Travelling to Le Calandre

[Bu Pun Su]

Hi,

How long would it take to go to Le Calandre from Venice (I might stay in San Marco area)? What would be the best way to get there and return? Do they serve the same menu for lunch and dinner? Thanks

[cinghiale]

I has planned to go while in Venice in late December, but they were closed. Below a link to Michelin, giving driving directions (I had a car).

Venice to Calandre directions

Perhaps others know a train route (it's near Padova).

[cinghiale]

Seems the link got screwed up. This one's working in Preview Post, so here goes again. Michelin says 50 km, 1-1/4 hours. Directions

[fredbram]

I believe it is about a 40 minute train from Venice to Padua, but I don't know what's involved in getting from the train station to the restaurant, and I don't know how late the trains run. I haven't had much luck getting train schedules online Venice-Padua.

[algy]

I believe it is about a 40 minute train from Venice to Padua, but I don't know what's involved in getting from the train station to the restaurant, and I don't know how late the trains run. I haven't had much luck getting train schedules online Venice-Padua.

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we used the train and it worked fine - some services only 30 minutes. It's only about 4kms from the city centre to Sarmeola, so a cab is easy (or take the bus).

[Bu Pun Su]

Do I need to book the train tickets in advance from Venice to Padua? Or I could just show up in the stations and purchase the tickets there.

Algy,

Do you mind sharing your dining experience in Calandre? Is it worth it? Should we go there, we might eat there for lunch. I hope they serve the same menu for both lunch and dinner.

I thought Calandre is supposed to be one of Italian's best restaurants. Somehow, I find it quite difficult to find the review. Thanks

[algy]

Do I need to book the train tickets in advance from Venice to Padua? Or I could just show up in the stations and purchase the tickets there.

Algy,

Do you mind sharing your dining experience in Calandre? Is it worth it? Should we go there, we might eat there for lunch. I hope they serve the same menu for both lunch and dinner.

I thought Calandre is supposed to be one of Italian's best restaurants. Somehow, I find it quite difficult to find the review. Thanks

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we just booked at the station - beware, the ticket machines didn't work too well, so it ended up being quicker to queue at the window!

here is a good link for a review of a meal at Le Calandre, with some great pictures

http://www.worldtable.com/blog/blog6.html

I would recommend it highly. We tried both gastronomic menus during our stay and preferred the "Adesso": Bux's pictures show the I Classici menu, which is exceptional, but - for us - it came second. Wine service is also of a very high quality: a superb list. We asked the Sommeliers to match wines with courses and they came up with interesting selections, including unusual local wines.

[carlocheff]

Hi,

How long would it take to go to Le Calandre from Venice (I might stay in San Marco area)? What would be the best way to get there and return? Do they serve the same menu for lunch and dinner? Thanks

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I live in padova wich is the city where le calandre is, as a matter of fact its in rubano about two KM out of the city.the best thing if you are staying close to San marco is the boat to the railway station(about 15 minutes) then the train to padova(about $0 minutes), and then you should grab a taxi(there's no good public transportation to that area of the city)it will cost you about 10- 15 €.

it's really worth a trip believe me !

[Bu Pun Su]

Thanks for the response everyone.

If I'm not mistaken, Calandre has 3 different degustation menu. Is it only served for the whole table? I would be there with 2 other people, could we each order a different tasting menu? Thanks

[algy]

Thanks for the response everyone.

If I'm not mistaken, Calandre has 3 different degustation menu. Is it only served for the whole table? I would be there with 2 other people, could we each order a different tasting menu? Thanks

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only 2 I think.

"I Classici" comprises some of his most "historic" dishes: "Adesso" comprises seasonal innovations. I think that you can't "mix and match" on a table, so you may need to stay 2 nights! (They have rooms).

[marktynernyc]

I went to Le Calandre (from Venice) this past November - bought my ticket at the station that morning, grabbed a taxi from Padova after viewing the frescos by Giotto.

Interesting and playful meal - the cheese cart is fantastic. I did one of the menu degustatcion and requested local wines at their suggestion.

[Bu Pun Su]

I did get a chance to have a meal at Calandre at the beginning of summer this year. I would say our meal there is very good - the same level as Can Fabes (95/100) that we had the week before, and only below L'Arpege and Alain Ducasse Paris (my gastronomy experiences are still very limited). I'm glad to come here after having many mediocre meals at Venice (the ones at Florence are not much better either). So here are my 2 cents

Food

This is the first time I ate here, after a little discussion with the maitre d, we decided to try I grandi classici delle “Calandre” menu. It is a good way to explore the cooking of Max Alajmo. I really love the rissoto, scampi with fried spaghetti and cappucino with black cuttlefish. One think I notice is that this menu involve several dishes with cheese, even from the amuse bouche, so if you're not cheese fans, this menu may not be good for you. Unlike our meal in Can Fabes, here we started out very strong, but it went down the hill as the lunch progress. I am not quite fond of the pasta dishes (very cheesy to the point I don't taste the other ingredients like the spinach and tomato) and the suckling-pork (due to the funny smell). There is no butter served at the beginning along with their bread selection. There are no petit four, sweets or chocolates served after the dessert, I wish they had ones

Wine

The Italian wine selection is very comprehensive as one should expect. I love the 2000 gravner ribolla gialla - absolutely dry and intense in the center, but soften towards the end. The Lombardy's champagne is also great - delicate and good balance in acidity. It's also the first time for me to see a female head sommelier in 3* establishments, but she's very kind and helpful. Her assistant "washed" our glasses with our wines so that we could smell and enjoy the flavor more - I simply have not encountered this anywhere else. By the way, there are many unique-shape glasses for the wines.

Service

The service is excellent, the staffs are very friendly and most of them speak good English. Even chef Massimiliano came to our table to greet us at the beginning. They changed the napkin with the new one when you leave the table. Sometimes, the manager served and explained the dish to us. The decoration is somewhat similar to L'Arpege but much more spacious - simple but not too luxirious.

If any of you would like to see the pictures of what I ate, please click here - Calandre summer 06. Also, I would like to thank Alberto Chinali from the eG forum for helping me to translate the dishes name. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions

[weinoo]

In the May, 2007 issue of Food Arts, Faith Willinger wrote a nice, glowing article about the Alajmo family empire; restaurants, grocer, pastry shop and bar, and hotel.

We're thinking of going to the more casual Veranda il Calandrino for lunch as part of a possible day trip from Bologna, and we were wondering if anyone has eaten here?

[Leslie]

In the May, 2007 issue of Food Arts, Faith Willinger wrote a nice, glowing article about the Alajmo family empire; restaurants, grocer, pastry shop and bar, and hotel.

We're thinking of going to the more casual Veranda il Calandrino for lunch as part of a possible day trip from Bologna, and we were wondering if anyone has eaten here?

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We're going to try Calandrino next month (October) after having previously had a really fun (and exquisite) lunch at Le Calandre two years ago. When are you there? We'll share our impressions when we return at the end of October.

[FDE]

It has been a while since someone post an update on this Michelin 3-star. We were there last month, about 1 hr drive from Venice. We tried both tasting menu: Grand Classics and In.gredienti. The Grand Classics was a better choice as In.gredienti was sort of hit-and-miss.

Good selection of bread

One of their signatures - "Cuttlefish Black Cappuccino"

One of the best dishes of the evening - chopped venison with black truffle shavings

As a unique after-dessert refreshment, our server arrived and asked each of us to open up our mouth, he then spray grappa onto our tongue!

FULL REPORT here.

[fortedei]

It has been a while since someone post an update on this Michelin 3-star.  We were there last month, about 1 hr drive from Venice.  We tried both tasting menu: Grand Classics and In.gredienti.  The Grand Classics was a better choice as In.gredienti was sort of hit-and-miss.

Good selection of bread

One of their signatures - "Cuttlefish Black Cappuccino"

One of the best dishes of the evening - chopped venison with black truffle shavings

As a unique after-dessert refreshment, our server arrived and asked each of us to open up our mouth, he then spray grappa onto our tongue! 

FULL REPORT here.

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A three star restaurant (arguably, for some, the best in Italy), yet so many mediocre dishes according to your report. The worst thing is the gimmick of having a waiter asking you to open your mouth and then spraying grappa onto your tongue.

Just pathetic that a restaurant has to resort to something like that.

Edited August 7, 2008 by fortedei (log)

[aromes]

Event: Lunch at restaurant Le Calandre, Sarmeola di Rubano

When: Saturday, June 16th 2012 12:00

Michelin stars: 3

Type of cuisine: Haute Italian (Mix of Classic & Contemporary)

Addr: Via Liguria, 1 35030 Sarmeola di Rubano, Padova

Phone: 049 635200

Url: http://www.calandre.com/

Overall food performance: 8/10 I am forgiving the 'just ok' initial part of this meal, since the ending was so spectacular on this Saturday June 16th 2012 lunch.

Service: 10/10 A great balance between being professional and yet fun, charming. I find that 3 star Michelin standards of service, tranposed in an Italian context, adds a zest of appeal that I have hard time putting in words. Might be the magic of the gioia di vivere.

Overall Dining experience: 9/10 They do a lot to make the dining experience optimal: the decor, the choice of dinnerware , the modern ambience, the fun and playful interraction with the staff. It is amazing how they balance so well the formal (3 star Michelin standads of service and what goes along is respected and fully applied) with the casual (how fun..fun..fun..fun were those folks on this lunch! Amazing).

INTRO - This concludes an interesting journey of several days in Northern Italy (Lombardy, Veneto, and Liguria). Tiring to say the least, but this is Italy: a borderless ‘open-air candy store’ where everything is tempting. It is, as we all know, one of those rare countries where each parcel of land worths its weight in gold. This is not my first time in Italy, and everytime I visit this country, I regret of not having spent more time.

Gastronomy is, to me, as important as culture, history and architectures. Italy obviously offers plenty of those and this trip was the excuse to enjoy some great food as well as visiting as many historical vestiges as I could in such a short period of time. The dining part (((( I have always paid attention to Michelin starred ventures only in France. Just recently, in Germany. In Italy, I preferred traditional dining destinations of which my long time favourite has been Da Maria in Zanzo, Piemonte now in good company with my 'coup de coeur' of this gourmand week in Northern Italy : A cantina de Mananan in Corniglia - Cinque Terre . This is the first time that I am trying some Michelin star restaurants in Italy)))) of this journey is crazy: quick lunch at 2 star Michelin Trussardi alla Scala in Milan on Wednesday, a big lunch at 3 star Michelin Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull'Oglio on Thursday, a dinner at the iconic 2 star Michelin Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in Milan on Friday, and finally this Saturday's lunch at Le Calandre (for those who may ask: I never review restaurant meals when I am eating with other ppl since I personally find it mannerless to take notes of my meal in such occurence, the only exception is when I dine with my wife since she is supportive of my ideal of knowledge sharing ) . It is absurd to enjoy as many meals in seven days, alongside so many places to visit, but absolutely understandable given the circumstances. I only regret to have missed a dinner at 3 star Osteria Francescana that some of my foodie friends have invited me to partake in. Alas I was just too exhausted and could not make it to Modena.

I came here to Le Calandre because I heard that Chef Massimiliano Alajmo was mastering, to a level that outstands what is usually found at most tables pertaining to this caliber of dining, the aspect of food that I favor the most: unveiling what's left to be discovered from traditional cuisine. He (Chef Alajmo) is doing it with a fresh new (modern) approach, though: from what I gathered, the cooking techniques are mostly modern, but the intent is to push traditional fares to their contemporary revised versions. In a world where there is a lot of babbling about classic cuisine being boring, you would think that trendy modern cooking would bring the supposedly exciting palatable emotions that comes along, but years after the rise of those novel cooking trends, few modernist Chefs are really capable of offering the true excitement that pertains to the splendid impact that classic food can unleash in skilled hands (the Spaniards remain among the very few whose depth of modern cooking creativity can indeed rise at palatable heights of the fabulous taste of the kind of successful classic cooking that I am praising). So many people are lured by the superficial aspect of food that they can’t even make a difference between an average, above average, superior or excellent straightforward food item such a soup or a tartare. You get the idea: I pushed opened the door to Chef Alajmo's dining room expecting classic food's inspired creations to be brought to their glory.

Chef Alajmo was the youngest Chef to have been awarded three Michelin stars for his creations at his restaurant Le Calandre (he still holds those since 2002). He started with some studies in restaurant management, which obviously explains his great business sense with several restaurants, a food store, books, and plenty of other entrepreneurship ideas you will not fail to notice on his web site. Before taking over the kitchen at Le Calandre (a family affair, his mum was the previous Chef there), he worked for several Italian restaurants (for ie, Ja Navalge in Moena) as well as a relatively brief presence alongside France's star Michelin Chefs Michel Guerard (perhaps the focus on light food that I sensed on most of the dishes during this meal came from here) and Marc Veyrat (It would be interesting that a journalist ask him a bit more about what he thinks of Veyrat and what he learned from that phase - I have always been curious about Veyrat and regret to have never been able to sample his modernist creations when he was actively behind the stoves. I do not know Veyrat so it was impossible for me to identify any Veyrat's influences all along the meal I was sampling at Le Calandre). Despite his young age, Chef Alajmo has been a mentor to many successful Italian Chefs such as Chef Stefano Merlo (Rossini's in Bangkok) or Relais Galu's Sergio Preziosa. In 2012, Chef Alajmo's Le Calandre restaurant features in Restaurant Magazine top 50 best restaurants of the globe.

The restaurant Le Calandre is situated in Sarmeola di Rubano, at approx 6 kms away from the city of Padova, less than 50 kms away from Venezzia. The restaurant itself is inside the family's restaurant/hotel building (They have another of their numerous restaurants in that building: Il Calandrino). The inside decor is contemporary minimalist- chic with tones of black and grey, no tablecloth on the tables. The room itself has elements of great artistic value such as the tables made of a century-old type of ash-oak tree wood as well as dinnerware/Italian hand blown crystal glassware worth of prime attention (they seem to pride themselves for putting lots of thoughts and care in this aspect of the dining experience; as an ie many restaurants have famous sommeliers who serve great wines and yet you look at the size or shape of some of their wine glasses and have quibbles to raise. At le Calandre, even such detail is not overlooked as clearly demonstrated by glasses designed for optimal flow of the wine onto your palate) . It would be interesting to incorporate some ideas of a great Venetian achitect like Carlo Scarpa in that contemporary interior.

Wine list: Over a thousand of wines, catering to all budgets, presented on an electronic display device (Ipad). Needless to describe that wine list since you can peruse it online (I found it very practical to have the wine list on the web). They do also, I am pretty sure, have more gems that do not necessarily feature on that online list. On this lunch, they initially served some glasses of Bruno Paillard Brut Assemblage 1999, then followed by some choices of wine by the glass that I appreciated a lot (I chose the default wine pairing to the ingredienti tasting menu). The highlight of this wine pairing was, for me, the 2007 Domaine Vincent Girardin Meursault Les Narvaux.

On with the FOOD:

Vegetable salad comprising of marinated beets, boiled carrots, sunflower cream, celery, tomatoes. The idea was to present the veggies in various textures (crunchy, dried, boiled, marinated, etc) and temperatures with layers of different piquant flavors (gingery, and dijon mustard in this case). Playful and interesting although I wished that some ingredients of this dish would have left a higher palatable impact as so oftenly expressed by ingredients in the Mediterranea (especially the tomatoes and the beets) 7.5/10

Next was cream of tomato/marinated and sauteed aubergine, fresh basil (Sorry for having taken the picture after sampling the food). The tomato part was essentially a take on the idea of a gazpacho. Top quality Sardinian Paue Carasau tomato featured on this dish. Refreshing with an interesting use of complimentary ingredients. 7/10

Followed by Ricciola raw fish carpaccio and a tartare of seafood and red meat. Lemon cream bringing the needed balance of acidity to the seafood, caviar adding extra textural dimension and cabbage was served alongside those ingredients. Good 7/10

Then linguine (spelt linguine), black truffle, scallops, cuttlefish cream - the overall dish was properly cooked, had good flavors and was prettily presented on stone support.

Good 7/10

Most of the dishes served to that point were paired with a fabulous Meursault Les Narvaux 2007 (Domaine Vincent Girardin).

Next was Rose risotto/peach/ginger. Chef Alajmo oftenly came in the dining room, exchanging with his customers, and he explained to me that this is his reference to Italian renaissance art. A great idea indeed, playful, creative and this was certainly a good risotto with rice achieved at ideal bite, the cheese counterpoint matching really well with the aromas of the rose, ginger and peach flavors adding to the complexity of the dish in a perfectly well balanced way. Very good. 8/10

Followed by veal cutlet and sweetbreads/curry sauce - The veal being of prime quality, the curry sauce thickened ideally and tasting good. On the side, a classically made fresh green salad. 7/10

Then lamb chops served with a roll of cabbage. Nice acidity coming from that roll of cabbage. Good 7/10 (this was paired with a glass of Il Poggione San Leopoldo 2004, an interesting blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, barrel-aged for 12 months in French oak, and that expressed superb structure and long enjoyable fruity finish of dark berries.

Whereas the previous dishes were certainly all well executed, I found them to be a bit short on sparks. Still, the overall experience itself (with the fun and yet professional service, the charming ambience, the way they go above and beyond to make every little moment as memorable as it can be) was so fantastic that nothing was going to alter my high appreciation of their work. Well, it is as if they did not want me to leave with the impression that the kitchen could not deliver. The proof: a big surprise would follow next, and it would come from the kitchen ->

They suggested that I move to a different room, where I'd be alone to enjoy the dessert phase of my tasting menu. That phase is untitled 'Game of Chocolate 2012'. In the room, some music is played with the sole intent to connect memories

of the basics of life's evolution with different items of an array of mini desserts. Now, while the previous dishes varied in between 7 to 8/10 in my personal assessment, I was now in a completely different arithmetic logic (which in my case is just an extra effort to convey, in the best constructive way possible, the emotions and palatable impact brought to me by a dish). Interestingly, here's what was written on a little piece of paper that I had to read prior to indulge in what was going to stand as the spectacular finale of this meal: """In & Out choco game 2012 is something that we have all experienced before from our first heartbeats (IN) to our entrance into the world (OUT). During this passage, there is a moment of darkness that suddenly turns into pure light. IN & OUT is a simple expression of a large message". Rfaol, upon reading that note, I said to myself "That is it, I got it now...Lol..the darkness was the first part of the meal (just kidding. The 1st part of the meal was no darkness at all) and now I was going to partake in the "pure light" phase of the meal. Laughs. Joke aside, this part was simply spectacular with an array of mini desserts that kept the bar of palatable excitement to memorable heights.

I'll let the numbers convey how of an awe-inspiring level the choco game 2012 phase was: a delicious shot of dark choco was a benchmark of its kind (10/10), vanilla topped with a milky concoction of their own had my tongue leaving my mouth and start dancing in the room, Rfaol - It was that spectacular in mouth! A 10/10 for that vanilla/milk mixture. Then a shot of ginger/peach (10/10), some benchmark choco truffles (10.10), a shot of cold expresso with dulce di lecce underneath (10/10), a cracker with impossibly perfect sweet goat cheese in between (9/10), an impressive citrus flavored lollipop with white choco and pineapple (a Blast! 10/10 ), an exciting shot of their own take on pina colada and it went on and on with creative and exciting mini creations of that sort, but of world class perfection and palatable impact worth of superlatives.

A fantastic end to a meal that started on less impressive grounds.

PROS: The spectacular ending to this meal (fabulous flavors brought to surprising palatable heights in each bite of that memorable choco Game 2012 mise en scène) ...

CONS: ...had that same amazement being expressed towards the first part of this repast, the entire meal would have been an epic culinary achievement. Regardless, this was still a very enjoyable experience and where many fail to seduce their customers, Le Calandre is succeeding at being a charm.

Ciao!

[Bu Pun Su]

Italian fine dining restaurants tend to be quietly under the radar, with the exception of Osteria Francescana where its charismatic chef and the media successfully creating buzz that helped the publicity of Italian cuisine. 2006 was the year I began my gastronomy trip in Europe and Le Calandre was one of a few restaurants I happened to visit. Like many other 3-star places in Italy, Calandre was situated in a small and unassuming town of Rubano, not too far from Padua. I instantly fell in love with that place though the not-so-strategic location has prevented me from returning there until Nov last year. My spouse would really love to visit the floating city of Venice. It should always be romantic there and November would be quiet, so I managed to squeeze time out of Venezia to re-visit (lunch) the most beloved restaurant of the Alajmo’s brothers.

 

Le Calandre’s address was still the same but the interior tremendously changed. It became very dark (the restaurant covered up the natural light) with spot/low lighting directed at each of the 8 big circular tables uniformly cut from the same 180-year-old ash tree. The table had a dip in the centre to hold bread basket. There was no more the typical Michelin white cloth. The decor was still stylish and elegant, but without any extravagant feeling. The unique and specifically designed tableware and glassware were still available. The restaurant introduced “Carpe diem” concept in which guests who were certain to order one of the 3 tasting menus could do advanced payment and received 15+ % discount. We took advantage for the offering and this time I ordered the ‘longer’ version of the Autumn seasonal menu. Even after the discount, Calandre appeared to be more expensive than the other 3-star Michelin establishments in Italy but they really gave lots of food. I had to request for a break just before the meat course, which hardly happened for my usual appetite.

 

After some bread, snacks and amuse (involved plenty of cheese), then come the courses from the Fall degustation menu below,

-small and sweet sea scallop was in harmony with the apple agretto acidity and celery meringue delicate flavor

-flavorful langoustine & squid were wrapped by velvety raw piemontese beef; this dish was served with lobster cream/mayo, vegetable salad and caviar

-one of my best dishes was fresh burrata having buttery flavor. Under the burrata, there were fish and clams that were complemented by delicious salty & fragrant squid ink – simple and delicious

Good antipasti then followed by pasta & risotto

-an innovative creation of tarragon pasta with flavorful pistachio sauce, snails, octopus and herbs served in a copper pan. The smart part: the pasta was not the star and acted more as a rich emulsion

-wheat linguine was prepared slightly too “al dente” for my taste. The ‘dressing’ was quite interesting, made of pine nut, pumpkin and beef stock producing intense flavor – not bad

-in Autumn, the risotto dish was served with chicken stock jelly, subtle colatura di alici and shaved Alba truffle. It was creamy & rich yet not heavy with the rice having perfect texture with slight saltiness. Very good and a bit more superior to similar dish served at dal Pescatore

-as the first timer, the kitchen gave my spouse the classic version: risotto, cooked perfectly, with saffron and liquorice. It’s still the finest risotto in the world, even better than the one above. The saffron and licorice powder gave balance of sweet & bitter flavor, while the added parmesan was delightful

 

 

Delightful primi. Now it’s time for the secondi (seafood and meats)

-seared fresh & top quality of succulent lobster served with smooth no-cream sauce (made from sea urchin and crab) as well as meaty & earthy mushroom. A sublime dish and love it very much

-juicy, thinly cut and flavorful lamb was prepared ‘alla Milanese’. This beautiful meat was accompanied by aromatic almond & herb, fresh salad and red beets

-lastly, tender & gamey baby squab in tasty ‘rustic’ sauce was served with cabbage, mango and sauteed peppers – enjoyable and luckily in small portion

For the dolci, the restaurant prepared:

-truffled egg, another Autumn specialty. It consisted of egg white, white chocolate, white truffle and vanilla ice cream. It was decadent as long as the truffle’s distinct smell and taste was still there. Without it, it became rather monotonous, sweet and (very) eggy  

-my wife had Calandre’s new dessert called pollen. It’s a show contrast in temperature, flavor and texture. There were several elements inside such as elderflower gelato, pistachio, ginger granita and mango

-to close, each of us got a portion of Massi’s interpretation of Tiramisu, served in a specific designed glass. We got to zip through to savor the chocolate, coffee, and mascarpone flavors – clever and stunning

 

A remarkable “symphony” by a gifted Italian (kitchen) maestro. Chef Alajmo’s versatility has enabled him to create high quality classical and contemporary Italian dishes with ease. No wonder that he became the youngest chef ever to have received Michelin’s 3-star award in 2002. For this meal, I had 3 glasses of wine: 2 whites (2013 Niedrist Riesling and 2011 Monte lessini from Veneto) and 1 red (2009 Corto chianti) to be precise. The restaurant was very quiet; only 2 tables were filled, comprising of exactly 7 people. Massi Alajmo came to the dining room a couple of times and he likes to engage and listen to guests’ comments. He sincerely (still) wanted to be better and ensured diners’ satisfaction all the times. The Alajmo brothers had a few restaurants nowadays and this “forced” the older Alajmo, Raffaele to travel around and  unable to stay put at Calandre anymore. The current restaurant manager named Andrea Calzavara who was friendly but he only met guests at the beginning and the end of the meal. In between, 1 waiter and 1 junior sommelier served all the 2 tables. They did a decent job by delivering good service in a professional but relaxed manner. We were pleased although I admitted it was not as polished as when Raffaele still lead the FOH. All in all, it was an incredible experience especially the quality of the food – I bestowed 97 pts meaning (in my notes) it’s the only restaurant serving Italian cuisine that deserved to be at the 3-star level without any reservation.  Given Massi Alajmo’s talents and seasonal cuisine, a return to Calandre is necessary should I find myself around the Veneto region.

 

A more detailed review, please visit: http://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.com/2015/01/le-calandre-massimiliano-alajmo.html

Comprehensive dishes’ pictures were here: https://picasaweb.google.com/118237905546308956881/LeCalandrePadovaItaly#