cinghiale Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 (edited) How does that work? Media reviews? Word of mouth? But what if you’re located in a, well, Michelin desert? A restaurant in my dinky town in Marche (Italy) changed owners about year ago and has since been putting out food that shows a high level of creativity and quality. It’s located in the charming “castello” part of my hill town and has comfortable, nicely appointed rooms and a friendly staff. It’s regularly drawing diners from surrounding towns (roughly within 20 km). The chef sources a lot of his products from hyper-local producers, including pasta fresca, extruded spaghettone, saffron, burrata and mead (!). Meats come from heritage breeds: Cintato Rosso and Cinta Sense pork, Marchigiana and Chianina beef. The owners don’t speak much English, meaning they have difficulty explaining the menu to guests who don’t speak Italian. So I’ve offered to translate their menu. Here are a few samples: Pork loin carpaccio – Made with Cintato Rosso pork, a heritage breed, marinated in Rosso Conero wine and garnished with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette, caper berries and crushed Bronte pistachios Cappellacci (Marche-style tortellini) – Stuffed with roast guinea hen, served in a pan sauce with chestnuts Slow-cooked squab breast – Braised in mead and dried pear, served on butter bread and accompanied by sliced foie gras Tartare of heifer beef – Made with Marchigiana beef, a heritage breed, served with mustard and sea fennel I’m not saying this is * cooking but I think it’s Bib Gourmand level. There are only three restaurants in the area with Michelin reviews, and the closest is about a 45-minute drive away. The inspectors seem to be active on the coast – Uliassi now has 3 stars. The restaurant also doesn’t have much an online presence – no website or anything. So, any ideas of how to catch the attention of the local inspector(s)? A review would also be a boost for the local economy, which it could sorely use. Edited February 3 by cinghiale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneakeater Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Wait you live in the Marche????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinghiale Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 Yep. I live right next to the border of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, with the Lacrima di Morra d’Alba zone a bit farther to the east and Verdicchio di Matelica just to the south of me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneakeater Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Oh MAN. So like all the Vincisgrassi you want, whenever you want it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinghiale Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 Not quite. Mostly done by home cooks for special occasions in my experience. My bartender made one for Christmas, for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneakeater Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 (edited) That's still more than I get! (A Marchese restaurant opened in Brooklyn a few years ago but somehow they forget to put offal into their Vincisgrassi.) Edited February 3 by Sneakeater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinghiale Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 Some would say that chicken liver is important, but it’s not always included. The polenta around here always seems to be sauced with lamb liver though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orik Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 The local tourism authority would have a way of contacting mich. Remember when you'd buy the guide and there was a little envelope inside to send them your opinion of a place? I think the liver is important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinghiale Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 Thanks, Ori. I’ll look into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneakeater Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 I don't want to divert your thread, @cinghiale, but what do you think of Lacrima di Morra d’Alba? The first time I had one, I thought it was just weird. All nose, no tongue. But the more I drink it, the more I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinghiale Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 (edited) I'm not really a fan. I find them kind of cloying. My wife likes them, though, so we sometimes pick up Lacrimas from Ma.Ri.Ca when we're in the area; they're quite good. If you ever find yourself in the Ancona province in late May, you can try all the Lacrimas you want at the annual Cantine Aperte event. €10 gets you a glass, a little tote to carry it in and free tastings at something like 75 vineyards in the province, which open their doors to the public for the weekend of the event. There's also one now during harvest time, it seems. They also take place in other regions, but I haven't gotten to them yet. Umbria would be great, I'm sure. Edited February 4 by cinghiale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneakeater Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 On 2/3/2024 at 12:00 PM, Sneakeater said: That's still more than I get! (A Marchese restaurant opened in Brooklyn a few years ago but somehow they forget to put offal into their Vincisgrassi.) (Cremini's doesn't use liver?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneakeater Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 NO THEY DO NOT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diancecht Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 a bit off topic although it’s michelin-related bad food in france i guess you can dine poorly anywhere but for some reason, it stings more when experiencing that in a far away country known for its cuisine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinghiale Posted May 29 Author Share Posted May 29 (edited) Chef has his offal game going for the summer menu: Lampredotto sandwich: street food that I’m sure many of you have had in Florence. It’s usually translated at “tripe”, but my research showed that it’s actually made from the fourth stomach of the cow, the abomasum. Do we refer to stomach as “tripe”? Is there another word? I obviously can’t render it as “stomach sandwich”. The Germans have “Saumagen”, Helmut Kohl’s favorite dish, which is “sow stomach”, so no squeamishness there. I had the lampredotto about a month ago when he was trying it out. Delicious (according to the webs, it seems that everyone who eats them loves them). Pajata: a new one for me. A classic Roman dish made with intestines from milk-fed calves, which is how I put it in the dish description. AFAIK the lining of the intestines creates a milky/cheesey sauce of its own accord. Can’t wait to try it. He also has another Tuscan dish with a weird name: Tonno del Chianti. No, it’s not Chianti tuna but rather a pork preparation allegedly invented by Dario Cecchini (so he says). The chef showed me the prep in the kitchen, so I called it “slow-cooked pulled pork shoulder, served jar-packed under olive oil” (I know: the pulled pork shoulder is not slow cooked, but it was hard to fit everything in). It’s not unlike rillettes, I suppose, but I can’t rely on diners to know what that is. Cecchini says he uses “pork thigh”. Traditional recipes call for porky cast-off parts (which sounds great to me!) or even suckling piglets that won’t suckle. Then there a new starter of wild salmon carpaccio cured in squid ink, which looks very nice. A new primo is spaghettoni in a Mazara red prawn stock reduction with sea urchin roe and smoked cherry tomatoes. It’s the “red prawn stock reduction” that I’m not sure of. He calls it “bisque di gambero rosso”. I told him you can’t sauce a pasta (in English) with a “bisque”. He told me he stick blends the prawns with some brodo to make it. Still confused. Anyone have any ideas of what to call that kind of prep? I’m not getting much traction with him on star-hunting. Doesn’t really interest him, though he acknowledges that one always has to aspire to be better. There are only three other restaurants in Marche with comparable menus that have one star. ETA: salmon **carpaccio** Edited May 29 by cinghiale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinghiale Posted May 29 Author Share Posted May 29 (edited) On 2/4/2024 at 10:21 AM, cinghiale said: I'm not really a fan. I find them kind of cloying. My wife likes them, though, so we sometimes pick up Lacrimas from Ma.Ri.Ca when we're in the area; they're quite good. If you ever find yourself in the Ancona province in late May, you can try all the Lacrimas you want at the annual Cantine Aperte event. €10 gets you a glass, a little tote to carry it in and free tastings at something like 75 vineyards in the province, which open their doors to the public for the weekend of the event. There's also one now during harvest time, it seems. They also take place in other regions, but I haven't gotten to them yet. Umbria would be great, I'm sure. In more Marche news, the Cantine Aperte was this weekend. Had other commitments and couldn't go. But: the Brodetto Fest is this weekend. Might be time for a trip to the coast! Edited May 29 by cinghiale 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orik Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 1 hour ago, cinghiale said: Chef has his offal game going for the summer menu: Lampredotto sandwich: street food that I’m sure many of you have had in Florence. It’s usually translated at “tripe”, but my research showed that it’s actually made from the fourth stomach of the cow, the abomasum. Do we refer to stomach as “tripe”? Is there another word? I obviously can’t render it as “stomach sandwich”. The Germans have “Saumagen”, Helmut Kohl’s favorite dish, which is “sow stomach”, so no squeamishness there. I had the lampredotto about a month ago when he was trying it out. Delicious (according to the webs, it seems that everyone who eats them loves them). Pajata: a new one for me. A classic Roman dish made with intestines from milk-fed calves, which is how I put it in the dish description. AFAIK the lining of the intestines creates a milky/cheesey sauce of its own accord. Can’t wait to try it. Pajata is known as chinchulines in Argentina / Uruguay and it is really terrific, naturally stuffed with ricotta... In Spain I've seen the fourth stomach as abomaso and it goes into tripe together with the other ones. In Japan it's Giara and is part of offal yakiniku (horumon). I'm not sure it's even marketable in the US. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneakeater Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 It will surprise no one that Pajatas (in Rome) were one of my favorite things I have ever eaten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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