews are worthy of E-Gullet's forums:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?s=6920448d639a33dbccefc821324241f3&showforum=39

I think you must have been here in April, which was very wet this year, almost every weekend rained, more then just April showers, but just when May came along the weather has changed and we are having clear blue skies and sunny weather with wonderful mountain view panorama's, I have posted some of our Facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=248121&id=196228155536&saved#/pages/Villa-Sampaguita/196228155536

Your restaurant guides are spot on, the Osterie Vignaiolo is one of our all time favourites, the Trattorie della Posta always gets good reviews, although we have yet to eat there. La Libera sometimes gets mixed reviews from our guests and Profumo di Vino is new too us, we must try it, although ist so hard in Piedmont as there are so many good restaurants, in Treiso, as well as La Ciau del Tornavento people give rave reviews to Osteria dell Unione as well as Risorgimento, and head futher on the road to Barbaresco and you run into Vechio Tre Stelle, Antina, Rabaja and Antica Torre, to name a few. (BTW this May, every Friday you can experience Barbaresco a Tavola, when 12 local restaurants included all the above named are offering more then 20 types of Barbaresco 2006's).

My comment on your review is that its too bad you had so little time in the region, there is so much to see and do, as well as eating and wine tasting. For those who don't know the area, we call the central Piedmont wine hills "the zone", not just the Langhe, but also the Monferatto South from Asti to Acqui Terme and centred on Nizza Monferrato, the Monferrato North which includes Cocconato and Moncalvo as far as Casale Monferrato, and the Roero, on the West side of the Tanaro river between Asti and Alba, centred on Canale. The Langhe is famous and trendy because of Barolo and Barbaresco, however the whole "zone" features countless little mom and pop osterie and trattorie as well as michelin-starred restaurants, innummerable wineries and loads of charming hill top towns and castles, almost any weekend there is a festival somewhere. And lets not talk about the famous white truffles from the "zone". When you say visit the Asti area, this is actually a misnomer, Asti is just up the road from Alba (20 minutes) and the centre of the "zone" as well as a quick hop to Turin, and the best placed town for visiting the whole area. Alba and surrounding towns(and hats off to Roberta for her wonderful hospitality at Villa Favourita)would be best if you only wanted to focus on the Barolo and Barbaresco areas, likewise the other towns mentioned for their areas. but wherever you stay in Piedmont, we hope that our magic rubs off on you.

And you were in Cherasco and didn't stop off at Bra to visit the temple of Slow Food Boccondivino - shame!! But as I said too much to see and do.

Last comment is that you will find Bagna Cauda served as an antipasto, howeveras a main dish is really a late fall and winter dish in Piedmont,and it really is a family thing where everyone sits around the table and dips into the bowl as you mention. Oh and you didn't get to try any fresh black truffles? We do have these in Piedmont too, just coming into season. Enough, I could go on and on. Ciao Tim

eks and others interested in wine --

I did contact Gallo Winery in La Morra after seeing your note above regarding the possiblility of shipping. The answer that I got back was not what I was hoping to hear!

Basically shipping to a private home in the US is a no go. If you take a chance and mark the box as being something else other than wine, you may get lucky. But if the box is opened for inspection, the wine will be confiscated. I think I would literally cry if a case of Barolo and Barbaresco was confiscated! Sampaguita, since you live there and have a great deal of knowledge, do you have any suggestions on this topic?

Great info on the restaurants! Thanks for the preview! I have also now added Cherasco to my list of must-sees.

FYI, we arranged to have a cooking class while at La Favorita. We will be cooking a three course meal with Rita, and have requested a lesson in making the agnolotti dal plin.

Ciao!

Thanks, Tim, for your comments and compliments. Stay tuned because I have more, which I will get to soon. We were there the third week in April and the weather was indeed, pretty bad, not only in Piedmont but throughout much of Italy. So it was impossible for us to escape the rain, even by driving to another region. We did have a couple of nice days at midweek, however.

Although we had a full week between Alba and Turin we did not even get to scratch the surface of the region and hope to return someday.

Regarding bagna cauda: The Provencal dish related to bagna cauda is anchoiade; in my haste, I forgot the"n."


Drbb: I am very impressed by your organization. But this is bad news, indeed, about the wine. I suppose that everyone here who mentions shipping wine has declared it as olive oil.

I know in New York State we have the ridiculous three-tier system, but I did not know that all states had these arcane laws. Well, they need to get their tax money, right!? What state do you live in? I used to bring lots of wine home, but we can get so much here that I just do not bother much anymore.

I certainly understand that you would not want to take the chance of having the wine confiscated. What about bringing one of those special wine-packs designed for airline travel? Or bring two of them!

"Regarding bagna cauda: The Provencal dish related to bagna cauda is anchoiade"

I beg to differ. Bagna Cauda is also a Provençal dish (warm sauce) and anchoiade is always cold.

Thank you, PV. I do think they are related, however, even if one is served warm and the other cold. There are quite a few food links to other areas, including the many obvious ones to Liguria.

Regarding the use of anchovies, one theory is that since there is comparatively little wine grown in Liguria, the Ligurians would travel over the mountains to Piemonte with casks of anchovies. They would empty these casks and fill them with Piemontese wine to take back to the coast. This would have given an unusual flavor to the wine.

I will try to get back to this later today.

Regarding bringing/shipping wine home, we used to bring home up to 16 bottles in luggage and carry on--that was before the new carry-on regulations, of course, and before the fall of the dollar! Now, we concentrate on bringing home only what is either unavailable here (small producers, or older vintages of big producers) or something that will hold a special memory (say of a producer we visited). As eks says, just about everything is now available here, and at pretty good prices if you look at sales at a place like Zachy's in Westchester, NY (where we buy most of our higher-priced bottles.) We bring along these great inflatable wine bottle packers by 3M (no longer made, as far as I know, but we bought them years ago and reuse them). And pack one small bag inside a larger one so that on the way home, we have one extra bag for wine and oil. Hopefully we'll bring home about 8 bottles this trip.

We leave today, whoo-hoo! Hope that summer weather Tim is talking about holds.

Thanks EKS for the great reviews.

Dear eks - We live in Louisiana , and yes the laws are quite archaic. There is much protectionism in regard to beer, wine and liquor distributors in this state. My husband and I were just introduced to a Baton Rouge couple who actually produce some wine in the Piemonte under their own label and import it, so I'm hopeful that maybe I can get some help there.

We have brought back as many as 12 bottles before the carry on restrictions, and as many as 8 in just checked luggage. We do buy wines that are either unavailable to us or that are memorable. In Baton Rouge, fewer wines are available to us of course than in a place like NYC. We have bought from Zachy's, Sherry Lehmann, etc., but it's always fun to have bottles from your trip.

jkczinn- have a great trip and I will also look forward to your trip report!!

"Regarding bagna cauda: The Provencal dish related to bagna cauda is anchoiade; " Since Piedmont and Provence were all part of the Kingdom of Savoy before the risorgimento (reunion of Italy) there are many cultural, food and language simularities on both side of the Cottine Alps.

eks,

An EATALY was slated to open in Manhattan last year. Do you know if it ever did?

You mentioned overhearing German tourists making future group reservations. One of my impressions of my time in Piemonte was that a lot of the menus and tourist infrastructure (big breakfasts, roasted meats, etc) was oriented toward German tourism. Did you have the same impression?

For future visitors to Trattoria della Posta, the panna cotta there is the best I've ever tasted in Italy.

regarding anchovies in Piemonte:

The story I have heard is that salt was so precious, and such a valuable and heavily regulated item of trade, that it was smuggled into Piemonte from Liguria under layers of anchovies. It was in this fashion that anchovies became introduced into Piemontese cuisine.

Whether the empty barrels were filled with wine before returning to Liguria, I don't know. But the motivating focus of interest was Ligurian salt, not Piemontese wine.

Zeppole: Yes, I heard something along those lines, too. But the Piemontese winemaker I spoke to is convinced that is was their wine that was the goal! Your version sounds more plausible.

I have to look into this because the reasons that regional preferences developed as they did is an interest of mine.

Yes, we are supposed to have an Eataly in midtown, but it has not opened and I have read nothing in the past few months. But I am not so excited about it because I fear it would be just another gourmet store with sky-high prices and restaurants. Well, we will see and you can be sure I will report about it if it does open!

I did not see any evidence of catering towards the German tourists. But we only stayed in 3 places; a look at the guest book at La Favorita revealed a mix of nationalities, many from English-speaking countries but also Europeans and a few Asians. But no Germans that I can recall. I would say that most of the (very few) foreign tourists we saw were French or German. Probably some of these were Swiss, however.

Lots of roasted meat as secondi, but I don't think that is what you mean. But I have no doubt that in tourist season the area receives many German visitors. But surprisingly, most restaurants did not have translated menus; a few did have the English translation written on the main menu, but most did not.

The guy at della Posta was involved in such a long conversation with the owner; he was at the next table so we could not help but overhear. He was planning a dinner for a large group (of Germans) and the debate went back and forth about which wines to serve, and how much he was going to pay per person. I thought he might be a tour operator. In the end, they were going to pay 55 euro per person, with wines and a set menu! I am sure the truffles were not included for that price!

I did not have the panna cotta there, but I did have one of the reputed best panna cotta (panna cotti??) in Torino. I will report on that soon.

It is a busy week so I apologize for taking so long..

I asked an Italian friend and basically there is no special Italian word for amuse bouche in the concept of a complimentary nibble that precedes the first course. They would still be antipasti according to her. Of course the drink that precedes the meal is an aperitivo, and perhaps that term has been extended to the nibbles that may go with it - ??

Gourmandise served with coffee are called dolcetti in some places, she says.

ekscrunchy, where are you??!! I need my Piemonte fix!

Drbb: I will write more as soon as I can; I am a little busy until tomorrow night. I am so glad you are enjoying the report--I love to "talk" travel!!

Thanks for the info on the amuse. I remember hearing at least two servers use a word like "appetiti." Maybe that is Piemontese slang. You will have to do the on-site research!

More soon!!

And here are a few interesting websites devoted mostly, or entirely, to Italian wine; the first is in English and the last two, in Italian:

http://vinowire.simplicissimus.it/

http://www.vinodautore.com/regioni/piedmont-12.aspx

http://www.lavinium.com/


The next day, Wednesday, the weather began to clear. We thought of taking a ride to the coast but decided, in the end, to go only halfway, to the designer outlets just over the Ligurian border in Serravale Scrivia. I had had a taste of these huge outlet malls last fall when I had a highly successful shopping expedition from Lake Como to the outlets in Mendrisio, Switzerland (see my Liguria/Lake Como trip report for details) and wanted to investigate this popular venue which draws shoppers from Milan, Turin and Genoa.

The Via Michelin directions were straightforward. Except that I managed to direct my partner to take the wrong highway to Genoa, so we lost a bit of time after making a wrong turn near Alessandria. The drive should take just a few minutes over an hour and the quickest way involves all highway driving, with a good bit of truck traffic.

The roads in this area are so well-marked, however, that driving is quite easy and it would be virtually impossible to get truly lost on major roads (Please disregard previous comment about taking a wrong turn!)


About 70 minutes after leaving La Favorita, we exited the A7 and, a few minutes later, following the signs to “Novi Ligure,” we parked in the immense and mostly empty lot and set out to do some bargain shopping.

http://www.mcarthurglen.it/serravalle/home/home.php?lang=en


Serravale Scrivia’s faux Ligurian village, with mostly upscale shops hiding behind pastel painted facades and clusters of buildings separated by flowering walkways, is one of the most physical attractive malls I’ve seen. (I admit that my experience is rather limited, however). We had the place virtually to ourelves on this Wednesday April morning.

Most, if not all, (there was no Todd or Hogan, for example) of the usual suspects were represented: Loro Piana, Gucci, La Perla, Malo, Prada, D&G, and two of my favorites: Bric’s (excellent buys on luggage and handbags)

http://www.brics.it/


and McKenzy (which I had discovered in Medrisio; excellent buys on cashmere and cotton knit sweaters);

http://www.mckenzy.it/


However, with the sun now shining for the first time since our arrival 4 days before, I could not work up all that much enthusiasm for the diligence required for outlet shopping.

My partner enjoyed himself wandering through several sporting goods shops and found one offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal on leather sneakers (made not in Italy but in Vietnam, however). That was the extent of HIS shopping for the week. Due to the euro-dollar conversion rate, the prices were quite a bit higher here than they had been in Switzerland a few months ago so I could not get too invested in the
prospect of bargain hunting. MAny shops, however, were offering sales and discounts on top of the usual outlet discounts.

Less than 90 minutes after we arrived, we were on our way back to Alba, with two boxes of Reebok men’s sneakers (total cost: 29 euro) in the trunk.

Although we took the highway back to Alba, there is another route that would allow a stopover in Acqui Terme; on retrospect, perhaps we should have explored that option.

As embarrassed as I am about revealing that we spent half a day at an outlet mall, I am a thousand times as embarrassed about the blunder I made the following day!


More soon, including dinner at an agriturismo in Verduno!

My friend who's originally from Verona said she's never heard the word appetiti. So you may be right in that it's a local thing. I'll ask Roberta.

Looking forward to more!

Ahh Serravle Outlet Mall off the A6 Milano-Genova autostrada. Its also close to Gavi and the drive through Gavi to Ovada is very scenic with some of our favourites swiming holes for summer.

Tim:

I think the outlet mall is just off the A7, not the A6-

Those swimming holes sound very tempting right now! That would be a fun day-do some shopping, have a good Ligurian meal and then do some swimming!

After a brief stop back at La Favorita, we decided to take advantage of the clear, sunny day and continued on to Neive. A plaque announcing Neive’s place among the Borghi Piu Belli d’Italia (Italy’s version of the French “most beautiful villages” ranking:

http://www.borghitalia.it/)

marks the entrance to this hilltop village founded in the 12th Century.

http://www.langhe.net/neive/



Along with Barbaresco and Verduno, Neive was the prettiest of the
villages we visited on this trip. (I would call Cherasco a town rather than a village, and the word “handsome” comes to mind). I think it would make an excellent base, as there are at least two very well-reviewed hotels, a couple of food shops, and at least two equally respected restaurants in the historic center. More shops are restaurants cluster in the modern town at the base of the hill.
The view from the hill crest sweeps over the Barbaresco hillsides and beyond; here is a typical scene:

http://tinyurl.com/qnjknh




Unlike the well-trod hill towns of Tuscany, Neive, and all of the towns we visited, were not crawling with tourists, in fact these were few and far between. There are no obvious postcard or ceramic shops as in the Tuscan towns.

After a stroll through tiny Neive, we drove on to Barbaresco, a picture-postcard village and a magic name to wine lovers. The importance of wine is evident: the legendary Gaja occupies pride of place in the center of town (No public tours) and the offices and tasting rooms of many other producers are here as well, along with several top-rated restaurants including the Michelin-starred Antine.

http://www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com/default_en.htm



After a bit of wine tasting in a shop on the main square,
we climbed the 12th-Century brick tower that looms over the village and the Tannaro river below, and offers a wonderful view of the nearby landscape all the way to Alba. I only wish we had had more time to have a meal here! Stunningly beautiful! (There is a substantial amount of brick used in Piemontese building in this area; can anyone offer the reason for this?)

After driving back to La Favorita, we followed the directions given by Roberta and had a small walk from the villa into the residential area of Altavilla, past vineyards and handsome villas, including the
home of the Ferrero family who are beloved in Alba for bringing prosperity in the form of Nutella. (The main production facility lies just outside the town on the plain).

Nutella, of course, originated as a means to make use of the high-quality Langhe hazelnuts during the 1940s when wartime rationing limited the supply of chocolate. Roberta tells a story of how the founder of the company, Pastry Maker Pietro Ferrero, would carry samples around in a truck in the 1940s, handing out tastes of the strange new product that can now be found around the world.


For dinner that evening our last at Villa Favorita, I chose the agriturismo of the Castello di Verduno winery: Ca del Re, in the tiny village of Verduno.

A majestic 16th century castle dominates the tiny (population: about 500) village of Verduno, about a 30-minute drive from La Favorita.

http://www.comune.verduno.cn.it/eng/photo_gallery1.html



The castle is home to the Castello di Verduno winery as well as the Castello di Verduno hotel; guests are housed in the 18th-Century addition designed by famed Baroque architect Filippo Juvarra, the designer of most of the palaces commissioned by the House of Savoy.


http://www.castellodiverduno.com/eng/realcastello.asp


In 2000, the former home of the estate manager, just outside the castle walls, was converted to an agriturismo that has hosted, among others, Prince Charles. The women of the Burlotto family are renowned for their cooking, as well as for their wines, and the agriturismo’s restaurant, Ca de Re, is a member of SlowFood.
Here is a photo of the dining room, where we had booked a table:

http://www.castellodiverduno.com/eng/ristorazione.asp

There is no written menu; prices for the various courses (primi, etc) are posted at the entrance and are very reasonable. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.

We were met and shown to a table next to the massive hearth in the dining room, decorated with whimsical figurative paintings. Very little English is spoken and the menu was recited orally by a young woman who I presume to be the daughter of Gabriella Burlotto, who presides in the kitchen. We were given a small choice of items for each course; if you are a squeamish eater, it would be a good idea to phone ahead to inquire about the day’s dishes.

We began our dinner with one of each of the two antipasti:

Frittatta of fiore di zucca (zucchini flower frittata)—very good, if not my favorite way to begin dinner

Polenta—I hesitated when I heard this recited among the antipasti but my fears of being served something boring were quickly abandoned with my first taste. Mounds of soft polenta rested under an extraordinary sauce, the components of which are a guarded secret, according to our hostess. Among the ingredients that she divulged are red peppers, anchovies, passata di pomodoro, and garlic. The local red peppers, which had been put away at last harvest, imparted a sweetness to the sauce that transformed this into a miracle of simple Piemontese home cooking. Worth the trip!

For primi, we were offered Gnocchi,, ravioli, or tagliatelle with a choice of sauce: Burro; sugo; or pomodoro e basilico. (Butter, meat sauce, or tomato and basil). I chose the ravioli with butter sauce—excellent. My partner selectd tagliatelle with meat sauce. Equally good.

For secondi, we shared one of the two offerings: Roast rabbit.
Very tasty. We also shared a vegetable, the details of which I cannot remember.

With two glasses of one of wines produced on the estate, and water, the total amounted to a most reasonable 38 Euro.

An ideal spot to sample local Piemontese home cooking. There are tables both iin the dining room, and outside.

The next morning, after our last sumptuous breakfast at La Favorita, which included a frittata dense with herbs, we set off to explore Alba. After a visit to the imposing 14th-Century cathedral, we wandered through the streets to the market which fills a large lot at the edge of the historic district.

Although it was too early for much more than asparagus to be in season locally, I thoroughly enjoyed wandering past the outdoor stalls, piled high with foods from southern Italy and beyond. Among at least 3 kinds of artichokes, was a variety new to me: The spiny artichoke, or carciofo spinoso sardo:


http://www.provinciadelsole.it/eng/images/fotoserramannasx06.jpg


Several cheese and salumi vendors offered a mouthwatering array of the celebrated Piemontese cheeses, and a vendor from Calabria offered various pecorinos, dried sausages, and those famous Calabrian dried peppers (discussed in the current, May, 2009 issue of Saveur, which I unfortunately did not read until I returned home).

After about an hour or so, we moved on to the center of town where I meandered through a couple of elegant food shops, happily sampling the proferred cheeses and meats offerd by the friendly proprietors who were all too willing to discuss their products. In one shop, Elio Ratti, on the main artery, Via Vittorio Emanuele No. 18, I purchased a couple of boxes of dried Albesi tagliatelle, the celebrated egg pasta of the region. ( 3.30 euro for 500gr.).

With the patience of my partner running thin, I reluctantly agreed to curtail the food shopping, and we headed back to La Favorita to pack and to say a fond goodbye to our canine buddy, Sally, and to Roberta , who presented us with a parting gift of her own lovely Gattinara, a nebbiolo blend.


Our next stop was just a 15-minute or so drive from Alba near the village of Nevigle: The agriturismo of the Marcarini family, among the most respected of the Langhe wine producers.

http://www.marcarini.it/agriturismo/ita/camere.html

Great report! Hanging on every word.

Good to know that Barbaresco offers many sights as well as wines. I didn't know that you could climb the tower so I've added that to my list of things to do. I've heard a lot about Antine and have that on my list of restaurants. Also we'll have a lunch in Neive at la Contea.

Did Gaja have a tasting room?

What a coincidence that you selected the Marcarini agriturismo as your next stop! That was my second choice of where to stay after La Favorita. It sounds like we have similar tastes in accomodations. The website pictures of their rooms looked very nice, so I'll be anxious to hear more.

I just read in Wine Enthusiast that terrible rain last week devastated many of the vineyards in the Piemonte. How horrible!

"A violent rainstorm swept over northern Italy last week causing massive damage to the region's steep Barolo and Barbaresco vineyards. Mud slides and erosion created untold havoc to agriculture across Lombardy, Piemonte and parts of the Veneto.

The areas of Barolo and Barbaresco were especially hard hit because of the intensity of the storm on Monday, April 27th and the fact the earth was already saturated with water from previous storms. A hectare of cru vineyard in these parts can cost up to $600,000 to $800,000.

Traveling through the area in the days following the storm, roads were washed out near la Morra and Barolo and vineyard terracing was completely pulled out by mudslides. Vineyards owned by the Rizzi family in Barbaresco spanning to Elio Grasso in Barolo showed signs of tragic damage.

“I have never seen anything like it,” said Cesare Benvenuto of Pio Cesare. “These are precious cru vineyards and it will be at least four years until newly planted vines are in production.”

Italy’s farmers’ lobby, Coldiretti, announced that 2009 ranks among “the top ten most rainy years in two centuries.” Heavy rain this winter caused flooding in Rome (including at the offices of Wine Enthusiast Magazine) and across the entire peninsula. Coldiretti estimates that rain damage to Italian agriculture this year is estimated at 100 million euros ($130 million). "

Drbb: That is devastating news! We had rain but nothing like those accounts describe. We left on the 26th, so we just missed the Monday storm.

I will write more when I get a chance, but I will tell you that the Marcarini agriturismo is gorgeous! We were the only ones there for the one night we stayed and it felt as if we were the doyennes of a glorious estate. The rooms do not have the character of Roberta's rooms, though; they are more like 4-star hotel rooms.

Immense gates guard the entrance to Gaja; there is no tasting room and there is a prominent sign saying something to the effect that there are no public visits. We did not try for an appointment so I have no idea how easy it would be to obtain one.

I was unaware of the severe damage caused by recent flooding in Piemonte and elsewhere in Italy. This really is terrible news, and I wish the best for a full recovery. Unfortunately, it sounds like this will take a long time to happen.

As I am planning a trip to Piemonte in October, I wonder if these recent events would make that a suboptimal time to visit. I know there is plenty more to see and do, but touring the enotecas and wineries, etc., is a big part of our plans. That will be harvest season, so in a perverse way it may actually make it easier for the wineries to accommodate visitors. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to impose during a stressful situation/time. Any thoughts from those living in the area (Tim and others) would be greatly appreciated.

Eks:Thanks for taking the time to write such a detail report. i am actually in the middle of planning a big s. e. asia trip but i think i have to go to italy to get my wine and food fix first. If the rain is destroying the vineyard i better go soon. Hopefully in Sept i get my act together.

As far as bringing wine home, I do know of someone who shipped back several cases of Amarone back to NYC He worked for a restaurant/club so maybe he used a commercial address or he knew how to do that. I do want to find out more about safely shipping wine home. I wished i had done the same because I love that wine and they are rare here and very marked up and getting more so every time i looked. We were on route to Switzerland after a week+ of wine and food tasting in Tuscany. i had eight bottles of good Chianti in my bag. i was very pleased with my finds until i had a great bottle of Amarone in Cingue terre accidentally(wasn't planning on going there, we just wanted to take a look at the place and had a bite and ended up staying there for one day then become two and eventually 3 days). I wanted to dump all the Chianti to make room for my new love. Not knowing if we could successfully pass the custom with our Chianti(we did at the end), we bought several bottles with us and finished the last drop in the airport before we board the flight back home.

What guidebooks would you recommend? I probably do 2 weeks spread out in 2-3 bases if necessary.

Thanks again for sharing.

Yes, the news is really bad, particularly in light of all that I have read about the multi-generational traditions, pride in the land, the small margin that can mean the difference between a great year and a poor one, etc. Although I suppose that in one respect, weather is a factor that always is front and center, whether it be the scorching heat of 2003 or torrential rain. Part of what every vintner learns to deal with I suspect.

mohan -- There is a good recent exchange on this forum - look for a topic on shipping wines from Barcelona -- that deals with shipping. In my state, one has to have an importer's license to carry back that much wine.

For personal consumption, you are limited to one bottle duty-free into the US. Duty must be paid on other bottles, so you can bring in more. But how much more before your motives are suspect is a good question.

Mohan: The only comprehensive guidebook in English that I have seen is the excellent Cadogan ITALIAN RIVIERA AND PIEDMONT. The SlowFood book is good, but I did not bring mine with me; (Roberta has a copy of this in the house, Drbb). Where are you going in SE Asia?

ekscrunchy - Emailed Roberta and she replied within minutes. Unfortunately she lost her small Grignolino vineyard to a landslide in the rains, but the larger Nebbiolo vineyard is fine. She has a positive spirit as she indicated the lost vineuard needed to be replanted in a few years anyway. I'm sure it must be heartbreaking though.

mohan - Also look for the Touring Club of Italy guide book to Piedmont and Aosta. There is also a National Geographic Traveler book. But none of then including the Cadogan has a great deal of detailed info. I used the Internet to plan my trip to Alba more than ever before!

Drbb: Roberta gave us a bottle of the Grignolino, not Gattinara as I wrote above. I am so sad that she lost that land. She is quite an amazing person, as you will learn, and really manages so much between the lands and her family and the B&B..

I should mention here that Roberta also rents an apartment on the Gargano peninsula in Puglia; she will give details on request.

EKS, this is the most detailed trip report on Piedmont wine country I have read for ages! Great stuff, you should contribute to E-Gullet too. Some comments from a local:

Guide Books, Cadogans is by far and away the most detailed, as well as covering Liguria and Val D'Aosta. National Geo is good, although I think some of their Langhe itineraries are a bit impractical. TCI is also very good. Also excellent is "Touring in Wine Country, NW Italy" pub Mitchell Beazly, out of print but Amazon has it, if I had to choose 2 I would take Cadogan and Wine Touring. Cadogan also has guides for other parts of Italy and there is a Wine Touring Guide for Tuscany

Yes the heavy snow this winter plus unseasonal heavy rain did create many landslides all over the wine country, not just vineyards, but you have to be flexible in route planning as many roads are closed. Its tragic about the many vineyards, hiwever one must realize that the central Piedmont wine hills are chalk, sandstone and clay deposits laid down 3 million years ago by the retreating Adriatic, and there is some instability as witessed by some of the spectacular cliffs and escarpements in the area. It doesn't help that in recent years there has been a lot of de-forestation to plant vines everywhere in the more famous districts.

Gaja is not user friendly, open by appointment to trade only, although sometimes if you e-mail them they will accept you as a favour. If you know a distributor in the US, ask them to e-mail Gaja. Mnay other excellent producers in Barbaresco who welcome visitors and don't miss the enoteca in the church!

La Contea in Neive, we tried this restaurant after reading rave reviews and were sorely disapointed, over the top. So many great trattorie in the area, besides the ones EKS mentioned, such as Osterie Del Unione, Ciao del Tornavento in Treiso, Rabaja, Vechio Tre Stelle and Antiche Torre in Barbaresco,but the list of great places in Piedmont can go on and on!

Oh and there is actually a lot of clay in Piedmont too, hence the bricks. The Roero on the other side of the Tanaro to Asti and Alba is so called because of the red soil. We had some landslides on the back of our property too this year (not close to the vines, I climbed down one escarpment to the river below and found veins of blue clay as well as red amongst the sandstone.

Tim: Many thanks for the explanation of the ubiquitous brick! The architecture in this region is very handsome! Interesting about La Contea. I thought of this for our last night, but when I read the menu, the dishes did seem to be overly elaborate and the prices quite high in comparison with some of the others we had visited.

Anyway, here is a bit more:



The Marcarini agriturismo is, in a word, elegant. We were the only guests that night and it felt as if we were the doyennes of a stately
country house, surrounded by vineyards. The sun peeked through the clouds for a few moments, giving us time to relax in handsome lounge chairs next to a pond populated by very noisy, but very adorable, tiny frogs.

Our large, cream-hued room, up a flight of stone-topped stairs, featured a mini-bar, small television (the storms had knocked out power for the evening, though) a king sized bed and an electric fireplace. The large marble-sheathed bathroom overlooked rows of vines marching up the hillside. Just outside the room, a sweeping terrace with comfy chairs, faced the front courtyard.

Our reason for spending the night at Marcarini was, obviously, to taste the celebrated wines of this esteemed Piedmont producer.
We did not, however, taste those wines. I will not go into the reasons for this, other than to say that this represented one of the most embarrassing and humiliating oversights of many years of travel. We missed our appointment at the winery in La Morra due to my poor handling of the daily agenda, and left the good people at Marcarini waiting in vain.

Because I had messed up so badly, instead of driving to La Morra as was intended, we ambled around the immediate area, paying another visit to charming Neive, taking a small hike up to the above-ground cemetery near Nevigle (fabulous views from here), and pursued a round of menu reading in preparation for the night’s dinner.

There are so many tempting choices within a couple of miles drive! Antine in Barbaresco; Vecchio Tre Stelle, in Tre Stelle, outside Barbaresco (lloked excellent); La Contea in Neive (menu featured dishes that seemed a bit fussy for our tastes) ; La Ciau
Del Tornavento (looked beautiful; views of the hillsides) are just a few of the options we considered for our last dinner in .

In the end, the happy memories of our first Piemontese dinner tilted my partner’s thoughts in the direction of Profumo di Vino and I quickly acquiesced.

Here is the website for both the Marcarini wines and their agriturismo:



http://www.marcarini.it/

eks, can't wait to hear more about your continuing adventures. Especially the eating parts!

Thanks Tim, for the comments on La Contea. I have read many good things, but of course restaurant quality can come and go easily. Will look at alternatives for sure.

The food in Piedmont is some of my favorite. While in Turin, it's a very active city with tons going on, and great visitor information centers. Also, download an exceptional audio tour of the city center: www.touringtracks.com

drbb: rehipping wines from Barcelona, do you remember the name of the poster?

Esk, where is a good question. Another question is how. Do I do the usual suspects or go off the beaten path which requires more research.

Nothing is set in stone yet. Probably Jakarta(to see friends and family), Mount Bromo, Bali, LP, Vientiane, the Angkor temples and BKK. I am flirting w the idea of getting a short term apt either in BKK or KL( a great friend is there) to stay put and rest a bit and do some Vietnam. My travel companion is less flexible than me and has problems committing to plans. You see what problem i am up against.

I have your S. E. Asia trip report bookmarked. You are such an asset to this forum that Fodors should put you on their payroll. If I were the head of the Italian tourist dept , I would hire you as a restaurant writer(isn't that the best job there is?) or at least send you a case of fine wine and truffle oil as courtesy for all the recommendations you made. Feel free to quote me on that.

How does the face come about? it should be an .

what happened? did i hit something? it should be s.

:

: and s(without space and the and)=face.
sorry for being so dense.

mohan-- The URL is http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/check-in-safe-wine-boxes-any-shop-in-barceloan-that-provides-it.cfm

The poster was ojander and the date of the original post was May 6. Barcelona was misspelled in the title so you couldn't have found it by searching.

Tim - tell me why you like Vecchio Tre Stelle and Antica Torre please.

Wait--now I am confused! Mohan did you want to ask me something? I am meaning to get back to this but am a little more frazzled than usual at the moment and we are actually leaving for London on Saturday (only for 3 days). I hope to post more later today!

Thanks drbb.

Eks: you answered my question already. You asked me where i am going in S.E. Asia.

"ekscrunchy on May 11, 09 at 01:20 PM
Mohan: The only comprehensive guidebook in English that I have seen is the excellent Cadogan ITALIAN RIVIERA AND PIEDMONT. The SlowFood book is good, but I did not bring mine with me; (Roberta has a copy of this in the house, Drbb). Where are you going in SE Asia?"

Mohan you are too kind! My deepest thanks for those comments. I am also planning SE Asia for next winter (you may have seen my incessant questioning threads already!) The mention of Mt Bromo brings up many happy memories from trips long ago. I LOVED Indonesia and hope to be fortunate enough to return someday. I know what you mean about travel partners being non-commital, by the way!

Ok..here is a little more:




On our second visit to Profumo di Vino in Treiso, we were warmly welcomed by both Memo, at the front of the house, and Cameron, the chef, who hails from Scotland but who was raised in Colorado.

Our antipasti had been so memorable a few days before that we repeated them:

Veal meatballs with a foie gras and espresso mustard (7 euro) My partner would rate this among the favorite dishes of the trip.

“Uova in pasta,” ravioli of egg yolk bathed in brown butter and scattered with roasted asparagus tips (7 euro). Heaven! With this, I drank a glass of the local Roero Arnais white

My partner chose, again, the Risotto Carbonara, with speck, Grana Padano, egg yolk, and a heavy dose of black pepper (12 euro). I will add here that this superb risotto prompted me to try my hand at a similar dish last week, with only middling results.

I skipped a primi and ordered, instead, the pan roasted baby lamb chops with a light Marsala sauce (18 euro) with a glass of red (I cannot find my notes--problem with dallying so long before completing trip report)

And this time, we opted for dessert and were very, very pleased that we did..the Amaretto tortino with walnut cream and gianduja chocolate (6 euro) was even richer and more luscious than it sounds! Superlative!

With coffee, water, and complimentary cookies and chocolates,
The final tally was a reasonable 62 euro.

The drive back to Macarini took only a few minutes.

The next morning, we awoke AGAIN to pounding rain. After a light breakfast (cooked dishes are on offer but we did not partake) at the agriturismo (I will never hear the name Marcarini again without remembering my blunder about missing the appointment at the winery!) we set off, armed with my ViaMichelin directions, for Turin, where we had booked two nights at the Grand Hotel Sitea.

The veal meatballs with foie gras sounds yummy.

Anything baths in brown butter will be delicious.

On another note: there are lots of flights connecting BKK to Bali. Air Asia costs about $25 or less.

You are kidding! $25!!!!??????

My two friends took out a six month rental in BKK two years ago, used that as a base to travel S.E.Asia, took many flights for five bucks. There are several discussions on Air Asia in the thailand forum.

Thank you! That 6-month rental would be my dream!

It's a solid recommendation for Profumo de Vino to have gone back twice. It all sounds fantastic!

Hope you are able to get in another post today before your trip.

Have a great time in London!

If I hear any more about wine and anchovies and salt, I'll let you know.


Another vote for the Cadogan guide to Piemonte.

Based on your fantastic trip, I think you might enjoy reading this book:

Passion on the Vine: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Family in the Heart of Italy.

It was phenomenal -

Yes, I read this and enjoyed it. A few years ago, we were having dinner at the only restaurant open in Montepulciano that January Sunday and Sergio was at the next table. He has a wonderful shop here in NYC.

I also meant to mention that while we were staying at La Favorita, we became chatty with another couple who were the only other guests for part of our stay. He owns a wine shop in Stowe, Vermont and also writes a newsletter about the ones he tastes. I wanted to link the information but, not surprisingly, I have misplaced his card. He is so passionate about Italian wine that I am sure the newsletter would be interesting. He ships all over the US, too.

Well, I managed to dump out all my euro and pound coins, everything rolling all over the place--under bed, etc, and still did not find the card, but here is the website for the shop owned by Ed Schwarz who we met at La Favorita; he will ship wine within the US. He and his wife were traveling through the area visiting wineries. Unlike yours truly, they probably did not stand up any winemakers by missing an appointment:




http://www.finewinecellars.us/

Glad to hear you had a great time in Peemonte - Roberta is such an awesome hostess and now you can see why Alba and the Langhe area is our favorite place to stay in that region. I am glad you got to try Osterie del Vignaiolo, as it was one of our best meals in Italy...

Hi Monty! I am glad that you checked in so I can thank you for all of the help you gave me.
Yes, I loved that restaurant and wish that I had had time to return to sample more dishes!

I will be back soon with more--I may have to take a break for a few days..

Hi, ecks, hope you'll be back here soon. This has been such a useful report. Questions:

I'm still obsessing over our hotel for a 5 night stay in the Alba area. We are booked at La Coste Albertina in Pollenzo but I'm not sure of how "lively" the small city is. It's a world heritage site, but mostly because of it's Roman connections which sound kind of "dead" to me. Also while pictures look charming furnishings are more on the antique side than I prefer.

I love the look of the furnishings and views at Marcarini, but DH is concerned about it being "out in the sticks" with nothing around but vines. What is the nearest town and is it "alive", i.e. have a bar, grocery, church, etc? Did you experience any problems returning at night from your dinner in Neive? Do you think 5 days in the quiet of Marcarini would get to be too quiet?

I've found a second place near Marcarini, Albergo Castiglione, in the small town of Castiglione Tinella with 848 residents. Any chance you went through the town or saw the Albergo? It may or may not be a bit further from Alba, et. al than Marcarini and Pollenzo, but it may be a nice combination of the two. Any info/thoughts/guidance? Thanks.

Hi Julie--I am coming home tomorrow so will be back to answer your questions in 2 days at most!!

I've kind of answered the third part of my question myself. I think the Albergo Castiglione is probably too far from most places we'll be wanting to dine and travel to while in the region. would require about 30 min drive to Alba and longer to many other places. So I'm still obsessing about Corte Albertina vs. Marcarini, but just those two not a third into the mix.

Hope you're enjoying yourself while you're away from your Fodorite fans.

Julie, have you considered Villa San Carlo in Cortemilla?

On second thought, there may be too much cooking class activity there.

Have you seen this?

http://www.starchefs.com/features/travel/piedmont/html/index.shtml

zeppole, thanks zo much for the site. I haven't seen it and it has great information. It'll go in the file for the trip.

zeppole's post (thanks!) led me on an Internet wandering that resulted in learning some about a place called Cascina Cornale in Magliano Alfieri. It is a agricultural and food products cooperative but there is a mention of a restaurant on site (see Power Truffling through Piedmont at the forbestraveler.com site). It sounds like my idea of foodie heaven, and if I'm reading the Italian website accurately (questionable at best!) the restaurant has seating for up to 50 and appears to have a kind of tasting lunch (?) for 25 euros pp, although I'm pretty sure that is an outdated price.

Anybody been there or know anything about this place?

On one of my planned day trip days from Alba this October, I'd like to drive to the Enoteca Regionale in Canale and then to Neive. My original lunch plan was La Contea in Neive, but Sampaguita indicated that La Contea may not be the best choice. Cascina Cornale might be a wonderful alternative.

ekscrunchy - welcome back and we hope to hear from you soon!

Drbb: I asked about Cascina Cornale in my planning threads, both here and on Chowhound. But I did not make it there so have no information for you.

Julie: Sorry I could not reply in more details a couple of days ago; back now (from London) and ready to respond: Marcarini is out in the country and there are no shops or services within walking distance. We visited both Navigle and Trezzo Tinella. Both of these are tiny hamlets with perhaps one bar and a couple of small shops. You could cover them in a few minutes on foot.

However, there are an astounding number of good restaurants within a 15 minute drive--in and outside Barbaresco, in Neive, in Treiso, and probably in many other places. The driving is simple, even at night, and even for timid drivers like us. You could reach Alba in about 15-20 minutes, and that would also be a very easy drive. There is also an agriturismo with restaurant a couple of minutes away; the Marcarini woman told us that this was good but we had no time to try.

The advantage of Marcarini is that the rooms are large and what I would venture to call "plush." When we were there, the only person on duty was a local woman (no English) who minded the office and prepared breakfast, but was not a resource for restaurants or sights in the area. (There is a lot of literature, and maps, on offer in the office.) But my guess is that this might be different in high season when more guests are on the premises. You probably do not need much guidance anyway, since you will probably make your own reservations for dinner and wine tastings.

I should mention, in case this is of any import, that there are small tvs in the rooms, but the satellite was not working on the night we were there due to storms in the area.

Let me know what else you would like to know and I will do my best to answer, and also to finish this report soon.

Thanks, I'll ask Roberta. I'm sure she has some info.

Thanks. DH has left it up to me to decide between Marcarini and Corte Albertina. I'm certainly leaning to Marcarini. Something about Pollenzo just looks a bit too "past" for me. And the wine connection with Marcarini is pretty enticing.

OMG-had to stop reading because we are going to NYC. ekscrunchy, what's your favorite place to eat there? You have super taste! Great report.

Julie: Remember that their winery is in La Morra. But I am sure they will set up a tour and tasting is you spend the night at the agriturismo.

TD: You have to give me a clue: Type of food; price range; location. It is a great time of year to be here in NYC!

Nope, no clues. What's your fave? An old standby?


OK, clues-fresh delicious food, bistro rather than haute.

Thanks!

Thank you for sharing this trip report. The area sounds just like what I have been looking for.

Eks, I did it, rebooked at Marcarini after cancelling in Pollenzo. I've counted 14 one starred restaurants within a 35 km radius of Marcarini, 6 within 20 min drive time. Very excited.

Was your appointment at the Marcarini winery for a full tour or just for tasting? We are fairly serious about wine but not to the point of purchasing a case at 100+ per bottle, so I don't want to get in over my head here, but we would enjoy a tasting if it doesn't involve a lot of "overhead." Thanks.

Julie: I think you will be very happy at Marcarini. Our appointment was set up for my partner, who is in the trade, and since we did not make it to the winery, I am not certain about what would be expected. But certainly no one would expect you to buy an entire case. I think a couple of bottles would be a nice gesture, but nothing is required, especially since you will be guests of the agriturismo.. I will see if I can get an opinion from someone who might know a bit more and report back.

The driving is very easy and you will be spoiled for choice. Maybe two lunches per day?

We went to NYC and had a great time.

ek, I'd still like to hear about your favorite restaurant as we will return.

TD: I am sorry that I am falling down on the job here, both with this dribs-and-drabs reports and with my lack of recommendations in New York. Lately I have been eating a lot of outer-borough Asian food, so was hitting a wall about bistros. Did you happen to write about where you ate on the US board and if so,I would like to read..

I am going to finish the Turin portion, but meanwhile if anyone has any questions about the city, I will be happy to respond. I have the name of an excellent English-speaking guide, too.

Thanks, ek! I already posted an into but will add to it soon.

Can't wait to hear what you ate in Turin. Fabulous food there and Bologna.

Meant to say 'intro' not 'into'

Although I had been anxious about the weekday morning drive from Marcarini, near Alba, to Turin, I needn’t have feared. The ViaMichelin directions were perfect, and we had absolutely no trouble navigating the route, which took us directly to the front door of our hotel in under 90 minutes.

After much research, I had narrowed the hotels down to a choice of two, the Victoria and the Sitea, and finally settled on the Grand Hotel Sitea because they offered a tempting weekend package including a double room (153 euro per night; late checkout guaranteed) and Chocopasses for two. Parking in the tiny hotel garage cost an additional 18 euro per night.

The GH Sitea is ideally located a few blocks from Piazza Castello. All sights within the historic center are within walking distance. Our room was quite plush, with a comfortable bed and large marble bathroom. The front desk people, fluent in English, were very helpful.


http://www.thi-hotels.com/hotels/grand-hotel-sitea/four-star-luxury-hotel-turin.html



Our room was not quite ready when we arrived, so after checking in, we set off, armed with our Chocopasses, to do some damage.

For those unfamiliar with this uniquely Torninese concept, the Chocopass is a booklet containing coupons for 22 chocolatey tidbits ranging from pralines and Bicerin to chocolate cakes, cookies, and the famous Gianduiotti. Using the coupons is a bit tricky, however, because the participating outposts are grouped in 3s, and you can choose only one from each group and they are somewhat scattered around the city. At some places pass-bearers receive a crème-hatted hot chocolate at the bar, at others you can take a seat at a table for a slice of chocolate cake, while at a few places you are handed a little bag of chocolates to take away. My advice is to sit down with a good map of the city before setting out on your chocolate spree.
(The pass booklet does include a small map, but several outlets are located beyond its confines).

http://www.turismotorino.org/index.php?id=688

I loved the Chocopass! We plotted our touring around the locations.

I remember that you had one! I felt like a little kid trick or treating!

One of the cafes on the ChocoPass itinerary is the legendary Caffe Torino on the Piazza San Carlo, the “drawing room of Turin,” a 17th-Century ensemble inspired by the royal squares of Paris and overlooked by two twin churches: Santa Cristina and San Carlo, which reminded me of the twin churches of Rome’s Piazza del Popolo.

The Caffe Torino is one of a clutch of quintessential 19th-Century Torinese cafes, resplendent with frescoed ceilings and glittering chandeliers:



http://www.caffe-torino.it/uk/index.htm


After making the rounds with our ChocoPasses, we headed to another Turin landmark, Baratti & Milano, under the porticos of the Galleria Subalpina which rims the southern perimeter of the nearby Piazza Castello.

Baratti e Milano have been making chocolates for more than 100 years and I had become enamored of the hard candies from their Ottocento Classico collection when I purchased a bag in Santa Margherita Ligure last fall. Even if you do not plan to purchase chocolates or candies, stop by for a café just to peek at the jewel-like interior:



http://www.barattiemilano.it/main.html

Armed with three bags of Ottocento Classico candies (the tamarindo and rosa canina flavors bring hard candies to a new level for me!)
we made our way back to the hotel for a quick rest, before setting off by taxi for Eataly.

We returned late Monday from our two week European vacation with one wonderful summer like week in the Piemonte. It was sunny and around 85 degrees, I think they were having a heat wave. I will post a trip report in a few days.
JulieVikmanis- please let me know if you have any specific questions for a second opinion. I would not be too concerned about the size of the town where you stay as you will be busy visiting so many other towns. We were just outside of Alberetto and Sinio at an agriturismo with a vineyard and hazelnut groves.

Nicci, will look forward to reading your report. What was the name of your agriturismo? Right now we are in Venice where we had 85 degree temps on our first day, but now down to lower 60s. Tough to plan the right wardrobe for such changable weather.

For DRBB from our Villa Sampaguita local restaurant guide:

Cascina del Cornale (Magliano Alfiero) – Corso Marconi 64, 0173-66669. Part of a co-operative, serving their own organic farm-raised foods. Has a co-operation with Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Ca. Highly recommended and reasonable. On the main road to Alba.

Note the location is on the old SS231 road in-between Asti and Alba in the Tanaro valley.

We stayed at http://www.cascinasanteufemia.it for 6 nights. They have 5 rooms, two have kitchens and cost 10 Euro more at 65 Euro per night and all come with a great breakfast of cured meats, local cheese, honeys, jams, fruit salad, cherries from their tree, fresh bread and a different homemade baked item each day. The views are stunning and we were able to see the snow capped mountains a couple days when it wasn't hazy. The owners are very friendly, super helpful and speak great English. They have 2 dogs and two cats that are all so sweet. Although the property is a working farm, the rooms were just renovated a few years ago and interior is very modern. Trip Advisor also has rave reviews on the property.
We were in Munich, Alsace, Verona, Belagio and Salzburg as well. We did not expect it to be so warm at all the locations. Luckily we were able to use thier washing machine at the agriturismo and hang our clothes out to dry.

Good report!

Ek...

I'm so glad I found this report (can't believe I missed it!). Just started to read the first post...but really looking forward to settling in for a good read tonight!

Thanks Sampaguita!! This sounds like a definite sidetrip for foodies. Have you ever been?

Drbb: I just want to warn you that when I was doing my research, I turned up some info alluding to the fact that the restaurant is not always open...so make sure of this before you set off.

Before I write further, I would like to dispel some assumptions about Turin that I read here when searching for info. The most memorable comment was this one, in response to a poster (who had never been there) inquiring about a possible trip to the city" "Turin?? What's in Turin?" The answer is, in a word: Plenty! Also contrary to assumption is that Turin, while it has a storied industrial past as the home of Fiat, is not by any means an "industrial city." There is no "industry" visible in the center of the city, and there are no smoke-skewing factories within the outskirts that we drove through en route and when departing by car.


I will note here that we glimpsed but a tiny portion of the attractions within Turin and around the city, so this is by no means an exhaustive account of all that there is to do and see in this surprisingly lovely former capital.


From our hotel on via Carlo Alberto, we had a choice of taking the bus or a taxi to Eataly. The bus to Lingotto, where Eataly is located, departs from the train station, about a 15 minute walk south from our hotel. Due to the inclement weather—it rained off and on throughout the day—we opted for a taxi. Twenty minutes later and about 10 euro less rich, we arrived in the area known as Lingotto, home to Matte Truco’s 1916 Fiat plant known as the “Temple of Modernity” in its time and converted by Renzo Piano into a complex containing the Agnelli art museum, cinemas, a convention center, etc. Across the street, another gorgeously reconfigured early 20th-Century industrial building, the former Carpano vermouth factory, now houses another type of temple: EATALY.

http://www.eatalytorino.it/eatalytorino/welcome_eng.lasso

I am not exaggerating when I call this place a temple. Without launching into gushy descriptions of the products, let me say that this place is an absolute must for anyone with an interest in Italian food. At times I almost felt as if I were hallucinating, so vast and colorful, and so beautifully arranged were the displays of every type of food from every region of the country. Used to a shelf of pasta back in your homeland? Here there is an entire section, aisle after aisle of dried pasta in every conceivable incarnation, not to mention the cases containing fresh pastas. I live in New York and I am lucky if I get to glimpse more than 2 or 3 mostardas (mostardi?) in my local Italian store. Here: floor to ceiling shelves stocked with the most mesmerizing selection: Mostarda from Cremona, mostarda from Alba, Mostarda Bolognese, Mostarda Mantovana… What seemed like acres of chocolates and candies. Row after row of fresh produce, of breads, of pastries and preserves. Shelf after shelf of jarred pesto made with basil, made with arugula. Floor to ceiling of vegetables sott' olio. An extravaganza of pickled vegetables. Dried peppers. Dried herbs. Fresh herbs. Diary products in every conceivable incarnation. Counter after counter of meats. Canned and bottled tuna. Anchovies. Colatura. Sardines.


There are also counters dedicated to fish, to salumi, to pizza, to pasta-- where you can grab a seat and devour the day's special lunch dishes for about 12 euro or so.

(A branch of the celebrated restaurant, Guido, is tucked away on the lower level, which is devoted to wine and spirits, and could consume hours on its own.)

We came away with pitifully few treats to take home, due to space concerns. Mostarda, a farinata package (the chick pea flour, salt and rosemary all included in the little bag), a few bags of Carnaroli rice, a variety of black rice, dried white Piemontese beans, jam
made from the irrestistible combination of figs and cacao, a large ball of smoked provola from Campania, and a package of my new favorite fresh cheese: Crescenza from Val d’Aosta. A few things I've probably forgotten.

Major oversight: I spent a week in Piemonte and did not sample one bite of Castelmagno., a relatively rare cow’s milk cheese considered the most important of the region. Yet another reason to return!


We spent about 2 hours here, marveling at the bounty of food, wine, and spirits on two floors, and sampling some superb gelato.
The doorman then called a taxi for us and we departed, laden down with about 55 euro worth of goodies.

Thanks for the tip on Cascina del Cornale. I'll definitely check on it beforehand.

EATITALY . . . another reason to return to Torino . . .

ellenem...

I was thinking the same thing...except I haven't been to Torino yet, so for me it's the perfect reason to plan my first trip there!

BTW...if you are on Facebook Eataly has a fan page with pictures that people who have been there have taken of the place...incredible selections!

Eataly was a worthy stop. About the size of an IKEA and very polished...almost Disneyesque(if that's a word). Reminded me of a combination of an Italian product focused Williams-Sonoma and upscale indoor farmers market. I was surprised to see Sierra Nevada beer for sale...it was 3x the price than US. They sold everything. We also left with about 80 Euro of goodies, including their pretty cloth grocery bag.
We only spent a day in Turin and it was not enough. We had a car and it is much bigger than I expected. We really enjoyed the outdoor farmers market as it was very lively.

I should also mention that while Eataly offers foods, wines, and alcohol from all over Italy (and even beyond), the focus is on the products of the Piedmont.

sorry: ...of Piemonte, not THE Piedmont!

Here is a bit more about our first (of two) days in Turin:





We had a very interesting taxi ride on the return trip from Eataly to our hotel in central Turin. The conversation ranged from George W. Bush (“Bastardo!”) to the WTC attacks, to the Amalfi Coast.
Several times during the drive, our taxista got so worked up about our former president that he turned around completely in his seat, sputtering and shouting epithets, completely neglecting the primary task at hand.

Once we reached the hotel (12 euro), he pulled over into a parking spot and we continued the discussion for more than 20 minutes. After I gave him some recommendations for inexpensive agriturismi in Furore, he returned the favor by sharing his mother’s recipe for torta di nociole (hazlenut cake)

(“Toast whole Langhe hazelnuts, grind, mix with butter, egg yolks, Amaro, and sugar, and bake at 180C.)

Along the lines of this recipe:

Ingredients: 300 g toasted hazelnuts, 6 eggs, 100 g butter,
150 g sugar, baking powder.
Whip six yolks with sugar, add the melted butter, the baking powder and the toasted milled hazelnuts.
Whip the white of the eggs, then add it to the mixture of hazelnut and
mix gently.
Cook in the oven at 170°C in a buttered cake tin for about 30-40 minutes.



When we finally extricated ourselves from the taxi and were just about to enter the hotel, he called us back to the taxi. Thinking that we had forgotten something, we were surprised to hear, (in Italian)

“I can’t let you go before telling you one more thing: Thank you for liberating our country. My mother still remembers the American soldiers handing out chocolates and chewing gum!”

Only in Italy!


The weather had deteriorated considerably by this time (about 3pm), so we set off for an indoor venue and one of the highlights of Turin: The Museo Nationale del Cinema.

Not the least of the wonders of this wonderful museum is the structure in which it is housed: The Mole Antonelliana. The most famous landmark of the city, the Mole evades description.

Reminders of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, the Parthenon, and the Eiffel Tower merge into a surreal start-crowned confection soaring 549 feet into the sky. Originally commissioned in the 19th Century as a synagogue, the Mole is reputed to be the energy center of this magic obsessed city. An interior elevator whisks visitors through the interior to an observation deck that offers and astounding view of the city, even on a gloomy day such as we encountered.


Museo Nazionale del Cinema (Cinema Museum) , as seen from Mole elevator:


http://www.mediasound-online.de/blogbilder/filmmuseum_kuppel.jpg

Cinema Museum website:


http://www.museonazionaledelcinema.it/en/index.php#

Mole seen at night:


http://www.comune.torino.it/canaleturismo/en/monuments.htm


More on the magic and mysticism of Turin (remember, this is the city of the Holy Shroud)

http://www.extratorino.it/ENG/scheda.php?ID=681

Eksrunchy,,
I have a question for you... With only a short time in Piedmont would you spend time in the city Torino or outside d do Alba?
Teri

bookmarking

Artsygirl: Difficult to answer without knowing your interests. Do you want rural or urban? Interested in shopping, architecture and museums? (If so, Turin)

Tell me more. But off hand, I would say Alba.

We'll will have been in Murren and Zermatt prior and headed to Verona and Venice. We're interested in both rural and urban but Switzerland may take care of the rural?? architecture yes not too many museums 16 year old and 14 year old tend to get a bit ansy after too many.

Alba is lovely, and easy to walk around. But the draw in this area, or a large part of it anyway, is the food and wine. Will you have a car? If not, I would head for Turin. Give me some more information on the car issue, and likes and dislikes.

The kids should love the cinema museum and the Mole in Turin. And there is also a car museum that is supposed to be wonderful, even for people who are not enamored of cars!

And maybe even the Egyptian Museum! They will certainly love the cafes with all of those treats on offer! So I am rethinking my original advice to you from 6/09. Turin may be better for you with the kids, but you need to tell me if you will have a car or not.

I plan to begin the home stretch of this report soon..just two more dinners and one full day of exploring Turin.

I appreciate your advice! Our kids are versatile... Im picturing Alba to be like the Napa area in CA. Things are a bit farther apart with smaller towns. Car is necessary! We're still debating on the car...
We live very close to wine country in CA. I'm almost thinking the city would be better too. Kids want to experience the culture, learn about the history and eat food My husband and I will get back and can then do the countryside.
Can't wait to hear about your dinners!

eks --

For future reference in case you ever head back that way. Did some more checking on Cascina Cornale. Their web site (in Italian only) indicates that the ristorante is only open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. But the good part is that the have a web-based form for reserving a table so you can do this well in advance.

Have now re-aranged my itinerary to take this into account! What looks like a menu for May is posted on the web too. Sounds amazing:

Venerdì 1 maggio - Menù

Salumi del Roero
Carpione di vitello piemontese
Insalata di fagioli borlotti e cipolle
Tonno di pollo
Insalata di patate lesse e uovo sodo
Zuppa di ceci e verza
Gnocchetti di ricotta e erbette al forno
Spezzatino di vitello Piemontese
Straccetti di coscia di vitello Piemontese
Spinaci saltati e carote stufate
Insalata di finocchi, carote e topinambur
Pera Madernassa da pianta storica cotta in vino
Bunet
Vino a scelta
Pani cotti su piano in mattone refrattario
€ 25

We spent several hours at the Cinema Museum. First, the elevator whisked us through the interior of the structure to an outdoor viewing platform that offered a spectacular view of the city and surroundings. In better weather, the view would be even more awesome, extending to the mountains which even in late April, wore crowns of snow.

After the elevator ride, we spent about 2 hours in the museum itself,
Lounging in the jaunty red chaises, we watched film clips, then proceeded to the wonderful temporary exhibit recounting the life, filmography, and death of Rudolf Valentino. We then meandered through the playful displays of film posters and film-related artifacts, and participated in a couple of interactive special effects.
It was great fun and I highly recommend a visit.


We remained until closing time and then crossed the street to the restaurant where I had made reservations a couple of days before: Sotto Le Mole, a SlowFood favorite at Via Montebello, 9. (Closed Mondays)


In deference to its location across the street from the museum, film posters and memorabilia, as well as vintage liquor ads, adorn the walls of the handsome dining room, crowned by soaring brick arches. The menu hews closely to Piemontese tradition, with a few modern twists.


http://www.sottolamole.eu/Italiano/menu/menu.htm

One clue to the quality of the meal was the basket of mini-grissini (Torinese bread sticks, a fixture at local tables and one we found to be often, but not always, a reliable indicator of the quality of the meal to come) and the stupendous bread dusted with finely chopped Taggiasca olives from Liguria.

I began (the menu has changed slightly since our visit) with
a terrine of broccoli and “pumpkin” sauced with Raschera, a raw cow’s milk mountain cheese. Excellent!

My partner opted for the soup of peas and favas, reflective of the season, which was equally lovely. (Why do my own soups pale by comparison to those we enjoy in Italy?)

We skipped the secondi in favor of main courses of the quintessential local pasta—agnolotti del Plin, or tiny ravioli (“Plin” is dialect for “pinched”) stuffed here with rabbit and herbs.

For dessert, another quintessential Piemontese dish—the rich and delicious Giandujot, which vaguely resembles a chocolate pudding and is better in the mouth than described on the page!

I should note, for those hankering for fish, that our dining neighbors ordered the steamed merluzzo, or cod, which they proclaimed to be stellar.

We drank a 2006 Barbera from Fontanafredda (I became a Barbera fan on this trip!). With water and service, the total for two of us was 70 Euro. Recommended.

The morning of our last full day in Italy was April 25, Liberation Day, a major national holiday. Last year on this date we had been in Amalfi, where restaurants and tourist-oriented businesses remained open for the hordes of daytrippers who descended on the town.

We found a very different story here in Turin. On this rather chilly and damp Saturday, virtually all of the shops were shut tight. (Eataly, too, was closed, and I was very glad we had visited on the day before.)

The Turin City Tourist Office offers several guided tours, most of which take place at the end of the week.


http://www.turismotorino.org/index.php?id=505

Here are few other options for guided touring:


http://www.somewhere.it/

We opted for the walking tour of the city, given every Saturday at 10am for 8 euro per person and departing form the tourist office on the west side of the Piazza Castello. Online booking is possible and highly recommended. I neglected to book in advance and thus we were forced to wade through the crowd clamoring for last-minute tickets at the tourist office. It was quite a scene and those arriving less than 15 minutes before the 10am departure time were turned way for lack of space, resulting in much anguished hand wringing and loud verbal laments. Perhaps the crowd was a result of the holiday; virtually all of our fellow tourists were Italian.

After purchasing the tickets and receiving our paper badges, we waited. And waited. Finally, after having been divided into two groups of about 20 people each, we set off, following in the footsteps of our accomplished guide,Silvia Pellegrino. (Silvia is available for private tours and I highly recommend her:
Sieverpin@tin.it.

Glad you enjoyed the cinema museum. I adore it. (That's my temple!) Did you have anything to drink at the bar?

Thanks, Eks, this has been most useful. We're set for Marcarini agroturismo October 4 to 8. I'm hoping that maybe we can arrange to bump into drbb while we're there and compare notes. I have an acquaintance who is starting to plan a trip there for about a week before we get there. He's likely going to wind up staying in Alba. I've forwarded your report to him as well. It's so nice to have so much information available from such a reliable source. Thanks.

Zeppole: I can understand why you love the cinema museum! No, we did not have a drink but I do recall seeing the bar area which looked inviting.

I just found this interesting article about aperitivi buffets in Torino; it includes a few of the cafes we visited:


http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/mar/05/aperitivo-turin-food-drink-italy/print

Julie: I truly appreciate your comments; I will finish up with this very soon..

The funny thing about the bar is that the menus are video screens embedded in the glowing tables (which change colors constantly). The video screens show clips from famous movies of people playing with their food depending on what you're ordering (primi shows the baked potato dance from Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush, etc).

I went to the cinema museum and liked it so much I begged my husband to go back with me the next day, and we did. I think it is the greatest museum of its kind. It's like being inside a giant movie brain, and it really captures the overwhelming romance of the movies, and the fun of them.

I hope to go back again very soon. I enjoy Torino quite a bit and I saw too little of it. I want to go to the modern art museums and the auto museum, and do some more shopping. It's the only place in Italy I ever had a lot of fun shopping (including buying PACE flags).

Thanks for the fascinating report! I had just been wondering about Turin-- was looking for a northern Italian destination for next year to give me an excuse to make another stop in Milan for the sights I didn't get to this time, and from you report Turin sounds like a good choice.

Looking forward to reading about the walking tour.

Zeppole: I am so sorry I missed that museum bar! The auto museum is not something that sounds as if it would interest me. But had we had more time, I would have put it next on our list, because several seemingly like-minded people have recommended it highly. Turin clearly has an abundance of attractions for visitors.

FiFi; I will try to continue later today..after a rather gruesome-sounding dental treatment!

The walking tour lasted about 2 hours and provided an excellent introduction to Turin. All of our fellow participants spoke Italian, but this was not, thankfully, one of those tours where the guide offers a long, detailed explanation in the primary language, eliciting lots of laughter and comments, and follows with a two-sentence translation in English. As I mentioned above, Silvia was an top-notch guide and I would recommend her for a private tour of the city. We might have booked this ourselves, had I known about her before we arrived.

The tour began at the Palazzo Madama, built on the site of the east gate of the Roman town, Augusta Taurinorum, the ruins of which are visibile within the palace. The façade was rebuilt in the 18th century, according to the design of Filippo Juvarra, the celebrated architect of the Savoy court. The jewel of the Baroque interior is the monumental staircase, also designed by Juvarra. Here are photos:


http://tinyurl.com/bv5tgg


http://torinodailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/10/palazzo-madama-staircase.html

and more information:

http://www.palazzomadamatorino.it/pagina3.php?id_pagina=103


Also contained within is the Museo Civico d’Arte Antica; the tour does not include this museum, however.

After the Palazzo Madama, Silvia offered historical information about the Royal Palace, and the royal chapel of SanLorenzo, a Baroque masterwork by whose elaborate interior by Guarnino Guarini, whose effusive interior hides behind a rather severe façade.

Photos:

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/San_Lorenzo_Turin.html

Leaving the Piazza Castello, we passed Turin’s only surviving Renaissance structure, the Duomo di San Giovanni, home to one of the most controversial relics of Christendom, the Shroud of Turin.
Unfortunately, we did not have time to enter either the Duomo , or Guarini’s Capella della Sacra Sindone, the chapel built for the shroud.

Next, we plunged into the Quadrilatero Romano, the grid of right-angled streets west of the Piazza Castello that formed the core of the original Roman settlement. Today they are packed with restaurants and shops most, but not all, of which were closed on the holiday. The 17th Century Palazza della Citta, Turin’s city hall, overlooks the former Roman Forum and medieval market square. On this day, there was a small craft market that we planned to visit after the tour.

We walked along the Via Garibaldi, one of the main arteries of the Quadrilatero Romano, lined with chain shops and moderately priced clothes shops, as well as some fast-food-type restaurants.

The city tour includes an option to continue on to the Museo Egizio, whose collection of art and artifacts from ancient Egypt is reportedly second only to that of the Cairo museum. We passed on this option (more reason to return to Turin someday) and said goodbye to the group and to Silvia, at the Piazza San Carlo. From there, we wandered past the elegant shops lining the Via Roma, and walked back to our hotel for a short break.

Even with two days/two nights in Turin, we realized how little of the city we had actually sampled. Centimeter by centimeter, this must be one of the richest cities in Italy as far as places of interest for a visitor!

ekscrunchy, how many more days would you add if you had time?

I corresponded by email with a Torinese who suggested a week, but that was probably campanilismo or local patriotism.

If you spent four days in Rome, I would think four days would be ample for Turin.

It depends on the time length of the entire trip, but I would think that 4 days would give a good overview and allow some time in museums as well as perhaps even a day trip to one of the attractions outside the city. And there seem to be very good prices at hotels on weekends, so including a weekend would be a good idea price wise.

Here is a bit more:


Deciding to skip lunch in order to have more time for explorations, we headed, instead, back to the Quadrilatero Romano for a quick, on-the-go snack of Focaccia al Formaggio from a bakery that seemed to specialize in Ligurian breads. Disappointing. We were headed for perhaps the most legendary of Torinese caffes, Al Bicerin. Tucked away on the Piazza della Consolata, facing the “double” church of the same name, Al Bicerin dates from 1763 and has been owned and operated by women ever since.


Make sure to take a look at the recipes, and at the “specialties” page, on their website:


http://www.bicerin.it/eng/index.html


Our Chocopasses entitled us to a slice of chocolate cake and, fortunately, we were able to nab a table within the miniscule jewel of an interior. To go with the cake: A Bicerin, of course! Born on these premises in the 18th Century, bicerin is a sinfully rich concoction of espresso, chocolate, and fresh cream, whose exact proportions as served here are a closely guarded secret. Suffice to say that the combination of the chocolate cake and the Bicerin was a bit rich, even for me. One or the other might be a better strategy.
Nevertheless, there was no crumb remaining on the plate! Heavenly!

After our treats, we headed across the piazza to the Santuario della Consolata, dedicated to the virgin protectress of Turin.


More about the church, and the rest of our last day in Turin, soon.

ekkscrunchy.

It occurred to me to ask, if I haven't already, if you ever go shopping on Arthur Avenue/187th St. in the Bronx. (My favorite stores are on 187th Street.) There are some fabulous treats up there, including a pasta fresca shop with wonderful handmade ravioli with fresh ricotta, a salumeria where the meats are made in shop, a very good bakery (TerraNova) wine store and large alimentari that sells a homemade long-cooked red pasta sauce and no end of imported Italian goods, plus makes incredible sandwiches. Some of the Italian-American offerings can be as good as the Italian offerings.

http://www.arthuravenuebronx.com/

Yes, I love that area! I was there about a week ago and wrote about a few things that I bought in a thread about AA on the US board! We need to go together sometime.

The pasta fresca shop is Borgatti Ravioli and there is no better fresh pasta in the entire city. In fact, the coincidence is that I am having some of their spaghetti (Lidia Bastianich recipe for Trapanese Tomato/Almond pesto) in about an hour! And, oh, that Terranova bread! Oh my goodness!

And heve is some important news on the NYCfood front: Eataly will open next year, at 200 Fifth AVenue (Zeppole, I certainly have you to thank. If not for your comment, I would still be calling it EatItaly!)

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/eataly-signs-a-lease-in-new-york/

And look:



http://tagliatellevaganti.splinder.com/post/19676370/Eataly:+200+5th+Avenue,+New+Yo

How many tries did it take to get that great title just under 75 characters?

FiFi: Quite a few!

In my inimitable fashion of dragging out these reports so long that the details threaten to fade from memory, here is a snippet, to be followed soon by our last dinner in Turin (at the legendary Antiche Sera)




I strongly recommend a visit to the Santuario della Consolata, both for the unusual double plan of the interior, with a lavish gilded high altar by Juvarra, and for the very colorful and animated ex votos housed in a pair of side chapels. Being a fan of these plaques, I was astounded by the absolutely superb collection –reminders of all manner of gruesome accidents and sicknesses from which the victim recovered and gave thanks line the walls, rising high above the heads of visitors.

From the church, we walked northeast towards the Porta Palazzo, reportedly the largest open-air food market in Europe. Unfortunately, as I suspected, it was closed on this holiday Saturday, as were most of the other shops that we passed on our wanderings. We did see the outer fringes of the Balon flea market that sprawls along the neighboring streets and appeared to be operating in a much constricted form on this April afternoon.

Next, more Chocopass treats, a now-forgotten bag of sweets that we were handed inside the gorgeous former Agnelli hangout, the late 19th Century Caffe Platti, not far from the train station:

http://www.platti.it/locale.html

I neglected to mention that the Bicerin (the word means "small glass" in local dialect) at the cafe of the same name cost 4.50 each and were well worth it!

Here is more information on the cafe, and the beverage:


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/dining/08olym.html

What a wonderful trip report. Now I'm inspired to add Turin to our next trip.

We wandered around the city for several hours.

We intended to explore the area to the east of the city center. where a string of green parks edges the banks of the River Po, but our feet gave out before we reached our destination, so we ambled back to the hotel and relaxed in the very comfortable room for an hour or so before getting ready for our last dinner of the trip.

Several days before, I had booked a table by phone at Osteria Antiche Sere, a casual Slow Food eatery located to the southwest of the city center in the workaday residential district of Borgo San Paolo. .

Shortly before our 8pm dinner time, we set off in a taxi from the hotel. The ride to the restaurant took about 15 minutes and cost 13 euro; the return trip (we asked the restaurant to phone a taxi for us) cost 11 euro. (The custom in Turin is to call a radio taxi, not to hail a taxi on the street. There are taxi stands but they are few and far between.)

At the risk of using a well-worn phrase, I will say that Antiche Sere is a quintessentially Torinese osteria. We received the warmest welcome of a week of very warm welcomes by Antonella Rota, the vivacious young woman who served as hostess and server, (her brother presides in the kitchen) and were ushered to a table in the front dining room. With is well-worn checkered tile floors, brown painted wainscoting, and sturdy wooden tables and chairs, Antiche Sere, founded about 16 years ago on a the site of an old bocci court, is a film director’s ideal of a homey Italian trattoria.


The menu is all Piemontese and reads like an edited version of the region’s “best hits.” We had seen these dishes on so many manus in the past week that I could probably recite them in my sleep. Prices are very reasonable. My only quibble is that this is the only place that we were served commercial grissini (breadsticks) in their wrappers. But the rest of the meal made up for this lapse. Simple, unadorned Piemontese food in a simple and unadorned setting.

Here are some photos, and a copy of a (not current) menu, with prices that approximate those that we experienced:


http://con-vivium.blogspot.com/2007/12/antiche-sere-torino.html




After ordering (no English is spoken here),we were presented with complimentary tastes of the local favorite insalata russa (Russian salad, made with mayonnaise).

For my first course, I ordered the tajarin with asparagus, made with a variety of asparagus from nearby Santena whose season lasts only 10 days. Excellent! (For more on Italian asparagus, and photos, see this Italian-language link; the comments are funny as everyone is touting the variety of his or own region)

http://cucina.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2007/04/23/asparagi/



My partner, who would have turned into an agnolotti if he stayed one more week, surprised no one with his first course. The veal agnolotti was served with a light tomato sauce and pronounced “terrific.”

To continue the theme, I took the asparagus as a secondi; hefty (unpeeled) spears were topped with poached orange-yolked farm eggs. Simple and absolutely impeccable. (Although I would have peeled the asparagus, and in fact I did when I coped the dish a couple of times after our return home.)

I followed this dish with a salad—mache, arugula and a few other varieties of spring greens.

On inquiring about dessert, our delightful server informed us that Antiche Sere is renowned for its panna cotta. With an endorsement like that, we found it impossible to resist. This was one of the best desserts of the trip. Exquisite.

With a half carafe of house wine, coffee, cover and water, the bill for two totalled 57 euro. No credit cards are accepted and the restaurant is closed Sunday. Reservations are essential. We watched with sympathy as finer after diner was turned away, including one forlorn Japanese couple who had arrived by public transportation and looked absolutely devastated upon being told there was no room. The phone did not stop ringing the entire time we were there, and each time the response was something along the lines of “ questa sera completo.”

ANTICHE SERE, via Cenischia, 9; open for dinner only; closed Sundays; cash only

The next morning, Sunday, after breakfasting on the extensive hotel buffet, we set out for the drive to Milan Malpensa airport, where we were booked on a flight departing at 12pm. I had debated about the advantages of taking the airport bus from Turin, or keeping the car and driving to the airport. The first option would have meant taking a 7am bus from the train station in Turin (with taxi to the station) ; the second meant parking the car in the hotel lot for two nights at 18 euro per night. With much hesitation, we decided to keep the car and drive to Malpensa.

Via Michelin shows the driving time as 1hour 37 minutes. But when I asked the hotel concierge to print out the ViaMichelin directions, she warned me that the drive would take “more than 2 hours, driving very fast.” She was very vehement about this, saying that she had made the trip several times, and I became quite worried!

On the Sunday morning of departure, newly printed Via Michelin instructions in hand, we set off, pulling out of the hotel parking space at 7:40am. The drive was, in a word: Easy! A straight shot northeast out of the city and onto the autostrada.

There was very little traffic on this rainy Sunday morning and, after a stop to top up the tank, we arrived at Malpensa (remember to follow the sign for “car hire”; you can pick up directions for drop off when you rent the car; I recommend doing so), dropped off the car, and were inside Terminal One two hours after setting out.

I made 2 purchases at the Malpensa duty free shops: 1 bottle of Aperol (9.80 euro) and 1 bag of Martelli “artisanal” spaghetti, manufactured in Pisa (3.80euro for 500 grams—probably not a significant savings over US prices—I’ve yet to verify). The airport shops offer lots of food items at high prices.

The flight home (Delta) encountered some very scary turbulence (flight attendant dropping to the floor in preparation for ????) but was otherwise uneventful. (The turbulence may be a seasonal (spring?) issue because a few weeks later we encountered more of the same on a flight returning from London.)


And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the account of our introductory visit to a few selected
highlights of Piedmont. Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the delightful introduction to Turin! You've helped make up my mind-- spring 2011 trip will be Turin + Milan. (But how to wait two years for that bicerin?!)

FiFi--Glad you enjoyed. We will have to keep you busy until spring 2010!! I will think of a few ideas!!

Oh, sorry. Until 2011! A slew of ideas are needed!

Had to laugh about the grissini. DH and I found it ironic as well. We put ourselves at the mercy of our server in Turin. After 6 or 7 courses from the roasted dinner trolley, we were sorry we ate so many of them!

Can't wait to try Eataly. It will be yet another good excuse to hop the megabus to NYC!

Just found this again and read the last bits.

Thanks, ekscrunchy. Lots of great info that I'll be using on my trip in October. Can't wait.

Good luck to you in your future travels!

For Julie or anyone else going to Alba --

I emailed Cascina San Cassiano, producer of the fab foods in jars ekscrunchy described above. Turns out that Gallo Winery in La Morra is the main store for selling their products. The address at San Cassiano 4 in Alba is their production facility only.

I decided to take Rina out to a new restaurant as a birthday treat- which is a perilous task since she is such an accomplished (and acclaimed) cook, and partly on the excellent review on this thread and based on some of our guests (from Mexico) rave review we chose Prufumo di Vino in Treiso

After a wonderful wine tasting with one of Piedmont’s pioneer lady wine-makers, the fabulous Chiara Boschis of E.Pira in Barolo (www.pira-chiaraboschis.com) we wound our way around Alba past Villa Favorita on to Treiso on a truly gorgeous Piedmont day – we had a thunderstorm the night before and the day was fresh and sunny with reach out and grab me Alpine vistas. We sat on the outside terrace facing the piazza and the mountains and relaxed for a long slow lunch.

However I am sorry to say after all the build-up about Profumo we were truly disappointed. Some of my tasting notes:

Amuse Bouche-: stewed turkey and vegetables – too much vinegar, killed the aperitivo wine.
Antipasto 1 : Uova in pasta (egg ravioli) – raw egg yolk, all you could taste was the yolk, needed lemon juice and parmigiano.
Antipasto 2: Fried rice balls in squid ink with fried calamari heads in yellow pepper sauce – by far and away the best dish, the calamari was perfection and the sauce divine.
Primo Piatto 1 : Gnocchi with fresh tomato and mozzarella sauce – gummy-bear gnocchi, couldn’t eat it and can’t believe a restaurant of this calibre would serve such an inedible version of a classic dish
Primo Piatto 2: Seafood ravioli with tomato pasta and herb-flavoured oil – no explosion of flavour, the seafood was not fresh (I thought it was frozen), and pasta was dry. Very disappointing.
Secondi Piatti 1: roasted rabbit rolatini with sautéed pepper sauce – rabbit was dry and tasteless, peppers not peeled, fried potatoes greasy, and Rina couldn’t finish the plate.
Secondi Piatti 2 : Roasted quall with rosemary sweet onion relish and olives. It was OK, can’t go too wrong with roasted quall, but the olives on the side didn’t quite match.

The dolce’s were excellent and did go a long way to salvaging what was becoming a disastrous outing. I had baked peach stuffed with biscuits and ginduaja chocolate, Rina had a nocciola (hazel nut) tasting plate with a beautiful light torte, a rich mousse and a light meringue and we washed it down with an excellent Moscato Passito.

The wine list was very extensive, and being such a warm day we chose an excellent metodo classico (champagne style) sparkling Arneis from Giovanni Negri in Neive.

The bill was 140 euro which was in my opinion very dear for the quality and what we have paid at far superior restaurants in Piedmont. After the food sat in our stomachs for hours – very uncomfortable.

Overall we were disappointed to have chosen this restaurant when there are so many wonderful places yet to try in Piedmont, too bad we didn’t go to Ciau del Tornavento down the road that we have still to try. Maybe we just hit a bad day for the chef, but sorry to say, we cannot recommend Prufumo di Vino to our guests.

Tim: So sorry you did not like Profumo di Vino. We spent 62 euro and 63 euro for two wonderful dinners. All of the secondi on the menu we had were under 20 euro, so the fact that your bill mounted so alarmingly must mean that you drank much better wine than we did!

Of the dishes you mention, only one was on the menu on the nights we ate at the restaurant. That was the egg yolk ravioli which, indeed, had a healthy lashing of cheese.

I will look forward to your comments on Ciau; both principals of Profumo di Vino worked there, as I probably mentioned in my report. Not sure that the comparison is fair, though, since Ciau is a much more elegant, and expensive, restaurant that PdV.

Sorry again for your poor experience. Happily, you live in a fabulous restaurant area and will hopefully enjoy lots of superb meals in the future!

Ekscrunchy (how do you derive your name?), like or dislike are not the words I would use, everyone has different tastes and some people can love one place but others hate it. In plain words it was downright terrible and not worthy of Piedmont. I will admit going out with Rina to a restaurant is fraught with peril, she is such a gifted cook and a fierce critic of restaurants, but even myself who am normally a trencherman when it comes to food, I always eat everything (except for wine, that’s my forte, give me a bad wine at your peril), couldn’t eat some of the dishes (gummy bear gnocchi!!), and what we ordered was quite representative of what we would expect to be perfect or near perfect in most Piedmontese restaurants.

We live in Piedmont and our lifeblood is to be able to pick good restaurants and wineries for our guests to have a great experience. Often it happens that the first place someone goes to when they arrive, after a long journey to get here, they fall in love with and go back repeatedly. We always take rave reviews with a grain of salt, given that guests are in holiday mood and not as used to the local cuisine as we are, we will send someone else to eat there with a proviso, and if we get 3 rave reviews Rina and I will go ourselves and see if its worthy to be included in our short list of recommended restaurants, and we develop a personal rapport with the owner.

And once in a blue moon someone has a bad meal at one of “our” restaurants, so we will review it again, talk to the owner and sort it out or drop the restaurant. A few of our standbys have never had any bad report in our 8 years of being here (Rabaja, Vignaiolo, Tacabanda to name a few) and that’s what we like.

So in this case we were looking for a treat for ourselves as well as a possible inclusion on our list. Bitterly disappointed. Its very rare that I will go online and write negative stuff, but I was p****d off to use a mild expression. We should have just gone for the treat and gone to a higher end like Ciau or Doumo in Alba. However most of our guests are not in this expensive eating bracket so we like to stick to reasonably priced restaurants. For a treat Rina loves the Enoteca in Canale which is up there with the others, but a more reasonably priced, we paid 180 euro last time we treated ourselves and it was truly fabulous, our review of this and others of note are on E-Gullet.

Pricing – 66 and 63 euro for your dinners. You only had wine by the glass? Most of the bottles were at least 20 euro, we had a 25 euro bottle of sparkling Arneis and liked the Moscato Passito so we took the half-bottle home at 20 euro. But that’s still 95 euro for one antipasto, primo, secondi and dolce each. Are but I note that they gave you free desert. Not in our case. Their fixed menu ‘s were 35 and 45 euro, although they list at 18/25 euro fixed lunch in the Langhe restaurant guide. Maybe they jumped their prices for summer. Did you have a tablecloth We noticed a section without table linen presumably cheaper prices.

Oh well, at least we are not starved for choice in Piedmont – Ciao.