Sampaguita

I don't think its a problem being a non-meat eater, the fancier restaurants have pick and choose menus, and the smaller ones will acommodate you if tell them that you ar a veggie. Gener Neuv changed all the ant-pasti for Tim as he doesn't eat meat either.

Tim, Castelnouva DB is very close to Cocconato and Vezzolana, its easy to roll them all in on one day and IMO CDB truffle festival is better then Villafranca's. Sun has been shining now for a few days grapes are getting nicely ripe, everyone is picking teir early varieties such as Dolcetto and white, but Barbera and other big reds still holding on. It looks like spring theough, all the late rain plus warm days = lush green hills.

I was just in a hair-splitting mood last night, Treiso as you know is halfway between Barbaresco and Alba. I didn't know about Tornavento split, what was that? Loacl chef gossip around here is that the Chef at Tornavento left for Osterie Vignaiolo close to La Morra (its another fabulous and not overly pricey place) and Tornavento now has the ex-chef from Da Cesare

As a service for all visitors to Piedmont this autumn here is a list of the Truffle festivals in Piedmont’s central region province of Asti (AT), Cuneo (CN) and Alessandria (AL). Festivals marked with an asterisk* are major Truffle Fairs (Fiere Nazionali) or Gionata del Tartufo, which indicate a big local festival day in which truffles are part of the whole event. · Oct 7 - Montigliole Monferrato (AT); Scurzolungo (AT); Odalengo Piccolo (AL) · Oct 14 - Montigliole Monferrato (AT); Castagnole Monferrato(AT); Bergamasco (AL) · Oct 21 - Mombercelli (AT); Moncalvo* (AT); Tagliole Monfferato (AL) · Oct 28 – Moncalvo* (AT); Incisa Scapaccino (AT); Trisobbia (AL); Brignano Frascata (AL); Sardigliano (AL) · Nov 4 - Canelli (AT) & Montechiaro * (AT); Nizza Monferrato* (AT); San Damiano d'Asti(AT); Cella Monte (AL); Avolasca (AL); Serralunga di Crea (AL) · Nov 11 -Canelli*(AT); Castelnouvo Don Bosco (AT); Costigiole d'Asti (AT); Murisengo (AL)* Alessandria* (AL); Tortona (AL); Paroldo (CN) · Nov 18 - Asti* (+ Cucina e Cantina) (AT); Murisengo (AL)* San Sebastiano Curone (AL) · Nov 25 - Villafranca d'Asti (AT); Castelnouvo Don Bosco (AT); Acqui Terme (AL); Vezza d’Alba (CN); Tortona (AL); Casale Monferrato (AL) · Dec 2 - Cortazzone (AT) · Jan 27 – Scagnello (CN) And of course the granddaddy of them all the 77th Truffle Fair in Alba, every weekend from 29 Sept to 11th November (this year it has been extended beyond October) and I should mention the World Truffle Fair at Grinzano Cavour Castle on Nov 11th

I concur that one needs to be careful at the Alba truffle fair, as sellers come from all the other less famous (and maybe lower quality) areas of Italy & Europe to take advantage of the fame of the Alba Fair. Also with the many regional fairs, it helps to either know your truffles or have a local friend. But don't be put off, the experience of a local fair is wonderful and also of course more then just truffles as local wine and specialties are on offer. Antine and Ciau Del Tornavento are both in Barbaresco or in the latter case, near to, OK close to Alba, but not actually in Alba zone if you want to split hairs. Slightly less expensive then these two is Rabaja Ristorante in Barbaresco which is one of our favourites. The August rain, quite unusual, has not been as damaging to the grapes as the drought condition we had all year, but thats so far, as long as the sun keeps shining and we don't get anymore prolonged rainy days. I don't think it will be agreat year, but fingers crossed for a fair vendemmia.

What strange weather we are having this year, first no rain at all, a real drought, and now in late August it’s pouring with rain. Last night we were in the middle of a two-hour electrical storm and it was still raining this morning. Tim is worried about what will happen to our vines, almost ripe, in this unseasonable weather, so in order to avoid rainy-day-too-close-to-harvest-vintners-blues we treated ourselves to lunch at Gener Neuv, Asti’s most famous restaurant, which somehow we have never been to in our 6 years here. Getting there at midday, we were asked to wait for 10 minutes, so we walked along the bank of the Tanaro River, where about 60-70 years ago the town’s laundry-women used to do there work. Today would not have been a good day as the river was muddy and swollen, and since the flooding in the 80’s a containing wall has been built, which provides a nice wetlands walk. The restaurant itself is an old villa facing the river, with nice gardens; it would be very pleasant to eat outside in summer. The interior is quite small, only about 10 tables in the main dining room, with another room for banquets or private parties. The décor is very cozy and traditional, elegant and relaxed. We were served by Piero Fassi, the owner and after leafing through the well-appointed menu, we decided on the menu tradizionale, the tasting menu, and also opted for the version which included 3 wines recommended by the sommelier (in this case Piero). Although the set was for a minimum of 2 people, Piero didn’t mind that we ordered different primo and secondi piattis, and was OK with changing some of the anti-pasti dishes as Tim doesn’t eat red meat. We started with a pre-starter, scoops of goose pate, Russian salad and lardo, served with fresh made bread (the pate was exquisite) and a glass of Erbaluce Spumante. Then onto the anti-pasti proper a selection of 4 dishes tastefully presented on a special plate with small bowls (see pictures). · Hot porcini mushroom – stupendous taste of mushrooms, stands out as it is. Loved this one. · Pesce Crudo – chopped sashimi style salmon-trout and fresh anchovies marinated, delicious and not fishy at all. · Carne Crudo (steak tartare) - v. good, but have had better. · Pepperone stuffed with Tuna - have eaten this so many times before but the difference was carrot mixed in the stuffing, very unusual. Slightly overcooked. · Vitello Tonato – an old standby, but this veal was cooked to perfection, very pink and tasty, the first time I did not want to eat the tuna sauce. · Torta with Cheese (don’t remember the name) – in a light puff pastry, sorry can’t remember the type of cheeses, but eating it with the carne crudo was an incredible taste bite. Slight mistake should have eaten it first when it was hot, not last! Now we were into the second wine Mej Chardonnay 2003 from Langhe. Normally we don’t care for Piedmont Chardonnays, but this was very good, unoaked and with the real Chardonnay fruit taste, not as buttery as the old California style, but equivalent of a good Meursalt. For the primi piatti · Gnocchi al pesto – v. good, not doughy in texture and just about perfect (although the gnocchi at the old Barolo and Co. was still the all time best). · Agnolotti with 3 fillings – small size agnolottis, paper thin pasta and infectious from the first bite! One of the best examples I have had of this classic Piemontese dish. Somewhere in between we had switched to a Barbera d’Asti, Cascina La Barbietelle 2001, which although had oak in the nose, was in fact a perfectly balanced classic Barbera, not oakey at all as the new trend in Barbera’s. Piero tells us that they use a botte (large oak barrel typically 1000 litres or more) to age the wine and not a barrique, which explains all. Highly recommended. And now for the secondi piatti’s (OMG, the food keeps coming) · Faraone (pheasant) – succulent and moist, cooked to perfection, , not gamey at all, in a light sauce, served with sweet semolina torte, wonderful. · Finanziata – banker’s mixed grill – can’t describe what the meat (s) were (Tim says innards, hence finanziata for a rich dish!), but the composition of the dish was very good with fresh mushrooms (not porcini) – a complete dish. Just when we decided we couldn’t eat anymore Piero arrived with the mixed dolce plate, and served with a glass of Moscato d’Asti. · Panna Cotta – old Piedmontese desert, caramelly and refreshing · Zabiglione – delicious if a bit yolky, which is typical of this dish. · Bunet- excellent , the best example we have yet had in Piedmont. · Semifreddo – again the best we have had in Piedmont, sent by heaven. · Sorbet with mixed berries and Barolo Chinato – wonderful tartness to counteract the richness of the Zabiglione. And to top it all a glass of Moscato Passito with the plate of sweet nibbles, now the 5th wine out of a course of 3. After lunch we chatted with Piero and met the cook, his wife Pina. The restaurant was started on Jan 3rd 1971, now 36 years old. It was not cheap, the 2 tasting menus plus wine added up to 196 euro (Tim’s birthday treat) but we could have selected a la carte items from the menu without having to pay the fixed cost. Not a place to eat everyday, but if you want to treat yourself, its up there with Piedmont’s best restaurants and probably the best we have eaten at in Asti to date. (I believe it has a Michelin Star, but I can’t find Michelin ratings on-line). Gener Neuv picture album Gener Neuv webpage

I can't vouch for wine bars or restaurants, as I haven't been to 5T for years, I am sure that there must still be some Ok restuarants left down there which haven't been subverted by the overwhelming presence of too many trippers, but then its the ambience that counts, for better dining head down to Genova or the Ligurian Riveira, or come up to Piedmont. But I am afraid that the Cinque Terre wine I have tasted has not been very good. This area produces mainly a mixture of local white grapes nothing of note but look for a pure Vermentino if you can find it, its a touch sweet, but better. If you can find it, look for Schiaccetra, a late harvest passito (sweet desert) wine reputed to be quite good, although I have yet to taste one. I think long time ago most of the vintners stopped cultivating their vines (hard work) for easier pickins renting rooms to tourists. Also IMO Cinque Terre wine was always more of a novelty, then someting serious. Much better Vermentino is produced down in Liguria Ponente on the other side of Genoa as well as Pigato, which I personally prefer as its a dryer wine and sometimes can be very good especially when you are sipping it in a restaurant overlooking la mare. Reds, not around here, over in Ponente they have Ormeasco a type of Dolcetto, but I would look for a good Barbera from neighouring Piedmont!

Wow, what a list, it would take a dedicated foodie forever to work through these restaurants and by then there would be more additions. I wonder how they compile these lists, I note that in addition to I Bologna, some of my own personal favourites such as Pompa Magna in Asti (which has their own enoteca and wine bar inside the resturant, so should be included in a sommeliers list), Vignaiolo in La Morra, Schiavenza in Serralunga and Rabaja in Barbaresco are not there, but impossible to list all the wonderful restaurants, osterie and trattorie in Piedmont without missing a few.

You should also bear in mind that (white) truffles do not keep for very long, the moment they come out of the ground they start deteriating, and are most definitely best consumed as fresh as possible. Although packing them in rice has been advocated as a method of storing them, our truffle hunter friend wraps them in a paper towl and puts them in a small plastic container, good for a few days, long enough to get home if you buy them just before you leave.

Here is the link to the album of photos from our lunch at Enoteca Al Enoteca album

Ciao Edorovio, thanks for the tip, will see what we can do. and thanks for the name of the Cisterna Cantina. Actually we make our own Bonarda wine a casa, Tim likes to make a soft fruity version for next years house wine, we wanted to try the Cisterna since this is the DOC zone for Bonarda, but we made the wrong choice, La Pergola was billed as "Superiore" and we should have guessed it would have to much new oak.

Not to worry, there is a good selection on the menu for non-meat eaters, my Tim is also part veggie, although he did indulge with the pigeon and the calamari

Is that at the end of Via Roma, the porticoed street?

This year our favourite cheeses from Piedmont (echoed by others) * Robiola di Roccaverano - goat cheese * blue Montecenisio * Castlemagno, the real thing from artisan cheese shops if you can't get to Castlemago. And from outside Piedmont Fiore di Sardegna - sheeps cheese from Sardinia. a meal without cheese is like a kiss without a smile!

CIAO to all E-Gullet Italy readers, it’s been some time since we posted I suppose we have been quite busy but we would like to make the effort to resume our culinary discussions with this review of the Al Enoteca Restaurant. Normally we go for the smaller and less pricey osterie and trattorie, which this area of Italy abounds in, and our guests love, however we decided to try out a more fancy and elegant restaurant as a treat for us and to share with EG forum. The Enoteca Restaurant, as the name implies, is co-located with the Enoteca Regionale di Roero, in Canale, around 20 minutes from our house on the scenic back road between Asti and Alba. The Roero, as you may know, is the other central Piedmontese wine area on the west of the Tanaro river, not as famous as the Langhe and Monferrato but producing good (and reasonably cost) wines such as Roero Arneis (white), Nebbiolo d’Alba (red), Barbera’s (both d’Alba and d’Asti) and Bonarda (Cisterna d’Asti DOC). The restaurant is on the first floor of the Enoteca building, in the centre of Canale, next to the old porticoed Via Roma shopping street. The decor is quite modern and elegant, although I personally prefer more traditional styles. I decided to have the menu degustazione classico and Tim elected to go with a menu selection. On special that day was a mixed sashimi antipasti, which was tempting, but we decided that we wanted to try out the Piedmontese specialities. Here are out tasting memories: Antipasti * A selection of mixed antipasti tidbits, including a delicious and palate cleansing shrimp cocktail with fresh made tomato sauce, and a cone of goat’s cheese flavoured with blueberry. * “Il Fassone dalla testa ai piedi” literally a selection of meats from head to toe : 3 slices of tongue – loved it; tripes, shredded with a smear of green sauce, I wouldn’t have even known what it was without asking; carne crudo, not usually my preference, but it literally melted in my mouth; prosciutto type of belly meat marinated in mustard and lastly the hoof made into a jelly and deepfried, this was so good. * “Calamari aglio-olio e peporoncino, polenta bianca grezza”, very simple, yet the calamari was exquisitely soft and mouth melting sitting on a bed of white polenta making a great combination. Primo * Ravioli stuffed with 3 types of meat, beautiful presentation, wrapped in a lace napkin and served with a cup of most delicious broth (I even drank the leftover!). * “Due ravioli in due servizio”. Two ravioli courses both with liquid (melted) fillings, first one with pesto - really a tortellini which as you bite into releases an explosion of sumptuous liquid pesto, the second with Blue Moncenisio cheese in a chocolate-coloured grano di carube (Sicilian) shell, and perfectly offset by the pieces of pear and almond. Secondo * “Costato di manzo, midollo, pinole tartin di cipoli” A treat for meat lovers, a solid piece of loin cooked between rare and medium the meat was so soft and tender, still pink in the middle and yet not chewy. The side dishes were carefully put together as one dish and a perfect accompaniment. * “Insalata di piccione, porcini, mirtilli e fegato grasso affumiciati”, which was roasted slices of tender pigeon cooked to perfection, topped with smoked foie gras, sliced mushrooms and blueberries, a most interesting and rewarding combination. Wine – as can be expected for an enoteca the wine list was extensive with a large range of Roero wines as well as a good selection from Piedmont and other regions. We chose 2 classic Roero wines. * Roero Arnies 2006 Almondo Giovanni, with good perfume and acidity, but in our opinion not as good as Bruno Giacosa, which is the only Arnies we have found with body. * Cisterna d’Asti Superiore 2003 La Pergola. We love a good Bonarda, however this one had been oaked in new barrels, which had killed any taste of the fruit. We felt we could have made a better selection and were not really able to communicate to the wine waiter what we really wanted: Dolce * “Sformata Gianduja con Crema Menthe”, a little crusty for my taste, could have been moister, but a good combination with the mint cream sauce. * “Crema e Gelato alle nocciole zabiglione soffice” – to die for! Vino Arneis Passito 2001, - excellent desert wine, the first time we have tried an Arneis Passito, although there was a faint raisin taste reminiscent of Sicilian Moscato rather then a true botrytis wine. Overall the timing between courses was excellent, as was the presentation, the waiters were attentive and helpful (including some who speak a little English). We didn’t fell overstuffed and tipsy when we left. The bill was 175 euro, more then we would pay at a trattorie, but in keeping with the class of restaurant and the meal. Restaurant website Davide Palluda Footnote; since we quite full after this big lunch that we came home via nearby Cisterna d’Asti, a very pretty and scenic hilltop town, dominated by a medieval castle, which has a great collection of old artisan workshops donated by the descendants of the old trade families. Well worth seeing and open every afternoon. Now can someone tell me how to post my photos on this forum! Ecco lo qua here is the photo album Al Enoteca album

I concur with SwissChef, the Alba truffle fair although worth visiting for the experience is not the place to buy tartufo bianco. Every weekend in October-December there is a local tartufo festival in one of the small towns around the Monferrato and Langhe, although even here if you don't know the diffrence between a Piedmontese and an Umbrian truffle you could end up with something not quite as good. Stick with the restaurants, they all have their own personal trifalau and their local reputation to maintain. And as SC says, once the truffle is out of the ground it starts to deteriate. Must be eaten fresh. We always book our guests who want to hunt truffles to La Casa Del Trifalau in Costigliole. Natale and his brother Giorgio owns his their piece of woods, their family were trifalau, and they specialize in taking groups out for a truffle excursion, nearly always finding at least one truffle in season. He is becoming quite famous as they are the only people I know of who do this real service, OK not the same as getting up at 4 am for a truffle hunt through the wet woods, but very educative as they have turned teir family house into a small truffle museum and shrine.

I snapped up the new English version last year at the Salone Del Gusto, but I shold let everyone know that many of the restaurants in the Italian Osterie Guide have been left out to make room for the lodging places, therefore if you want the full list of eating places you need to get the Italian version. Slow Food tells me that the 2007 English edition will have more of the osterie included, however Slow by their nature are well ...slow. But if you are a member you can access the list on-line at their site.

My 2 bits if I may, it funny actually that I live so close to Turin, but don't eat there, we did try to 3 Galline once, and it was quite good, albeit hard to find, but we were a bit put off in that it was more expensive then the abundant trattorie and osterie in the countryside around the Langhe and Monferrato (well with the exception of La Contea and da Guidos) and not as good - I guess we are spoiled. Now when we go to Turin for the opera or a museum we grab a light bite at a pizzeria or sandwhich bar! However a good starting point would be Slow Food's restaurant guide - that's where we found the 3 Galline and were fascinated by its rightup as an old inn. If you are a Slow food member check the website and you can access their restaurant guide with several picks in Turin and around Ivrea and the North. Generally slow food picks are very good and not overpricey. We keep meaning to try Sotto il Mole, next to the Cinema Museum in the Mole Antoneliana, it has good reviews, but it's always closed when we are in town.

Phil, a suprisingly low price, cash or not, as the Terre d'Asti guide gives a fixed dinner cost of 40 euro per head, did everyone eat the full dinner, or some only take antipasti? Your description sounds quite typical Piedmontese restaurant fare, was anything especially outstanding? How would you compare with "Non Solo Crudo"? nearby? Fortedei, as you probably know, in Piedmont you don't pay sky high prices for good Barbera (but you do for Barolo alas) so 55 euro doesn't sound out of the ordinary for 2 bottles of Chiarlo L Court and a bottle or 2 of Cortese. On a personal opinion aside, I find La Court over-oaked for my taste, but that's common of "big" name cantina's. Hi Pedalforte, you popped up before I posted this, Locanda Del Boscogrande is right off the main road between Asti (after Isola d'Asti) and Nizza M. How are things? I have been off the forums for a while. Ciao and saluti a tutti

Belvedere of which Matt Kramer wrote so passionately about seems to have faded from in its glory days, still a wonderful location though, with a billion euro view. Matthew, there is an alternative, L'Osteria del Vinaiolo is just down the hill from La Morra on the road to Alba, we know what you mean when you say and we are happy to report that this restaurant is not only fabulous, but also quite original

Aha Bill, I stand corrected, it was not La Libera but the Osterie del Arco which was described as not worthy of the hype in several guides and magazines. (Frozen peas and frozen diced carrots?) As I said we seldom venture down to Alba so I don't know either one, but I do know that every so often someone can have a bad experience at a restuarant, which could be due to the restaurant, the way they felt, their expectations, or maybe the cook was in a bad mood. We once sent a party to L'Angolo Beato, they hated it, but the next day 2 guests loved it so much they onlt ate their exclusively for the rest of their stay. Would someone like to tell me where Da Renzo is?

Hi Jonathan, First I will echo Pedalforte’s observation that you have selected a good list of restaurants, although it must be said that there are so many wonderful restaurants in Piedmont that these are only a the tip of the iceberg so as to speak, it would be a wonderful exercise to produce a complete book of all the little Osterie and Trattorie in the small towns and villages of Piedmont, not just in the wine area, but in the mountains and lake areas, as well as the rice lands and Cuneo province. Slow Food’s book, published in Italian (sadly the English version leaves out many restaurants) covers all of Italy and only has a handful in Piedmont, in our experience living here for 6 years and "consigliaring" our guests for 5 years, many wonderful restaurants are just not bothered to list themselves in either Slow Food or Michelin – why should they, they know who they are, their clientele, who are mainly Piemontese (hence the fiercest critics) are happy, so why shout your name unless you are new or looking for accolades from outside? As I hinted, we run a B&B near to Asti and offer very personal service (not open in winter, so I am not promoting ourselves), hence we are constantly advising guests on where to visit and where to eat. Generally we stick to the more reasonably priced restaurants, I hope that any expensive restaurant (Guido, Gener Neuv, Da Cesare etc) should be very good, although this is not always the case sadly, but we look for overall value in that the restaurant must be very good i.e at least 3 “fabulous” reviews from our guests before we visit to see if it merits putting on our own recommended list of restaurants where we have a personal relationship and we know will please guests 9 times out of 10. Also our opinion is that you should not have to pay a fortune, the small restaurants are as good, quite often better then their pretentious cousins. You are welcome to check it out at Villa Sampaguita restaurant guide Note this list is not listed on our website and I need to make some updating this winter, especially to include the fabulous Osterie Del Vignaiolo which my wife recently reviewed, as well as several others. Of your pick, we only know I Bologna, which can be very good, if somewhat on the high price side range and Cascina Schiavenza, which is always very good and good value. The Alba restaurants we don’t know, since we always sent our guests to Asti for dinner, all I know is a negative review this year about La Libera, and about Da Cesare, it is very expensive, some of our guests have eaten there based on reviews they had read and although not disappointed were not knocked out. Da Renzo I don’t know of, and we keep meaning to try Antine based on the reviews in E-Gullet, but we are so much in love with Rabaja in Barbaresco, (which always is good) that we never get around to it. I can’t help you with Torino, there are some good restaurants there, but of course pricier then the wine-country and we normally eat at ethnic restaurants there as a treat, and in Genova you should give Da Maria a try, it will most definitely not break your budget. Slow Food has some picks although not complete. I don’t think your plan is ambitious at all, it will be very quite at this time, and since you are from Boston you won’t mind the cold. And if you are in the vicinity of Lake Maggiore, you must try Il Gatto e Il Volpe (included in our guide). Boun viaggio, Tim BTW Pedalforte, loved you recent post on Slow Trav, just haven’t gotten round to my 2 bits yet.

Whether he was in marketing or not, they were only offering truffles as a pre-shaved dish at an extra 35 euro which we didn't go for as I prefer the ritual of selection and weighing of the tartufo at the table, somehow doesn't see right otherwise. Heres a shot taken at our trifalau friends house, hope it comes out OK

Hi Ed, I too am always dubious about truffles from truffle fairs, some friends once had the experience in Barolo (town) where they were having a little street fair, they were about to but a tartufo, when Francesca the owner of the winery we had sent them too came by, when the seller saw her and realized that they were with her, he put the truffles down and dug into a bag under the counter to bring out the better one. Moral there will be always be 2 grades being sold, and the fairs are for tourists after all (not only foreigners, but from Milan or Turin) so have your Piedmontese friend with you, or stick to restaurants where they all have their own trifalau conection amd are not going to lose their reputation serving anything but the best. We were in Neive at La Contea a few weeks ago and Tonino the owner was parading his basket of fresh truffles including a 200 gram biggie, but given his prices I think that whomever buys it will pay a lot more then in Frinco! The pictures of Umbrian and Tuscan truffles to me they look smoother and not as gnarled or rooty as Piedmontese, wish we could post a smell on the forum I can't even find find the button to post a picture yet