Sampaguita

Hi Pedalforte, actually this is Rina's forum, she has the fine taste and sensory perception for food and ingredients and an intuitive ability to know what combines with what and how to put the whole thing together, (woe betide a restaurant which doesn't do its job properly and then overcharges) as well as acquiring and expressing a superb Piemontese cucina with high compliments from all our local friends, I am just the fingers until she gets her own keyboard (but I do the wine!) We would love to have you pedal by next time you are in the area, we have had many cyclists stay with us this year as a covenient pit-stop close to Asti, and I am suprised that you didn't find Il Gatto e Il Volpe, its truly a wonderful restaurant for beginning or ending your tour. Some other guests of ours have spoken highly of Antine, we will have to try it one of these days, problem is just too many restaurants in Piemonte and when you cook as well as Rina does, its not much incentive to go out that much, except to cross check places our guests have raved about (which is how we get to know so many restaurants, we might not be able to eat at all of them, but every year we will be getting direct feedback from hundreds of guests, hich is how we judge the ebb and flow), and we like Rabaja so much that its difficult not to go there when in Barbaresco. A presto Tim

Whereas we sympathise with your failed attempts to make tajarin at home, please persevere, if you find a dried egg pasta it just not the real tajarin anymore! We have great success with our Imperia machine and so many of our guests learn the secret from Rina as they also fail at home. Rina says no whole eggs please, only yolks, you don't really need as many as 40, but I suppose it helps that we have our own hens, organic free-range and fresh eggs make a world of difference, plus using fresh ground flour (again from our own organic grown wheat) makes a world of difference, plus there are a few other tricks which an intuitive cook will find out. Sorry but we haven't yet figured out how to add an image file.

Bill actually I was more interested in truffles from other regions besides Piedmont, it was not my intention to get into a discussion of which sub-areas of Piedmont are better then others. Have you tried tartufi from the Northern Monferrato around Castelnouvo Don Bosco, or around southern Monferato around Acqui Terme to compare with those from around the Langhe? BTW what type of truffles do they serve at autogrill?

I can concur with the last reply about Kerala, I still dream whistfully of the last time I was there, including a few days at Kovalam, a sort of downmarket but inexpensive beach resort between Trivanduram and Cochin, but fabulous seafood and cheap, resturant called Shiva's Moon, a prototype Slow Food place as it tooks hours to preapre the food, but it was well worth the wait, and yes I had a massage with ginger-leaf oil too, fantastic.

I have been following e-gullet forums for some time, without posting, but today have taken the plunge! I am fortunate to live in Piedmont, home of the world's most delicious and pungent white truffles (tuber magnum pico), which in late November are reaching their most instense peak. However I do know that white truffles are not exclusive to Piedmont, they are found in the woods all over this geographical climate zone, North and Central Italy (Tuscany, Umbria, Le Marche) and over the border in Slovenia and Crotia, maybe a few more places, and it appears that people living in these places also swear by their truffles. Now I have only started appreciating white truffles since I moved to Piedmont some 6 years ago, and I am curious to her from gourmet travellers who have eaten truffles in several locations, not just one, what is their opinion. Are some truffles better then others? Is it like wine, different vintages and localities produce better tartufi? I would love to hear serious opinions.

"From Malpensa on the way to Neive, is there any place you might suggest that they stop for a reasonable lunch? That is, they'll be tired from the overnight, but there's no good reason to not eat well for their first meal in Italy, right? -- Do you know these restaurants near Canali: LaSosta in Montabone (near Bistagno/Canelli); Il Bardone (Canelli/Calamandrana); Rabaja in Barbaresco and Cascina Schiavenza in Serralunga? These came highly recommended as lower-key, more local places. Whatever that means." Opps I didn't see the rest of the thread, I am new to this forum. Il Bardon in Calamandrana has an excellent reputation, although it was aways closed or full when I wanted to go there. I have covered Rabaja and Schiavenza, and although some diasagree with me about Rabaja, I beg to disagree with them, almost all of or guests who have eaten there this year have loved it, and we thought that they were one of the best of many restauarants we tried out last year for our reccomended list. Of course you can't always please all the folks all of the time and especially true with restaurants. I have never eaten at Il Centro, but our guests who follow e-gullet were truly disapointed by their lunch. but I can most highly reccomend Il Gatto e Il Volpe in Ollegio near to Malpensa airport as a great starting point for a Piedmontese experience.