Dto the Alpine valleys to the rooftops of Verona, from the bright panoramas of Milan to the green silences of MonzaDecember invites us to discover restaurants that know how to transform a dinner into an experience. Different places, united by an authentic taste for hospitality and cuisines capable of describing a territory – or to reinvent it lightly.
Whether they are intimate atmospheres, enchanting views or surprising architecture, each table offers a sensorial journey to be experienced slowly, among carefully prepared dishes, selected raw materials and services that make you feel special. Five addresses to note: each with a story, all with a promise of pleasure. Enjoy your meal.
An unexpected, highly original place, to say “out of the ordinary” is an understatement.
In an alpine valley, Val Passiria, about ten kilometers from Merano, within the beautiful hotel Quellenhof, the Underwater is a restaurant with modern, but warm and welcoming architecturewith lots of wood and beautiful fabrics; but what justifies the name and characterizes the place are the four large screens on the walls with live underwater marine scenes. We are between mountains and woods, but here the sea triumphs. And it also triumphs in the kitchen.
Chef Julian Marth offers rich and tasty cuisineinnovative but without flights of fancy, with dishes such as the Lobster roll: red prawn, trout caviar, red onion; the salmon trout from Val Passiria; the imperial scampi with lard, peas and tomato or the Atlantic turbot with pumpkin, cabbage and butter.
The Tyrolean wines that accompany the dishes are excellent. Perfect and smiling service.
7-course menu €125, drinks not included. It’s not too much for such goodness.
Underwater Restaurant, San Martino in Passiria (BZ) – via Passiria, 47. Tel. 0473 645474 – www.quellenhof.it
Il Falconiere Restaurant, Cortona (AR)
The starred restaurant Il Falconierelocated inside the relais of the same name and part of the Autentico Hotels family, celebrates the most authentic Tuscan cuisine. Created from the ancient lemon house, the restaurant welcomes guests in a refined atmosphere, with an elegant internal room and a panoramic terrace that opens onto Cortona and its rolling hills.
Starred Chef Silvia Baracchi interprets tradition with creativity and sensitivitygiving life to a sunny cuisine where each dish is born from the love for the roots and from a rigorous selection of local and seasonal raw materials. The fresh homemade pastas – from pici with ragù to hand-rolled tagliatelle, from stuffed tortelli to baked pasta on Sundays – embody the heart of Tuscan conviviality while the peposo, the wild boar stew, the arista with herbs, the Cortonese tripe and the ribollita are sincere homages to the memory and genuine taste of times gone by.
To accompany the dishes, the wines of Cantina Baracchi complete the experience with harmony and passion. The result is an authentically Tuscan gourmet experience where taste, elegance and tradition come together in a story of territory and love for good food. The service was professional and very attentive.
€130 drinks not included with tasting menu available.
Il Falconiere Restaurant, Cortona (AR)
Località San Martino a Bocena, 370. Tel. 0575.612679 – www.ilfalconiere.it
Softly, Verona
In the ancient heart of beautiful Verona, a small but large restaurant. On the roof of the Hotel Vista, a few tables, very well looked after and set and a boundless view of the city. In good weather you dine on the terrace; in winter in a small intimate room.
The cuisine, curated by chef Fabio Acetiis a journey into the flavors and aromas that tell the story of a territory that never ceases to surprise. Ancient recipes reinterpreted with creativity and courage. Among the dishes: Diana and Neptune, pigeon and red crayfish; the idea of Roman artichoke; lobster and tomato linguine; the cheek roots and spices; and a truly exceptional cheese tasting.
Everything is very well presented without “exceeding” in “tiny” dishes as is now widespread practice. Rich and varied wine list. Precise and smiling service.
On €120 drinks not included.
Softly, Verona
Corticella Leoni, 3 Tel.: 045 11170880 – https://www.vistapalazzo.com/verona/ristorante-sottovoce/
Horizons, Milan
It’s impossible not to start talking about Orizzonti, without saying that from up here the view of Milan is wonderful. We are on the 13th floor of the Uptown Palace in the Porta Romana areaa beautiful hotel with an architect’s “touch”. Orizzonti confirms its name, from up here view extends over the whole of Milan with, in the foregroundthe Velasca Tower and the Duomo. You have lunch in a beautiful all-glass room, where marble dominates, from the floors to the tables, to the modern sculptures.
The kitchen is up to the task; the chef Luca Pedate, Neapolitan, offers original dishes, very well presented, which are influenced by their origins, but perfectly meet contemporary taste.
Among the dishes: excellent agnolotti with Genoese ragù; the local artichoke, cooked on the grill; the deviled pigeon and then, to conclude, and here we go to Naples, the pastiera cruda, a typical dessert of Neapolitan Easter.
Nice wine list. Efficient service. Around €70
Horizons, Milan
Via Santa Sofia, 10. Tel. 02 30513629 – https://www.orizzontimilano.com/
Kalan, Monza
In the heart of Monza, in a green corner, there is Kalan, the small restaurant that seems to be unique for Italy and very rare also for the rest of the world. Kalan is the gastronomic “piece” of a newly opened center for integral well-being.
In a modern, essential but aesthetically refined room, you can enjoy cuisine that combines conscious nutrition and the pleasure of taste. A vegetarian cuisine that offers very pleasant dishes: you can start with Tacos Kalan, tortillas with protein chilishiso and carrot cream; or the excellent roasted pumpkin soup with mushrooms, radishes and spinach, sautéed with soy, black beans and sorghum; or curry with roasted vegetables, cashew cream, black rice and parsley oil.
Excellent and varied Konbucha to drink.
Friendly and smiling service. Around €50
Kalan, Monza
Via S. Gottardo, 58. Tel.: 039 855 1045 – https://www.KALANcentro.it/