Discriminating Restaurants and New Trends

[vmilor]

Dear Faith,

As much as I enjoy your book where you cover quite a few restaurants in Northern Italy, I am wondering if you agree with me on the following 2 points and express your philosophy.

1. You do not seem to be interested in comparisons and overall appraisals. I can not quite use it, say to choose 3 restaurants in Piemonte if I only have 2 days. I can understand that there are at least 30 that you like and recommend, but it is not clear which ones you would choose yourself if you had, say, 3 shots. Do you do this on purpose? If so, what is the purpose?

2. With all fairness, you seem to be skeptical at best when some chefs(such as Vissani) are giving free rein to their imagination in the kitchen. It is not that you dislike it. But I wonder what you would think about a place you praise, say Le Calandre, now. Clearly Massimilano's cooking--for better or worse--is quite different today than what you have described when parents were cooking and, although inspired by some local traditions, it is hardly local cuisine. Have you changed your attitude to such experimentation since you have written the book? At a more general level, do you think Italian cuisine can ever receive the international acclaim it deserves by sticking closely to local traditions and roots? It looks like some of the most acclaimed and hot chefs in the world today(Veyrat, Adria, Gagnaire, Barasetegui, etc.,)are increasingly turning up syncretic dishes which are eaten nowhere on earth on a daily basis and they are not afraid of using imported ingredients and engage in mindblowing experiments with texture and natural progression of a meal. Even my last meal at Don Alfonso (Iaccardi was present) August 2003 was much more international and eclectic than I had experienced in 1998. What do you think of these trends and the challenges it poses for Italian cuisine.

Let me take this opportunity to thank you again for your book which I think very highly of, and the organizer for making this exchange possible.

[Faith Willinger]

I find it difficult to give a numerical evaluation to a restaurant but prefer to describe the experience. Not everyone is looking for what I am. There are so many factors that can influence my perception of a meal and a restaurant can have an off-day when I know they can do better.

I am frequently finding restaurants that prepare internationally styled food using Italian and international ingredients, which I think of as guidebook cuisine. It's found all over the world, frequently on square plates. Risotto with oysters and green tea flour, or burrata with raw fish don't make a lot of sense to me. Massimiliano's cooking is based on incredible ingredients, many of them regional. Creative dishes come and go, but classic flavor cominations will always be around. I admire the creativity and skills of Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana. I was at Don Alfonso recently and found the menu had returned to many regional ingredients. Italy has such amazing products that I don't see why restaurants need to use stuff that's not local. There are many restaurants where one meal is enough for a lifetime. If I haven't eaten anything that makes me want to return it's not what I'm looking for.

a presto

Faith

Dear Faith,

As much as I enjoy your book where you cover quite a few restaurants in Northern Italy,  I am wondering if you agree with me on the following 2 points and express your philosophy.

1.  You do not seem to be interested in comparisons and overall appraisals. I can not quite use it, say to choose 3 restaurants in Piemonte if I only have 2 days.  I can understand that there are at least 30 that you like and recommend, but it is not clear which ones you would choose yourself if you had, say, 3 shots. Do you do this on purpose? If so, what is the purpose?

2. With all fairness, you seem to be skeptical at best when some chefs(such as Vissani) are giving free rein to their imagination in the kitchen.  It is not that you dislike it.  But I wonder what you would think about a place you praise, say Le Calandre, now.  Clearly Massimilano's cooking--for better or worse--is quite different today than what you have described when parents were cooking and, although inspired by some local traditions, it is hardly local cuisine.  Have you changed your attitude to such experimentation since you have written the book? At a more general level,  do you think Italian cuisine can ever receive the international acclaim it deserves by sticking closely to local traditions and roots? It looks like some of the most acclaimed and hot chefs in the world today(Veyrat, Adria, Gagnaire, Barasetegui, etc.,)are increasingly turning up syncretic dishes which are eaten nowhere on earth on a daily basis and they are not afraid of using imported ingredients and engage in mindblowing experiments with texture and natural progression of a meal.  Even my last meal at Don Alfonso (Iaccardi was present) August 2003 was much more international and eclectic than I had experienced in 1998.  What do you think of these trends and the challenges it poses for Italian cuisine.

Let me take this opportunity to thank you again for your book which I think very highly of, and the organizer for making this exchange possible.

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