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DUEMALLEVINI (THE ASSOCIATION OF ITALIAN SOMMELIERS) 2007 TOP RESTAURANT PICKS IN PIEDMONT (Listed according to town) RISTORANTE I CAFFI ACQUI TERME (AL) Via Verdi ang.Via del Voltone, 1 Tel. 0144 325206 - www.icaffi.it RISTORANTE PISTERNA ACQUI TERME (AL) Via Scatilazzi, 15 - Tel. 0144 325114 - www.pistema.it RISTORANTE DULCIS VITIS ALBA (CN) Via Rattazzi, 7 Tel. 0173 364633 - www.dulcisvitis.it RISTORANTE LOCANDA DEL PILONE ALBA (CN) Fraz. Madonna di Corno, 34 Tel. 0 173 366616 - www.locandadeipilone.com RISTORANTE PIAZZA DUOMO Alba (CN) P.zza Risorgimento, 4 Tel. 0173 366167 - www.piazzaduomoalba.it RISTORANTE L'ARCIMBOLDO Alessandria Via Legnano, 2 Tel. 0131 52022 - www.RISTORANTEarcimboldo.it RISTORANTE LA FERMATA ALESSANDRIA - Fraz. Spinetta Marengo Via Bolla, 2 Tel. 0131251350 - www.lafermata-al.it RISTORANTE IL GRAPPOLO ALESSANDRIA - Via Casale, 28 - Tel. 0131 253217 - www.RISTORANTEiigrappolo.it RISTORANTE VECCHIA ARONA ARONA (NO) Lungolago Marconi, 17 Tel. 0322 242469 RISTORANTE L'ANGOLO DEL BEATO ASTI Via Guttuari, 12 Tel. 0141531668 - www.angolodelbeato.it RISTORANTE GENER NEUV ASTI Lungo Tanaro dei Pescatori, 4 Tel. 0141 557270 - www.generneuv.it OSTERIA Al BINARI ASTI - S.S. Asti-Chivasso Fraz. Mombarone, 145 Tel. 0141294228 OSTERIA DEL DIAVOLO ASTI P.zza San Martino, 6 Tel. 0 141 30221 - 339 4286857 - www.osteriadeldiavolo.it TACABANDA ASTI Via al Teatro Alfieri, 5 Tel. 0141 530999 RISTORANTE ANTINÉ BARBARESCO (CN) Via Torino, 16 Tel. 0 173 635294 - www.antine.it RISTORANTE AL VECCHIO TRE STELLE BARBARESCO (CN) Fraz. Tre Stelle Tel. 0173 638192 - www.vecchiotrestelle.it RISTORANTE D'LA PICOCARDA BARGE (CN) Loc. Crocera Via Cardè, 71 Tel. 0175 30300 RISTORANTE LOCANDA NEL BORGO ANTICO BAROLO (CN) Via Boschetti, 4 Tel. 0173 56355 - www.locandanelborgo,it RISTORANTE OSTERIA LA CANTINELLA BAROLO (CN) Via Acqua Gelata, 4/a Tel. 0173 56267 RISTORANTE VILLA D'AMELIA BENEVELLO (CN) Fraz. Manera Loc. Bonelli Bianchi, 1 Tel. 0173 529225 - www.villadamelia.com RISTORANTE BUNET BERGOLO (CN) Via Roma, 24 Tel. 0173 87013 - www.lbunet.it RISTORANTE PRINZ GRILL BIELLA Via Torino, 14 Tel. 015 30302 RISTORANTE PINOCCHIO BORGOMANERO (NO) Via Matteotti, 147 Tel. 0322 82273 - www.RISTORANTEpinocchio.it RISTORANTE TRATTORIA DEI COMMERCIANTI BORGOMANERO (NO) Via Cornice, 35 Tel. 0322 841392 - www.trattoriadeicommercianti.it RESTORANTE OSTERIA CASCINA DEI FIORI BORGOVERCELLI (VC) Reg. Forte Cascina dei Fiori Tel. 0161 32827 RISTORANTE AL RODODENDRO BOVES (CN) Via San Giacomo, 73 Tel. 0171380372 RISTORANTE LA CORTE ALBERTINA BRA (CN) Fraz. Pollenzo P.zza Vittorio Emanuele 3 Tel. 0172 458189 - www.lacortealbertina.it RISTORANTE GUIDO A POLLENZO BRA (CN) - Fraz. Pollenzo Via Fossano, 19 Tel. 0172 458422 - www.guidoRISTORANTE.it RISTORANTE OSTERIA DEL BOCCONDIVINO BRA (CN) Via Mendicità Istruita, 14 Tel. 0172 425674 - www.boccondivinoslow.it RISTORANTE MARSUPINO BRIAGLIA (CN) Via Roma, 20 Tel. 0174 563888 - www.trattoriamarsupino.it RISTORANTE VIOLETTA CALAMANDRANA (AT) Via Valle San Giovanni, 1 Tel. 0 141 769011 OSTERIA DELLA GALLINA SVERSA CALOSSO (AT) - Fraz. Piana del Salto Via Battibò, 9 Tel. 0141853483 - www.gallinasversa.com RISTORANTE GARDENIA CALUSO (TO) C.so Torino, 9 Tel. 011 9832249 - www.gardeniacaluso.it RISTORANTE TAVERNA DI CAMPAGNA DAL 1997 CAMAGNA MONFERRATO (AL) Vicolo Sallina, 20 Tel. 0142 925645 RISTORANTE AL CAMINETTO CAMERI (NO) Via Cavour, 30 Tel. 0321 518780 RISTORANTE ALL ENOTECA L CANALE (CN) Via Roma, 57 Tel. 0173 95857 RISTORANTE VILLA TIBOLDI CANELLI (CN) - Loc. Tiboldi Case Sparse, 127 Tel. 0173 970388 - www.villatiboldi.it RISTORANTE SAN MARCO CANELLI (AT) Via Alba, 136 Tel. 0141 823544 - www.sanmarcoRISTORANTE.it RISTORANTE LOCANDA MALPASSUTI CARBONARA SCRIVIA (AL) Vicolo A. Cantù, 11 Tel. 0131 892643 - www.locandamalpassuti.it RISTORANTE OSTERIA DEL BORGO CARRÙ (CN) Via Garibaldi, 19 Tel. 0173 759184 - www.osteriaborgo.it RISTORANTE CACCIATORI CARTOSIO (AL) Via Moreno, 30 Tel. 0 144 40123 RISTORANTE LA TORRE CASALE MONFERRATO (AL) Via Candiani d'Olivola, 36 Tel. 0142 70295 - www.RISTORANTE-latorre.it RISTORANTE LA FIORAIA CASTELLO DI ANNONE (AT) Via Mondo, 26 Tel. 0141401106 RISTORANTE ARIANNA CAVAGLIETTO (NO) Via Umberto, 4 Tel. 0322 806l34 - www.jre.it RISTORANTE ANTICA CORONA REALE CERVERE (CN) Via Fossano, 13 Tel. 0 172 474132 RISTORANTE OPERTI 1772 DA FAUSTO CHERASCO (CN) Via Vittorio Emanuele, 103 Tel. 0172 487048 - www.opertil772.it RISTORANTE OSTERIA DELLA ROSA ROSSA CHERASCO (CN) Via San Pietro, 31 Tel. 0172 488133 RISTORANTE SAN DOMENICO CHIERI (TO) Via San Domenico, 2/b Tel. 0 11 9411864 RISTORANTE DOLCE STIL NOVO CIRIÈ (TO) - Loc. Devesi Via San Pietro, 71 Tel. 011 9211110 - www.dolcestilnovo.com RISTORANTE LOCANDA DELL 'ARCO CISSONE (CN) Pzza dell'Olmo, 1 Tel. 0 173 748200 - www.locandadellarco.com RISTORANTE VILLA SAN CARLO CORTEMILIA (CN) C.so Divisioni Alpine, 41 Tel. 0173 81546 - www.hotelsancarlo.it ENOTECA CAFFÈ ROMA COSTIGLIOLE D'ASTI (AT) Pzza Umberto 1, 14 Tel. 0141 966544 - www.enotecafferoma.com RISTORANTE COLLAVINI COSTIGLIOLE D'ASTI (AT) S.da Traniera 24 Tel. 0141966440 - www.fistorantecollavini.it RISTORANTE DA MAURIZIO CRAVANZANA (CN) - Via San Rocco, 16 Tel. 0173 855019 - www.RISTORANTEdamaurizio.it RISTORANTE BEL SOGGIORNO CREMOLINO (AL) Via Umberto 1, 69 Tel. 0143 879012 - www.RISTORANTEbelsoggiorno.it RISTORANTE DELLE ANTICHE CONTRADE CUNEO Via Savigliano, 11 Tel. 0171 690429 - www.antichecontrade.it RISTORANTE OSTERIA DELLA CHIOCCIOLA CUNEO Via Fossano, 1 Tel. 0 171 66277 RISTORANTE TRATTORIA DEI TACCONOTTI FRASCARO (AL) - Fraz. Tacconotti, 17 Tel. 0131278488 RISTORANTE NUOVO IMPERO GATTINARA (NO) Via E Mattai, 4 Tel. 0 163 833234 RISTORANTE CANTINE DEL GAVI GAVI (AL) Via G. Manneli, 69 Tel. 0 143 642458 RISTORANTE OSTERIA LA MADERNASSA GUARENE (CN) Fraz. Castelrotto Loc. Lora, 2 Tel: 0 173 611716 - www.osterialamadernassa.it RISTORANTE IL CASCINALENUOVO ISOLA D'ASTI (AT) Statale Asti-Alba, 15 Tel. 0141958166 - www.ilcascinalenuovo.it RISTORANTE DA MANUELA ISOLA SANT' ANTONI0 (AL) Via Po, 31 Tel. 0131857177 RESTORANTE BELVEDERE LA MORRA (CN) Pzza Castello, 5 Tel: 017350190 - www.belvederelamorra.it RISTORANTE OSTERIA VEGLIO LA MORRA (CN) - Fraz. Annunziata, 9 - Tel. 0173 509341 RISTORANTE LA PIOLA DEL BARBON MANTA (CN) Via Garibaldi, 190 Tel. 0175 88088 RISTORANTE NOVECENTO MEINA (NO) Via Ing. Bonomi, 13 Tel. 0322 669600 - www.nov-ece-nto.it RISTORANTE MACALLÉ Momo (NO) Via Boniperti, 2 Tel. 0321926064 - www.macalle.it RISTORANTE AMETISTA MONCALVO (AT) P.zza Antico Castello, 15 Tel. 0 141 917423 RISTORANTE GIARDINO DA FELICIN MONFORTE D'ALBA (CN) Via Vallada, 18 Tel. 0 173 78225 - www.felicin.it OSTERIA LA SALITA MONFORTE D'ALBA (CN) Via Marconi, 2/a Tel. 0 173 787196 RISTORANTE TRATTORIA DELLA POSTA MONFORTE D'ALBA (CN) Loc. Sant'Anna, 87 Tel. 0 173 78120 - www.trattoriadellaposta.it RISTORANTE LA BRAJA MONTEMAGNO (AT) Via San Giovanni Bosco, 11 Tel. 0141653925 - www.labraja.it RISTORANTE CONTI ROERO MONTICELLO D'ALBA (CN) Pzza San Ponzio, 3 Tel. 0173 64155 - www.contiroero.com RISTORANTE CASCINA MARTINI MURISENGO (AL) - Fraz. Corteranzo Via Gianoli, 15 Tel. 0 141693015 - www.cascinamartini.com RISTORANTE LA CONTEA NEIVE (CN) Pzza Cocito, 8 Tel. 0173 67126-677558 - www.la-contea.it CANTINA DEL RONDÒ NIEVE (CN) Loc. Fausoni, 7 Tel. 0173 679808 - www.cantinadelrondo.it LA SIGNORA IN ROSSO NIZZA MONFERRATO (AT) Via Crova, 2 Tel: 0141 793350 - www.signorainrosso.com RISTORANTE TANTRIS NOVARA C.so Risorgimento, 384 Tel. 0321657343 RISTORANTE VILLA CRESPI ORTA SAN GIULIO (NO) Via G. Fava, 18 Tel. 0322 911902 - www.hotelvillacrespi.it RISTORANTE OSTERIA DEL BRUTTO ANATROCCOLO PEZZOLO VALLE UZZONE (CN) Via Roma, 31 Tel. 0173 827505 RISTORANTE LE CLIVIE PIOBESI D'ALBA (CN) - Loc. Carretta, 2 Tel. 0173 619261 RISTORANTE AI NOVE MERLI PIOSSASCO (TO) Via Rapida ai Castelli, 10 Tel:. 011 90413 8 8 - www.novemerli.it RISTORANTE IL PATIO POLLONE (BI) Via Oremo, 14 Tel. 0 15 61568 RISTORANTE IL CENTRO PRIOCCA (CN) - Via Uimberto 1, 5 Tel. 0173 616112 - www.RISTORANTEilcentro.com RISTORANTE COMBAL.ZERO RIVOLI (TO) - Pzza Mafalda di Savoia Tel. 011 9565225 - www.combal.org VINERIA TASCHET ROCCHETTA TANARO (AT) P.zza Piacentino, 11 Tel. 0 141 644424 RISTORANTE L’OSTU DIJ BALOSS SALUZZO (CN) - Via Gualtieri 38 Tel. 0175 248618 - www.ostudijbaloss.it RISTORANTE MALAN LOCANDA DEL POSTALE SAN GERMANO CHISONE (TO) Via Ponte Palestro, 25 Tel. 0121 58822 - www.RISTORANTErnalan.it RISTORANTE CASTELLO DI SAN GIORGIO SAN GIORGIO MONFERRATO (AL) Via Cavalli d'Olivola, 3 Tel. 0142 806203 - www.castellodisangiorgio.it RISTORANTE DEL BELBO DA BARDON SAN MARZANO OLIVETO (AT) Loc. Valle Asinari, 25 Tel. 0 141 831340 RISTORANTE LA CREDENZA SAN MAURIZIO CANAVESE (TO) Via Cavour, 22 Tel: 0 11 9278014 - www.fistorantelacredenza.it RISTORANTE IL RISTORANTE DI GUIDO DA COSTIGLIOLE SANTO STEFANO BELBO (CN) Loc. San Maurizio, 39 Tel: 0 141 844455 - www.relaissanmaurizio.it RISTORANTE LA ROSA DEI VINI SERRALUNGA D'ALBA (CN) Loc. Parafada, 4 Tel. 0 173 613219 - www.larosadeivini.com RISTORANTE LA COCCINELLA SERRAVALLE LANGHE (CN) Via Provinciale, 5 Tel: 0173 748220 - www.the-weber.com/coccinella RISTORANTE AL SORRISO SORRISO (NO) Via Roma, 18 Tel: 0322 983228 - www.alsorriso.com RISTORANTE PIEMONTESE STRESA (VB) Via Mazzini, 25 Tel. 0323 30235 - www.stresa.org RISTORANTE OSTERIA IL MELOGRANO TERRUGGIA (AL) Pzza Vittorio Emanuele III, 9 Tel. 0142 401531 - www.osteriailmelograno.com RISTORANTE VITTORIA TIGLIOLE (AT) Via Roma, 14 Tel. 0141667713 - www.RISTORANTEvittoria.it RISTORANTE AB+ TORINO Via della Basilica 13 Tel. 0114390618 - www.progettocluster.com RISTORANTE LA BARRIQUE TORINO C.so Dante, 53/a Tel. 011 657900 RISTORANTE CASA VICINA TORINO Via A. Massena, 66 Tel. 0 11 590949 - www.casavicina.it RISTORANTE CUBICO TORINO Via Saluzzo, 86 bis Tel. 011 19714546 - www.cubicoRISTORANTE.it RISTORANTE DEL CAMBIO TORINO P.zza Carignano, 2 Tel. 0 11 546690 - www.thi.it RISTORANTE AL GARAMOND TORINO Via Pomba, 14 Tel. 011 8122781 - www.algaramond.it RISTORANTE AL GATTO NERO TORINO C.so Filippo Turati, 14 Tel. 011 590477-590414 - www.gattonero.it RISTORANTE LOCANDA MONGRENO TORINO S.da comunale Mongreno, 50 Tel. 011 8980417 RISTORANTE LA PISTA TORINO Via Nizza, 262 Tel. 0116313523 - www.lapista.to.it RISTORANTE TRE GALLINE TORINO Via G. Bellezia, 37 Tel. 0114366553 - www.3galline.it OSTERIA ANTICHE SERE TORINO Via Cenischia, 9 Tel. 0 11 3 854347 RISTORANTE VINTAGE 1997 TORINO P.zza Solferino, 16/h Tel. 011 535948 - www.vintagel997.com LE VITEL ETONNÉ TORINO Via San Francesco da Paola, 4 Tel. 011 8124621 - www.leviteletonne.com RISTORANTE FLIPOT TORRE PELLICE (TO) C.so A. Gramsci 17 Tel. 0121 953465 - www.flipot.com RISTORANTE CAFFÉ GROPPI TRECATE (NO) V.le G. Mameli, 20 Tel. 0321 71154 - www.caffegroppi.it RISTORANTE LA CIAU DEL TORNAVENTO TREISO (CN) P.zza Baracco, 7 Tel. 0173 638333 - www.lacialadeltornavento.it RISTORANTE PICCOLO LAGO VERBANIA Fraz. Fondotoce Via E Turati, 87 Tel. 0323 586792 - www.piccololago.it RISTORANTE GIARDINETTO VERCELLI Via L. Sereno, 3 Tel. 0161 257230 - www.hrgiardinetto.com RISTORANTE REAL CASTELLO VERDUNO (CN) Via Umberto 1, 9 Tel. 0172 470125 - www.castellodiverduno.com RISTORANTE LA PERGOLA VEZZA D'ALBA (CN) Loc. Borgonuovo P.zza San Carlo, 1 Tel. 0173 65178 VINERIA OSTERIA PERBACCO VILLA SAN SECONDO (AT) - Fraz. San Secondo Via Montechiaro, 26 Tel. 0141 905525 - www.osteriaperbacco.it

Interesting piece in The New Yorker. “Profits were comparable to cocaine trafficking, with none of the risks”

When in Italy, what's your favorite brand of Italian coffee? I'm asking because we are in the throes of deciding what brand to use in our new restaurant, and would love to hear some biased opinions! Grazie mille!

A couple of us are heading to Piedmonte in November and we are looking to do some truffle hunting. Anyone know of a guide we can hire? Any assistance is appreciated. Best Regards, Mark

Having read a lot about guanciale (cured pork jowl), yesterday I finally bought some. There's one cheek, currently sitting in the fridge, vacuum sealed as it came. I'm planning to crack it open tomorrow night for carbonara, but I'll have a fair bit left over. Any suggestions on how best to store it, and for how long?

Italian Wine Tasting Vin Classic Wines 5717 Legacy Drive Suite 120 Plano, TX (Map) Thursday June 28, 2007 6:30 - 8:00 pm Free, with a paltry $5 contribution per person to the eGullet Society Wines tasted: Frescobaldi Brut Millisimato 2000 Attems Pinot Grigio 2005 Nipozzano Chiant Reserva 2003 Castelgiocondo Brunello 2002 Tenuta di Castglioni Rosso Toscana 2004 Ornellaia 2004 Pomino Vin Santo 2001 Thanks to Darrell Gibson at Vin Classic for arranging this special tasting, and to Gina della Vedova from the distributor, Folio, for the interesting background on each wine poured. This was the most extensive free tasting I have been to -- from the $12 Attens Pinot Grigio 2005 to the $175 Tenuta dell' Ornellaia 2004.

I was just introduced to a FANTASTIC Italian market yesterday in Boston's North End. For those not near Boston, they do mail order. The stuff I tasted (proscuitto and cheese) was amazing. And, they also sell a balsamic vinegar that is quite interesting. They made a deal with the producer to basically sell his production. So, the guy does not go through the hoops and expense to get a DOP or similar label. Result: for about $35 you get a bottle that would otherwise be maybe $90. Their site is here: Salumeria Italiana Other great sources for Italian high quality products??? Please add to the thread. -Mark-

I live in the Boston area and today I went on a very cool culinary tour of the North End (Boston's Little Italy). A few of the shops there sell what they call "Artisan Pasta", which as I understand it is pasta that is not made in big factories (like Barilla), but rather are made by smaller producers who dry the pasta longer and use different extrusion equipment. QUESTION: Is buying artisan pasta worth it? Will I notice the difference? By the way, our guide also told us that about 5 years ago Barilla setup factories in the US and the Barilla we're now buying is now made in the US not Italy (except for a few pasta shapes/types sold in specialty stores). He says that it just hasn't been the same since the switch. Anyone else hear this? Agree with this?? -Mark-

I will be making gremolata for dinner tonight and would like to make it this afternoon. Will it suffer by sitting? I figured the parsley would darken but wondered if the lemon zest woud help keep it longer?

Looking for bruschetta topping ideas that don't involve tomato, goat cheese, red peppers, or feta cheese. I would love an idea that incorporates hummus or prosciutto. Nothing that is hot or needs to be cooked. Open to all suggestions. Thanks.

The time has come to bite the bullet. I have to buy a new stove. I have a 5 burner, with only 3 burners working, and they work at two levels: scorch and off. To light the stove, I have to uncover all the bottom panels, stick my head deep inside the oven with a lit match and pray a lot. Fortunately it's summertime, so I don't need the oven all that much. So, I'm looking for a little guidance. At the home chef level, I've found Lofra and ILVE brands. I've been told that ILVE is the 'superiore' brand. Anyone have any experience with either of these? And what's the correlation between WATTS and BTU's? I know how to think in BTU's, but gas WATTS?? I just want my Bluestar that I have back in NY!!

Hi there Helen Pidd here. I'm a journalist from the Guardian in London (www.guardian.co.uk). I'm writing an article about what "foreign" foods are most popular in other countries. Eg, Indian in Britain, Chinese in India, Italian in Japan, etc. And I am interested to hear your thoughts on what non-Italian cuisine is most popular with Italians. Our Rome correspondent tells me that Italians are generally very conservative where food is concerned and that anyone below the age of about 30 views foreign food with the deepest possible suspicion. eg For a Roman, 'foreign food' is, say, from Tuscany, which is two hours up the motorway. Is there any truth in this? All thoughts gratefully received. thanks a lot Helen

Hi all. I just got the new edition of Fred Plotkin's bible of gourmet eating in Italy. I did a quick scan this morning, and on first reading I didn't note much new or updated from the 1996 version? I went immediately to the Piedmont section, which I had almost memorized from the first edition by looking at it, oh, perhaps 5,000 times! I knew that section wasn't his most complete chapter in the first version, but I expected him to have rounded it out in the new one given that Piedmont has become so "found" (given, too, that it deserves to have been found!). So I was surprised to find that: Guido is still in Castigliole d'Asti; that Vicoletto still serves dinner; that Antine/Posta/Duomo/Renzo/Centro/Bardone/I Caffi/etc. aren't on the planet; that ... on and on and on. After reading most of the Piedmont section, I actually went back to the title page to see if my daughter (it was a gift) had bought the wrong version! Really, I thought I was reading the same book I'd read so many times already. And, in fact, I was. I don't know. Maybe it's just me. I will use it to death, I'm sure. I'm just a little disappointed. I do know that it's tough to do justice to an entire country's food scene in one book. I mean, how much can one human eat! I'm not saying there's nothing there; I still see great places listed. It just doesn't seem so up to date in some areas. I'm willing to apologize and eat my words if you folks think I'm wrong. I know Pontormo is a big fan, as am I in many ways. I like the guy. He seems to care about what I care about. And it's a resource for sure. OK, too much stream of consciousness reviewing -- not the most fair style of reviewing! What do you think? Cheers

Hello! This is my first eG post, but I have been enjoying all of the information and insights as I plan summer travels! My husband and I will be going with my parents to Chicago at the beginning of August to celebrate their 40th anniversary. The focus of our trips is usually food, and I have booked Alinea for Saturday night (can't WAIT for that!), but we have two other nights available. My dad adores Italian food. Are there any great new "finds" for Italian? I have looked at Spiaggio, but I couldn't help but wonder if there is somewhere perhaps slightly less formal/more fun that had really great food. Cost is not a big factor as this is a special occasion weekend, but we are doing the blowout at Alinea on our last night, so big "production" restaurants are not a requirement for the first two nights, though if they DO happen to be the places you think are best, I'm open to that. Plus, we're from California and used to casual attire even at our top restaurants - we don't mind "jacket required", but would kind of prefer "elegant but relatively casual". (I know, savages we are... ) And aside from the Italian recommendations, what other places shouldn't be missed? Thank you, I really appreciate your thoughts! Christina

Italy has a reputation as the home of rustic, simple, earthy, agriculturally driven cuisine. Yet, some comments on the recent gelato topic got me wondering: how many core Italian foods are actually dependent on expensive and elaborate technology? For example, gelato. Serious gelato seems to require a super-expensive machine. If you don't have such a machine, you aren't going to be turning out a top-notch product. Espresso. Sam Kinsey pointed out this similarity. You need substantial, and substantially expensive, equipment in order to pull really great shots and steam milk up to standard. Another one that occurs to me is dried pasta. Just try making it at home without heavy-duty extruding machines. Pizza. You need to build a wood-fired brick oven costing tens of thousands of dollars if you want to make Neapolitan pizza at a high level. I'm sure there are other examples. Meanwhile, it seems you can make most of the French haute cuisine repertoire with a spoon.

I used to have a book of recipes from former southern French chef Pierre Vedel. No longer can find the book, but fortunately I managed to type up three recipes from it and still have them on my computer. One is for a pasta salad, which I tweaked a little. Today I thought I'd go back to his original version (well, almost), but when I tasted it, it was just OK, a little one-note, lacking nuance. Here's what it's made of: Spinach tagliatelle, chopped hazelnuts, torn basil and an egg yolk, in a "citronnette" of lemon juice and hazelnut oil cut with peanut oil. Salt and pepper. (Vedel is all about understatement...) Previously, my changes involved switching the hazelnuts to walnuts (same with the oil) and sautéeing some chopped up pancetta and adding that and its rendered fat. I liked the walnut version. So I did add the pancetta, but the hazelnut version is just... a blanket of hazelnut with a flash of basil now and then. Is there anything I can add or tweak that would give it more depth? Maybe balsamic vinegar? Chopped up sun-dried tomatoes? Thanks for any ideas...

I'm not quite sure where this thread will go, but it did seem a nice capper to the project we've all been doing the past year and a half(!). Certainly in America, the wave of Italian immigrants, particularly from the South, at the turn of the 20th century collectively formed a style of cooking rooted in limited access to the ingredients they had back in Italy. This type of cooking formed an enduring preconception of "Italian cooking" that lingered only until maybe the last decade or so. There's certainly a dark side, lurking in far too many "red checker tablecloth joints" that even misunderstand Italian American cooking: buckets of garlic, hick, pasty tomato sauce, gobs of cheese over everything. But there's also cioppino, Sunday gravy, baked ziti, lemon chicken, clams casino . . . I'm fairly uninformed in Italian American cooking. I find the topic fascinating, particularly in watching the cooking and understanding of the cuisine "evolve" with differing waves of immigrants. Those from the South largely dominated the scene in the early 20th century on up through the 60s and 70s, when Northern Italian cooking seemed to come into vogue. Was it because immigrants from the North were arriving then? An effort to compete with French cooking that was sweeping the land? This thread can be used to discuss that evolution. Or to talk about either dishes from Italy that were "Americanized" or new standards of the Italian immigrant. And I don't want this to be just about Italian Americans: how have Italian immigrants evolved and adapted their cooking in other countries if there is a marked community there?

I picked up a bag of Bel Aria Farina di grano tenero tipo "00". Can someone explain what kind of flour this is and what are its best uses. In what way is it different than flours generally available in the US? And more generally, perhaps someone can explain the system of classifying flours in Italy.

Since spring is becoming summer and there are so many regional dishes we've prepared that are wonderful served at room temperature, I figured this might be a good topic and useful when making plans. Nothing wrong with fried chicken, watermelon and bacon-laced potato salad with radishes and celery seed, but sometimes pizza rustica, olives, salami and figs sound just about right. So, please consider this a place to report inspiring menus or document what you've done. Ask for guidance or make suggestions. * * * I'm asking for advice since I promised to bring a vegetable dish to a potluck picnic. Haven't made it for years, but the beauty of one local farm's escarole inspired me to decide to prepare the escarole pie in one of Marcella Hazan's cookbooks in which piles of the green are flavored with garlic, olives, anchovies, capers and pinenuts. Well, there is someone coming who is allergic to nuts and a whole mess of other stuff that may prove difficult for everyone to accommodate. I don't want to omit the pinenuts and welcome any excuse to bring just a little something else I've never tried before. So....I came across a Ligurian recipe for Polpettone di Fagiolini, a torte-like dish that is somewhere in between a pastry-less custard and a vegetarian meatloaf. Green beans are cooked and puréed. Garlic, marjoram, Parmigiano and reconstituted dried porcini provide flavor; milk-soaked bread, bulk; and eggs beaten with a soft, creamy fresh cheese, the custardy element. Sounds like perfect picnic fare. Here's the thing. The list of allergies includes green beans, too! I figure that while green beans may be traditional, the dish sounds versatile enough. Any thoughts? N.B. Anna del Conte, my source, also has a recipe for a torta di zucchine from the same region that I'd prefer not to make because it involves filo-like pastry and I like the idea of preparing something coated only in bread crumbs. Zucchini, onion and uncooked rice that swells in the eggy filling. Sounds like a great combo, but not necessarily easy to integrate with first recipe since the light touch of rice makes sense with zucchini (vs. bread) and I suspect the porcini that complement green beans would drown out the more delicate squash.

So, what happens when you mix regions? We've spent the past 2 years exploring the regional cooking of Italy. And it's been a fantastic exploration; any of us who participated learned many, many things. So, what happens when you mix regions? There is hand wringing from town to town, let alone whole regiosn. What got me thinking about this was something that I made for lunch today. Sliced tomatoes (could be anywhere in Italy), layered over some tallegio (Northern Italy), with a sprinkle of dried orgegano (southern Italy...the mezzogiorno). I stuck it in the oven long enough to melt the tallegio. The result was excellent, cheesy goodness that was completely balanced by the acidity in the tomatoes, with the oregano adding a herbal note. Much more savory than combining tomatoes and mozzarella. Did I cross the line? Is this not Italian? Does such a thing as fusion Italian exist?

So where does one go for great Italian in the Phoenix area? (any typeP And while we're on the subject. What about Mexican? (preferably Sonoran) any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

The other day someone asked me the difference between crostini and bruschetta, and I realized that I don't know what it is. I've been told that it's a matter of size -- that crostini are smaller, bruschetta are larger. But I've also heard that with bruschetta, the bread is grilled, while crostini are toasted. Can anyone give me the real story?

This is fun. While the cyclists go through different parts of Italy, I am finding and trying recipes, wines, and chesses of the regions they go through. So far, I've done Capri/Sardinia, Frascati and Tuscany. Yum!

I'm going to a friends Italian wine tasting. He says I don't need to bring anything, but I'd like to bring an appetizer to share. I don't have much experience with Italian food, so I could use some help. Any ideas?

I have a very vague knowledge about Italian cuisine and is limited to several dishes like spaghetti bolognaise, napolitana, alio Oglio, cabonara, some pasta, tiramisu and others. I certainly wish to increase repertoire of my Italian regional dishes and specialities of the different region of this vast, beautiful country with rich culture?