Piemonte Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[SWISS_CHEF]

"Antipasti in the Piemonte is mostly Salumi. I have yet to be served an olive or a pickled anything as an antipasti."

Swiss Chef:

Have you been to Cuneo yet?

There you'll find antipasti under oil or vinegar in many local restaurants and shops. At Torrismondi, at Via Michele Coppino 33 (across from the big hospital) you'll find a beautiful cart of these at both lunch and dinner. There are also many more places on the road that leads up to the Parco delle Alpi Marittime that cater to hikers and skiiers and offer inexpensive, hearty menus of local cuisine.

The area near (and in) the park is a bit more rugged than Asti or Dogliani and not really wine or truffle country, but when it comes to cooking, it's as Piemontese as it gets.

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Funny you mention Cuneo because we were there today for the first time, on advice from my friend Boris_A. (If you are reading Boris...you are right, the arcades are FANTASTIC!) We didn't get a chance to eat a meal but we did manage to visit the famous Eredi Arione Secondo and try a Cuneesi Al Rhum. I am sure you are right about the antipasti....my writings are a result of covering the area from Alba north through Asti, to Moncalvo. I have no doubt that things could easily change in just a few kilometers off my beaten path and I am looking forward to discovering more as we venture out further.

Best, Ed

Edited January 19, 2006 by SWISS_CHEF (log)

[SWISS_CHEF]

Glad to hear your praise of a nice, simple Barbera, something I opened last night myself!

Pipe up on the Barolo thread (under Beverages & Wine).  Those folk might be interested in your piece on grappa, too.

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Simple???

The Barberas I have tasted in the last week are surely world-class and have price tags to match!

I would love to post more on the Beverages & Wine forum but at the moment I only have a 36k telephone connection, in a rented house and I am lucky to just get the stuff posted that I have.

[SWISS_CHEF]

Swiss_Chef, it is terrific that you discovered Cornale!  The owner is close friends with Alice Waters, one of America's most famous culinary figures, and others who are important in the Slow Food movement.  But alas, I must warn you against the restaurant.  I and my friends have tried it many times, and one comes away feeling like you have just eaten in a bad health food restaurant.  There are too many outstanding options in the area to waste one on Cornale.  This truth comes, however, from a regular patron of the shop and an absolute supporter of what Elena is doing there.  In particular, the cheeses and breads are unlike any other to be found in the area.

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Hi Bill, Ouch what a slap in the face! The smell coming from the kitchen the other day was heavenly! What a bummer but thanks for the tip. By the way....what are your favorite haunts?

[Bill Klapp]

Antine in Barbaresco never disappoints. On the exotic side, Combal.zero in Rivoli outside Torino is terrific. For more casual dining, Osteria Lalibera in Alba is first-rate, especially in the fall. I have always dined well at Trattoria della Posta outside Monforte, but it has taken a little criticism from truffle-season diners on this board. Its truffle pricing is usually on the high end, and in years when the quality isn't there, I suspect that the complaints are justified. Solve that problem by eating outdoors in the summertime. Some traditional favorites like Il Centro in Priocca are still good, but are beginning to seem a little ordinary to me, while others, like Il Belvedere in La Morra, which had begun to seem a little ordinary over the past few years, was better than ever this past fall. As previously posted, the highly vaunted Villa Crespi was quality, to be sure, but it did not blow me away. Frankly, in recent visits, I have been eating too much home cooking in the Piemonte. There are a number of established places that I have not tried lately (All' Enoteca in Canale, Gener Neuv in Asti, Il Cascinale Nuovo in Isola d' Asti, the new Guidos in Pollenzo and Santo Stefano Belbo), as well as a number of new places attracting a lot of attention (Conti Roero and the new restaurants near the duomo in Alba run by the Ceretto wine family).

[Peter Rodgers]

As we plan the culinary agenda for a forthcoming trip to the Alba/Asti region, several restaurants that we have not sampled in prior trips come to mind: Vittorio in Tigliole; Borgo Antico in Barolo; perhaps Flipot. Then, as usual, we are curious whether anyone has seen improvement from Da Guido in Pollenzo or if there might be some other as yet undiscovered gem, especially in the traditional, informal category (i.e. along the lines of I Bologna). And finally, should we make a pilgrimage to Cambal 0? Thoughts from veterans and others would be most appreciated.

[Leslie]

The highlights of our visit last year were Locanda nel Borgo Antico, now removed to a new location outside Barolo, Le Clivie (also newly relocated), but most of all All' Enoteca in Canale. We also tried Antico Corona Real, where I had a truly enjoyable finanziera, and Cesare Giaccone's newly named place, which I would advise passing up. For an astoundlingly affordable and deep wine list, consider Locanda del Arco in Cissone -- food is basic and abundant, the wine is the show.

[robert brown]

Battaglino in Bra is good, basic and fun. Vedat Milor, I, and our spouses enjoyed it a lot. Now it's not in the same class as da Renzo, now my #1 in the area, but if you're looking for a restaurant along the same lines as Il Bologna, it's a good one to visit. I can't compare it to Bocandivino since I haven't dined there yet.

Cambal.Zero left Vedat cold, but us warm (along with Bill Klapp who had the call-in-advance tasting dinner). It's a different feel altogether than the restaurants in the Cunea, Asti, Alba provinces. Going there and to Flipot is what you do if you want to eat at the restaurants that define the region in terms of ratings and notoriety. I'll take Renzo over both of them for the time being.

[Bill Klapp]

Peter, I think that you need to perform a public service for the board and hit both Conti Roero and Duomo, two of the hottest new places in the Alba area...

[Peter Rodgers]

Peter, I think that you need to perform a public service for the board and hit both Conti Roero and Duomo, two of the hottest new places in the Alba area...

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Sounds like a good steer. What do you know (style, location) and where can I learn more?

[Bill Klapp]

Conti Roero was awarded a Michelin star in the 2006 guide just out (maybe the shortest distance between opening your doors and a Michelin star in Italian restaurant history), as well as big scores from Gambero Rosso and all of the other Italian restaurant guides. Duomo is one of three restaurants in Italy awarded Michelin's new "rising star" status, which indicates it will probably get its star in 2007. It is in front of the duomo in Alba, and owned and operated by the Ceretto wine family. Both are creating quite a local stir (not Michelin-driven, for the Michelin skeptics among us, but appears to be concensus). I have just received all of my 2006 restaurant guides from Italy, and I will try to post more on these two after I have reviewed and translated them. FYI, long-time favorites Anguilli in Candelo and Le Carmagnole in Carmagnola closed last year.

[nyokie6]

Hello. This is my first post to Italy, but I have been reading both the new and old topics for the past months. I enjoyed Schielke's trip and almost decided not to drive after reading it, but couldn't see how we could get where we want to go without a car. We have reservations at Renzo, Antine, combol.zero and Duomo, but I could never reach Conti Roero by phone and they did not respond to my email. We have thanks to Robert Brown, Bill Klapp, Divina and all of you other possibilities inthe Piemonte area as well as some reservations in other areas. Thanks again for all the great reading and suggestions.

[atekosuri]

Hi, everyone! I'm a long-time lurker on the Italian section of the eGullet forums, but since I've suddenly found myself with a couple of weeks in Piemonte, Lombardia, and Liguria due to an engagement in Milano, I thought that I should get some input from the resident regional dining experts to help my eating in the area. To give a bit of background, I am a young grad student, so the Michelin-inflated prices of Al Soriso, for instance, are currently a bit out of my price range, unfortunately.

Right now, the time in Milano aside, I'm looking at a three-day stay around the Bergamo/Lago Como/Lago Maggiore area, a day in Torino, several days in Langhe/Monferrato, and then a couple of days down around Genova and Portofino. It's a bit ambitious and slightly surficial, but I feel compelled to spend a decent bit of time touring since it's my girlfriend's first trip to Italy. Time-frame is also mid- to late-January, which I'm aware isn't the best of times.

For the Piemonte, I've been considering the following restaurants based on people's prior suggestions, and I'd like to hear what people who've been in the area recently think about how they're currently cooking:

Antine

I Bologna

Trattoria della Posta

Il Centro

La Libera

Cascina Schiavenza

Da Cesare

Da Renzo

If there from that list that are simply "must visits", I'd love to hear people's opinions (and please don't hesitate to suggest somewhere that I've omitted through ignorance). Since it's my own first visit to the area, I'm keen to explore the traditional regional cuisine (although more adventuresome preparations are fine if the restaurant is stellar), so any thoughts on which of the above best represent that vein of cooking would be much appreciated.

I'm especially curious about Da Cesare, since there seems to be a lot of mixed opinions of it over the years due to fluctuations in quality, and Antine, which I've noticed has been mentioned on the forums with unreserved praise.

In terms of the Lakes region, Torino, and Liguria, however, I'm a completely blank slate, and any and all suggestions would be warmly welcomed.

Thanks in advance for the assistance, and I'm really looking forward to what you all have to say!

Jonathan Harmon

Cambridge, MA

[fortedei]

Hi, everyone!  I'm a long-time lurker on the Italian section of the eGullet forums, but since I've suddenly found myself with a couple of weeks in Piemonte, Lombardia, and Liguria due to an engagement in Milano, I thought that I should get some input from the resident regional dining experts to help my eating in the area.  To give a bit of background, I am a young grad student, so the Michelin-inflated prices of Al Soriso, for instance, are currently a bit out of my price range, unfortunately.

Right now, the time in Milano aside, I'm looking at a three-day stay around the Bergamo/Lago Como/Lago Maggiore area, a day in Torino, several days in Langhe/Monferrato, and then a couple of days down around Genova and Portofino.  It's a bit ambitious and slightly surficial, but I feel compelled to spend a decent bit of time touring since it's my girlfriend's first trip to Italy.  Time-frame is also mid- to late-January, which I'm aware isn't the best of times.

For the Piemonte, I've been considering the following restaurants based on people's prior suggestions, and I'd like to hear what people who've been in the area recently think about how they're currently cooking:

Antine

I Bologna

Trattoria della Posta

Il Centro

La Libera

Cascina Schiavenza

Da Cesare

Da Renzo

If there from that list that are simply "must visits", I'd love to hear people's opinions (and please don't hesitate to suggest somewhere that I've omitted through ignorance).  Since it's my own first visit to the area, I'm keen to explore the traditional regional cuisine (although more adventuresome preparations are fine if the restaurant is stellar), so any thoughts on which of the above best represent that vein of cooking would be much appreciated.

I'm especially curious about Da Cesare, since there seems to be a lot of mixed opinions of it over the years due to fluctuations in quality, and Antine, which I've noticed has been mentioned on the forums with unreserved praise.

In terms of the Lakes region, Torino, and Liguria, however, I'm a completely blank slate, and any and all suggestions would be warmly welcomed.

Thanks in advance for the assistance, and I'm really looking forward to what you all have to say!

Jonathan Harmon

Cambridge, MA

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Jonathan,

As one Cantabrigian to another, do not go to Da Cesare. Mediocre and "variabile" Go to Da Renzo instead. Slighty different geography and totally different food. Although almost no one else would tell you to go... go to Cascinale in Isola D'asti.

I've been going to Piemonte for 25 years and these are now two of the best, and least pretentious and places with the best food and wine in Piemonte. Again, not everyone will agree.

[Bill Klapp]

fortedei, I understand your comment about Cesare, but I am not sure that it is true anymore. I saw him at the recent Slowfood event in Torino, and an Italian friend noticed that he was drinking a beer while all attendees were being served wine. My friend asked about it, and Cesare quite candidly admitted to a drinking problem for some years, so that he has sworn off wine now. The food that he served there was spectacular, and all reports I hear are that he is back and better than ever. I do think that, to maximize the experience there (if you can find the place!), it is best to go in the late fall for the white truffles and game. Il Centro is my current fave...

[Peter Rodgers]

I'm with Bill on Il Centro, which at least is among our top three in the region. Da Renzo is superb -- we like it best at lunch -- and we try never to miss I Bologna. Apparently, I Bologna has been renovating. Let us know what you think.

I'd add two places in Acqui Terme to your list: Pisterna (owned by the same family that runs Il Cascinale Nuovo) and I Caffi. The former is a bit more refined; the latter is very much like I Bologna (basic regional dishes that are very well prepared). Have a great time and please post your experiences.

[pedalaforte]

Jonathan: heck of a list! They are a who's who/what's what of the herd in the region.

Do be careful about prices. I think you might be surprised at how high these places are. The only restaurant of those I've been to is Antine, which was outstanding at every level. I think we had some of the best food we had in Italy at Antine. But we EACH also dropped $100 at dinner. Now, keep in mind that we tried everything -- way more food than a human being should stuff into a body in one evening. And we also had more wine than necessary too. But we didn't buy outrageously expensive wines (you don't have to). My memory is we had 35-50 euro wines.

So just FYI.

Check out some of the earlier discussions about cheaper places with great food. I think Tim or Rina at Villa Sampaguita near Asti offered suggestions. I'll look for my notes.

Cheers

EDIT to ADD: (from Tim at Villa Sampaguita) My favourite restaurants for this year, in a real price range are Rabaja in Babaresco, Cascina Schiavenza in Serralunga d'Alba, Barolo & Co and Pompa Magna in Asti, Madama Vigna in Baldichieri, and if you want an expensive (but not too) restaurant try I Bologna in Rochetta Tanaro or Vignaiolo in La Morra. Il Bardon in Calamandrana has an excellent reputation, although it was aways closed or full when I wanted to go there.

Edited December 20, 2006 by pedalaforte (log)

[Sampaguita]

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.

[Matthew Grant]

Without meaning to offend anybody I had an appalling meal at Da Renzo in November, the sanils wth leeks were completely lacking in any sort of seasoning which may have helped them a litttle. They actually forgot my main course of the Pork dish but I didn't complain because after seeing my Girlfriends appalling beef in Barolo I thought I had got off lightly. The sauce had been reduced to the consistency of marmite and tasted not dis-similar. By the end of the dish the sauce was set enough that you needed to slice it with a knife. They were fortunate that my GF had a stinking cold otherwise I'm pretty certain she wouldn't have got past the first mouthful before sending it back. One area they excelled was desserts, I forgot the exact details. Overall the most disappointing meal of the trip.

La Libera produced a little more cheer especially with its beautiful lamb. Della Posta stood out, head and shoulders above anywhere else we ate. An amuse of tomato and porcini was great, Onion stuffed with cheese and sausage was probably the best dish of the trip IMO. A pasta of rabbit and porcini probably the best pasta dish. Main courses of stuffed quail and shoulder of lamb were beautifully caramelised and had a great woody taste presumably roasted in a wood fired oven although I couldn't confirm this. The cheese cart looked extremely good but unfortunately I thought the cheese a bit of a let down in relation to some other places. The pannacotta was incredible, barely holding its shape, it took some will power not to order another.

Another pleasing element at Della Posta was to finally get some variation on the menu, virtually everywhere serves the same dishes - maybe I don't get it but I found so much of the eating in Piedmont disappointing, not necessarily because of poor cooking but simply because it felt monotonous, the same dishes rehashed at almost every restaurant.

One recommendation I would make is for Il Laghetta in La Morra - great pizzas tucked away down a dark path next to a lake. Super.

[Bill Klapp]

I, too, am not a huge fan of Da Renzo. I do not think that it is at all bad. I do, however, believe that there are many better and less expensive ristoranti in the area. I have experienced the same underseasoned/flavorless issues that Matthew complains of. I have never understood all of the recent critical hoopla over Da Renzo. Sampaguita, I cannot imagine where a negative review of Lalibera came from, unless the author couldn't get a table! And pedalaforte, you must have had to work to get to $100 a person at Antine, where I think they offer fixed-price menus of 35-40 Euro and there are very few pricy bottles on the winelist. Plenty of truffles, perhaps?

[Sampaguita]

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?

[arni psito]

I wonder what the Langhe experts here think of Belvedere?

My friends and I had a mostly-great meal there, including really elegant vitello tonnato and carne cruda, and an exciting clam and zucchini flower risotto. Although my agnolotti ai tre arrosti and veal steak with barolo sauce were slightly disappointing, the desserts--torrone semifreddo, panna cotta, and bunet-were easily the best any of us had ever eaten.

Not having eaten at many of the great restaurants in the area, I'm curious how Belvedere stacks up.

[Matthew Grant]

I was at Belevedere as well and thought it OK, not exceptional but it was just about the only place open in La Morra so if you are staying there it's not a bad option.

[Bill Klapp]

Sampaguita, it is Arco that has experienced a downturn in Alba. Re: Belvedere, it is certainly not cutting-edge, but there is the location, the charming host, the strong wine list and a fine, all-around experience during truffle season. In a way, it is almost "home cooking" compared to some of the newer, fancier places. I still love it, but by the same token, could not justify putting it at the top of my list...

[Sampaguita]

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

but simply because it felt monotonous, the same dishes rehashed at almost every restaurant.

and we are happy to report that this restaurant is not only fabulous, but also quite original

[pedalaforte]

And pedalaforte, you must have had to work to get to $100 a person at Antine, where I think they offer fixed-price menus of 35-40 Euro and there are very few pricy bottles on the winelist.  Plenty of truffles, perhaps?

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Bill: We DID work hard to get the price up that high. I hope my words didn't send our friend away from Antine; it truly was one of our memorable meals, every part of it.

A short history of how to get to $100 per person: I was the only person who spoke any Italian at all, and I am just slightly better than illiterate. But I thought i had a pretty good grasp of "restaurant Italian." So I did all the ordering. We of course ordered many, many appetizers, given that it was Peidmont after all. When we got to the first course, I thought we could SHARE a couple of plates of both tajarin and agnolotti, which we needed to try. But we (five of us) are used to this maybe American ritual of passing a couple of plates for everyone to take a few bites. So I thought that was what I was ordering -- just a couple of plates to share -- when I did this little hand swirl thing to communicate that we all would share. Of course, the "hand swirl" did not mean the same thing to the non-English-speaking server, who took it to mean one of each appetizer each, one tajarin each, one agnolotti each for everyone.

We knew we were in trouble by the tajarin, but what the heck -- it was our first night in Italy and the wines had been flowing. Then the main course came. Then the desserts, of which Antine made the best panna cotta of the trip (which my wife repeated pretty stunningly at our Christmas feast for friends just last Friday).

We did order good wines, but not outrageously expensive ones. Their wine list served us well even in the moderately priced range.

Yes, Antine still gets my vote.

Cheers